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Implicit learning and Explicit learning!
When a person deliberately uses outside resources, and hypothesis testing to gain specific knowledge in motor learning, that type of knowledge is known as Explicit. Explicit knowledge is also known as S-Mode learning. Another term that is often involved with Explicit learning is Consciousness. It is said that Explicit learning is gained on purpose and the individual gaining the knowledge is doing so consciously. Whereas Implicit learning is known as unconscious learning, because an individual comes about it passively and is not necessarily looking to gain knowledge in that particular area. Implicit knowledge is also known as U-mode learning.
There are many pros and cons to these two different types of learning, but which one has the most pros? Implicit learning is known as more vigorous and longer lasting than explicit because it is said that implicit learning is able to withstand neurological insults. A study done by (Allen and Reber) showed that implicit knowledge about learning artificial grammar remained when asked about it two years later. The same study showed that explicit knowledge was much harder to recover when asked about it two years later. It is also said that implicit knowledge is more specific when a quick response is required, only because it is less likely to change due to knowledge context. A study has proven, that implicit knowledge is less related to an individuals IQ than that of Explicit knowledge. A study by (Hardy) showed that skills that were acquired due to implicit training was much more resilient when it came to pressure.
With all of these advantages of Implicit knowledge, one would wander why isn’t implicit learning incorporated more into motor and skill learning. The answer is that it is to some extent, but it is much harder than it may appear. Basically there are two ways to gain knowledge about a specific skill. The first type is implicit and the second is explicit, in no particular order. There is almost no situation, in which these two types don’t overlap each other when a skill is acquired, making it almost impossible for a skill to be acquired by a single type of learning. There are two types of learning where both of these types are incorporated. There is Top-down learning which means explicit knowledge is learned first followed by implicit knowledge. There is also bottom-up learning, which means you first learn implicit knowledge and later explicit knowledge. Despite past years when this knowledge was ignored and wasn’t put into action, it has recently been gaining recognition. This however now presents a different debate. No longer is it over whether implicit knowledge is better than explicit or vice versa, but whether top-down learning or bottom-up learning is better.
Statistics and studies prove that bottom-up learning is more efficient and has better results. One of several test that were conducted is known as Serial Reaction Test (SRT). The SRT test was conducted to prove the an individuals ability to learn a repeated sequence. The test consisted of four light on a screen, one of the four lights would be lit and the individual would have to press the corresponding button of the illuminated light. The test proved that the response was delayed when it came patients who were trying to memorize the repeated sequence. This observation proves the previously stated, that when a fast response is needed implicit learning is more efficient. Another test, known as Dynamic Control (DC) showed similar information. DC is a test where individuals were asked to control an output variable, by controlling the input variable. Subjects very rapidly had an increase of performance, but never did understand the relation between the two variables. This also proves that implicit knowledge develops far sooner than that of Explicit knowledge. Both of these tasks proved that there was first implicit recognition which continued to improve until explicit information was recognized and articulated. One theory of why explicit knowledge develops later than implicit knowledge is because implicit knowledge may be too sophisticated to express explicitly. For example, there are tons of athletes in the world today, who are just naturally blessed. They have incredible skills, and come discover them just by playing around, but would never be able to explain the reasons behind their abilities. These tests not only show that Implicit recognition comes first, but maybe more importantly is that with implicit recognition comes improvement of explicit knowledge.
As it was proven, bottom-up learning is the preferred type when it comes to maximizing an individuals knowledge of motor learning. This type of learning has probably never been better exemplified than it was when (Karmiloff-Smith) did a study on young children. Children first recognized stimuli that were dominantly implicit, and acted on those over and over until explicit knowledge was gained. This process is known as re-description, this process consists of repeating the available implicit information until a more complex set of information was available to take it to another level. The more implicit knowledge an individual has, the more explicit knowledge a person gains. With more explicit knowledge, a person can become better by understanding the reasons by which he/she can do the things they can do.
I mentioned earlier all the advantages of implicit learning over explicit when it came to skill performance and motor learning. I also stated that it was harder than it seemed to teach skills and motor learning implicitly alone. The best way to teach skill would obviously be by bottom-up learning in which implicit learning would be stressed first and explicit would naturally follow. With this information, the next question you would want answered would be, what is the best/quickest way to come about implicit knowledge? Obviously the quicker one can come about implicit knowledge the quicker that same person can gain explicit knowledge that can be articulated. There were numerous attempts to teach skills by using implicit knowledge alone, and as expected they all failed. After a while there was an idea to teach implicit skills by using analogies. The study was not applying that analogy learning was a type of implicit learning, but it could merely exemplify the process of implicit learning, and possibly explicit learning.

Scarlet Letter!!

I can't lie, I really don't enjoy school right now. I have been so swamped with tests, and other various assignments that have caused me to be extremely busy. I am a person, who gets extremely stressed out about stuff like school. I like to have every thing under control, but lately I have had nothing under control. I felt like I was in a bottomless pit of tests, school, work, and rehab. I thought I would never be able to overcome my stress and be able to crawl out of the hole.

There are so many people who feal this same pain and stress in their walk with Christ. We do something small and displeasing to God, that over time turns into something much bigger. You know exactly what I'm talking about! There is someone reading this blog right now who has over time, fallen deeper and deeper into a hole. A hole that ultimately causes you to fall further and further from God until you finally reach rock bottom. This is the point where we seem to get the idea, that we are useless to God. We begin to carry around our sin as though we don't deserve any better.

"The Scarlet Letter", A Romance Novel by author Nathaniel Hawthorne, is about a woman who is forced to literally carry around her sin. The story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. Hester’s husband, a scholar much older than she is, sent her ahead to America, but he never arrived in Boston. The consensus is that he has been lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester has apparently had an affair, as she has given birth to a child. She will not reveal her lover’s identity, however, and the scarlet letter "A", along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.

There are so many people, who can relate so well with this story. We get into a hole and feel as though there is no way out. We wear our letter on our chest daily, whatever it is. Could be and "A" for alcohol addiction/ adultery, a "S" for sexual immorality, "D" for drugs, "L" for lust/language. We feel as though we don't deserve any better, that we are no better than the life we live. Take a look at the passage in Luke 22 starting from v. 48 and going to 51. We see a perfect situation, of how to get into a Jam and how to get out. Judas had just betrayed Jesus, and the roman soldiers are about to take him in. Peter a disciple of Jesus, saw what was about to go down,got the bright idea that he would draw his sword. Peter asked in v. 49, Should we strike with our swords? But before an answer was given, Peter drew his sword and quickly cut off Malchus (Servant of high priest) ear. This is our first mistake when getting into a bad situation. We ask God what we should do, but before we get an answer we jump in and do it anyway. We disregard what he has to say, and do what we feel like. Now, what we have to know is that what happened next was not supposed to happen. Peter as well as all the people of that day were highly trained with there swords.

