Thoughts of a Servant

Some people consider me young.  Some consider me naive. And some just think i’m plainly stupid haha.  While some of that might be true, I have put a lot of thought into who I am supposed to be in a relationship (not only with a girl, but with people in general, and more importantly, with God).  I just thought I would jot a few thoughts down on some characteristics per relationship in my eyes.

Often when we think of men, we generally think of them as one of these things (or some combination of them): (1) the cowboy: a man who works all day, parties a bit at night, likes family, likes home-cookin, and loves his truck, (2) the gansta: a man who strives for wealth, cars, money, and the ultimate high within power and satisfaction, (3) the priest: a man who has devoted his life to God and is often considered too religious, or (4)  numb: doesn’t feel pain, sorrow, emotion, and continues on their own path without taking notice to anyone else.

Okay, I stereotyped a few categories– but honestly, can you find a little of yourself in each of those categories?  I think I have gone through all of those stages, and its interesting to see the elements that I use from each category to create my own personality.  But a lot of what I chose from those categories influences how I interact with people and deal with situations.  But as a follower and lover of Jesus, I think there are a few key foundations that really, really move my interaction and perception of people.

A few of these thoughts came from ManCode and Unleashing Courageous Faith.  Two great books I highly recommend reading.

Relationships with People

I have had people tell me that I am extremely quiet.  Thats very true– could part of it be because I am an only child? Perhaps– But I believe it is because I have been in trouble by saying something that I am not supposed to.  I have grown accustomed to listening over speaking.  I was reading Ecclesiastes today and it mentioned a wise man who speaks many words is no longer wise / meaningful.  By that definition, I must be pretty wise if I don’t talk.  I could probably pull off Platonic views by replying with a question all the time.

But honestly, what does it look like to have a man of God in a crowd of people?  For this situation, I would have to say that whatever I do, wherever I go, whenever others see me, they must know that I am a Child of God.  For instance, I think it is okay to go have a beer with the guys.  However, I do not drink in excess– I do not consider it bad to dance Bachata with a girl, but I do not go chasing tail.  We are called to go out into the world, and as Paul puts it, become like them so that you might save one.

Dudes in a Relationship

This one is where I have put much time into discovering what it is I am supposed to be.  A lot of that is because I have grown up with the stereotype that men before me have established.  Men can come off as lazy, ignorant, ruthless, seeming not to care, etc.  And I am sad to say that in my generation,  the “gangsta” stereotype has immersed itself into men my age.  The very honorable principle of chivalry has depleted to a mere subtle request for sex– and women have almost grown to accept that men generally think like this.

This is the reason I spend so much time focusing on my relationships.  I do not want to be anything like they are expecting.  This is not me saying this so I can get laid– I am saying this because I have a great deal of respect for women.  Just as a side note to show you how prominent the “gangsta” persona is: I told a guy at a salsa club that I have a great deal of respect for women– and then he went on this long rant and concluded it by saying (exact words), “You are putting the pussy on the pedestal.”  Women, who have talked with this guy, now expect me to act the same way as him (guilty by association).

In a relationship, a man should be a gentleman– He should care for his girlfriend / wife.  They should each be held accountable for things of sin.  A man should not make finding a woman his mission in life, because he will get bored, and want another girl to spice things up again.    Instead, a man should have a mission of serving others– and the woman can then join in on the mission, and together they will server others as Jesus did,  grow toward one another, learn about each other, and most importantly, grow in Christ.

A man should be strong in faith, slow to anger, a leader when needed, but willing to listen to his girl’s thoughts, dreams, aspirations, and even their dislikes, critiques, sorrows, etc.  He should also be freeform, willing to grow in different directions.

Is this a lot to ask of a guy?  OH YEAH!  But the thing is, we are not perfect– But we should spend our lives trying to live out these expectations.  God knows our heart, he knows that we are not perfect– That is why He sent His own Son Jesus.  Now we must spend our lives living as Jesus did.

Relationship with God

Very important.  Saving the best for last.

God needs to be, needs to be, a man’s foundation.  It is where they will find their strength, their kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  It is also where they will find their Love.  For a man to have strength and a relationship with Christ, is a man that will grow and prosper in things not of this world, but of Love, trust, encouragement, and happiness.

Conclusion

For me, it’s imperative that my life consists of these relational guidelines.  I struggle with it so often, and I am positive that I will struggle with it for the rest of my life. I am also positive that I will mess up, but I just pray that whenever I fall, whenever I stray, whenever I feel lonely– that I put my trust in Jesus, and in that I will find the strength that will support people around me, and in my relationship.

Its a Saturday– I am in crunch time for some deadlines on a few projects.  But in the midst of all the craziness I got hit with this pretty cool fact.  I have been spending the past month or so on a single web project trying to make the program function the way I want it to.  It has been interesting, but think about this.  There is Someone who had created the entire universe, life, creation, birds, trees, water, stars, ecosystems, feelings, from past to present to future etc. in 1/3 the time it has taken me to create almost a functioning program.

