So, here I sit, cozy and warm, in my house. Friday is Christmas, and I'm sure almost everyone is anxious to see what they got from the family and pals, right? Well, I'm sure you think you know where I'm going with this. You think I'm going to say, "Christmas isn't about presents and giving! It's about Jesus!!" Well, I hate to disappoint, but I'm going to switch it up a bit.
Christmas isn't even really about giving, it's about receiving!
*Cricket chirping*
Well, yes. God gave His son to all of us. We that chose to receive Him are blessed, are we not? The miracle of Christmas is what we received. The only part of the Christmas story that specifically mentions giving gifts are the wise men. We don't even know how many of them there were, or where they came from! There is nothing that even comes close to the centerpiece of it all. The Baby born of a virgin.
The Christ, Jesus Cristo, King of all.
There is no greater gift to receive than the gift of Salvation.
Be happy and love one another. Thank God for His Gift to you.
Merry Christmas
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Early in the morning...
Well, at least it was when I went to bed last night. I didn't really plan on posting today, but recent events have inspired me to do so. Normally I have a decent idea of what I'm going to say in these, but today I don't. I plan to keep it very short and simple, though.
Everyone struggles.
It seems that if people don't get the "necessary" attention for what they're going through, they feel betrayed. I'm sorry, but I'd have to say that's sinful. I'm very guilty of this as well. It seems we get caught up in our own daily life and forget to think about others. In elementary school they teach kids to "only worry about you!" Well, maybe that's good in disciplinary environments where you have to keep kids from staring while the kid down the row eats his own boogers, but oh, how it is different in real life!
I aim to keep my focus on that kid eating his boogers! Isn't he the one who needs help? Maybe he needs somebody to eat boogers with him, so he doesn't feel so alone! Isn't that what we're here for?
That's all I have this morning/afternoon. I hope it inspires you in some way.
-Sam
Everyone struggles.
It seems that if people don't get the "necessary" attention for what they're going through, they feel betrayed. I'm sorry, but I'd have to say that's sinful. I'm very guilty of this as well. It seems we get caught up in our own daily life and forget to think about others. In elementary school they teach kids to "only worry about you!" Well, maybe that's good in disciplinary environments where you have to keep kids from staring while the kid down the row eats his own boogers, but oh, how it is different in real life!
I aim to keep my focus on that kid eating his boogers! Isn't he the one who needs help? Maybe he needs somebody to eat boogers with him, so he doesn't feel so alone! Isn't that what we're here for?
That's all I have this morning/afternoon. I hope it inspires you in some way.
-Sam
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Letting Go Pt. 2
Okay, so, maybe getting my hair cut wasn't that bad, but the biggest thing was that I looked in the mirror and saw someone I hadn't seen for a very long time. All the weight my hair had carried, all the sorrow it had seen, every tear it had soaked up, was now gone. I was new.
I had grown more attached to my past than I had even realized, and the only way I could let it go was by force. I didn't even realize I was so attached to it. Tethered to everything I had grown tired of. More than just my hair.
Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, acceptable and holy, to God. I'm not saying I had to cut my hair to make my body acceptable to God, but my mind was in no state to present myself to God.
I don't believe that this body is acceptable to God, that's why we leave it at death and receive our glorified, heavenly bodies. He created my body, and I shamed it. I only wish to hide this body, so that all the scars, physical and non-physical, will not be shown. That is why I sacrifice my body to God, so that He may dispose of it, and I can live, and walk with Him in Heaven. I offer my body to God so He can do what He wills with it.
So, I present a challenge to you. Cut off whatever ties you have with sin. Instead of praying for what you want, pray for God to use you how He wants. God will provide for you everything you need, and bless you with some things as well.
I remember my prayer of salvation, I asked God to make His presence known in my life, and to speak to me. God responded by basically saying, "My presence has been obvious in your life! I have been speaking to you! You haven't listened until now! I've tried to use you, but instead you turn away!"
I think God must get tired of "Christmas list" prayers. "Tonight, God, I want this, and this, and this, and this!" What happened to God's will for us? He's God, not a magical fairy. He doesn't just make all our wishes come true, it's all about His will for us!
Let go of what you want and embrace what He wants for you.
-Sam
P.S. I might post a before and after picture of my hair.
I had grown more attached to my past than I had even realized, and the only way I could let it go was by force. I didn't even realize I was so attached to it. Tethered to everything I had grown tired of. More than just my hair.
Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, acceptable and holy, to God. I'm not saying I had to cut my hair to make my body acceptable to God, but my mind was in no state to present myself to God.
I don't believe that this body is acceptable to God, that's why we leave it at death and receive our glorified, heavenly bodies. He created my body, and I shamed it. I only wish to hide this body, so that all the scars, physical and non-physical, will not be shown. That is why I sacrifice my body to God, so that He may dispose of it, and I can live, and walk with Him in Heaven. I offer my body to God so He can do what He wills with it.
