Obey? Nah, when nature does I will.

6 points from "How to listen to a Sermon" by George Whitefield

1. Come to hear them, not simply out of curiosity, but out of a desire to know your duty

2. Give diligent head to the things that are spoken from the Word of God

3. Do not entertain even the least prejudice against the minister

4. Be careful not to depend too much on a preacher or think more highly of him than the word he is speaking. (remember who it is from)

5. Make particular application to YOUR OWN hearts of everything that is delivered (do not pay attention to what you think others should be getting out of the message)

6. Pray to the Lord before, during, and after every sermon

Thoughts from pastors message today that I thought were educational and important.

Luke 8:25

"...who is this man that even the winds, and the waves obey at the sound of his voice.."

Why is it that the inanimate will obey simply by God whispering, but we will not obey or even listen when he speaks? Why will we not turn and run straight to him when he calls?

Why don't we trust him? He's proven he knows what he is doing.

Why won't we obey, trust, listen? Guys nature does it... Why won't we? We are God's most precious possessions and we slap him in the face and say...

"No. I want my way."

You had a chance.... Why'd you wait???

So tonight I was on Facebook and was scrolling through some news stories when I happened upon a picture of a girl holding a 3x5 card that said the following:

"I have nobody..
I need somebody..
:("

Did a little digging because of the name of who posted it. The picture of the girl is apparently a picture of someone who committed suicide recently... because of? Bullying. Now is that necessarily a valid statement? Not really but that's not really what I'm writing about. The thing that got me going was the caption and the comments....

Caption: "who would have been there for her?"

Now I get what the person is trying to say but it made me mad... The comments section was kind of uplifting... In the fact that everybody said that they would have. But my immediate response to the caption was "Why weren't you?" and I was very tempted to type that but I didn't out of respect, and because honestly I don't know the girl. I'm not going to pretend like I know the whole entire story. So instead, I read through the comments section. 96 comments... All within the last hour and a half of me writing this blog. Let me tell you guys, comments made me sick

"I would have if it were possible" (same school same grade as the girl)

"I would have." (person she hung out with most frequently)

"she made mistakes but I would have." (bully)

"naw! Ima ratshit." (learn grammar! Random person from the same state)

The comments continued.

"Rest in peace _________(if you are) kids pay attention..."

So on and so forth. Then i fumbled upon a comment that said what I was thinking.

"y'all are faking. You knew her and you did nothing. You were close to her and said nothing. Didn't protect her. Didn't help her. Didn't care. Why is it that suicide suddenly makes people think they care? If you were there why didn't you do anything?!?!"(brother)

The comment was kind of a shock amongst all the "we love you and miss you"s and the like. But it was what I was almost hoping someone would have the nerve to say.

If you see someone being bullied, do something. Don't wait for someone else to. I'm not in high school anymore but I saw my fair share. I still see it even today as an adult. Why aren't you doing anything to stop it? Why are you joining in at times? "Because it's funny and they know we don't mean it." Do they? "it was just a joke... They don't need to get all bent out of shape over it." So you wouldn't care if someone said the same to you?

Why is it, people, that we suddenly care when we are too late to do anything about it? Why does everyone become the persons "best friend" when they aren't breathing anymore? Answer is.... Guilt. Arrogance. Fear of looking like filth. I know probably a lot of those people were people that never met the girl and just stumbled upon the page because a friend of theirs did the same as one of mine did. (side note: if you don't even know the person please don't act like you do. Possibly don't even comment.) To all you reading... Guys I don't know her story. I don't know the circumstances. I don't know if it is a hoax like a few who posted think. I do know that all who "faked friendship," probably missed out on an amazing girl. Who yes, made mistakes, but who still was worth a second chance, and was worth getting to know.

Flood my inbox either on Facebook or fusesandtimedelays@hotmail.com with hate if you want but please think about what I said.

Bullying ends when you take the first action against it. Don't wait for the right time. Don't be a fake "when it's just you and me" type of friend.

"I have never met anyone who wasn't important." Everyone deserves to be known, loved, cherished, given a second chance, and to feel as special and beautiful as they truly are.

Things i wish i would have known... Why didn't you come into my life sooner, my dear?