Peter did not intend to cut off Malchus ear, he was trying to cut his head in half. They were trained to strike the top of the head and cut it off. Put yourself in Peter's shoes for a second, he was in a pretty deep hole. He just cut off the servant of the high Priest's ear. Today, that would be like cutting off a secret service agents ear. If you can imagine, I'm sure all the people standing around started to point fingers at Peter. Then Jesus stepped in and settled it right there. What happened in verse 51 never seizes to amaze me, Jesus says "No More of this." In other words, stop pointing fingers, stop blaming everyone else. No longer should people be judged for their sin, no longer do they have to carry it around, Because I (Jesus) am about to put them on my back and carry them to the cross. See once Jesus said "No More of this" he then picked up Malchus ear and fixed. There was no longer any evidence that a crime had been committed, because Jesus had fixed it and said "NO MORE." As a christian when I commit sin, I ask forgiveness and no longer can anyone hold that against me. NO ONE, because if the Son of Man (Jesus) forgives me. Who has the right to hold it against me? If you are a Christian and you are holding a Grudge against some one, STOP IT. Because all you are doing is saying, "Jesus sacrifice was good enough for me, but not you!" If you are a Christian and you think you are worthless because of your past, STOP IT! Stop wearing your SIN, we don't have to wear our sins any more because Jesus wore them to the cross. This is Satan's way of keeping us from doing awesome stuff for GOD. Every time we begin to get closer to God, Satan will whisper in you eat. "You can't do anything for God, you are worthless. Look at what you have done in your past, no one with that reputation can bring any honour to GOD." Jesus says, "No More of This" stop wearing around that sin, forget about it. Live a Life that would be pleasing and honorable to God.

Why are we so Stupid!!

Today I read this post dealing with Alcohol and the church. The whole thing started when Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said this "I can assure you of this: if you are associated with the use of beverage alcohol, I think I dare exaggerate not to say that 99% of all doors of ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention will be closed to you." (Basically saying if you drank, the southern baptist convention would not allow you to preach for them) The title of the post was, "Would Jesus be allowed to be a Southern Baptist Pastor?" Obviously you can see where this is headed!
The Author of this blog Dan Kimball, Pastor of Vintage Faith Church Ca., wrote the whole post revolved around the question.....Since Jesus drank wine and even made wine, would he be allowed to preach in the Southern Baptist Denomination? The post actually was a pretty good one, but the comments that followed is what really fired me up. People/Pastors began writing in, explaining how there were different meanings of wine. One commentor said, "There were various types of wine, when you look at the original Greek and Hebrew words used. You had the Hebrew word "tirosh" which was wine that had not been fermented. In fact, when you look at what was used in the last supper, it was kin to "tirosh." The Bible never speaks negatively of "tirosh." On the other hand "yayin," fermented wine, was spoken negatively against regularly."

Then there were people saying that there was only one type of wine. "In response to the second statement referring to the different meanings of the same word we all know God by His nature is not the author of confusion, so in saying this why would he use the word "wine" to mean two different things? If He did such a thing it would be in contradiction to His very nature."
Then there was one, that said "I get the feeling Mr. Mohler and his Southern Baptists counterparts might have a hard time with my being a worship pastor by day and bartender by night!" another who was in youth ministry said, "I love getting together with friends over a nice brew every now and then." It's pretty easy to tell, that the topic of alcohol in the Church is very unclear (to some).
By this point I was pretty ticked, but I have to admit that it wasn't until after these next two replies that I became steamed. One guy (and he wasn't the only one to say this) said, "When I'm sitting in my neighbor's driveway, around the grill, refusing a beer that he offers to me is a bit of a social slap in the face. I have one with him, I don't with my believer friends that might be offended." First of all let me just say that if this is you, then you are nothing more than a spineless coward! I mean, how much more of a coward can you be. The man says it's a "SOCIAL SLAP" in the face. Keep in mind, that these people are not just regular Joe's. These are leaders in the church saying this, the people who stand up in the pulpit every Sunday and preach to you about temptation, and the man basically says he drank a beer because he didn't want to offend someone. It truly is amazing to me, that we look past the church for the problems of this world. I mean goodnight, If the man offers you his urine are you going to drink that too? They both taste the same! (GAAAAHHHHH People are so spineless these days!!) I mean never mind what 1Timothy 3 says about leaders of the church.
Believe it or not, this really isn't what fired me up the most!! Again, there was more than one who said this, "It makes me wonder if people are so unsettled on "easy" issues (drinking) where do they really stand on more serious issues." I really can't believe he said this, and it's sad because there are soooo many more church leaders who think the same way. Most the time when people say something like this, is because they are jumping of the bandwagon of people who struggle with the "easy" issue. For those of you who agree with the drinking topic being an "easy" and irrelevant issue, here are some stats:
-More than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year. Direct and indirect causes of death include drunk driving, cirrhosis of the liver, falls, cancer, and stroke.1
-At least once a year, the guidelines for low risk drinking are exceeded by an estimated 74% of male drinkers and 72% of female drinkers aged 21 and older.2
-65% of youth surveyed said that they got the alcohol they drink from family and friends.7 (way to be a good example parents/PASTORS)
-Traffic crashes are the greatest single cause of death for persons aged 6–33. About 45% of these fatalities are in alcohol-related crashes.4
-Underage drinking costs the United States more than $58 billion every year — enough to buy every public school student a state-of-the-art computer.2 (yeh, that's pretty irrelevant)
-Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among young people.1 (The young people who seek there pastors for help)
-Alcohol kills 6½ times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined.2 (Who cares about young people, I KNOW. Not the pastors , because it's an easy and irrelevant issue)
WHY ARE WE SO STUPID? Instead, we talk about sexual immorality, a relevant and "hard" issue! Which don't get me wrong, should definitely be addressed in all churches across the world. But let me throw one more statistic out there. Since 1981, the most who have ever died in a single year from AIDS (the leading cause of any sex related death) was 51,414 which doesn't come close to the "MORE THAN 100,OOO" who are killed every year by something in relation to alcohol. You might say, well what does that have to do with the church? It has everything to do with the church. The sole purpose of the church, is to reach the lost and better ground the saved. How many of those "MORE THAN 100,000" people stepped into HELL because of Alcohol!
Maybe Jesus did drink fermented wine, maybe he didn't. What we have to understand, is that he WAS/IS PERFECT! Jesus laughed in the face of temptation, WE FALL. GOD gives every pastor a specific calling, and it is the highest calling in all of the world! It is to be his ambassador(2Cor. 5:20), his messenger, his representative! Each Pastor is the leader of a Church God has blesses him with. Inside of that church is the representation of God, and the way those who follow him should live. The fall of the Church comes after the fall of the leader. It's not like you don't go through enough temptation as it is, why put yourselves in a situation that could possibly result in your ultimate downfall and most importantly the downfall of the Church!
All through scripture God says the Love a man has for his wife, should be as the love God has for the Church(Eph. 5:25)! Men, you all know that you are very protective of your spouse.....So is God. You don't want someone messing around with your bride, so don't mess with His!! All those statistics that you read earlier, all started with "Just ONE." My best advice, is something my Mom always told me. "If you play with FIRE, you're gonna get BURNED! The only difference, is the fire that so many of you are PLAYING(key word) with, is the GOD'S BRIDE!!!

Get a Life, It's to Die for!!

I was asked by a friend today what I thought it meant to be a Christian and what it took to be one. I was sitting in the offices at NewSpring when I received the text, and the first thing that came to mind was dieing and 1Cor 15:31. This verse amazes me every time I read it, which is quite often. This verse should be memorized by all who profess the name of Jesus Christ. I am one who struggles with Temptation a great deal and often find comfort in this verse. I’m not sure, but I think that would be considered an oxy-moron (finding comfort in death).
What does “dieing daily” mean to you? To me dieing daily is a very specific command. To die daily is to die to this world. Be immune of the worldly and sinful human nature that we so often struggle with. God is our rock and strong tower, we are to stand for HIM and only HIM!! I wake every morning awaiting satan to tempt me in almost any and every way, because with the help of God I will DIE to it. Phil. 1:21 says, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Our one and only purpose is to glorify God, no matter what we do. Whether it is by living or dieing! (Phili. 1:20)
“But why would you want to die, that’s dumb!” I totally agree, IF THERES STILL A BODY LEFT IN THE TOMB, but guess what, THERE ISN’T!! (1Cor. 15:20) We have a completely worthless faith and life if Jesus was not raised from the dead. It is insane for us (Christians) to put ourselves in danger every day for someone who is no better than us!(A Sinful GOD)
If Jesus had not raised from the dead, that would have made him and God a sinful liar and no better than us! The great thing, is that Jesus has already died our death raised our souls and set us free, all we have to do is believe. The only way is to receive your reward for having faith in God is to die. (1Cor. 15:36)
Every time we die to temptation, we uplift the name of Jesus. If we are not willing to die spiritually and physically, we are in the wrong profession. Everyday, I am reminded that nothing is mine. It all belongs to God, and to be a sucessful Christ follower I have to be willing to give it all back including my Life and worldly desires. As Christians we should quit focusing on how to live right, and start focusing on how to die right!!

