The Beginning

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." --Proverbs 1:7

So...yeah...this verse sure seems pretty simple upon first glance. But its not. The concepts which it presents are preposterous to those who don't believe in God. So first of all, and very importantly, you must acknowledge and/or be aware of God's existence. He by no means demands obedience...He'll let us do what we want for our whole lives...but we must be prepared to answer for those actions when we are to be judged. God wants sons and daughters who are eager to do His will...to be loved by Him and directed in all their paths...He wants warriors, lovers, friends, truth speakers, counselors, listeners...anyone and everyone, to know His love.

BUT FIRST, we must know and feel the fear of the Lord. Now, fear isn't normally regarded as something desirable or good...but this isn't your average fear. The fear talked about in this verse isn't a cowering, crying fear as we wait for some big creepy god hidden in the skies to strike us down...or smite us if you'd prefer. ;) No, the fear spoken of here is the reverent fear a child has for their father. A father who loves them with everything he has and would do anything for his children. A father who displays that love with every breath his children take. The fear spoken of in THIS verse is respect and reverence for the Almighty Creator of the universe.

This is a fear that many people don't know...a fear that many people refuse to acknowledge because they claim that God doesn't exist. They hold their own intellect as their personal savior, rationalizing their existence through whatever means is most convenient to them so that they might stay on their earthen platform and claim their godhood. Oh, but they shall know the OTHER type of fear upon their expiration...they will know the terror of being judged by the God who created the mountains and valleys with His finger...who spoke everything into existence and made man His very own handywork.

Search your hardened hearts and know that God waits for you...as your savior through His son Jesus Christ...or as your Judge seated upon the throne which will only be looked upon with shame and regret when you go to be judged...if you can even look at it at all. Know that He wants to deliver you from the bondage you live in. You claim to be so free, yet your life is filled with the same distractions and diversions that you repeat over and over so as to forget for as long as you can that you need to be saved.

And yet, so many of you out there will just huff this off as more "religious crap," instead of the plea of a friend for you to know true love. Love that could change your life. Love that could deliver you from relying on your own limited and finite intelligence. Love that could move you to be a person that you never thought you'd be.

and thats why the verse goes, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." Because a fool will not and can not know real knowledge...sure, a fool can learn things and claim them and cling to those few things as their saving grace, but they will never know true knowledge, much less wisdom, without God.

I love you all and hope that I can help you...if even in the slightest way!

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.John 15:13
and I would, for any of you, that you might know Christ.

Springtime Apostrophe!

Everything looks so green, so lush, so beautiful when its in bloom and growing. Its not until Summer and the harvest time comes that you see what has truly had a purpose in its beauty.

As the flowers bud and the grass grows and the fields begin to sprout, you see everything so green...so bright, so lovely. But weeds grow along side the flowers and the grass and tares next to wheat. So while yes, the beauty of so much lush greenery is breathtaking, the usefullness and purpose (or lack there of) becomes apparent and obvious only after a time.

As the summer comes and the flowers grow and bloom, and the grass grows emerald green and beautiful and the wheat bends and sways in the wind, you see the weeds grow and begin to show their twisted fruit. As they grow, they spread, trying to choke out the other plants, to take their nutrients and sunlight. They dry out and the thorns and thistles begin to harden. They are a plague to man. They get stuck in your clothes in your shoes, they bother you and you wish they never existed. Really...who really, in their hearts, wishes weeds existed?

This is to illustrate, that even in nature, God illustrates that there are creations made for honor and beauty and creations made for dishonor. Is it fair? Who are you, finite man, to say what is fair? Who are you, in your less than 2000 years of oh-so-underwhelming technological advancements and knowledge, somehow manage to find more ways to spit in the face of an Almighty God that will one day judge you? To wag your finger in the face of He who created the planets and named every star? Who are you to assume you know how to lead your life, which is like an ant that you see eek along so slowly and seemingly aimlessly? Listen to the call of He that can save you, who wishes to love you more than anyone or anything on this planet could ever hope to. The One true God whose knowledge is folly to the "itelligent" of this world. Or else, be like the weeds, that are cursed by every soul; and when the harvest comes, is cut down and thrown in the furnace to burn.

Wait a minnit...

