Mine Heart, In a Nutshell

I started writing a description of myself for Google+, and found myself on a roll. Felt like I wanted to post how I see myself here too.

I am a lover of God, friend of women, protector and comforter of those who need it.

Prayer and faith are God's foremost gifts to me.

Known by some as the quiet gentleman, to others as the foolish comedian.

I am slow to anger but quick to fury.

I am forgiving to a flaw, but can struggle in forgiving someone for years if anger is left to fester.

I care not for what others think of me, but the words of those I love can change me overnight.

I'm a youth leader and I love my kids more deeply than almost anything else in the world - they strengthen and encourage me far more than I could possibly ever do for them.

I'm a sucker for attention and affection, but am quickly turned off if ignored or avoided.

I've never had a girlfriend because I want to be absolutely sure of myself before I so much as say a word.

The woman I marry will be loved, protected, and never in need - this I'm committed to, and ask my God to ensure despite my own shortcomings.

I respect no man more than my father, and owe everything to my mother.

A day with little time invested in my bible is worse than a day with only one meal.

I am easily content, even to a fault.

"Someone Like You"

by ADELE

Considering Great Things

Have you ever stopped to consider the mountain? Standing in the right place, Mt Rainier can be seen from over 150 miles away, it's mass dominating the skyline where it can be seen. Think about dam construction: the Grand Coulee dam required over 45 million cubic yards of earth and stone to be moved, taking almost 5 years alone in excavation. With that in mind, even with all of humanity involved in the task, removing the mountain from the face of the earth would be beyond monumental, taking centuries, being among the greatest achievements in history.

Even so, my God tells me that with faith the size of a mustard seed that mountain can be moved with a word.

Have you ever stopped to consider the stars? Our own Sol ("the sun") has a diameter 109 times the size of Earth, and you could fit 1.3 million Earths inside Sol. Sol makes up for over 99% of the total mass in our solar system. If Sol is to the Earth as a large watermelon is to a pea, the pea would still be several times larger than the Earth. Now compare Sol to Canis Majoris ("the big-dog star"), the largest star known to mankind. The diameter of Canis Majoris is 1800 to 2100 times that of Sol, and between 5.8 and 9.2 billion Sol could fit inside Canis Majoris. Sol is to Canis Majoris as a grain of sand is to an earth ball.

My God is called Star Breather, He exhales and such celestial bodies are created.

Have you ever stopped to consider your own body and brain? The complexity of the calculations made in motor control functions alone is immense. Take a moment sometime today and stand on one foot while leaning around a bit. Congratulations! No super-computer in the world could make all the readings and calculations required in that amount of time to regulate the tens of thousands of muscle movements you're making every second. And that's not even mentioning all the upkeep your brain is processing under the hood to maintain vital functions and conscious thought. If you don't believe me just take a look at modern robotics and the range of motion available compared to that of living creatures.

My God is Elohim, the Powerful Creator-God. Just as He breathes stars, at a word He can create the mind-blowing complexity that is the human body.

This Great God commands respect, fear, awe... and yet He loves me, He loves us all, and He desires a personal relationship with every one of us. Now that blows my mind.

"Lead Me"

by Sanctus Real

Pain = Profit

So you know me, right? The guy who quite literally runs out of breath from 10-15 seconds of running? I don't really consider myself physically out of shape, as I can work all day with my hands without tiring out unreasonably, but I've just never had that same conditioning in my legs. Today I decided to start the process of fixing that. I power walked the very mountainous trail near our house today, a little under a mile or so (?) both ways, without slowing or stopping except briefly where I turned around. My lungs hurt, so I kept going until they stopped hurting. My legs started to burn, so I kept going until they stopped burning. Something in my gut started hurting, so I kept going 'till that stopped hurting. After that I couldn't seem to walk straight for a little while, but I kept going anyway. Eventually I got home and took a cold shower, and now I feel phenomenal! Let me tell you, Teddy Roosevelt taught ME what to do with physical weakness, and it still hasn't steered me wrong yet! And thanks to God, who gave me strength for something I probably shouldn't have been physically able to do, at the very least without feeling fine afterwards.

Hopefully I can keep this up!

"Unite"

by

Worth Dying For

It Is Better To Love And Have Lost...

I'm drawing near to the end of a good story, and in a way that makes me sad. But perhaps that's what makes stories good: to know the end is in sight, to know the end is coming and that everything will work out alright ( at least for the most part). In life you don't know when the end of anything comes, nor in what manner, but in a story it is pre-determined when and where things will take place, and how they'll turn out. Maybe that's why people like stories so much. Control. Direction. The audience follows what the author/film writer/game designer/playwright has painstakingly thought out, with little to no input required. Even in the elaborate chaos of things falling apart, it's all there so the person enjoying the story can see it all put back together again. And yet, maybe we just need to realize God has that same control in our stories. Honestly, we really don't need to do much more than follow. Maybe that's why people like stories so much. Maybe I'll figure that out myself someday.

Song is:

"Take Me Home, Country Roads"

as in Miyazaki's film "Whisper of The Heart"

Laliophobia

Auf wiedersehen
Is not goodbye
Unless you miss
My Adonai

And so I'll live
To lift Him high
And with each breath
I'll glorify

For some men live
But all men die
All men struggle
And wonder why

These are the things
I dearly love most
What I cannot say
I'll write - as a boast!

First is my savior
Who died to save me
I wish and I pray
That you'd all just see

Next is my father
God's example to me
Truly without him
I'd be lost in this sea

Third is my mother
Her hard work a blessing
Her love and advice
Save me distressing

Fourth is the trust
Of my parents below
More precious than diamonds
More lovely than snow

Fifth are my friends
The ones whom I love
They Fail, I fail, but still
We're seeking above

Sixth are the mentors
That know not their deeds
They act and I listen
And I lose some weeds

Seventh is my brother
Steals all my sorrow
I fail and I succeed
In both ways he'll follow

Finally my youth group
Those who give me hope
Encouragement to me
My heart they all stoke

If you harm these last two
Give more than a thought
For may God have mercy
Because I will not!

And still, auf wiedersehen
is not a goodbye
And for those whom I love
I persist and try

And so I'll keep waiting
All problems He'll fix
But until that day comes

Know Proverbs 3:6

"Kamikaze"

by Five Iron Frenzy