Un Regalo..

For those of you who actually care what the title means, it is Italian for "a gift",(and yes, I believe that Italian is the sexiest language alive...no contest. Well, Spanish, maybe.) and the whole concept of a gift is something that is given without expecting anything in return. It is not often that I use this term to describe the way I feel about people, but I've made an exception in this case.

Sometimes I wonder how I've gotten so lucky. Why did God decide to throw me in the path of such an amazing person. I remember being in grade school, a very young and dare I say fragile Christian, praying that God would give me someone that I could be myself around, someone who didn't see me the way others saw me, but someone who saw me for who I was (and put up with me all the all the same!)

I'm the kind of person who inevitably overestimates the trust that I have between people. It's just part of who I am and I don't know if that will ever change.

For some reason, though, I don't feel like I'm overestimating here. Could it be that I have found the true friend I have been praying for? Am I wrong in thinking that?

The past few weeks I've been learning in church and in my own experiences that God does fulfill His promises...in His time, and that His time is the only time we need to worry about.

Being a young, teenage Christian male, it is hard to come across a female (yes, she's female. get your heads out of the gutter. Yes, you.) Christian teen that 'gets it' the same way you do. I'm still at a loss for words. Maybe I'll add more to this later, but for now:

I just pray that she continues to grow in Christ and that she realizes her infinite potiential in You.

-4:29

Screaming at the Bottom of my Heart.

Three in the morning, and I'm still awake
So I picked up a pen and a page
And I started writing just what I'd say
If we were face to face

I'd tell you just what you mean to me.....

Tell you these simple truths
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know
God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say
Last time we spoke you said you were hurting
And I felt your pain in my heart
I want to tell you that I keep on praying
That love will find you where you are
I know cause I've already been there
So please hear these simple truths
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know
God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say...

You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:20

-4:29

Forever and a Day.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
      but God remains the strength of my heart;

      ...He is mine forever. -Psalm 73:26

 I'm sorry for how depressing these last few posts have been, but I'm not going to lie; not the best string of days for me. I know you've been there, everyone has. Friends can't help, your family can't help, even your favourite song loses the ability to snap you out of the funk that you have felt yourself slip into.

God can. And He will.

Some people can't find comfort in God. They feel that it is silly to be comforted by something that isn't even proven to exist. I guess that the reason I trust God with my wellbeing is that He has brought me through it. Every trial. Every problem. Over and over again. No matter how big the problems seem to get, He is there for me over and over again. You might ask, "What do you mean 'there for you'? How can God be 'there for you'?" The best way I can explain it is this: Imagine that someone loved you more than anything else in the world, so much so that they sacrificed their life for a crime you committed; a crime with unbreakable evidence and sentence worthy of death. Are you telling me that that person wasn't 'there for you' when you needed it the most? As a Christian, I take heart in the fact that Jesus went through everything a person could ever go through, and more. I take heart in the fact that this life is not all that I have; that one day I can meet the face of my maker and spend eternity with Him.

He is mine forever.
Remember how I talked about wishing there could be someway you could tell who is your real friend by looking at them? Think about it this way.
I know Jesus is there for me by looking through and at the Bible.

Hey, I'm still feeling down. But this fire for Christ inside of me is never going out.

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame - Hillsong United (From the Inside Out)

Take care.
(P.S: The song that is on this post is the song on the right ---->. Have a listen, really focus on the lyrics.)

Procrastination...oh dear.

What is it about doing nothing that is so enticing?

I mean, like, really. I know I have work to do, I know I have a blog to write ( a really good one, too..) but for some reason I would rather waste my time surfing the internet doing absolutely nothing. I guess I'm just being lazy.

Recently I realized: You can be spiritually lazy as well. When we as followers of God become content with where we are spiritually in terms of a relationship with Jesus Christ, that's not good. The apostle Paul was a really good role model in terms of stepping out of his comfort zone and going wherever Jesus was pushing him, no matter how scared he was. You have to remember, that this Paul was previously Saul who was basically Hitler to Christians in that time period. He was one of the main reasons why Christians had to have church in secret.

If you've read the story about Saul's conversion to Paul, then you know what I'm going to say next: Saul was struck blind off his horse on the road to Damascus and had to travel to meet the prophet Samuel, then after a series of events, he became one of the, if not the greatest Christian missionary of all of history.

I guess in my case, I have to trust that by not wasting my time, I will be rewarded; either later in time or in heaven. Even though, there is still that part of me that wants instant gratification; to the point where if I don't get what I want by doing the right thing, then it isn't worth doing. Galatians 6, especially verses 9-10, say alot about doing good works even when it doesn't seem like you are benefiting from it:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:9-10)

That's comforting. Just a little bit.

But I like this one the best:

“We proclaim him [Christ], admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:28-29).

"..Which so powerfully works in me."

What a line. I work for God...because He works in me. Think about that.

Identity.

First of all, I'm back.

And back for good. Life caught up to me, and I couldn't blog as often as I had wanted to.

Now, I named this post Identity, because I have been pondering exactly that. Who am I?

Many times, we as humans tend to define ourselves using our occupation or our interests. It's hard for me to remember that being a worship leader is not who I am, it is what I do. A sermon by my youth pastor got me thinking. Who, exactly, am I? As he went on, he explained to us that we find our true identity in Jesus Christ. We are loved. 

I am loved.

Sometimes it feels like when push comes to shove, there isn't going to be anyone on your side; that this relationship between you and the people you care about is only temporary. 

You know what, I'm going to go off topic for a second and talk about that.

Am I the only one who feels like through all the facades, and smiles, and the "anytime, I'll be there" is all fake? Is it too much to ask for genuine love from another person outside of your family? Like, we all have friends. Friends we talk to all the time, and friends we don't. Friends we trust with more important things, and friends we don't. I wish there was some way to look at someone, and know if he/she was someone you could trust. Someone you could grow, and laugh, and learn with. Not someone who would be like that at first, but walk away when you needed them the most. Now, I know we are all human. I'm probably not the best friend to the people I talk to, and I try to be there when they need me the most. But...

There's a quote that basically says that the measure of a friend is loyalty to the end.

Is that too much to ask?

Do you see these things in me? 

If in hard times,  will you trust me? 

Will  you see me for who I am or as others say I am?