Kinda makes you think right?

First of all, I am happy to say that my roommate just got Baptized!  I am stoked for him.  I have known him for a while, and he is such an awesome dude.  But the pastor of his college group has to find new work because of the Church finances.  This is very hurtful for those who have grown so close to him, and I am not trying to downsize any pain that they may be feeling, because it does hurt.  But last night, they expressed how much love he shares, how much he cares, and how much he wants to make a difference in this world.  The only thing I could think about was how blessed someone will be to receive him as a Pastor.

I got to thinking, its common for us to say “we are exactly where we need to be.”  And thats perfectly fine, but even more so: we are only there as long as we need to be.  God ignites a fire inside of his people, and then sends them out.  We, the church, are not supposed to be a controlled furnace of flames, we are supposed to be the wildfire in the forest going rapidly in each direction.  What a picture.

As I sit here, I wonder at times what I am doing with my life– This is such a common question, but I think if we are not asking that question then we are not growing and looking for opportunities.  We need to question ourselves so that we can grow.  If we are not being persecuted, we need to question our motives so that we can continue to grow in Christ.  I believe that we grow quickest if we are being tested, and if we are being tested, we are doing something right.

Have a splendid day.

Jon

I have nothing against the Holidays–  This includes Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, etc.  These are all excellent.  But I do not like how every single year I feel I need to be the best in each.  I am a man, I need to eat more than everyone on Thanksgiving– Need to have better gifts than everyone on Christmas– and be at the best party on New Year.  What is this?!

We always forget the core foundation of these holidays which is family time, celebrating a birth of a Savior, and a new beginning.

But I am back on track.  I spent the day researching other religions, and ways to get me more involved in outward ministry–

Francis Chan told a story of how he brought his grandmother to a play at a great theater.  They were sitting there enjoying the show, but at intermission Francis asked his grandmother if she was enjoying the play– She shockingly replied, “I don’t really want to be here.”  She went on to explain that being at a play is not where she wants to be if the Lord came back this very moment!

Thats super important!

We live our lives with some form of this excuse: God hasn’t come yet… So why should he come now?!  But its exact ally like saying, “I haven’t died yet, so why would I die?!”

Hmmm.

Thursday night, I met a girl at a salsa club that I very rarely go to.  She is really nice and fun.  But the story gets much more interesting.  As if your not interested already — Haha.  Well I was out at my car ready to leave, and I forgot my keys in the club.  So I run back to get it, and on the way back in she stops me in her car and invites me to a bon fire that friday.  It is through her church and they were just going to do some fellowship.  I was like, THATS dope.  God is just placing good people for us to fellowship with.

That Friday I decided to head on over there to Corona Del Mar for the fire.  Plenty of people there, but the best part of the night was talking to her.  Delphine has such an amazing story.  She grew up in Rwanda!  My ears were glued to her words as she described the war.  She is an actual survivor of that war– Her family was actually in Hotel Rwanda as the riots and UN were dealing with the war.

I have been overwhelmed lately– God is just opening my eyes and my heart to so many people and so many faces of his Children.  She has such a heart for God– and even after enduring all of that pain.  I am so blessed to have spent time with her, and I look forward to talking with anyone and everyone.

I have a fantastic friend, Mahtab, who is the nicest person you’ll ever meet.  I love talking with her, and she has enlightened me on many things as she grew up in several locations in the middle east.  I have been trying to learn Farsi so that I can speak with her, but I have yet to understand their first letter of the alphabet. Haha.

Its amazing to me, how similar the religions are.  She sent me a link of one of Ghandi’s famous speeches, and I really had to listen into it because he speaks like Yoda in a sense .  But it seems like he was a man who believed in God without even knowing it.  He believed in Love, peace, etc.  And thats how we would solve our issues– But one step further would be me believing that God IS Love, and He is within us.

Its also amazing how devoted and well-read Islamic followers are.  They are diligent in their prayers 5 times a day, for their fasting, for their beliefs.  We can definitely learn something from that type of devotion.  But my heart still aches for the girls, Maryam and Marzieh, who have been imprisoned for their Faithfulness to God.  They have taken their diligent ways of praying, fasting, and boldness from the Islamic faith and applied it to the Love for Jesus.  I pray for their safety.

I found myself sitting on the couch looking out the window at the busy city below.  We have an awesome view in our new apartment.  God allowed us to pay 400 bucks less in our new apartment for an upgraded, beautiful view, new appliances, new carpet, etc.  How much a blessing is that?!?!

In my daydreaming, I found myself recalling discussions I have had with people.  Trying to figure out how God has changed my heart and what He is calling me to talk about.  I noticed that he has completely changed my life and my mind and perception of situations.  Not to say that I still have my stereo types and boundaries– but I can now appreciate others the way that is in God’s Love.  For example, seeing an older couple blocking my way to my favorite cereal, I could have thought that they were in the way or that they move slow– But instead I couldn’t help but notice how sweet they are being with eachother, and that as if they were immersed in eachother’s world.  What a lovely picture.

