The Seat of the Soul

The seat of the soul is filled with many aspects: religion, love, hurts, disappointments, achievements, goals and attitudes. We find ourselves searching for the fulfillment that only a relationship with God can give us. In happiness we rejoice, take pictures and savor the emotions that we felt in the moment. In pain we cry, try to explain and duel in the battle of the mind and the heart. To these things there are only a failed attempts due to our totally inability to consciously focus and understand all of who God is and His abilities. We are for a moment in the physical young, confused for a lifetime in our wisdom, and seeking without complete satisfaction because we have not been created for this fallen evil world; rather our hearts have been sowed together with the Fathers, only to have be separated by the fall of Adam.

How do we understand? How do we reconcile He is sovereign and we have free will? How do we fully trust what we cannot see? We are lead to duty and to battle in many circumstances and relationships in life and when it doesn’t work out we hang up our equipment. Do we let go of our imagination and settle for the simple? Do we look pass the disappointments and continue on? Do we take the stones that have been thrown at us and turn them into our stepping stones?

Only the wise keep oaths they have made. Only the persistent march on in spite of what seems to be a lost. We gather, we re-huddle, we pray, we fast and we hope and we walk by smart faith and not by sight, because we know who our general is and we have faith that He who has begin a good thing will complete it. The artist will always finish his work; the cook will give the recipe to her learners; the teacher will never give an assignment that cant be completed. So we too must remember that in His love He is more generous than man.

If He stirs the soul, He will give grace to the desire; if He has created than He wont leave you behind. So in our mission to answer the callings from: anger, pain, joy, happiness, disappointments and the seat of the soul- if He has given those things to us to experience surely he wont leave them unanswered.

The one thing that I am certain of in this life is that: whatever happens there is a reason behind it. And it may take years to figure it out but the thing about experience is that it gives you the lesson first then the answer. Be true to your calling and your creator. Be true to whom you are and in the process He will work out all the questions. Don’t pray for patience, pray for strength in longsuffering.

Be Blessed

Zacchaeus

1 Corinthians 7: 17 “ only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him….”
I can only speak for me when it comes to this but in reading this maybe you will find some relatable truth. I use to live off of the advice of others. You would always here me say “so what do you think I should do…?” When it came to my pastors, friends and family I would always want to know what others thought was best for me and then I would do what they said whether or not I agreed with it. I was looking for approval, something that was missing because of an absent father. I was hoping that they would have “the answer” not realizing that they are fallen humans just like myself and still in search of their own patch as well. I wanted to: please, show loyalty, and do what was “expected”. All of this time I was doing this for people, and respectfully sometimes some of those people had good intentions, and I was doing it for the Divine God who had already assigned me a mission and called me to it. This entire time I was looking for myself. I was looking for what I was “suppose” to do. While all along the creator had been waiting for me to come put on and walk in what He had personally created for me. The love, approval, and need to be whole that I was “getting advice” for, was right there all along in the hands of Him, who lived and died for me. How did I come to realize this, how have I come to some unexplainable peace….. I came to Jesus. I wasn’t worried about who was looking. I cant worry any longer about what people will say about me and all the fires I have started and bridges I have burned….. I just had to come to Jesus. He loves me more than I love myself and that is what I have been looking for…. A Love that can’t fail, because I am damaged good…. He has an assignment for each of us and He has called us…. So let us put aside the advice of the fallen…. And Let us Come to Jesus…. He even wants all of us Zacchaeus’

