Good Morning

Sleeping is great. It is such a sweet thing to do(Too bad I just don't do it enough!)

True Life is great. It is such a sweet gift(Tired of puttering around on the front porch of eternity...Move Me...)

Good morning! I didn't sleep nearly as much as I need(I would say that I need at least 8 hours, I slept about 5). Incredibly enough, I feel pretty good though. I remember when I was a college student(3 years ago), that I used to think sleep was for the weak and that 4-5 hours was good enough. Well, "College Student Sam" was an idiot! I enjoy my sleep and I see it as an enjoyable part of each day. Lately, I have actually been more enthusiastic about sleeping than I have about being conscience and awake! I think this is in part of my lack of sleep, but also my lack of motivation throughout my "eyes opened" stages(Don't get me wrong...I need sleep...We all need to physically rest ourselves. That being said:). It's so easy to live in apathy.(Apathy is not fun, nor is it motivating)

I gotta compare that to the way I see my Life with God. You see(I'm still trying), I know that Life with God is infinitely better than life without God. I know that He gives me motivation to live big, bigger than I could possibly live on my own piddly heart. I know that to be true(Yes, but how often do I believe?). In the midst of the truth, I find myself looking forward to easier times when God decides to give me the "easy life" and let me rest on beaches white and cervezas cold. I fall into this dream world, where everything is about me and God lets me do what I please. I gotta get back to the truth. Life with God is better...do I believe that? Can I trust Him with my Life? Can I trust Him to move me when I see myself as immovable?

I know Life with Him is not easier, but it is better...Why do I dream for something else, when there's nothing more satisfying than Him?

Hell to the beaches, Keep the cervezas in the package, I got to wake up...He's calling out my name...

Guy and parrot on motorcycle: Notice the bare feet! 

Kristen(My Wife) and I

A New Day is breaking...

So....one of the fun things I have just discovered is Blogs. I just happened to hear about them a month ago from my friend Jon Backens(who is a computer whiz). I have often been fascinated by the way we communicate with each other(Whether via e-mail, phone, snail mail, pony express, fax, morse code, etc.) I have decided to open my own blog to put my thoughts and allow others to respond to them.(So please feel free to respond, I'd love to dialogue)
I have begun to realize what life is like for a 9-5 working person. For the past 6 months I have worked 8 hours a day for a construction company. It has been a great experience and I am grateful for the job. It has often been a struggle to find the motivation to push on throughout my weeks.(Many times, the thought of the next paycheck has been my passion, sad!) I have wondered what God(Almighty, sovereign, In Control, Love) has been teaching me through these times.
You see, I know Jesus. He is DA Man. I mean it. He is the coolest dude I have ever met and I am not legally insane. He is the closest friend I have and loves me perfectly. Not only that, when I was dead in my sins, He died on my behalf to give glory to His Father, and to bring me joy in Himself. He's DA Man. That being said, I know that everyday, it will be a struggle to Know Him(Not talking about "knowledge", but an intimate relationship, where I see Him as God, Father, Lover, and Savior.) I was just talking with my wife(Kristen, I'm nuts about her!) about our apparent struggle to enjoy God. You see, it is much easier for us to "Know" Him when we are forced to "know" Him.(For Example: When we are preparing a talk or B.S.(Bible Study: *Side note: I thought it would be great to name an inductive Bible study, "Not your normal B.S." I probably need to repent of that!) We don't want to look bad in front of our peers or students, so we'll prepare ourselves for them.(Stupid pride!) When it comes down to enjoying our God and taking advantage of that relationship with Him, we are the most apathetic creatures alive! We would rather watch every single season of Alias in one week than do that(We haven't done that...yet). You see there is a problem with our hearts.
We would rather, save face, then be honest. We would rather cover ourselves with a veil than let the light expose who we are. We perceive that Jesus would be clearly seen when we live hypocritically, but in reality a life of repentance is what we need. What a great lie we put our trust in! Do we believe in His Grace that moves us to Dependence? Do we believe He is the greatest treasure? Do we believe that He is the one that can bring this camel(Yes, I compare myself to a two humped, spitting mammal) through the needle's eye(Literally, the eye of a needle: Read Matthew 19)? Do I believe that God uses all circumstances in our lives to drive us more deeply in Love with His glory?(Even my shortcomings?)
Oh, God is Sovereign. His ways are not my ways...He is a mystery worth diving into. He is a powerful river, worth living in. He is an unstoppable wave, worth letting go in. My job right now is in his hands. My joy is found in Jesus. I don't want my passion in life to be a paycheck or my reputation...I want Him.