FIRST OFF...if you read this, I love you. I absolutely do. I want nothing but the best for every single one of my friends, fb or real. Now...where was I...oooooooh yeeeeaaaah...so, I was thinking...

God's grace and mercy are vast and infinite; so much so that every one of His creations that is able to receive it may become one of His children.

Wrap your peabrains around that...it makes all knowledge ever obtained by man, everything we've ever accomplished on this gift of a planet that we've shit on, small unimportant nothing. The fact that you can recognize God is who He is and that He will love you regardless of our faults and imperfections...that's amazing.

The atheist worships his confidence in the fact that there is no God, and he is a fool. Since the beginning, "the fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'"...just look at the evidence. To chalk it all up to mere chance and evolution...ARE YOU SERIOUS?! hahaha...that's tragic comedy. God makes Himself known and evident in all His creation...its simple. And its that very same profound simplicity that makes the intelligent to stumble. But whatever, atheism is another topic for another day. I'm just trying to point out how MASSIVELY good God is and how much He really and truly wants to impact the life of everyone in the world.

But it is YOUR heart that must accept it. It is YOUR heart that must receive it. You may say, God isn't fair. Who says He has to be fair? The fact that He's chosen NOT to send ALL of us to hell instantaneously is an ENORMOUS amount grace in and of itself. The fact that He gives US a LIFETIME to find Him and get to know Him the way we should, well that's just even MORE unmerited favor AND mercy in our box. It is YOUR heart that is hard and refuses to believe in that which you can not see or justify. You bring secular attacks against the infinite God that will judge you or save you in the end. That's like an ant trying to storm the castle by itself.

If you read this, I love you. I only hope that you know the peace, joy, hope, love, grace and mercy of the one true God that seeks to save you from your own strength, which is no strength at all. He seeks to save you from the things you think you know, which is nothing. Now, this does not mean that He wants dumb, uninformed lemmings that believe what they're spoonfed. No. The Bible calls for us to be able to give an answer to any man for the reason for the hope inside us. And I want to be able to do that. He wants to make your life prosperous and blessed.

That's all my friends, loved ones, family, and acquaintances...may your life not be wasted on pride and vanity of this world. Because without God, that's all that there is out there.

Hard Days...every day.

When your spirit is troubled, which, if you're like me (and you are because you're human), is just about every day, don't worry about it. There is nothing in this world that should cause your mind or heart or spirit to be troubled. There is a place of rest that you can turn to. When the skies are dark, and you feel the pressure coming down on you...telling you that you're not worth it, or that there's nothing to look forward to, or that nothing will ever change no matter how much you fight...be still and know that you don't have to fight.

When you feel like nothing means anything any more and everyone has abandonded you, let your soul be at ease and feel peace. Know that you are loved from since before you were born. Since before you were ever a thought present in anyone's mind, you are loved. When everything falls apart and your hope has whithered away in front of you, cry and be comforted. Let all your fears and worries and stress and walls crumble under the love that wishes to elevate you from the stagnant, stale, dead air which you can't survive in.

When you scream for life, and love, and freedom...know that God will be there till you realize that He is your deliverer.

To all my beloved friends and family,

Thank you so much for all the love you showed me yesterday. It may only be the internet, but I thank you all for making me feel remembered. All the gifts I received are special to me and I love them. And now, I offer you all the greatest gift that I can possibly give any of you.

I truly do love you all, and hope you all read these words.

I am here to tell you all that I pray for you all and keep you all in my heart and thoughts. I pray you all know the love of God and come to know Him intimately. That His love may fill the emptiness that we all feel. And we ALL do have that emptiness. We try to fill it with other things...and yet nothing fills it and satisfies us. I pray that you draw near to God, and know true love and life in its fullness.

I'm not TRYING to preach, but if you feel convicted or even curious, I'm glad. I thank you all, and love you and miss your smiling faces. I pray to see you all again soon, that we might share a beer and a laugh. BUT, I only have 9 Yuengling left (THANKS NEIL AND JENNIFER!!!), so we'll have to find another beer to share!

And my heart, thank you for all your love...I thank God for you every day. I pray that we only increase in faith, and love, and that our last days together be as filled with His love as our first days together my love. I love you and thank you for every bit of love that you gave me yesterday. What I gave you was a small gift of appreciation for being the greatest gift God has placed in my life. My friend, my lover, my companion, my beloved heart. I love you.