ImNoBetterThanU

Busyness.. Complexity... Honestly this list could go on and on...      We need to just simplify. How is it that we get so caught up in things that we allow our souls to get so cluttered. Makes me think of a quote from the movie The Brothers Bloom where one of the characters told the other she believed he was constipated in his soul. Too graphic for you? So sorry...welcome to my blog. #keepinitreal Public Service Announcement: I also do not condone the watching of the aforementioned movie if you are easily offended HA!      So for me in 2017 I want to simplify; allowing the simple things to keep me holding on. Life will be much easier. With all the clutter, the "constipation", it causes unnecessary stress and tension that can lead to a feeling of being lost. For me, it will also cause me to (figuratively) hold on to things so tightly that eventually I will lose my grip and free fall. Thus falling into a state in which further causes confusion an...

     So I just came out of a whirlwind of a near fantasy month. So amazing it is difficult to describe.      It began with the celebration of our freedom on Independence day weekend.  How can one not rejoice in a time as such. With everything going on in America many have lost hope, but hopelessness is not  what our nation was built upon. As Bono of U2 stated, America is not a country it is an idea. The definition of an idea is "a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action" or "the aim of purpose". It is ever evolving and whether you believe it or not we do maintain a certain level of control within the shaping of that idea. One thing we have to remember is that media thrives on the negative because they want ratings. They will use images and sounds to paint a picture to portray to the minds of the world in a way they feel will draw more people in and increase their ratings. Kind of sick, I know. But there is also so much good progr...

    You, yes you are created for greatness, but you are also built for relationship. Actually we all are, but for now let the focus be on you .     You have a calling, an intentional purpose in life. Stephen Covey says you want "to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy." Your calling is what you will do in life that fuels your passions and creates an environment of true accomplishment for you. The kind of accomplishments that impact the world...your legacy.      If you look throughout history at great men and women they all had the ability to get up when knocked down. You need to do that too and the more quickly you get up the better. You ever increase your risk of further pain or suffering the longer you stay down. Just look at giraffes; at birth the newborn baby giraffe will immediately begin the ever so challenging journey to its feet. What happens next? The mother will knock the newborn baby giraffe over. Seems cruel right? Well, it is...

     Are you content in life? Complacent? Comfortable?      Well are you?      Or are you working to improve yourself?      You may be in the best place of your life. Great friends, great job, debt free, 100% healthy, etc. But is that where you want to stay? I would hope not. There is never any reason to stop growing in life. When I was younger, I used to always quote a saying. "Birth is the beginning if the dying process."      There is so much wrong with that statement.  Whereas one could argue the "truth" in that statement I would have to wholeheartedly disagree. While we are on this earth we have so much to live for and when you are living your life to the fullest and the best of your ability then you can truly have an incredibly positive impact on those individuals placed in your path.      Have a I perfected this thing called life? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Fat chance! But you know wha...

     So today on this Memorial Day of 2015 when we honor our fallen troops of past and the men and women currently serving our country to protect our freedom I felt led to open the blog, blow off the dust, and write a new post.      Today I exercised my great freedom by participating in  the Murph Challenge . I did not really have a strong desire to do so, but knowing all the sacrifices made by the aforementioned men and women I felt I could endure some suck in honor of them. More specifically Lt. Michael P. Murphy endured far more than I have in my entire life so it only felt right. His story can be read here .      I can also say that as hectic a day as I have had, awakening at 5:30 this morning and just now getting to a point where I can sit an relax (now 5:25 pm) this was sincerely the most amazing and memorable Memorial Day I can remember in all of the 39 times I have revolved around the sun. Good exercise, good friends (see bel...

     Perception of limits is so skewed; naturally by human nature. Such a negative connotation comes from boundaries, rules, regulations...whatever you can think of that is limiting in our world. Have you ever thought that without these limits life would be what was truly limited?      Percentages, time, symbols, language...all things created by man.      Are there truly limits?      Where do they begin?      Where do they end?      Distance...      Emotions...      Finances...     Honestly the list could go on. But how much of our "limits" are simply created by our own perception?      My perception tells me that my life over the last few months has been limited in many ways. Too many hours at work limit certain things. Allowing someone into your life far too rapidly to only have them vanish without a moments notice. Poor cho...

I want to preface this entire post by saying I am not preaching or condemning those that make choices differently than mine. I am simply thinking out loud through my writing (Typing Out Loud). I have always found writing to be therapeutic and wish I could get back to doing so more often. Physically       It has been scientifically proven that what you ingest becomes one with your body. Even common sense will tell you that. Does everything you ingest come out of you? No. Your body absorbs much of it. Sure our bodies are designed to emit waste which we do through sweat, urine, feces. That is why I do not follow the whole IIFYM theory.      As many of you know 2014 has been a year where I have intentionally dedicated to be a more healthy individual. Exercising regularly and eating better. Back to the IIFYM, I know many people that follow this ideology and they eat pies, candy, ice cream...well whatever they want so long as it fits within their daily macro...