THR3E!!

What a movie! This past Friday night at our bible study we watched this Ted Dekker best seller. THR3E, is an action-packed movie that has mind boggling twist to go along.
"Passion of The Christ" a Mel Gibson movie, has sparked a revolution in the christian movie industry. THR3E is a faith based movie, appealing to all people. Believe It or not, this is what the world needs. There are too many people that think the word of God has limitations, and that technology can only be used in worldly ways. If people want come to church, we'll take the Church to the people. About.com said, "As a Christian movie enthusiast, there's no doubt the options in Christian entertainment are getting better in quality, quantity and diversity. Yes, all thr3e."
I have said it before and I'll will say it again. If there is something out there that can be used in a way to bring God glory and praise (music, movies, games, etc...) it's no longer a worldly thing but a God thing. I think it's a shame, that we as Christians think it's ok for Satan to use technology for his gain but NOT GOD!!
If Christians as a whole ever begin to accept churches on fire for Christ like NewSpring, Willow Creek, Seacoast Church, Mars Hill Church, the whole world could be turned upside down. We need to learn to accept the truth and orders of God. The truth = GOD(John 14:6) The order = GO(Acts 1:8). As a follower of Christ, we are to know God is King and the only way to eternal life, we are then to take that truth into all the WORLD!! (Not just the Five pews in our church) God puts it in bold letters, he is the TRUTH.
I think we should all watch the movie THR3E and see how being deprived from the TRUTH and isolated in a tiny world can cause much pain and agony! But remember when watching this movie, it was made to do what God called it to do. WITNESS TO ALL!!

PORN!!!

Check out this other blog about the addiction of porn!! Please read this, if you have this problem. Porn addiction can lead you down a quick path of destruction.

CHECK THIS OUT!!!

WOW!!! check out this blog. Perry talks on a topic that definitely needs to be addressed to the public population. The sad part about this blog, is that the only people who criticize this post will all be "Religious" people. Let me just add one thing. If you are one that takes offense to this post, it's probably because it referred to you.

FAT Christian!!

I don't think that I have ever been more excited to work than I was today. It was my first day on the job at Newspring as an intern. I have been thinking of planting a Church for some time and working at Newspring gives me the opportunity to see the effort that goes on behind the scenes. I have seen what goes on Sunday during the service, but I have never seen the numerous hours that it takes throughout the week to make it work. I think we should all keep the Newspring staff in our prayers, as well as the other church staffs around the world that sell out for the glory of God.
I believe Newsring church has around 80 staff members that work full time. We look at the success of Newspring and wander how? The number one reason, is simply God. The second reason is the staff and countless number of people who pitch in to make it nothing less of amazing. I think it's a shame when people put the church second, and complain about the lack of success it has. If we began to focus on the church as much as we focused on our overtime hours and retirement plan things might change. I am a kineseology(sports medicine) major at Anderson University so I am really big on fitness and proper diet. Saturday I was sitting at Walmart when I saw a huge woman probably in her mid to upper 20s riding one of those motorized buggy's. Now before you call me mean and inconsiderate, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and figured she may have some injury. Then I saw her drive to the door of walmart, and she got up and walked out. NOW!!! If I am an actual handicap person, I might track her down and slap her in the back of the neck. For those of you out there who are saying fat is a handicap, I'm here to tell you that NO it's NOT! I can't even begin to describe how disgusted I was when I saw that. She wasn't fat, she was HUGE! I mean, there really is no since in that. She's going to get home and wander why she is the way she is. Well maybe it's because she doesn't do anything to improve her condition. She could have got some exercise while she was walking around wal-mart, but she didn't she got a buggy.
This is the same problem with the church, and the christian of today. The church is going down hill and we know it, but we're too lazy to fix it. For all of you people out there who are saying "God will bless us on his own time." Memorize this quote. "Without God, I can not, but without me God will not." God has a plan for each individual person and will reveal it on his own time, IF we do our part to serve him and give him our life to make and mold. I thinks it's so stupid when a church is going down hill, and are content. What the church needs is for someone to show them how to get off the motorized buggy. We look around and ask what we need to do, to get the church headed back in the right direction. The answer is really quite simple, get out of your pue and head out into all the world and spread the word of God. It's time the church stops being lazy and instead of doing things half-way, sell out for God!

Temptation Part: 2!!

First of all let me go ahead and say that the reason I am talking so much on this is, because I struggle with it hourly. Every time before I write a post, I pray that Gods words will overshadow mine and this his name would be uplifted like no other! Normally when I start to write a blog, it starts out in one direction but through the process, God leads it down a completely different route. Yesterday I said, I believed that there were two false teachings about Temptation. I talked on the first one yesterday, and today I will hit on the second.

I believe the second biggest false teaching about temptation, is that you should try to stay away from it. My next comment, will sum up my entire view about this teaching. If you are a person who has found some way to stay completely away from temptation, then you need to do two things. 1) Repent 2)Get off your butt and do something for God. Now, I am not saying you should go out and look for temptation because we are faced with enough of it as it is. If/Though we are faced with it, that doesn't mean we have done wrong or have dishonored God. Temptation is designed for those who are doing great works for Christ. We have to understand, that Sat ans main goal is to keep as many people out of Heaven as possible. So does this mean he's after the drunk or the murderer, NO! he's going after the preachers and the teachers, the ones who people look up to as a good example. If Satan can mess up the lives and christian walk of those who play big roles in the ministry of God, it's going to have a domino effect on those that follow him, possibly turning them away from God!!
I say it all the time, the biggest problem with the world today is not the unchurched or unsaved, but rather the ones who are churched and saved but live as though they're not. As I said yesterday, Satan tempted Jesus numerously as he was on earth. He wasn't worried about Billy who was smoking crack on the side of the road and selling it to little kids. He was worried about the perfect one, Jesus, the one whose shoulders the whole christian movement sat on. Satan is not as dumb as you think, he knew that if he could get Jesus to fall under temptation, the whole movement of Christianity would be lost forever. We shouldn't get discouraged when things aren't going our way or we feel as though the temptation is getting too hard to overcome.
We know, that we are attracted to it, and we can't escape it if we Serve God. Temptation will always stare us in the face and try to side track us from our calling. We should anticipate falling into temptation, and know the ways I could respond that give Glory to God. Again, if you have no temptation you really should repent and live life for God.

Temptation!!

There are many things about biology tests that I don't like. There is however one thing that is good about them, THEY DON'T LAST FOREVER. I was up almost all last night absolutely dreading a test I had to take today. I must have studied five hours for just that one test, but it's over now and I no longer have to worry about studying for it.

