'Pugnippets...'

"...Philippians 4:13..." [H]

"Is that 'I can do all things through him who gives me strength?'" [K]

"I love this brother..." *hugs* [H]

Those were the days? Perhaps not, when I reflect back on such days when my brother in Christ said those above words during my undergraduate studies, I ponder whether those days were any better or even easier than my life nowadays. However, I have to tell you that even as a Christian, life is and is meant to be full of it's own set of challenges. It is very necessary to interpret the bible in context, or as they call it in 'inductive' and other forms of 'aided' bible study, understanding the truth of one passage when comparing it to another. Here in Philippians, even the context of the verse itself is among the mention of the possibility and existence of 'bad' or 'tough circumstances' along with the 'better' ones (particularly in verses 12 and 14 even which are directly before and after). Sometimes people misinterpret John 10:10 to show that our lives are meant to be full of only 'better' circumstances once we accepted Jesus. However, even aside from one sermon I listened to from Joshua Harris and others' personal views, the bible itself contains much evidence to the contrary as my own Pastor recently pointed out some months ago as well. One of my personal favorite counter examples of a congruent verse comes from a research I once had to do on the book of James when I was also discussing the topic of 'suffering':

" 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. " [1 Peter 4:12-13]

I like how Bruxy puts it himself about how sometimes we are in fact called to 'suffer well' and that suffering we go through allows us to build our character which is similar to what I heard others say about other passages as well which Bruxy likewise made reference to such as:

"3 Not only so, but we[b] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. [Romans 5:3-4]

"6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our[a] behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." [2 Corinthians 1:6-11]

At first I was very much not fond of being thrown into the 'rat race' of the professional world again, but now I am still seeking God through this leg of my journey and remembering that God is 'an ever-present help in trouble' (i.e. Psalm 46:1). I trust that in his time he will bring me through this, but in the meantime as another Pastor put it about how sometimes 'time can be our greatest asset', I am trying to best make use of the 'time' God has given me also in the here and now. Continue to pray as we continue to seek God's heart in our walk in this world, whether you are currently 'enjoying' yourself or not.

" 13 Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover
anything about his future.

15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:

a righteous man perishing in his righteousness,
and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. "

[Ecclesiastes 7:13-15]

i-'Mr. C': "They stole my verse(s)..." [(8) I'll only cry those happy tears... (8)]

"It's JESUS TIME!" [Pastoral paraphrase, http://life-of-agent-k.blogspot.com/2009/05/method-to-madness.html]

God's world will never stop needing it's dark knight...

...and though I make mistakes, I'll never break God's heart...

Follow the link, 'stop doubting and believe' [John 20:26-29], got questions? Jesus has answers, feel free to talk to me or your next available local Christian =D

i-JB wants to post in MC: One day every tongue will confess you are God, one day ever knee shall bow, still the greatest treasure belongs to those...['Mmmm Matthew 6?']

Is a blog only meant for you to develop an objective facade? [(8) The better part of me... (8)]

'Then he confessed everything and it sounded horrific...' [paraphrase of TP...]

You mean like: [http://life-of-agent-k.blogspot.com/2010/12/8-another-year-overand-new-one-just.html]?

'Often we are much more able to lie to ourselves than we can lie to others and we just don't know it...' [that does seem to be the theme for this session]

'Sometimes things seem like a rejection when they really aren't...' [PP]

'People like the characters in the gospel of John sometimes go into all shorts of theological debates and miss the heart of the matter...' [CE] Or you mean: "The obvious???" [(8) It's not easy to be.....ME... (8)]

'It's all in the delivery...' [Job hunting advisers]

i-AJ ('you know...like'): 'Handle with care...' [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0762107/]

Well, all honestly in consideration; besides the embarrassment factor, there are other legitimate reasons why I cannot fully reveal all the personal details of the 'more personal application' as LB would refer to it as to why God probably lead me to watch certain movies, but what I can say is that as Christians we do need to be (Romans 12) mindful of what we are watching and doing with our available time and financial resources in terms of consistently asking ourselves what Jesus would do if he were given our opportunities to be in our 'shoes' at particular moment in times.

This is a very important genuine 'myth' as per my other entry about the original Godcast I need to dispel right now. A lot of people just take the bible at face value and see Christianity, as reflected from what they see Christians doing (whether in real life examples or through what they've read of Christians in the bible) as being 'boring'. I tell you 'straight up' nothing can be further from the truth. Like what I was told about the life of Engineers from I can't remember who, I can tell you right now, us Christians also WORK/SERVE hard, but we also PLAY hard as well. I remember what one of my co-workers in one of my earlier full-time jobs said to be long before the miscommunication/misunderstandings of my mental state of health even began to surface: "You don't need to drink to have a good time, you behave as if you are in a constant state of drunkenness..."