Words...      They are powerful. More powerful than most want to admit. All of us at one time or another have had our feelings hurt by words. All of us at some point in our lives have been hurt by words and were at that time, and many of us still to this day, in denial.      Words are far more powerful than most will admit...redundant you say? I am just trying to get my point across. Before you begin judging me just know that maybe I am writing this post to myself. As "aware" as I like to think I am of the power of my words I need help in this area. Especially in the workplace.      For those of you that know me well, you know that not only am I very  social, but I love people. Now if any of my coworkers are reading this they may be thinking that this is a failed attempt at painting a picture of myself to the world that does not truly exist. If my family is reading this they may be saying I have a strange withdrawn way of showing ...

Cleaning...      It is something I actually enjoy. I find it therapeutic. Of course as a male there is also that feeling of accomplishment and the ability to check a box on my to do list. The sponge...      I have always been fascinated by sponges. Primarily because when I was younger my father had natural sponges in the garage for when we washed the vehicles. I thought it was so cool that this porous and insanely absorbent thing was once alive in the sea! They also work much better for cleaning than man made sponges. They wipe away the dirt and absorb all the filth that obstructed the view of the cars natural look. That is when the time comes to wring out that sponge. Grabbing both ends; squeezing and twisting with all your might as you  in order to force all the dirty liquid from it in order to fill it back up with clean, soapy water to continue the job at hand.      This is the point I felt I had hit in my own life just a coup...

     Are you an individual who goes to a Joyce Meyer conference, your church's annual men's or women's conference, or a retreat of some kind and get all fired up for Jesus? You walk out ready to be the light you are called to be in this world of darkness? How long does that zeal last?      Carrying the light of life  it an absolute honor! We should be proud about being given the opportunity to be a witness to others. I know there was a time in my life when I believed I needed to preach the gospel to everyone around me and live this perfect, righteous life! Well, that is exactly how we may just push others further away from being a follower of Christ. Others then see us only as judgmental hypocrites. When we behave in these ways we cannot expect to be commiserated by others when they see us mess up. We are commanded only to love others; when we do this in a Godly way then our actions alone do all the preaching ...

     I believe at times (well I know for me anyways) we gain wisdom from experience yet we fail to apply that wisdom to our lives. This results in us making the same mistakes or going down the same roads we have gone down time and time again. Even if it is a road we must frequent we should learn the road and be able to avoid the ditches or any other form of an accident. God speaks to me often through regular physical things on this earth. He created the world so does it not make sense that there are specific parallels with this physical realm and the Spiritual?      Saturday evening I went with a friend to get food and when we got back to the house we realized the order was incorrect. I drove back to the establishment to right the wrong. During this drive I was having a conversation with Jesus when He began to speak to me about being a doer ( James 1:23 ). Through my life I have experienced many things and learned tons of valuable lessons. How...

     About a year ago I was in communication with someone who has known me for several years. I think they are still to this day trying to figure out what has happened to me. I have been overtly open and honest that by surrendering my life to God I am a new creature and that His love is growing inside me. One of their responses was "I have heard church is just another addiction." I can not argue that. I am addicted to the love I feel from God. I am addicted to church. However... CHURCH IS NOT A BUILDING!      Church is community, it is what occurs outside the walls of the building much more than what occurs within them. As a result of that community and the grace and mercy of our great God, I am literally a new creature. So if you view it as an addiction then hook up the IV! I have traded in other addictions. A glass pipe for the Bible, a joint for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, a bottle of Patron for worshiping our sweet Lord, a l...

     Countless individuals have been asking how the court hearing went in California for legal custody/visitation of Andrew. I was hoping and praying for the best so that I can begin growing a deeper relationship with Andrew and although I wanted more; I believe that our God did the best for the present time. Rather than get all wordy and drawn out I will succinctly put the results below in bullet points. Partial Stipulation With notice greater than 48 hours I will be allowed reasonable visitation with Andrew and we will have a mental health professional involved as a third party for their input that will allow for fair progression in visitation. (i.e. - more time and eventually having him come here for split holidays, part of the summer, and any other that is agreed upon at that time) I have an allotted time with a 30 minute window to call and speak to Andrew once a week. I can call more often than once a week, but that does not...