This is a great reality, that I wish held true to temptation. Temptation is a test of much greater stress and intensity. There are two false teachings about temptation, that are taught so well by the christian population. The first, is that it's so bad. I guess the question I have is that if it's really that bad, "why do we always fall into it?" (Just a thought) The only times we say Temptation is bad, are the times right after we have fallen for it! I don't care who you are, you cant say Temptation is bad. I mean think about the meaning of the word TEMPTATION, "n. The act of tempting; enticement to evil by arguments, by flattery, or by the offer of some real or apparent good." It's pretty simple, if you aren't enticed by a sin, or don't see it as good, you aren't in temptation. On the other hand if you do see it as good, you are in temptation. (Easy Right?)

Before I go any further, I know there are those of you out there who are asking......So let me go ahead and spare you the breath and say "No!! I'm not saying we should be excited about temptation." Temptation is a clever scheme put on by Satan. He takes something that would seem horrible and put just the slightest twist to it, so it no longer seems horrible but enjoyable. Gen 2:17, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." This is what God says about the tree in the garden which he told Adam and Eve not to eat of. Gen 3:4-5 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil." As we see, Satan takes what God says about the tree of knowledge of good and evil and twists just a little bit. Now pay close attention to what Eve has to say next! Gen 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was GOOD for food, and that it was a DELIGHT TO THE EYES, and that the tree was to be DESIRED TO MAKE ONE WISE, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat." In my opinion, I really don't think Eve thought temptation was a bad thing.

The first step to take in defeating Temptation is admitting that you alone can't beat it, and that it is appealing to the flesh. The second step is understanding what it really is. Temptation is designed as a test that intrigues us to do wrong. The only way to pass this test, is to study long and hard out of the textbook (Bible). Three times Satan tempted Jesus, and three time Jesus quoted scripture that brought him out on top. Jesus has a very extensive knowledge of the word of God, and was able to use it as the ultimate truth when Satan was twisting it. The third step in defeating temptation, is understanding that there is never a temptation too great to overcome.
1Co 10:13
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it." If we take the proper steps in defeating temptation, we will overcome it and enjoy the riches God has in store for us!!! James 1:12 "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him."

Sell Out!!

Wow!! It's been a while since my last post, and I have hated not being able to write it. I was in Alabama as most of you know over Memorial Day weekend and was unable to write posts. I then left straight from there and went to the Clemson game against Florida St. (GO TIGERS!!) So I didn't get back to the apartment until 2 Tuesday morning. That pretty much explains the lack of Posts, but now I'm back and refreshed and God as showed me a lot in the past week. All of which I will be sharing within the next few posts.

First of all I want to say thanks to God, for giving me a wonderful opportunity to work at Newspring where I will get to see what goes on behind the scenes of a place that is on Fire for God. I am also excited about doing something that a good friend of mine, Chris Pitts, and I have talked about doing for a while. Tonight was the first meeting of a bible study we started, that we hope will do great things for God. It's going to be an awesome time. It isn't set in stone yet, but as of now we will meet every Wednesday at 10PM in the Ashton Park Theatre. This will be a time that us set in the middle of the week for a reason. It gives students a chance to get away from the campus and the stress of school work and go to a place where we can reflect on the greatness of God. There will also be a movie night, that as of now will be set for Fridays at 9. This will provide a time that gives students a place fellowship with friends outside of party's and unnecessary activities. I ask that everyone prays that this will be a success for God and God alone!!

The times are always ahead of us, it's up to us to make them the best of times. A biblical story that pops into mind is that of the promised land. God offered a Land that was flowing with milk and honey as well as fruit like no other. Why wouldn't someone jump at the opportunity at living in a place like that? Probably because they were scared, Numbers 13:31 says "But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." See God was offering the Israelites THE PROMISED LAND, but he put an obstacle in front of them (warriors). All God wanted them to do is put their faith in him and he would provide the victory, and the land would be theirs. An abundant and joyful Life is offered to everyone (John 10:10) all we have to do is put our faith in God and the victory will be ours. If you want something, put your trust in God and go after it! Romans 8:31-32 says, " What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?" These are verses we should live by when trying to live a life for God. There are no limitations to what God can do, he has never done enough through you and is never looking to reach a point of satisfaction, NEVER!!! God wants to reach the ends of the Earth with his Love, the best part is that he wants to do it through us. Who is willing to FIGHT, who is willing to LIVE, and who is willing to DIE? These are all questions we must ask ourselves before selling out for God. If you aren't willing to do ALL THREE, you might as well just stay in your box so you don't get hurt. Just keep in mind, God isn't a God that likes to play things safe, or even consider doing so. At least that's not the impression I get when reading these verses, "And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteous he doth judge and make war. And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself. And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God." Rev. 19:11-13

Alabama!!

I am currently in Alabama for the weekend which explains the reason for not posting. My Girlfriend is now an Aunt and we drove up here to see her brothers new born baby boy. (Nathaniel Owen Rusnak) We will be driving back early Monday morning, in hopes to get back in time to go to the Clemson, Florida St. game. We ask that you pray for us as we travel, as we expect the traffic to be bad. It took us three hours to Atlanta from Anderson on Friday. Actually it only took us 1 1/2 hours to get to Atlanta and another 2 to get through it. IT WAS LOTS OF FUN!!!! I will begin posting on the blog again Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading the blog and pray that God will keep us safe on our way back home on Monday!!

Pick Six!!

Man I am So Excited!! Why? Because college football season is officially underway. The 2007 college football season kicked off tonight with it's first big game matching Mississippi St. VS. LSU. What started off being such a close game, actually wound up being a blow out in favor of LSU. (which was expected) It was a long night for the bulldogs of Miss. St, but I can promise you there was none lower than State QB Michael Henig. Henig the starting QB, threw 6 interceptions in tonight's contest. I played QB when I was in High school and once threw 4 interceptions in a game and I felt like the loneliest guy on the planet. Not only did we lose the game, but I felt as though it was all on my shoulders.

Yesterday, I wrote on giving your faith to God and allowing him to fix us. Tonight's post is one that is quite similar, but focuses more on us giving all of our problems to him. I know that throwing 6 ints. is nothing compared to what some of you go through, but as a QB your worst night mare is throwing an Interception that costs your team the game. Not saying it was Henigs fault, but I can promise you sitting in his bed tonight everyone of those passes will play over and over again in his head and he'll think of a million things he could have done different. The problem with messing up, is that we never really get over it. Tonight sitting alone I bet Henig will look back and say, "Man I would love to have thrown 2ints instead of 6." The problem with that, is when you have thrown that second interception all you can think about is how bad you messed up and how hard it's going to be to redeem yourself. Instead of settling down, and forgetting the other interceptions, he pressed and tried to redeem himself for both picks in one play and it cost him another interception. As sinners, we get to a point where we mess up so bad, that we look back and say I wish I would have just stopped there. We feel bad about it and ask forgiveness and of course God gives it, but we don't. We are the ones that condemn ourselves. God has forgiven us, but we still carry it around and try to redeem ourselves all at once and we wind up falling even deeper. This happens because we can never repay God for what he has done for us. There is nothing we can do that redeems us from our sins. God has already done the work, we just have to accept that he did. The bar is set pretty high for those who want to redeem themselves, the bar was set by Jesus when he lived a fully human perfect life. The person who wants to redeem himself has to be Perfect, but Rom. 3:23 says, " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Meaning you can never redeem yourself on your own, if you don't give your problems to God and I mean completely give them to him the only thing you will do on your own is fall further and further away.

House. (Continued)

In my previous post, I told that there were two things that stuck out to me about this weeks episode of House. Both things that stuck out to me were lines that one of the characters said. The first was, "You are about to tell someone they're gonna die and you think that it's all about you." MAN!!! How I am glad God thought of us instead of himself, we should all try to be as humble as God.