I had one of those moments that didn't exactly need words tonight. It was a moment that was too perfect to describe. It was a moment that I don't think that i will ever forget, for as long as I live. 
It got me thinking. Why couldn't my life have been like this 2, 3, 4, years ago? Why couldn't i have had these moments in my darkest chapter in life, when i seemed to need them the most? But then i examine my life a little more in depth and i realize why... I wasn't ready for them. I wasn't ready for the beauty of life, because i still needed to struggle through the darkness to find the light.
You are probably reading this and thinking...

"Is he going to freaking tell us what it was?!?!?"

EH......... NO! But i will keep ranting about it to make myself continue living in that moment for a while longer. 

hehehehehehehehehehehehehe.... have a nice night y'all :)

Russian, Ents, and the socially rude Americans

Ok so that title probably really throws you off eh? Just something I have been thinking of lately.

Have you ever seen Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers? If you have you know what an Ent is.... It is a mythical talking tree. There is a scene in that movie where several of these Ents come together to council with one another and figure out wether they will march to war or not. Now these Ents all can speak English but they have their own language called entish, which in reality sounds a lot like a series of creaks and groans and all together twigs snapping. Anyway, they start speaking to one another. And then there is a cut scene and the next time you see them it is probably about midnight. They started talking in the very early morning hours. Merri (one of the hobbits in the movie) wonders what they are talking about and this is the ensuing conversation.

pippin: what do you think they are sayin?
Merri: I don't know. I hope they reach a decision soon.
(treebeard walks over): we have just finished..... (trails to silence)
Pippin: ...finished what?
Treebeard: we have just finished saying 'good morning.'
Merri: but it's nighttime!?
Treebeard: now young master merriadoc don't be hasty. Takes a long time to say anything in all of entish, and we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say...

Ok now very random scene eh? Yes it is lol but I have been thinking. In every other language than English, it takes a long time to say anything... But I believe that that is because when other countries sit down or gather to talk together they intend on taking time to do it. They enjoy sitting down and actually having a conversation with each other instead of just speaking at each other. Now yes all these languages have shortened versions of their speech, but when in public or speaking with close friends or acquaintances they use a very very formal way of speaking. (the longer version lol) I was speaking to one of my Hispanic co-workers the other day and they brought up this topic.... She asked me this question...

"why are Americans so rude and fast when they talk?"

I asked her to clarify and asked if I did this. This was her answer.

"no I feel that you actually talk to me and other people. But all other Americans never seem to want to talk to each other... They always seem so rude and like they have no time for each other .... It just seems rude to me."

I think as our language has seemed to get easier and more "lazy" if you will. We have lost our ability and want to talk to each other. Why don't we just sit and converse with each other?

The reason russian is added in the title is because I kind of tend to associate Russian with being the equal of entish. It takes a long time for them to say much of anything. But they thoroughly enjoy spending time with each other.

Anyway just some thoughts.

The laws of attraction & love in the third degree

God created every human, man and woman, beautiful in their own unique and perfect way. To all men God gave strength and the ability to do work. He gave the same attributes to women but tweaked them just a tad. He made them a little weaker in the area of strength so that they could be dependent on their fathers and husbands. He also gave them beauty something that men have inwardly but not necessarily outwardly.
There are many things that are attractive about women. But, as a Christian guy there are a few things that stand out to me more than others and there are a few different areas that these fall in.

Personality...

One of the most attractive things about a woman is her personality. Men are drawn to someone who is kind and caring, not necessarily boisterous and loud but at the same time not someone who is silent and completely reserved. Not every one is going to have a perfect "winning personality." But your personality is a very large key in attraction. I was very drawn to my girlfriend by how she acted in public. Her tone and actions toward others spoke volumes. She has always been very kind to others and myself no matter what the conversation may be about.
Another attribute of a personality is the ability to listen. Truly listen.

Emotionally...

Another way that God gifted women was that they are more in touch with their emotions than guys are. This actually can be a very good thing, but it also can have its down side. Men at time can be very clueless and just fumble around with their emotions. Another very attractive thing in a woman is how well she can use/control her emotions. Of course this should be something that anyone should look for in a man or a woman, so from both sides.
It is also important to be able to show emotion. Nobody wants a robot as a spouse or significant other. Being able to show your emotions is very important from both sides so that you can help each other through them.
I am not always the best at displaying my emotions correctly.. I am one of those guys who doesn't always know what to do with myself when I get frustrated. My girlfriend is very helpful in this area. She is always very good at reminding me that God is in control and she is also very good at just calming me down.
No one is going to be perfect at controlling their emotions but learning to control them is key in anybody and is very attractive in a woman.

