Justified or Incarcerated

Recently I had a conversation with my wife about the media and the influence of it.  Let's face it, every young adult has an Facebook account.  Facebook statistics show that it has more then 800 million active users.  But is there a different between parents and children generation in media?  Children were born to use Facebook, it came naturally; parents were forced to use Facebook, and it came with pain when learning was done.  But the question remains to be answered, is the media a good thing or a bad thing?  Here's some facts from Parent Further website about children exposure to media:    "According to a study conducted by the National Institute on Media and Family , children spend more time sitting in front of electronic screens than doing any other activity besides sleeping. 1 Kids’ excessive screen time comes with all kinds of hazards: lack of physical activity, exposure to adult themes and content, and lack of interaction with f...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/assets/img/posters/life-greatest-miracle-vi.jpg To watch, "Life's Greatest Miracle" that was published by PBS was an amazing experience.  Me and my wife was able to cuddle together in one chairs and watch how from conception to newborn life is formed.  Reading about it is one thing, but watching it with an naked eye is a totally different, a different experience. For me, (I don't know why) conception was an easy step, at least that's how my mind was formulated when I was growing up.  But recently, studying conception and the development of human embryo got me thinking the other way.  I could now see why this video was named "miracle," because it is.  It is so complex that even having all the technology, scientist till this day are left to guess in how the embryo forms. What bothered me is my inability to comprehend this process.  How can two cell, (that are hard to see with an naked e...

Some wives look at their husband and see their husband is lacking leadership skills.  Gary Thomas gives a practical suggestion in where to begin so that your husband could develop and grow in beng a leader.    Sacred Influence: Question 1 from Gary Thomas on Vimeo .

Gary Thomas writes a short story of a marriage relationship in his book that is worth reposting. "It begins with his confession of the way in which many men view women: 'It’s easy to scorn women, and most men do. We see women as physically weak, easy to intimidate, bound to the menial tasks of motherhood, emotional, illogical, and often petty. Or we see them as temptresses; in desire we idolize them and parade them across the pages of magazines, yet we scorn and hate them for their commanding sexual power over us. Male scorn for women affects every aspect of our lives: our relations with our mothers, our girlfriends, our secretaries, our wives, our children, the church, and even God himself.  I do not speak here merely of yours corn of women; I speak of mine as well. My relatives grew up on the streets during the Depression, learning early the fury and scorn that characterize so many people in dire circumstances: drinking heavily and seeing women alternat...

Me and my beautiful wife on our honeymoon:

All of us have fathers who care for us.  Some fathers express more love towards their children then others, but the story of Rick and his dad, makes us see God's love towards us.   Rick was born in 1962, but because of an unsuccessful birth, he was paralyzed of all four limbs.  Do to lack of oxygen, Rick was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy.  But what makes this story different is the extra mile that Ricks dad took to make his son's life better.   "In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Far from being a long-distance runner, [his dad] agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, 'Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped.' This realization was just the beginning of what would become over 1,000 races completed,...

Child abuse is unseen.  As a victim of it myself, the physiology of thinking ruins the whole life .  It hides like a virus to keep quite and not speak creating an escape for a sick and perverted mind to do what pleases the lust.  How would people look at me? How would they react if they know what happen to me? These fears convince the young mind, cornering itself, only hoping that there is more hope to life then what is seen. Why?  Why a mind that is sick in sin can't see reality? The steps that are taken will eventually hurt this child's future.  What about, how will this person view others?  It's just a child, but exposed to sin, to a sick world.  "Are all ghoulish according to what I see," child minds ponders.   The problem is, growing up, being abuse by an adult, formulates a mind that views world differently.  But that's the problem, who knows this child is abused?  This is what the bible says to do: " I...