The Second line that really stuck out to me, came when Dr. House went in to speak with the patient, and she sincerely asked "Can You Fix Me?" WHAT A QUESTION!! The question alone, tells a lot about a persons life. If you are one that is asking "Can You Fix Me?" you have come to the realization, that you are not complete as you are. You are acknowledging that there is something missing in your life, and that you are in desperate need of help. We have all been there, I know I have anyway. We mess up so bad, and we just dig this hole that seems to get deeper and deeper. Then one day we get so deep, that we feel like we have hit a rock and we can't possibly go any further. This is when we cry out in hopes that someone can indeed fix us. The only down side to this, is that so many times we settle for something that we think can fix us. Something temporary or worldly such as girls, popularity, alcohol, drugs and so on. This is when we find out that the hole we thought we hit the bottom of gets even deeper.

Folks I have been in holes and I've settled for worldly and temporary, and the pain you get in the long run for these things are almost unbearable. We become so broken inside, that we think there is nothing left of our heart for God to use. I am here however to tell you otherwise, God wants so terribly bad for you to ask him this question. Say for example you are a student of some sort and you just made a 100 on a test that the next highest grade was a 80. Everyone is looking around, each person taking their guess at who they think it is but you don't want to say anything because you might sound conceited. You know you want you're neighbor to ask you so bad what you made, so you can tell them I MADE A 100!! See God knows he can fix you, but he isn't going to just come out and do it. He gives us FREE WILL so we can choose to come to him, he is dieing to fix us and turn nothing into something!! Rev 3:20 says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." God says, I'm calling for you, all you have to do is open the door and I will come. Once we open the door, and give our lives to him for his honor and glory, he will: Wash our sins white as snow, destroy our past, and make us NEW again!! People that is a Repair Job like no other. I dare you, Ask God if he can FIX YOU!!

2Co 5:17
Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.

Isa 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

HOUSE!!

As most of you already know, I love the show House. (Every Tuesday night at 9 on FOX) If it were up to me, I would declare Tuesday as HOUSE day. No one would work, there would be nothing else on TV except HOUSE. It will tell you that most Tuesday blogs will be centered around something that happens in the show. I say that, but next week God will probably lay something else on my heart. However the Lord has again used this show to share something with me, to share with you.

I will have to say though before I begin, I didn't really pay as close a attention to the show as I normally do mostly because of homework. I did see most of it, but there were two line that really stuck out to me. The first was "You are about to tell someone they're gonna die and you think it's all about you." As soon as I heard this I was like WOW!! that's awesome. Not because Dr. House was about to tell someone they're gonna die, or because he couldn't look past his pride for a minute and see that it wasn't all about him but because I am so thankful that God didn't do that. I'm extremely grateful that God had MY NAME in mind when he told his only son he had to die. It was all about God, and him making a sacrifice beyond understanding for our sins but our God is full of humility, something we need to practice more often. John 3:16 says, "For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Notice that God says SO LOVED THE WORLD (you and me), he didn't say for God SO LOVED HIMSELF, but the world. God willingly sacrificed his OWN SON to die a death that we would deserved. Ro. 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." In this verse we see that the penalty for the sin WE commit is death. Not only physical death, but a spiritual death as well that would separate us from God eternally. The good thing is that it doesn't stop there, because God so Loved the WORLD, he came to earth to live a full perfect life, to take the sins we committed put them on his back and carried them to the cross. God took a beating beyond anything we could imagine. He took nails through the hands that never seize to serve us, and thorns in the head that thought up our existence. I just can't begin to imagine what it would be like on the day where every knee bows and every tongue confesses that he is God (Ro.14:11), and then to hear him say my name followed by these three words, DEPART FROM ME I NEVER KNEW YOU!!!! (Mt. 7:23)

Blogging Updates

I'm pretty new at this blogging thing, so I a just figuring out all the tricks. I do have some new Updates for the page though. You can now subscribe to the blog via e-mail. There is link here on the page that will allow you to put in your email address and every time the blog is updated you will be sent the blog and want have to come to the site. Also If you a have a blogging account on Google or yahoo, you can subscribe to that and my blog will be sent with all the others you receive. I also have uploaded this new thing known as feedburner, which allows me to do all the stuff I am telling you about plus keeps up with the people who read my blog as well as subscribe to it. It also enables me to send my blog out over several search engines so more people will hear about it and have easier access. The feedburner address is:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheWanderingMind
so check that out please. You ask what's the difference, the only real difference is that at the bottom of each blog there are several links that allow you to send the entry to someone else via email, it allows you to email me, and allows you to share the blog on facebook. Also if you will notice at the bottom the page there is banner for the Blog that has the title: The Wandering Mind, the current date, and a list of all the entry on the blog. I have one here and on Myspace.Under the banner it will say "Grab this Headline Banner" I ask that you all if you have a myspace or blog click on that. It will then take you to another screen where there will be a drop down menu and you can click add to: Myspace, or Blog. choose one or the other and then click next. This will help the site get out, and the spread the word of God to more people. If you have any questions or problems just let me know. Thanks

NOOMA!!

The name NOOMA is an English phonetic spelling of the Greek word pneuma, which is commonly translated to “spirit” or “breath”. Pneumatology refers to the study of spiritual beings, particularly the interactions between humans and God. Many of you are familiar with the Nooma videos. They are basically short videos, that have great illustrations using every day activities or stories that have a christian meaning which is revealed throughout the video.

Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." This verse teaches us that God is always with us and will never leave us through any times of struggle. Joh 10:28-29; 13:1; Ro 8:35-39) are just some more verses where God ensures us of his love, and tells us that there is no power under the sun that can take that love away. Sometimes we often wander why God allows things to happen to us. We call these times in our life, storms. We have no idea why these storms occur or even where they come from, It is then that we begin to question whether or not God really loves us like he says he does. We hear people say all the time, "If God was such a loving God, he wouldn't allow this type of thing to happen." Look at the whole story of Job, he had everything taken from him. Everyone told him to blame God, even his wife, but he stayed strong in his faith. Have we ever stopped to think, that God allows stuff to happen to us in which we have no control over, so that he can just wrap his arms around us and say I LOVE YOU SON/DAUGHTER!!! It happens all the time. Something bad happens, and the first thing we do is jump Gods case about it, when all he may want to do is use to let us know that he is here for us. I want you to keep that in mind as you watch this NOOMA video entitled Rain. ( To watch the video, just scroll to the bottom of the page and click the nooma link, the one second from the left, it has a little green bar across the bottom and it will play the video at the top of the page)

Sunday Reflections!!!

Man!!! NewSpring was rockin today. It was another successful day for God at NewSpring! 106 people came to Christ today and the count to 1000 rises. Yesterday NewSpring held an event at the church for the teens called PULSE!! 1300 teens made an appearance and 270 of those received Christ. This is a definite GOD THING, theres really no other way to say it. Today God spoke on Rev. 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." No matter what we have done in our lives, God always longs to have a personal relationship with us. In this verse, you see that there is no work required on the part of man. God does it all for us!! He knocks at our door, and all he asks us to do is open it, Yes it really is that simple!! Covenant is a word that you heat a lot of times in the Bible, 290 times to be in fact. Covenant was a promise made by two people. To symbolize sealing the deal so to speak, they would build a sacrifice and one person would walk one direction and the other would walk in the opposite direction. Once they met at the middle that was it, the deal was sealed, but when God made a covenant he would walk both directions symbolizing it was all on him. Salvation is a covenant made by in which requires nothing of us. All we have to do is simply open the door.