Spiritually...

I kind of hinted at this next area in the last section. Something that is very attractive to Christian guys is a girl's relationship with Christ. There is a quote that my bible teacher had painted on his wall that has stuck with me and that I will never forget...

"a woman should be so lost in God that a man has to be searching for Him to find her..."

This quote is very true. Ladies, your relationship with Christ is one of the most attractive features you will have to a Christian guy.


Side note: Throw out any ideas you have of missionary dating. 8 to 9 times out of 10 that will not work and or have the opposite result. "do not yoke yourself with an unbeliever."

Christian guys are looking for a girl who can encourage them on a personal level but also a spiritual level. It is important for us to remember that God is in control and that we aren't. Just don't hold that over our heads please.

Physically...

Alright. The last thing a guy should be attracted to or in other words the last thing he should be looking for in a woman is her physical beauty. He should be looking at all those other areas first, because outward beauty is something that every woman has.
Lodge this thought in your head and never forget it. EVERY woman is beautiful. No matter what age, shape, hair color, etc. Every woman is beautiful.
When it comes to physical beauty one thing that attracted me to my girlfriend was her modesty. She does not flaunt her body wherever she goes and she doesn't wear the flashiest clothes in the universe. She knows what looks good and what doesn't. But in that "it looks good" category, she keeps it modest. Which makes her look very elegant and beautiful.
I'm not saying wear skirts ALL the time. If that is what you prefer more power to you but I am not saying no pants, only skirts and dresses.
Being modest in itself very beautiful because it allows a guy to focus on your personality and character more than your physical attributes. Again he should be drawn to everything else about you first and then be drawn to your beauty.

A letter to Natalie

Hello my love,

I simply wanted to take a moment and tell you (and everyone else who reads this) how much I love you.
You are amazing, incredible, simply fantastic really. You amaze me every day by just how wonderful, kind, caring, and truly amazing you are. Every day I am overjoyed and amazed to find another new reason why I love you. Why you are so amazing. You truly are my best friend in the entire world. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Truly. I would be lost without you darling <3
Thank you for everything you do for me. You are truly wonderful.
And by the way you are incredibly beautiful and adorable.

I love you.

I know your day has been hard. :( I am right here to help whenever you need me :3 I love you so so much <3

Signed
Forever and eternally yours
Chad<3

Favourite retro song of all time

I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start
A flame in your heart
In my heart I have but one desire
And that one is you
No other will do

I've lost all ambition for worldly acclaim
I just want to be the one you love
And with your admission that you feel the same
I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of

Believe me!
I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start
A flame in your heart

Live while you have air to breathe

"Drunks, Lovers, Sinners And Saints"
By: Alexisonfire

Alright!
This is from our hearts.
Sincerity over simple chords.
We made some mistakes
We made some mistakes
But it's a long time coming when you're giving it everything.

Alright!
This is from our hearts
And it's been right from the start
There's fire in my guts you just can't put out
Alright!
This is from our hearts (From our hearts)
And there is always going to be a part
Of this crowd who don't understand

Oh, and I feel the same
I won't ever change
Not a jaded hair upon my head

Are you pretending? (That you care)
Are you even listening?
Are you pretending? (That you understand)
Are you even?

Suits to the left
Squares to the right
Cause my heart - my heart is full
And we ride to fight.

We ride to fight.

Are you pretending? (That you care)
Are you even listening?
Are you pretending? (That you understand)
Are you even listening?
Are you pretending?
Are you, are you?
Are you even listening?

Are you pretending that your heart's in the right place?

Are you pretending?
Are you even listening?
Are you pretending?
Are you even?

There's no need to waste my time
Spending your life jumping from sinking ship to sinking ship
Well I think I'd rather drown
I know I'd rather drown

Oh, and I feel the same
I won't ever change
Not a jaded hair upon my head

Thoughts:
Live your life with sincerity make every moment count. Don't ever give up! Make your life something to be remembered. Seems to be a common theme in what I write... Oh well! I guess I love making my own moments in life count.