Let me do the "Christian Edition" of what he is really saying people, what he's truly saying is that he sees me as in a constant state of joy and I am always full of positive energy irregardless of the fact I have no consumed any alcohol. In other words, I think he's also saying I'm confident and not afraid of making a few mistakes in the midst of striving for what I want out of life, as per what I heard of some of the effects of alcohol even though personally I've only consumed it once in my life, by accident mind you... That's one page of my past I rather you not know about for other reasons that will not be mentioned here in this blog as well.

Oh yes, as promised, back to the 'heart of the matter'. I suppose maybe even though I had no outline or 'more precise' idea what the movie was about before watching it, as another friend put it, maybe sometimes it's better not to 'ruin all the surprises' that it was easier for me not to know too much this time around beforehand just like when I watched Megamind. As to how to phrase it in terms that won't get me in 'trouble' but at the same time reveal what might be on my heart during that movie? Well SIMPLY put, 'sometimes' people try to do everything they can to avoid relationships when that is the one thing God is showing them that is what they really need right now... there I've said it, so I can sleep easier at night now knowing Jesus won't have to interrupt my REM cycle so often to speak to me in dreams.

SPOILER ALERT (reflection on): No Strings Attached [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411238/]

Before you go Matthew 7-ing me on why I would watch a movie like this, let me explain it is a bit of a mystery to me too still as well as I am still trying to discern God's motives behind me watching this film. Though I would have to confess the movie did make me cry, especially at the end. But this post is not about that, like all my other posts regarding movies, it is to offer a Christian perspective and intended to guide and spark discussion should find yourself in the situation where you have also seen this movie and want to discuss it with your peer/social group regarding what you saw.

Anyhow, despite this being a non-Christian film and there being more sensuality than most Christians might be comfortable with or maybe my friend EW is just 'extra sensitive' about this issue. Nonetheless, I would say that this movie did carry the important message and aided me in my research for the book I am working on which points out that relationships/marriage are not meant to be limited solely to a physical attraction. It also delivered this message effectively in the sense that it dispelled potential cultural emphasis on casual sex with the reality that we ought to be in a committed relationship (as Christians would know this as marriage) with the people we choose to have intercourse with. Personally I believe this can be necessary for all forms of touch that invoke any passionate feelings though sadly I would say our culture has thus shaped a many a Christians to disagree with my viewpoint in one form or the other ('alas').

I honestly am at a bit of a writer's block on what else to say about this movie at this point, so maybe I will have to resort to personal opinion and state there were too many sexual references with some of the jokes and that might be why I did not laugh as much as the next person might watching the movie. Overall, I liked it better than some of the other movies I've seen lately namely due to having to take others there like my younger brother with Tron Legacy; however that might be just my own opinion and that movie had some wisdom in and of itself as well. Perhaps when I have had more time to reflect on what can be general/objective Christian viewpoints on this movie, I will revise this entry.

The original Godcast...

The gospel was passed down to us primary from the generation of the eyewitnesses to the born, life, death and most importantly resurrection of Jesus. As a random blog surfer who may not have been on my blog before, you may be wondering why I haven't tried to 'shove Jesus down your throat' as the expression may go until now. But in fact that is not the only intention of this Godcast when I initially PARTNERED with God in dedicating this website for his service.

The first question typically asked of the gospel is the same one you might be asking if you are a new reader of this blog, whether these texts are merely words on a page. Well, let's examine that question from a very basic perspective that will seek to resolve some of your questions in that area. It becomes more apparent when we are in movie theaters or watching a live stage performance that the words on the director's script are much more than just words on a page. I would argue however that the very fact you are reading my words also makes them more than just words on a page to yourself as well at this very moment.

Some of the joy of reading comes in making our own decisions on the format we will use to interpret the material presented to us. We have come into an era where we often forget the blessing of literary we actually have compared to many generations before us when much of the populous was unable to read comprehensively. Some of us think we would prefer to alive during the Jesus in the flesh era, but when you look at the situation more objectively, you might reach a different conclusion, God repeatedly comments of his direct audience:

'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.' [Isaiah 6:9, Matthew 13:14, Mark 4:12, Acts 28:26]

Even many of us modern Christians don't really know how we would react if we were able to see God face to face, but I've learned often that doesn't happen and you need to just see God around you from where you are, the next time your neighbor, even if he's a non-Christian does something nice for you, remember to meditate on that 'thank you Jesus' in your head. Hehe, now I'm starting to understand why AB had to say it out loud when he was grateful I noticed that leadership is 'hard work'. Throughout the tragic experiences I have to endure when my mom abuses Exodus 20:7 with her yelling of JESUS CHRIST, I have now decided to not let her get satisfaction by responding to her OH MY GOD with Detective Spooner's attitude in the fight scene with the robot after they trashed his car "yeah... that's right..." [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343818/]. LOL though I don't do it all the time and I often use mom instead, the other day I even called her WOMAN [John 2:4], now that's a satisfactory level of as my spiritual director would call it 'emotional dissociation' if I've ever seen it. So in the meantime, those of you who read this more regularly, please pray for me as I find another place to live in the meantime as I find that is best for both my own health and my mom's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ykm1v9xbU].