I have to be honest. Even with the posts I have written this year in trying to encourage you all in so many ways I wanted off the ride of life this morning. No I do not mean suicide; I just wanted to get off and stand static on solid ground, going no where. Life can be rough, it can be a scary ride. The reality is that getting off the ride would help nothing. If anything it would prolong (or completely eliminate) any growth, learning, momentum, moving forward, etc. Eventually I would have to get back on the ride and I would be right where I was when I got off. We have a choice to react or to respond and the choices we make are directly correlated to how our relationship with God will develop. It is important for us to keep our faith through seasons of struggling. "Our faith is in direct proportion to the absence of fear in our lives. Where fears begins, faith ends. Where there is faith there is no fear." -Marvin Yakos In the past I would allow fear to gain co...

The title of this post is such a common phrase used in our society. Yet I believe that it is used out of context most of the time. We (myself included) make that statement as though we have transformed into this new person and progressed beyond whatever bondage, oppression, and sin was previously in our lives. It implies that we ourselves have done something positive in our own effort to get past all the junk from our past and be a better person. This is all wrong! It should not be "who I have become" but rather "becoming who I am". Although it is a process that we must go through it is more about us experiencing healing in our lives (physical, emotional, mental, etc.) that leads to the progressive sanctification of becoming who God intended us to be all along. The person He had in mind when he so carefully designed us down to every minute detail. It is truly about total surrender and submission to His will. We live in a fallen world. We make mistakes. Circum...

Do you have a Jericho in your life?      Of course you do, we all do. The key to defeating your Jericho is to complete all seven laps! What would have happened if Joshua and the Israelites had not completed all seven laps around their Jericho? They would have not only failed to defeat the city, but would have been the laughing stock of the world at that time. I mean who would march around a city led by the band trying to defeat their enemy? However, since they chose to be obedient to the commands of God they have a story of victory that is known worldwide and has endured for centuries.      With this new year upon us I challenge and encourage you to be diligent and intentional with all that you do. If you walk away with anything from any post I have ever written please let the following two points sink in. Through radical obedience and patient endurance our actions show our faith and God will work miracles in our life.  Be intenti...

How many of you want to be representatives with human attributes and characteristics; or to be anthropomorphic? I would guess most of you would be content with that. Now let me ask you this...how many of you want to be representatives with Christlike attributes and characteristics? Whether you are a Christian or not, I believe most people still view Jesus as having been a good person and someone we could all aspire to be.  The great news here is that once we come into agreement with the gospel and give over our lives to Him we are made new and can move beyond an anthropomorphic life. It is clearly stated in Galatians 5:24 . With that being said I do not want to sit here and tell you that once you accept Jesus as your personal Saviour that all your sinful thoughts just vanish like dust int he wind. Now in some cases that has happened, but more often than not you will continue to struggle. You may win the battle repeatedly for days, wee...

This morning I went to the car wash to remove from the hood of my car the unpleasantly large gift left by what was apparently a large flock of birds. TMI? Sorry. Anyway...while I was using the high pressure thrust of the water to remove the aforementioned aerodynamic obstructions from my vehicle the Lord was showing me something about our own lives. As I washed the dirt and filth away I noticed several new blemishes from chips, to scratches, and scrapes in numerous areas. Whereas my initial reaction was one of lackluster emotions including frustration, disappointment, maybe even a dash of anger I quickly stopped to ask myself why. Take every thought captive... I know, I know. Some of you are now thinking that I have gone super-spiritual. Hear me out. What good does it do to have any negative emotions about something so minor? I get it, you pay tens of thousands of dollars for something and we are told to be good stewards of what God blesses us wi...

Have you ever been faced with the daunting task of restoring something that is old, rundown, falling apart? Something that is in the poorest condition after years of abuse and being misused? Was it discouraging just thinking about it? I can relate. Sometimes we never complete the task...maybe we never even start the task. Well, I am here to talk about something that was abused, mistreated, malnourished, etc. All of this went on for well over a decade. Can you imagine the condition of something after more than ten years of this? How do you view that looking, feeling, projecting to others? You know what that something is? My soul... For years sexual immorality, drugs, alcohol, gossip, slander, manipulation, tearing others down, making fun, etc. These are the things I was doing and/or exposed to for over ten years. The very thing that is a gift to us all I abused. I filled it with lust, lasciviousness, envying, revellings, etc. Corrupting my soul to the point of d...

I feel like that is what God is wanting me to do these days. He has been doing such an amazing work in my heart over the last month. For several months now he has been telling me to be a better steward. Not only of my finances, but of everything He has blessed me with. My job, time, friends, family, health, etc. I feel that I have been doing a great job of being a better steward in all areas...but we all know God will allow trials to enter our lives in order to stretch us as individuals and make us more mature in the physical realm as well as the spiritual. Well, Friday July 30th my income dropped over $12,000.00 year. This is a significant amount of my net income. This happening at a time when my insurance renewal is due, vehicle maintenance is rapidly approaching, the need for new tires seem to be on the horizon, and that is just expenses related to my car! Needless to say, this is one of those trials. It was extremely discouraging initially, but...