I am a professed Christian, but that doesn't mean that God never knocks at the door of my heart. In fact he was and has been doing so for along time now. He knocks at my door and says, "Kaleb, you should really give that up"or "You know what my calling for you is, so why don't you do it." God initially knocks at the door of our heart so that we will let him in. Once he is in, he then knocks on the door of our heart for us to let him out. What I mean by that, is once God is in our heart he doesn't intend for us to keep him there. He wants us to share him, his word, love, and mercy with others all over the world. There is only two things that matter in life, 1) accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. and 2) Tell others about him, so that they will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Basically, the only thing that matters in life is people having a relationship with Christ. It doesn't matter what you do, if you aren't using your gift to spread the word of God and make his name more famous, you are wasting your time (1Cor. 3:12-15). If we have accepted the King of Kings into our heart, we get we should be letting him out every chance we get!!

SBARRO

- A couple of thoughts before I get started tonight. First off, I want to say Congratulations to one of my true friends and teammate Chris Pitts and his Girlfriend A Ray on there 1 year!! It's good to have a couple that lives for Christ and loves each other because of who they are, or better yet who they serve. Second, is that I am absolutely Jacked up about to tomorrow. God is going to be speaking at NewSpring tomorrow and a ton of people are going to meet Him for the first time. Thirdly I watched Rush Hour 3 tonight, and It was great!! Lastly I want to share with you something that has bothered me since yesterday. SBARRO, for those of you who don't know what it is, is a Pizza place (Italian, whatever) that doesn't serve whats on there menu!! No Lie, I was in the mall Friday and want there to eat in the food court. I ordered a Calzone at first, when the lady told me that they didn't have any. I then ordered the Stuffed Pizza, and again she said we don't have that. So, in the slightest bit of frustration I asked, "Well what do you Have?" I finally settled down and began to laugh about it, but had to throw in one more punch right before I payed with me Credit Card. I said laughingly " Do you accept Visa, since your sign says that you Do?" HAHA Man that was a great, I thought "I have never been to a Place where you look at the menu to see what you can't order!" If you know me, I try to take every experience and turn it into a learning one. I began to think, if that Menu tells me the things I Cant have, that sure leaves a lot of choices to choose from. I here people say all the time, the Bible is no fun. All it does, is tell us of the things we cant do, or aren't supposed to do. The way I see it, it must be easier to tell the things we cant do, rather than all the things we can. If the Bible is a Menu that tells us all the things we can't have, then that leaves us allot of choices to choose from. Like John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly." That sure leaves allot to choose from, LIFE ABUNDANTLY is a pretty broad statement. The only one who puts boundaries on the abundance of our life, are the ones who choose from the list of things you cant have. When I was ordering at SBARRO, I was choosing from the list which significantly shrank the abundance of things I had to choose from had I not used the List/Menu. Take a look at Adam and Eve, God gave them all they could ask for, except one thing. One little tree that God told them not to eat of. That's it, they had every thing vs. the one thing and they chose to pick the one, so there abundance significantly shrank in size. For some reason, we are so drawn toward the stuff that we can not have. It's not like the banned substances are better than that of what is allowed for us to have. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was no special tree. It wasn't any better than the other trees that were in the Garden. It wasn't the tree that made them have the knowledge of good and evil, but the fact that they ate of the tree gave them the knowledge. God simply picked out a tree and said don't eat it, but if you do, it will be a sin against me and you will surly die. God could have said don't walk on that patch of grass over there in the corner of the Garden. That is the grass of knowledge of good and evil. It was simply a test God had designed for Adam and Eve, nothing more. Out of all the things that are in the book of Genesis, it's a shame that THE TREE is what's most remembered. It isn't alto, just one thing on the menu in which we can not have. We should thank God for the giving us the MENU, and leaving the restrictions in which we put on our life's abundance up to us. I pray, that the next time we read the word of God, we don't read it as a strict manual of things not to do but rather a Menu that isn't big enough to show all the things which we can do.

BRING THE RAIN!!!

(You can play the song by clicking one of the links to the right)

I can count a million times

People asking me how I

Can praise You,with all that

I've gone through

The question just amazes me

Can circumstances possibly

Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed

Long before these rainy days

It's never really ever crossed my mind

To turn my back on you, oh Lord

My only shelter from the storm

but instead I draw closer through these times

(Chorus)

So I pray Bring me joy, bring me peace

bring the chance to be free

Bring me anything that brings You glory

And I know there'll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that's what it takes to praise You

Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may

loom above because you are much greater than

my pain you who made a way for me suffering

your destiny so tell me whats a little rain

[1st Chorus]

Holy, holy, holy

Holy, holy, holy

is the lord God almighty

is the lord God almighty

I'm forever singing

[2nd Chorus 2x]

everybody singing

Holy holy holy

you are holy

you are holy

- This is a new song, by Mercy Me. This song rocks my world every time I here it. I am just completely overwhelmed by the words of this song. There are many people out there who are saved, but you are missing the point of your relationship with God.

- One of the great things about having a relationship with God, is that he will never leave your side, no matter what the conditions are. The problem is that, when we are going through the hard times we tend to stray from him, rather than draw closer. Notice the lyrics that say "Maybe since my life was changed Long before these rainy days It's never really ever crossed my mind To turn my back on you, oh Lord."

-If you aren't saved, then there is something missing in your life, and you KNOW IT. You just don't know what it is. I promise you that no matter what you have done, someone who is living their life for God has gone through the same thing. They will tell you that they have never felt more alive and content than when they serve GOD!! HE changes your life forever!!! There is nothing you can go through that GOD doesn't know about and want help you through!! All you have to do is put your trust in HIM and he will lead you places you never dreamed you could go.

- People, read this song!! Study this song!! Pray this Song!! But most importantly Live this Song. Ive been to the lowest of places, Ive been without God, and Ive tried to make it without him, but I CANT!! Time and time again I would find myself in tears trying to figure out what it was that was missing. I tried to fill it with sports, popularity, and a girlfriend, but all I ever got was emptier and emptier. Until I felt Like there was nothing that Could fill the Hole that I had dug in my heart. No matter where you are at In life right now, God knows where you are and he wants so bad to ease your pain and fill the gap in your life. All you have to do is surrender everything to GOD. Admit that you are a sinner and can't have eternal life in Heaven without him. Have Faith that he lived and died for you and rose again to defeat the payment for our sins, DEATH!!

- I have never heard a better sermon than the one that this song preaches. Christians we need to take serious note of this song. Look at the lyrics of just the chorus, that needs to be our life prayer!! We are here to serve God and give him Glory, NOTHING ELSE! If that means that we have to go through storms in our life, then so be it. If it Gives God the Glory, every rain drop was worth it!!!

Just Do It!!

After the Blog I wrote yesterday I assume some of you get the same impression, that I would have got a couple years ago. That is, that we are supposed to wait until we get the Green Light. Which is correct but some interpret that as, wait until I get a Feeling from God!! I grew up into the type of relationship with God, where I felt my way along. I had the idea that I was supposed to act only when I got this certain feeling or sign from God!! I would ask someone a question about my relationship with God, or what my role is as a Child of God. I would always get the same type of answer, "Pray, and see where God leads you"..."When he's ready he'll give you a sign." It was only recently until I found out, that was completely wrong!! Yeh, you heard me(actually read me), IT'S WRONG!!! Isaiah 59:10 says, "We grope for the wall like the blind; yea, we grope as they that have no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among them that are lusty we are as dead men." I want you all to get a mental picture of a blind man walking around, groping/feeling for the wall of an unfamiliar place. Wandering aimlessly throughout, falling over his own feet only to get back up and feel again. Personally I would feel sorry for this guy, here he is with no eye sight in an unfamiliar place trying to find his way around. Now notice carefully, that the verse in bold says "we grope for the wall LIKE the blind." The word Like, inferring that WE are in fact not blind, but we act as though we are. Now get a mental picture of a man with perfect vision, who is in the same place as the blind man. Instead of opening his eyes, he shuts them and acts as though he is blind, stumbling around and falling all over the place.