Thank you God for giving me this life. I will not waste the time you have given me.

Moments that dont need words & Wow Im glad Im not an asthmatic (a contemplation)

Friday nights I have sort of a ritual... It's not anything really too exciting but it gives me time to reminisce on the past week (even though it's only Friday). Every Friday night I drive to Ames and sit in cafe diem and read, write, and think. Yes I also come in to see my wonderful and beautiful girlfriend. But I think even when she quits this job to pursue her passion for cosmetology (congrats sweetheart you are almost done with school :D), I think that I will probably still try to come in and just unwind. If you have a hard time thinking clearly I would suggest finding somewhere that you feel that you can think and spend time there as needed... It is relaxing for me... Sounds odd but yes thinking actually is relaxing to me.

That was kind of a random way to rant off the beginning of this blog but you know that happens.

Anyway, tonight I have been sitting and contemplating/remembering/etc. over my week... and a thought occured to me...

What are some moments that have taken your breath away this week?

I'm sure when you read that question the thoughts of marriage or pregnancy or beautiful sunrises/sunsets or something of the like came to mind. Now while all those moments are amazing and truly beautiful, how many of us would look at the seemingly "mundane" moments of the day that we overlook...

I know that everyone has probably heard the saying

"every moment is a gift...."

But how many of us actually treat our lives like that? (myself included) I was reminded that as I was on my way to the coffee shop... A car sped up to pass me on the highway and narrowly missed a head on collision with another vehicle not 10 feet in front of me. If they would have collided I would have as well... The fact that that scenario did not happen is a miracle and a moment that is a blessing.

The fact that I woke up this morning and am still breathing and able to write this Is a gift.

Every second that we are alive we should thank God for it. But many of us look at our lives as "under our control" and it seems to be a given that we will take another breath...

The miracles of our own bodies to function. Watch loui giglio's indescribable video and listen to what he says and you will see exactly what I mean....

Ok, now I will write about what I actually want to talk about, sorry for the rambling but it was important.

This week I had several moments that took my breath away... Made me think...

One of those moments was observing a sunset in downtown DES moines. It was amazing and very beautiful.

Another moment was seeing a Good friend of mine being perfectly broken and simply giving himself into the hands of Christ, and simply realizing he absolutely cannot go through this life all on his own.

There are several several more.... A few which will embarrass my girlfriend simply because I'm bragging about her. But I'm going to anyway.

Everytime I see Natalie I am so thankful that I am not an asthmatic because if I were I would die of losing my breath... Every time I see her I am stunned and amazed, to the point that I lose my breath, at how beautiful she is. Not just stunned at her outward beauty but also her inner beauty and her love for God is so intense and radiant in everything she does. To be honest the inner beauty and her love for God is what is most important to me, BUT I love the fact that she is absolutely beautiful on the outside too (and no matter what your opinion, she is and will always be the most amazingly beautiful woman in the world. NO EXCEPTIONS).


There are only a few women in my life that I know that are as beautiful as her. One would be my mother and the other would be my adopted sister and mentor, Kailan Wing.

That was also a random sidetracked moment but it was also important haha.

There are moments in life that all you can do is look for another breath. No words are necessary. That includes the "amazing" moments and the "mundane" moments. But remember... Every moment can be and is amazing. The very air that you are taking in is a gift from God. Don't waste it.

"Find beauty in every moment, because every moment is a gift from God. Find something to smile about in the face of fear and despair. Life is too short to waste on sadness,"

- Natalie Katherina Knudson

just something I was thinking about an thought I would share...