I also noticed that I have been saying a lot of things that I don’t remember saying at all, or even so that I have no clue where it is coming from (well, I do know– ).  And all I have to say is Praise God.

There are two things I think of when I consider death.  One is that the Savior will know us, the other is that he will not know us.  Wow.

If we were to die and go to Heaven, what a glorious site it would be to have the Holy God tell us “Come here my child, I have prepared a place for you.”  And he brings you into glory and rejoicing.  This is where we will get to share the riches of Heaven on Earth and praise God.

The other option is for us to get to Heaven and Jesus says to us, “Im sorry, but I never knew you.”  Where we spent all of our time on earth searching splendor in lust, idolatry, adultery, etc.  Now we will spend eternity in the darkest, coldest, depths of our soul.

Just as a side note… I had a misconception about hell for a while.  I was taught that hell was full of burning and torture and whatnot– But I recently learned what all of that symbolizes rather than a literal sense.  One that spends time in Hell will have something much worse than physical torment and torture…  It will be a place where we will be alone.  It will be a place where we know that God is real, and exists.  It will be a place where the deepest parts of our hearts and soul will want a relationship with God, but will never be able to obtain it because of our disobedience on Earth and our unwillingness to have a relationship with Jesus.  This longing is not just “I want a relationship with God.”  It is a longing where you are parched of thirst for God, where your burning for a relationship with God, where you are utterly desperate for a relationship with God.

So we went to downtown LA for a video shoot of Broken Hearts Ministry.  It was absolutely amazing.  I wasn’t expecting to have anyone ready and willing to be on video with their testimony.  But sure enough God provided someone to share (for the very first time) their story.  It was such an amazing story of growing up in the church, etc. But being kicked out of the church, then living out on the streets with prostitution, meth, rice racing, etc.  But in the end he found the Broken Hearts Ministry and God got a HUGE grip on him and completely transformed his thoughts, actions, etc.  Now he is working the 12 steps and loving sobriety.

We had only planned on being up in LA until 1am ish.  But after talking with this gentleman, we ended up staying there until somewhere around 3:30am.  It was just awesome to hear God’s hand working through him and how open he was to letting God control his life.  Not to say he still struggles with the temptations of returning back– We all have those struggles, but but he loves God now, and God holds him / us accountable.  How amazing.

I just recently heard this story, a story about two Iranian women being imprisoned at the high court because they would not denounce their Faith in Jesus. They have been in there for seven months now, and their health is failing– but they push on.   These women, by the names of Maryam and Marzieh, “have suffered greatly while in prison, suffering ill health, solitary confinement and interrogations for many hours while blindfolded. (Prayer Int)”  Because of this one crime: They started believing in Christ.

From my understanding, the women are absolutely stunning reflections of Christ.  They have had discussions about faith and handed out nearly ten thousand Bibles underground.

How amazing is that…

They stood before the Judge and had the most amazing conversation:

Mr. Haddad, asked the two women if they were Christians. “We love Jesus,” they replied.  He repeated his question and they said, “Yes, we are Christians.”

Mr. Haddad then said, “You were Muslims and now you have become Christians.”

“We were born in Muslim families, but we were not Muslims,” was their reply.

Mr. Haddad’s questioning continued and he asked them if they regretted becoming Christians, to which they replied, “We have no regrets.”

Then he stated emphatically, “You should renounce your faith verbally and in written form.”  They stood firm and replied, “We will not deny our faith.”

During one tense moment in the questioning, Maryam and Marzieh made reference to their belief that God had convicted them through the Holy Spirit.  Mr. Haddad told them, “It is impossible for God to speak with humans.”

Marzieh asked him in return, “Are you questioning whether God is Almighty?”

Mr. Haddad then replied, “You are not worthy for God to speak to you.”

Marzieh said, “It is God, and not you, who determines if I am worthy.”

Mr. Haddad told the women to return to prison and think about the options they were given and come back to him when they are ready (to comply). Maryam and Marzieh said, “We have already done our thinking.”

http://www.24-7prayer.com/blog/1069

Join me and thousands of others as we pray for these two amazing messengers in hopes that they will set them free and they can continue to uplift God’s grace in a midst of pain, suffering, and longing in this world.

I just heard a Christian speaker from Iran talk about the amazing things that are happening in Iran.  He said that although the government is against the mentioning of Christianity in any way, shape or form– There is a large revolution underway.  According to him, the Iranian people are more open to hearing God’s word than we are!  Which is completely true–

He told a story of a younger boy who had found the New Testament and was just soaking up every word God had to say to His people.  He loved it, but he was so sad because he couldn’t afford the Old Testament.  He didn’t have access to this book, but all he wanted was to learn everything about this amazing God.  It was so real to him– he would go to bed at night sleeping with his New Testament and wake up in the morning right where he left off.

Again, I will say that we have access to so many Bibles, but we do not have the hunger that this boy had.  Things need to change.  We need to pray for hunger, we need to pray so that we can weep, feel, and long to bring Brothers and Sisters to Christ.