Psalms 119:33-40

Have you ever meet one of those people that always refer to a movie when it comes to different situations in life? Whether it is the movie: dumb and dumber, Brave Heart, The Godfathers ext. Well I am one of those people… I like to call myself a story teller. Lately I must confess to you that I have been feeling like Ouiser Boudreaux from the movie, Steel Magnolias. I love the group of friends God has blessed me with, they are all good for me. I am in a good place with myself right now. But it seems that I cant get out of the “crabby” state. Honestly I am seeking to be a kinder and nicer person. I am really long to try an be nicer an try to get along with everyone, but it always seems like no matter what is going on I end up being a horrible person. I am truly blessed. And I am truly happy. So why am I so crabby? What else could I want? What else do I need? I have a pretty good life and yet I am envious, jealous and critical. Johnny Hunt, our SBC president, came and spoke in chapel today and to be honest I was bias when he came because of his position. It was great and God has been working on my heart these last few days, so the soil of my heart was moist and ready to receive the seed of the word. My Pastor was close friends with Rev Winters, the pastor that was killed in Illinois, and he sent me an email the other day and at the end of the email it says “Live everyday for the glory of God”. The reason that this touched me so much and yes my pastor has said this to me a million times, is because I knew that he meant it. I knew that he wanted me to live my life to glorify God everyday because no one knows the time or moment when it will be over and in glorifying God my mistakes will be less and my blessing will be more and my attitude can change because I am known to be so pessimistic. So when Pastor Hunt came and spoke today my heart was just pierced. He spoke from Psalms 119:33-40 and the one thing that he talked about that got to me was that the psalmist says that he wants the Lord to teach him the ways of His statues before he even knows the promise of God. This man submits to God before God even reveals the plan. We are not like that at all. We pray for God to reveal to us His plans only for us then to DECIDE wither or not we will make the commitment. That’s me totally. I want God to show me His plan for my life, because I want to decide or not if I will go. The fact is I want to go and make my own plans: go back to Louisville, go intern for the White House, Church planting in Canada, get married ext. but maybe God has not called me to ANY of this!!! I want to make my own plans and then ask God to bless them, instead of walking in the blessing of God that has already preordained for me. I pray for myself and I pray for you we will all get on God’s page and not seek for God to get on our page. Psalm 119:36 ‘Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to selfish gain”. After hearing this verse and this sermon I felt like a horrible person. I felt like Ouiser Boudreaux. I felt like the worst person in the world. I am blessed, and yet I act miserable and God has given me himself, good people around me, and I get to hear Him and know Him better. And he has chosen me to be saved, separated me for His ministry and Loved me in spite of how horrible and crabby I am. “God I want to follow you no matter what the journey holds”- let that be the prayer of my heart and let it be true!!

To Sum It All Up.....

I have to be honest I am still holding my breath and crossing my fingers until May 16, 2009 when I walk across the stage. You know me 3 months in my world is a long time and I cant allow anything to get in the way of me graduating from Midwestern Baptist Seminary. Everything here is really well and for the first time since I had to leave Louisville, I feel like I am suppose to be where God wants me. I have some hope again and that is a good thing. I don’t feel guilty anymore for loving my new friends, because for some reason after I was forced to leave I felt guilty for giving my attention and love to other people besides my Louisville family but now that I recognize change is constant, I am ok with this new plan. Make new friends keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold (my grandma taught me that). But for the most part things have worked themselves out. I am hoping to find a church or a non- profit job back in Ky where I belong or somewhere else- lol. Wherever God wants me is how I feel. The people here are great and things are turning out well remember this: There are two levers for moving men: interest and fear.” Make sure that the reason your moving is because of interest and not out of fear. I love you much and am thinking about you always J

Update

So school has started off to a good start. If everything goes well I will be walking in may and I will only have one math class to finish over the summer time and I will do that back home at a community college- anyone want to assist in my math class- lol. What I am learning so far about myself is that I really like being alone most of the time. In a world full of pressure and confusion we tend to lean towards being the center of attention and wanting “not to miss a moment”. But what really are we missing. I think that when we step away from the fray of life we learn to hear ourselves more clearly and we learn to hear God better. We began to develop a better sense of self and self worth and we like who we have been created to be. We push away from all influences and we began to create our destiny by becoming a better “us”. I am finding that good things come in stillness. I am finding that the “things” that I have always thought I wanted where not true. I want more than anything- MYSELF. And in the quiet of life I am loving this. My plan for now is when I am done to find a job back in Louisville and get back to The Jones, cabals, Kevin, Alex and the crew. That’s what I want and I hoping that will happen. But I can’t go back to them until I get back to me, the Bobby that they new and a newer and improved one. I love myself, God and life right now. I am learning that this life is not that hard, you just have to live in balance. Continue to pray for me and I will for you. I love you all always….

Barack Obama Inauguration Speech

My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers … our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it).”
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. As I transition from one part of life to another I want you to join me on this ride. Finishing school, failing in love, finding a career, loosing friends and rekindling the love of old one. Whatever life brings there will be joy on the journey. These things will lead me and keep my focus. The trust in myself, the voice of Jesus Christ and the hope that heaven will have a spot for me! As I readjust I will share “My Point of View”, you may not always agree but that’s why its my blog ;) Keep reading and you will learn more about me and watch me grow. God’s Best to you