So, I present a challenge to you. Cut off whatever ties you have with sin. Instead of praying for what you want, pray for God to use you how He wants. God will provide for you everything you need, and bless you with some things as well.
I remember my prayer of salvation, I asked God to make His presence known in my life, and to speak to me. God responded by basically saying, "My presence has been obvious in your life! I have been speaking to you! You haven't listened until now! I've tried to use you, but instead you turn away!"
I think God must get tired of "Christmas list" prayers. "Tonight, God, I want this, and this, and this, and this!" What happened to God's will for us? He's God, not a magical fairy. He doesn't just make all our wishes come true, it's all about His will for us!
Let go of what you want and embrace what He wants for you.
-Sam
P.S. I might post a before and after picture of my hair.
Letting Go Pt. 1
Hello, everybody. I meant to write sooner, but this past week has been a little busy.
Let me start off by telling you a story:
I was very excited to get my hair cut last Tuesday. It was pretty long after 9 months of free growth and wasn't looking the best, so I decided it was time to trim! I left school to make the journey about 50 miles northeast to a city by the name of Midland.
>Something you will soon learn is that I really do love my hair, maybe too much.<
See, the reason I travel an hour to simply get my hair cut, is because I really trust the lady that does it there, and she's never given me a bad cut. I arrive with, my dearest mommy, about 5 minutes before my scheduled appointment, everything's going great! Until...
*suspense*
My regular hair-cutting virtuoso is out sick! The secretary says we should have received a call so we could reschedule, but we never got one. She offers politely to have someone else cut my hair, and I think time stopped for a moment. Everything inside me twisted up in horror! I couldn't talk! I looked at my mom for some sort of comfort, but all she did was say, "C'mon she wouldn't hire anybody that sucks at cutting hair!"
So, I gave in.
Not even the regular lady that washes my hair was there, every comfort I had found there, everything that I knew, and was familiar with, was gone! I felt like I was making my final march to my execution, as the soccer moms and beauty queens all watched in silent horror and mourning.
Suddenly, the over-played, chart-topping hits that were being blasted over the radio, were replaced by a lone trumpet player, off in the distance, quietly confirming the end with his slow, sad, hymn.
If you're still reading this, I'll cut to the chase. The lady cut off too much, I asked for a little trim, about 1 1/2 inches taken off, and she decided to almost cut to my hairline in the back. The sides used to be below my chin, and now fall just below my earlobe! Oh no!!
For the rest of the night I was nothing less than devastated. My mom apologized for egging me on, and I knew I couldn't hold it against her, but come on, that was 9 months of hair! I remember the last thing the lady said to me was, "Look at all that hair!", pointing to the floor at what she had just cut off.
Yes, look at all that hair. Look at what's been a part of me for the past nine months. It was more than just a part of me physically, but mentally, also. That hair had been with me through the absolute toughest part of my life, and to see it laying on the floor, soon to be thrown away like trash, made me want to scream. It held so much more "weight" than what could be seen.
---I've already written quite a bit, so I'm going to split this post into 2 parts.
Part 2 will tie all of this in spiritually. How am I going to relate a haircut to our daily spiritual struggles? Well, I guess you'll have to wait and read Part 2 and find out!---
-Sam
Let me start off by telling you a story:
I was very excited to get my hair cut last Tuesday. It was pretty long after 9 months of free growth and wasn't looking the best, so I decided it was time to trim! I left school to make the journey about 50 miles northeast to a city by the name of Midland.
>Something you will soon learn is that I really do love my hair, maybe too much.<
See, the reason I travel an hour to simply get my hair cut, is because I really trust the lady that does it there, and she's never given me a bad cut. I arrive with, my dearest mommy, about 5 minutes before my scheduled appointment, everything's going great! Until...
*suspense*
My regular hair-cutting virtuoso is out sick! The secretary says we should have received a call so we could reschedule, but we never got one. She offers politely to have someone else cut my hair, and I think time stopped for a moment. Everything inside me twisted up in horror! I couldn't talk! I looked at my mom for some sort of comfort, but all she did was say, "C'mon she wouldn't hire anybody that sucks at cutting hair!"
So, I gave in.
Not even the regular lady that washes my hair was there, every comfort I had found there, everything that I knew, and was familiar with, was gone! I felt like I was making my final march to my execution, as the soccer moms and beauty queens all watched in silent horror and mourning.
Suddenly, the over-played, chart-topping hits that were being blasted over the radio, were replaced by a lone trumpet player, off in the distance, quietly confirming the end with his slow, sad, hymn.
If you're still reading this, I'll cut to the chase. The lady cut off too much, I asked for a little trim, about 1 1/2 inches taken off, and she decided to almost cut to my hairline in the back. The sides used to be below my chin, and now fall just below my earlobe! Oh no!!
For the rest of the night I was nothing less than devastated. My mom apologized for egging me on, and I knew I couldn't hold it against her, but come on, that was 9 months of hair! I remember the last thing the lady said to me was, "Look at all that hair!", pointing to the floor at what she had just cut off.
