We are the Clay

God is not just in our eyes. But who are we to tell the Master the rules? Who are we to tell the Maker we are a flop?

Fasting

Have you ever fasted? What is it? What does it mean?
Fasting is giving up something that is most important to you, to seek God and his will. It's usually food that we abstain from for the day or however long. But it can be other things, how about internet....ouch...I think food would almost be easier! Well let me just tell you this, fasting is hard, but it's refreshing, and cleaning. It brings you back into focus, gives you time to read your Bible without feeling cluttered. If you aren't sure that you can do it, then find someone to do it WITH. Eventually you'll find yourself WANTING to fast. It is an experience that brings us closer to God. And is worth it.

Thankfulness

"In a Christian community thankfulness is just what it is anywhere else in the Christian life. Only he who gives thanks for the little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts he has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the small measures, of spiritual knowledge, experience and love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly to the highest good.Then we deplore the fact that we lack deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has given to others, and we consider this lament to be pious. We pray for the big things, and forget to give thanks for the ordinary small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from him the little things?"

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A song

This is a hymn, yes what some Christians call lame worship. I don't know if I have ever heard words that have struck me like these do:
May the love of Jesus fill me,
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing-
This is victory

Worship

What is Christian worship? If you lift your hands during a christian contemporary song does that mean you're praising God more than someone who just sings hymns? I say no, there is no reason why music should change our heart feelings of worship, it's all in the heart...yes of course a beat and nice guitar playing may stimulate is to lift our hands...is that wrong? I don't see why...but I do think music causes us to praise God, why not? If nature can, if relationships can, why not music? And why can't lyrics? honestly, the tunes of hymns can drive me to praise God just as much as an electric guitar rockin' to praise words.
So:
A type of music can cause us to praise God more than another, but I don't think we should rely strictly on that...there is place for words of praise. This sounds contradicting to itself...I guess it could be...it's called me doing my best to be openminded. ;-)

Screwtape Letters

Just today I started reading a book by C.S. Lewis called "The Screwtape Letters". It's about a demon writing to his nephew. Sounds morbid doesn't it? Well it isn't meant to be, in fact it has some very well principles to think through. I just read chapter 1. It is amazing.
Screwtape is writing to his nephew, Wormwood. The general gist of the chapter is this:

"If one gets happy, busy, obsessed, or used to the physical and tangible, then he won't really have time or need for the Spiritual."

The key of Satan isn't necessarily to get us to SIN in the way we think. He didn 't tempt Jesus to go kill his mother, no he tried to get him to FORSAKE his Father, which is the most dangerous sin of all. Satan has done this to MANY believers, those who go to church, but that's it. He has them in his clutches, they think that they are being active in their faith because they go to church, but in reality they are farther from Christ than the guy who works sundays and goes to church on wednesday nights because he can't make it for normal service! He can also deter our course to Christ with Theology, by just knowing the facts and getting distracted in the truth, but without the truth. It would be like if I memorized the whole Bible...wow, great! But I could be a rotten person, see, we can be tricked into just getting the facts into our head and not our life. Worship is another, look at the pharisees, they showed plenty of signs of worship, they prayed and fasted...but they were a brood of vipers. Don't let just worship be "enough" for you. It should overflow into action. (I'm not saying praise and thanks to God isn't good) But Satan will do his best to skew and twist anything that he possibly can. Sitting there every sunday and lifting your hands and singing praises isn't enough. True worship is worship through your life. By being always in submission to God.
Be wary, be very wary....Satan isn't stupid, he didn't came right out and tell Eve he was the devil. He is crafty, and wants us to think that he is not. C.S. lewis said in another one of his books (Mere Christianity, if I remember correctly) that you can't fight a battle you don't believe exists. Think about that, are you daily fighting Satan? It is a battle, a war, who is on the Lord's side?

Shining

Philippians 2:14-15
"Do everything without complaining or arguing. So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."
Youth are usually center of attention, will we SHINE like the stars? And if so, what will we shine for? Christ or ourselves?