I've woke up today at four thirty in the morning with an attitude like had more then eight hours of sleep;  rolling side to side on my bed forcing my self to sleep, but that did not happen.  So, I've pulled out my Colossians notes that I've been studying for the last two weeks, trying to break down the chapter for the sermons.  These were the verse that got my attention: " He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. . .   For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:15-19). After a short period of time studying, I've decided to go back to sleep with a thought: "God, I want to see your face." After another attempt in put my self to sleep, I finally gave up and started my morning. Why am I saying this some might ask? Well, in that, my studying was apart from my application. I had a desire to see God's face, and where just few minutes ago, I've read a text explaining how that c...

http://jcow81.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/twenty-seven.gif As I am turning twenty seven, there are couple things that I want to thank my Lord for. Being twenty seven  might sound old for some people, but that is usually the case for people who are younger than 27. However for some (like a 50 year old), twenty seven is sounds like a child—it all depends from what perspective you are looking from. But as I look back, there are things that I am deeply humbled by: events, situations, and decisions that took place as I was 26 years old. Lot’s of changes that occurred in the past year. Learning to be content in any situation, being placed in different circumstances and not demanding my rights, these things filled my twenty sixth year. To be dependent on the Lord was something that I experience this year. As I look back and analyze, these are the things that my heart was influence by: My family:  Parents, brothers, sisters, and relatives are big part of my life, the...

1. Your spouse is inclined to drift from grace to self-effort. Preach the gospel to your spouse. Encourage meditation upon the riches of the gospel. Encourage resting in God even as the battle rages. 2.  Your spouse may tend to become discouraged. Remind your spouse that God works beneath the surface well before change becomes visible. Celebrate what you can see, even if it is not directly related to the area of desired change. Review the game plan for change. 3.  Your spouse can lose sight of the ultimate goal. 4.  Your spouse must be pointed not to grace, but to the one from whom all grace flows. Great example of God’s grace in our life: "When my daughter was about four years old, she decided she was ready to ride her bike without training wheels. My wife and I celebrated that big moment and took her to a big, empty parking lot. We pulled the bike out of the van, took off the training wheels, and placed my daughter on the seat. She was giggling with deligh...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82977271@N00/262738480/sizes/z/in/photostream/ Why am I writing this? Usual I try to escape a questions that has nothing to do with me or my life.  But for a few months, I was challenged to see what does the Bible say about a woman and her roll in the church.  I know that this is not a simple question that has a simple answer, this question requires a precise answer, and defiantly I am not qualified to do this.  On the other hand, I still had to formulate an answer for my self to see how am I going to approach this subject. Here are my thoughts.  I also would love to hear yours opinion and your thoughts to challenge my conclusions and be corrected. Different approach   People have good reasons and a good motivation for lot’s of events that are happening in the Church's.  These events flow out from the scripture, traditions, culture, personal desires, and maybe someone were just instructed that way.  With all that...

Christopher Hitchens is one of the leading atheist of our times, they call it the new atheism now.  He also is the author of a book, “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything,” that was just recently released; heavily opposing religion and any idea that God exist.  But right now Mr Hitchens is in his last stages of the esophageal cancer.  The New Your Time describes his last moments of life like this: “Some of these articles were written with the full consciousness that they might be my very last. Sobering in one way and exhilarating in another, this practice can obviously never become perfected.”  Another words, Hitchens has little time left. Smoking and drinking was something that Hitchens needed to quit, life was more important then the pleasures of these habits, not mentioning that he had a feeding tube installed since June.  He had power in articulating his worldview to others, the ideas, but were these thoughts the reality of our world? You...

Sexual battle is an ongoing process that never weakens in Christians life.  Either you continuing battling or either you are going along with it.  I notice it's easy to make yourself look good on the outside, the best part of you to the public, but whats going on inside?  Hypocrisy is focused to do and obey the law on the outside, but true concern should be how we look inside?  Here are some practical steps from John MacArthur sermon on winning the battle in the inside:    " First , confess and forsake any sin, or pattern of sins that no one knows about. “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”  (Isaiah 55:7) Second , do not expose yourself to evil attraction; avoid evil attractions, guard what you see. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?” (Job 31:1).   Third , ...