Yes, look at all that hair. Look at what's been a part of me for the past nine months. It was more than just a part of me physically, but mentally, also. That hair had been with me through the absolute toughest part of my life, and to see it laying on the floor, soon to be thrown away like trash, made me want to scream. It held so much more "weight" than what could be seen.
---I've already written quite a bit, so I'm going to split this post into 2 parts.
Part 2 will tie all of this in spiritually. How am I going to relate a haircut to our daily spiritual struggles? Well, I guess you'll have to wait and read Part 2 and find out!---
-Sam
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A Fire Burning High
Hello all, I guess I'll start off by introducing myself. I'm Sam Choate, I live in Texas with the rest of my family, and lead worship for my youth group. If you're really interested in knowing more, then just ask, or check out my profile, I guess.
So, here...we...GO:
I woke up today discontent. Why should I wake up every Sunday morning and dread going to church? I'll try to answer this in the least offensive way possible, and let me also begin by saying I have a huge amount of respect for the people that do their part within my church, and all other churches of The Almighty One.
I'm thankful that there is nowhere in the Bible that says "This IS worship... This is NOT...". God made everyone individual and in that gave us the opportunity to praise Him in our individual ways.
This also happens to be one problem in many, if not all, churches. Everyone wants it their way! But we have to compromise, so some people are unhappy no matter what happens.
I attend First Baptist Church of Crane in Texas, where I grew up. I'll go ahead and say there are problems here, just like any church. I just happen to be more familiar with the ones here because I've been attending for the last 3 years. We have a pretty high attendance rating, so numbers aren't our problem, but maybe we need to look at a different set of numbers. How many of the people there every Sunday morning get something out of it? How many people show up with a broken heart expecting comfort and acceptance and don't find it? Let me just say that the majority of people going after Jesus need Him for a reason, not just because they're bored. He offers love and a grace so profound, the only word to describe it is "indescribable".
Too long have I watched people walk in to church and walk out with the exact same expression on their faces. Where is the happiness? Where is the joy that shines so plentifully out of Jesus' very presence?
Nowhere in the Bible does it say "the people then stared blankly at the pastor in worship". The people are either dancing and singing or they're bowing their heads and kneeling in submission to the LORD! So, when did church become a hassle? When did loving become a chore? Where did the phrase "Done my deeds for the day" come from? Maybe Mark, Matthew, Luke AND John were all busy when Jesus said, "To get to heaven you must do 5 good deeds a week!" When did we put a limit on the love we show one another?
The problem doesn't come from a certain type of music played, or how many people show up in the morning. If anyone shows up to church that's a miracle in itself. The death of a church comes when people turn an infinitely compelling and living God into a boring and lifeless subject. Whose fault is it? Everyone's. I said it, no one is without blame.
If anyone reads this, awesome. If not, I'll still write, because I enjoy it. Leave a comment with your thoughts on the subject. In order to change anything we need unity!
-Sam
So, here...we...GO:
I woke up today discontent. Why should I wake up every Sunday morning and dread going to church? I'll try to answer this in the least offensive way possible, and let me also begin by saying I have a huge amount of respect for the people that do their part within my church, and all other churches of The Almighty One.
I'm thankful that there is nowhere in the Bible that says "This IS worship... This is NOT...". God made everyone individual and in that gave us the opportunity to praise Him in our individual ways.
This also happens to be one problem in many, if not all, churches. Everyone wants it their way! But we have to compromise, so some people are unhappy no matter what happens.
I attend First Baptist Church of Crane in Texas, where I grew up. I'll go ahead and say there are problems here, just like any church. I just happen to be more familiar with the ones here because I've been attending for the last 3 years. We have a pretty high attendance rating, so numbers aren't our problem, but maybe we need to look at a different set of numbers. How many of the people there every Sunday morning get something out of it? How many people show up with a broken heart expecting comfort and acceptance and don't find it? Let me just say that the majority of people going after Jesus need Him for a reason, not just because they're bored. He offers love and a grace so profound, the only word to describe it is "indescribable".
Too long have I watched people walk in to church and walk out with the exact same expression on their faces. Where is the happiness? Where is the joy that shines so plentifully out of Jesus' very presence?
Nowhere in the Bible does it say "the people then stared blankly at the pastor in worship". The people are either dancing and singing or they're bowing their heads and kneeling in submission to the LORD! So, when did church become a hassle? When did loving become a chore? Where did the phrase "Done my deeds for the day" come from? Maybe Mark, Matthew, Luke AND John were all busy when Jesus said, "To get to heaven you must do 5 good deeds a week!" When did we put a limit on the love we show one another?
The problem doesn't come from a certain type of music played, or how many people show up in the morning. If anyone shows up to church that's a miracle in itself. The death of a church comes when people turn an infinitely compelling and living God into a boring and lifeless subject. Whose fault is it? Everyone's. I said it, no one is without blame.
If anyone reads this, awesome. If not, I'll still write, because I enjoy it. Leave a comment with your thoughts on the subject. In order to change anything we need unity!
-Sam
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