Would I feel any sympathy for that guy? NO!! I would probably call him an idiot and tell him to open his EYES, like most probably everyone else would do. We call this guy and idiot, but what about the Christians who are sitting around saying this, "yeh...I'm just waiting on a sign from God, something that just gives me the feeling that I should do this." Why don't we call them idiot's, probablly because we are the people SHUTTING THEIR EYES!! The Christian gives the answer, "Just pray, and God will give you a sign." NO!!! Call them out, tell them to open their EYES (Bible) and SEE for their self!! "What should I do about my marriage?" GEN 2:24, EPH. 5:28, EPH. 5:25, MALACHI 2:15-16. "What should I be doing for Christ?" ACTS 1:8 (that pretty much sums that up) OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE!! God has given them to us already, he has given us the instruction manual, we don't have to have a feeling to read it, know it, and do it. I'm tired of people saying "I would be doing that, I just haven't got the feeling or sign that I should be yet." Well there could be several problems with this. The number one most popular problem is that you know what you are to do, but you are just to scared/uncomfortable to do it. The second most popular is that you are praying for some sign, but you haven't even searched the scriptures to SEE what God has to say about it!! And the third most popular problem would have to be, that you just haven't accepted God as your Lord and Savior. Which brings me to another point. You don't have to have any kind of special feeling to become saved. YOU DON'T!! Some people say, well when were you moved to become saved? What did you feel next? NOTHING!!! Everyone is looking for this feeling, that's why drugs are so big in the World we live in. Some that are lost say, well I know that I'm not saved, but I haven't been compelled to be saved either. They need some type of feeling to know they need to be saved. I heard a guy tell a story about him witnessing to a hall mate at College. The person came to him and said I want to be saved, I know that I'm a sinner but I want to do it at Church. NO!!! Do it now. There is no wrong place to get saved, Just do it!! If I am sitting in the waiting room, and Dr. House comes in and says,.... "Kaleb i've been looking over you family's heart history, and theres almost a 90% chance that your gonna have heart problems and you need to get it checked out as soon as possible." Once I am aware of this situation, Am I going to say.."Well, I know I need to, but I think I'll just wait until I get the special feeling." NO!!! Im gonna get my butt to a cardiologist. Christians stop feeling the wall as though you are blind, God has given us orders that are not subject to our feelings. Non-Christians, know you need Christ!! Once you do, get it done, don't wait for a special feeling that you may never live to get!! JUST DO IT!!!

MOVE, THE LIGHT IS GREEN!!!!!!

Holy Cow, that gets on my last nerve, which is why I think it happens to me so often. In case you don't know what I'm talking about I'll explain. Some of you know that this is my biggest pet peeve (however you spell it) When the light turns Green it means GO!!! Except in Anderson, it means stop and wait until the car in front of you has already gone through the light and made it five miles down the road. Once that has happened, then turn around in your seat and make sure the people behind you are blowing flames out of their mouth in anger, if this has not yet happened, stay put. I mean how hard is it? You see the light turn green, then everyone moves at once, it's soooo simple and makes perfect since. I'm not lying, my apartment is 5 miles from the school and it took me at least 20 minutes to get home today. Mostly due to me sitting at the same GREEN light 3 times before getting to go! You may think that this is a funny story, but it's true, not only on the road but in the church! First take NewSpring for example, this past Sunday before church there were three food pantries in the Anderson area that were empty. After church on Sunday these THREE food pantries were no longer empty. Now that's what I call everybody moving when the light turns green. No one stopped and waited, they just moved!! When GOD turns the light to green you don't ask questions, you just move.

Going back to the story, I was becoming totally and utterly frustrated. Not because we weren't moving, because we were. Yeh, everybody's accelerator seemed to work when the light turned RED! I mean I seriously, we wouldn't move when the light was GREEN, but the moment it turned RED, we started moving. This takes place all the time within the church and among the christian population. People receive orders from God all the time and it's like they are cemented to the ground, but the moment he says NO that's when we decide to move. Again NewSpring, God says something like "OK Perry"...."Give it to em"...."That's right give em the GREEN light." Then one Sunday Perry comes out on stage and says something totally retarded and undoable(I know that's probably not a word), like um.... I don't know, "God wants to see 1000 people come to Christ in the month of August." There's no way that can happen right? Wrong, you know why? Because when the church was given the GREEN light, nobody froze and started looking around, they just went. When the church was asked to write a name on the wall of a person they would bring to church next week. Did the congregation just sit there and wander, "Does he really want us to write on the walls?...What if it messes them up?" NO!! They didn't, they moved and thousands of names were added to the thousands that were already up there. When they received the GREEN light they moved!! That's why this Sunday is going to be one of the most amazing days for Christ in the history of the church. Besides what looks better on the walls, than the names of people who are about to meet Christ? STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, sorry our walls house the names of Christ's future children, rather than the spider whose built his web up in the corner of the Window! Trust me I know, I used to have to clean them. You would be surprised what you find! Christians it's time to MOVE, THE LIGHT IS GREEN!!!!!

HOUSE!!!

I talked yesterday, about being excited. Today I'm going to share with you something that excites me. It is none other than House, the greatest TV show ever. I get jacked up about that show, I am a kinesiology major at Anderson University so I understand some of the stuff that goes on throughout the show. I also love the show because it's never predictable, it's not one of those medical shows where the person always gets better at the end. It's like getting the behind the scenes look of the medical life, raw and unedited. All in all the main reason I watch the show is because of Dr. House, yes that's his real name. The man always takes me for a loop, he is so apathetic towards life. Which is the exact opposite attitude, you would think a Doctor would have. Not only is he a good Doctor, but probably the best in the Nation. He has saved more lives than many Doctors have ever even treated, but that still isn't what attracts me. I think it's so ironic, how one person can help give so much life back to people, but miss the whole point of why he's doing it. It's not because he's stupid and just misses the point, he doesn't even care. Time after time, there comes a point in the show where one of the Doctors has to go in and tell the patient they are dieing. I mean, can you think of anything worse? Mr./Ms. ______ I'm sorry, there's nothing else we can do, you are dieing! Well if you can't, I CAN!! I often put myself in that position, where I'm laid up in a hospital and someone comes in to deliver the news. Am I scared to death (no pun intended), NO!! The thing that would absolutely freak me out, and is my greatest fear today. Is being put in that situation and as I look back over my life, I find that I have done nothing that's going to leave an impact. 1Cor. 3:13 "each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is." The fire is the judgement of God, when all is said and done and we are all standing before Him, I want what I did to withstand the fire. The way we live a life that can withstand the fire, is to not live it at all. Give it up to God, and let him live through you. Don't live a life that is a WASTE!!

Excitement!!