One of the moments that took my breath away this week was spending time with my absolute best friend in the entire world. This a picture she took of us there :) just random

The art of silence and the dramawhore syndrome

Recently I have discovered that sometimes you are not going to win an argument... And you especially will not win an argument with a fool... And even worse is a fool who thinks that the world revolves around them... Sometimes the best way to get around or to leave an argument with any sanity at all is to not speak at all... To let the fool speak and in be the winner in their own eyes... Because in reality if you keep silent you are victor because you did not sucumb to childish name calling and arguing... This is what I call the art of being silent and sadly it is a lost art in today's society. Today everyone has to have the final say... But I offer another solution... Being silent... Saying what you need to say and then dropping the conversation and moving on... Life is too short and precious to waste on arguing... The "disease" that the world and society seems to have is what I call The Dramawhore Syndrome... And I mean that in the sincerest form of the phrase... This "sickness" is the idea that the world revolves around us... It's all about me... I have to have the final say... This thinking is wrong and I really wish there was a cure for it but it is a disease that each person has to kil on their own... I have recently been faced with many of these "dramawhores" (men and women alike) and quite honestly it is very very hard to not argue... The syndrome is not completely dead in my own life yet either (it is a constant battle) and sadly a few of those ppl that I have run into were in the church... Which quite honestly hurts me... That is not a bash on that church chritians or anyone that I'm talking about... These ppl that I am talking about in my opinion really have the sickness bad and need to work on it.... I guess I am kind of rambling... What I am trying to get at is that God calls this type of person in the bible a fool. WE ARE ALL FOOLS AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER... I am really struggling to fight this dramawhore attitude and I would encourage everyone else too as well. Because this syndrome can cause several side-effects... A main one is destroying friendships... Or even getting to having insincere or even no friends at all... I have recently lost several friends because I needed to get away from that attitude... Those people don't understand that an won't listen when I try to confront them about it so it is simply easier for me to eave and remain silent... To let them be and to leave them to their own tortures... I pray that one day they will find a way out but I don't know how soon that will be or even when it will happen... So until that day I will pray for them. Sorry for the long rambling....

Sick of growing old

It's a long way to the top
But it's a journey I'm willing to make
Step out the front door
I'm dying from the first step I take
But none of that is important
I know what it is that I want
The tree was my shelter
And the spider taught me well
To be loved is such sweet bliss
But the ghost of denial still haunts my steps
Stop!
Breathe in, breathe out
That's all I must remember to do
And also to put one foot in front of the other
The king has called me to the mountain
But I must admit I'm scared
Has my time really already come?
Breathe, breathe
I'm not quite there yet
But I am on my way
The king sent me an angel
And I love her with all my heart
I must admit though,.. I feel rather less than she deserves
But I have given her my all
And I will serve her to the end
This journey that I am embarking on
Is the one that lead me to the end
And I would have it no other way
Than to love and be loved by my angel till my dying day...

Semper Viva
Carpe Noctum

Home is behind
The world ahead
Distant shadows
Golden shades
All shall fade
All shall... Fade.

I'm Breathing in Silence and it is simply Suffocating

For those of you who don't know who i am or exactly what i am like... i am a deep thinker. i find a subject and if it is something that peaks my interest, it will be lodged in my brain for at least a fortnight. But something i have realized is that it is important to not think too much on any given subject or you will tend to over think yourself and end up either doing something incredibly stupid, hurt yourself and the people around you, or simply just go insane because you simply cannot wrap your mind around the subject.

Recently i have been over-thinking a lot of things and quite frankly it is driving me absolutely batty. I really do feel like my head may explode at times. But someone invented a lovely device called a radio and it is especially helpful when driving distances. It is the thinkers friend. So is the music that they listen to. Different music can provide for different thoughts and different ways of thinking about certain topics. 

Also for those of you who don't know me very well, i am quite a music buff. i listen to just about everything the only exceptions are country and most if not all rap artists. But those songs that we all listen to can be the cause of a lot of headaches and sometimes even heartaches.

Recently i have been listening to a lot of indie style music. i find that it is very good for thinking and relaxing. The band that i have found myself most listening to is twenty one pilots, and they have a song that hits on the subject that i am talking about. the song is actually called Car Radio. the song talks about the dangers of thinking too much and what it can do to your life.

These are just some simple thoughts.but i would highly recomend looking into the bands twenty one pilots, take one car, mutemath, death cab for cutie and also city and colour, for those of you who think and listen to music at the same time.

Anyway back to what i was talking about originally... be careful when you think, and be careful to not think too deeply on any subject that makes you particularly angry or sad. it is a dangerous habit much like a masochism. 

{Masochism = the act of putting yourself through torture. being dominated. being tortured by self will}

there is not much more that i can say without it simply becoming meaningless rambling. it probably already doesn't make much sense. 

Long story short... think clearly, but not too much.