What are we excited about? Is there really anything that we are just totally jacked about? Tonight was the opening night for FCA at Anderson University and it was rockin!! The topic of the night, EXCITEMENT, went well with the attitude of the crowd. There were tons of people there, jumping, singing, worshipping.......and being hypocrits. You say, well what were they doing that causes them to be a hypocrit? They were there!!! Last year as a Freahman, my roommate and I went to the first FCA of the school year. Just as tonight there was a packed crowd, but as we began to go more and more the crowd began to grow less and less. Yeh, everyone was excited tonight, why shouldn't we be? We haven't been here long enough to become swamped with tests, assignments, pressure of the college life, and don't forget enough time to have the always enjoyed roommate controversy!! So again I ask, what are we really excited about? I can say from experience that in a month, there want be half the people at FCA that were there tonight. Someone we'll be asked, "hey, you want to go to FCA tonight?" and the response will be, "Nah, im sorry I got a big anatomy test tomorrow!" Then one month later you get this from the same person who turned you down about FCA. "Hey, you want to go to the Rascal Flatts concert Thursday?" then your reply is, "I thought you had an Algebra test on Friday." ..."Yeh, I do but I've already studied!" We see this kind of stuff happen all the time. You ask, well why were they able to study ahead for the Rascal Flats concert but not FCA. It's simple, THEY ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE CONCERT!!!! Sure everyone can come and get excited when the times are perfect, but who can do it when they're swamped up to their eye balls. Who is that excited about God, that they can serve him when the time is rough? You can't be a sucessful follower of Christ, if you'r only going to be excited for him in the Good times. Re. 3:16 "So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Basically either get excited for me or get unexcited, but don't sit on the fence. I am so very thankful that God doesn't pick and choose the days in which he loves and forgives us. Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Gods purpose is for those that profess his name, be JACKED UP about him, and tell others about his greatness!! If we stay EXCITED for God, as he calls us to do, he will give us the abdundent life he promises in John 10:10, "I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly." When this is accomplished, the struggles and the trials will reduce to merely shadows!

Sunday Reflections!!

Let me just start off by saying, that I now have a new found respect for Clemson head football coach Tommy Bowden. This Sunday at Newspring Church in Anderson, S.C. coach Tommy Bowden loaded up three Clemson University buses, and brought the entire football team to the 11:15 service. I know we here a lot about how the country is headed down the wrong road, a statement I couldn't agree with more, but when you have leaders in big positions like Tommy Bowden, Tony Dungy, Mark Richt, and the list goes on I believe that before long we'll be headed in the right direction with the guidance of God. All these people that I previously named are all head football coaches at major universities or professional teams. Many times I hear people who are against the contemporary movement, I couldn't tell you why, maybe because they're reaching so many for Christ and the critics become jealous. For those of whom that is true read John 3:26, "And they came unto John, and said to him, Rabbi, he (Jesus) that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him." Followers of John begin to get angry when they see that more men are following Jesus, who is spreading the word just as John is. John is quick to tell them in following verses, that it's not about him, but all about furthering the kingdom of God. Most critics however will deny this, and go on criticising and quoting the verse "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," (2Cor. 6:17) In other words they are interpreting the verse to say, don't use the means provided to reach the lost, which of course is incorrect. The verse simply and very clearly states that as a Christian, you should not be as the world is, you should not do as they do, "come out from among them, and be ye seperate", "touch not the unclean thing" DONT DO IT!!!!!! What the critics are saying, is that contemporary music is worldly. If this is a true statement, I would certainly be forced to believe that Sports are worldly and wrong as well. Meaning that the people I mentioned earlier are having no effect for God. Going back to Sports being Worldly, what about the Super Bowl, with all the beer ads, pre and post game party's, don't forget the rock music at half time, not to mention it's on a SUNDAY!!!! That would have to be a whole lot more worldly than contemporary music wouldn't you say? So for all the critics, I want you to be aware of what is about to be made factual. God used something way more worldly than contemporary music, jeans, and theatre seats (critics view of a contemporary church) to reach the biggest audience in the HISTORY OF THE WORLD!!!!! He used TV, ROCK MUSIC, FOOTBALL, and SUNDAY NIGHT CHURCH TIME, to spread his word to an audience bigger than any preacher as ever witnessed to. An audience bigger than Paul, John the Baptist, Peter, or any other bible great has ever spoke to. On February 4, 2007 Tony Dungy gave his testimony and made his faith known to an estimated 93 million people, something that had never been done before in front of so many people. So to all the critics, I would say stop using the word of God to defend your sinful jealousy and just admit God is bigger than you give him credit for.

Comfort Zone!!

I know that in Life, people long for the life that is comfortable to them. They look for the job where they are most comfortable, search for the spouse who they can be comfortable around, live in neighborhoods where they feal comfortable and so on... Life has become a race, and the finish line is tons of comfort. This is all well and good, until you begin to talk about the church and the life of a christian. Sure you should be in the comfort of God, but you should never be in situations that allow you to be comfortable without his help. In other words, you should get out of YOUR comfort zone and rely on God to give you the comfort. I have seen many churches in my short life, both ones that are putting themselves outside of their comfort zone and ones staying within theirs. The ones who are willing to get outside of their comfort are the ones who are growing and receiving the blessings of God. Acts 1:8 says, "But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This is not a question where God asks us if we will, but an order where God says "ye shall." This is the most important order any christian will receive from God, and if you can follow and complete this order with comfort I can assure you it isn't your own, but that of the Lords. Psalm 23:4 says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." If there is anything that should be uncomfortable I would think that it's death, but notice that it says the shadow of death. The shadow of death can cause no pain unless you are without the Lord. To put it into simpler terms, the shadow of a snake can neither bite nor harm you. To have a shadow, two things must be present. First some light and second some sort of object. In this situation, death is obviously the object and you have to search no further than John 8:12 to find that Jesus is the "Light of the world." The day that Jesus (Gods sacrificed son) died on the cross and rose again on the third day to defeat death, it no longer was dark and dreadful, but became merely a shadow for those who accept God as the "Light of the World." I ask that all Christians and non ask themselves, "what comfort zones should I be breaking?" With the "Light of the World," even the worries of death itself become shadows, through the comfort of eternal life spent with God in heaven.

Tuskegee Experiment

As I have previously mentioned, I bought Tony Dungys new book. I began reading it today, and am already hooked for good. This is one of those books that is easy to read, but takes a while because you want to make notes on everything. While I was reading the book today, there was a particular story that Tony talks about, that I feel everyone can relate with. Halfway through the second chapter entitled "Growing up A Dungy," Tony begins the story. His age of when it took place is not specified, but given the details I believe he was in his teen years. It starts with Tony telling the reader that one day, "he was complaining about the unfairness of life," to his father. It was an incident that had happened to Tony, in which his father had agreed was unfair. Tony states that he cant remember the actual incident, but what his father said next, he would never forget. His father, Dr. Wilbur Dungy, the title he earned after gaining a PhD in physiology at Michigan State University said "When I was in the service, they didn't want to teach us how to fly planes, so we taught ourselves." Dr. Dungy at the time was referring to the African Americans who were enlisted in the service. At the time Tony had no idea what was meant by his fathers remarks, but the message would soon be loud and clear. In Alabama, about forty miles east of Montgomery there is a place called Tuskegee. The town, founded by General Thomas Simpson Woodward in 1833, is named after a local tribe known as the Taskigis. In 1940, Tuskegee would become the training grounds for courageous and determined black pilots, who up to that point had been kept from the freedom of the air. This was known as the Tuskegee Experiment. Tuskegee was the training grounds for nearly a thousand pilots, none of whom were shot down during the WWII bombing runs in Europe, before blacks were fully integrated into military training in 1946. Dr. Wilbur was apart of the Tuskegee Experiment, which wasn't known to Tony until his fathers funeral in 2004. You may wander why a Father would never share something so historical or important with his son, as did Tony. It didn't take him long though to look back and figure that, "maybe it's because he believed the greater point was the lesson." "Whats important is not the accolades and memories of success but the way you respond when opportunities are denied." The lesson that took so long for Tony to know the complete meaning of, was always quite simple. You cant always control circumstances or the decisions that others make or God for that reason, but what you can control is the way you respond with your attitude and approach. Dr. Wilbur could have shared a huge historic event that he took part in with his son, but instead decided to teach his son a lesson that Tony says he uses "daily-and almost minute by minute on game day."