carlin

****NOTE: AFTER POSTING THIS I RECEIVED A BLOG COMMENT LETTING ME KNOW THAT THIS ESSAY WAS NOT A GEORGE CARLIN ESSAY AFTER ALL. IN FACT THE TRUE AUTHOR OF THE ESSAY IS DR. BOB MOOREHEAD, FORMER PASTOR OF SEATTLE'S OVERLAKE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. THANK YOU TO SARAH FROM SALT LAKE CITY FOR CATCHING THIS FOR ME. (YOU CAN CHECK OUT SARAH'S BLOG AT http://yesourhandsarefull.blogspot.com/ ****

I received this in an email from a friend last night:

What a difference a sad event in someone's life makes
(George Carlin's wife recently passed away)

A Message from George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships . These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
-George Carlin

.true.

I love the 21st century that we live in. This morning I woke up and the Lord spoke to me to post a blog during worship service. I thought, sure why not. So here I am during a sweet worship time with other sons and daughters of Christ typing away.

I desire Lord to be true. To be true to you. You've created me unique, you've created all of us so uniquely. Individually we all have our quirks, our likes/dislikes, our different personality traits, our oddities, but one thing is ture Lord and that is that we are this way because this is the way that you intended for us to be. Long ago I realized that I have to stop apologizing for the way that I am, for in doing so I am slapping you in the face. I leared that I must stop wishing that I looked different, that I had different abilities, or that I was like someone else. When we do this we are squashing the uniqueness of our creation. I was formed the way that I am for a purpose, His purpose.

So I must be true, I must be true to Him. In being true to Him, I am true to myself. I am who I am for a purpose. For His purpose. Father I am coming into a place in which I love who I am. I love how you have created me. In loving who I am, I am loving you. Loving you for creating me the way that I am. I refuse to try to become like someone else. I refuse to shift how I been created just because I like the way that you've created someone else. I appreciate how you've created your other sons and daughters, but Father I do not desire to be like them. I only desire to be like me. To center down and become more like myself, more like who you fashioned me to be.

Shortcoming, do we have them, of course we do. Should we work on thing in our life to become for aligned with you, sure we should. But should we change or alter who we are simply because we like the way that someone else is better. No Sir. I will not desire to be anyone other than who you have created me to be. I will be true. I will be true to you. True to your original design for me. I will not change just to satisfy someone else, I will only change to align myself more with you. Thank you for my design, thank you for the person that you have designed. I love you Lord, I will be true to myself, thus being true to you.

conviction and porn

God's been dealing with me a lot lately about owning my relationship with him. He's been dealing with me about not relying on the "local church" to organize our relationship. Far to many typical American "Christians" rely on their local churches to provide them with opportunities to minister, to be invovled in missions, to worship, to fellowship, etc. This was never Jesus' intention. His intention was and has always been for us to have an individual, real relationship with him. One in which we are ministering to others in our day to day life. One in which we are individually reaching out to the poor and marginalized that we interact with on a daily basis.

In this current season of the Father really convicting me and turning my thoughts more to my individual relationship with Him. He has also been opening up my eyes to "issues-focused" living vs. "compassion-focused" living when it comes to our interaction with others. Let me explain, I recently went to a Porn Debate on the campus of ETSU in Johnson City, TN. It was a debate between Craig Gross (pastor/founder of xxxchurch.com) and Ron Jeremy (the most recognizable male porn star in the world). It was a cool debate, they just did another one at Yale University that Nightline is covering, you can check it out at http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaceOff/.

Although it was good, when I left that debate my spirit was grieved a little bit. When Craig was speaking about pornography and the people either invovled in the industry or invovled in the consumption of the industry, it was from an "issues-focued" platform and not a "compassion-focused" platform. Is there anything wrong about talking against porn from an issues point of view, no. But I couldn't get passed the thought that this was not at all how Jesus dealt with things while he was here. Jesus was moved and compelled forward by geniune compassion for people, never by an issue. When confronted with the woman caught in adultary, he did not take that as an opportunity to speak on the issue of fornication and make a example out of her. What He did was to cover her and drive her accusers away, both things done out of compassion.

So how do we handle people and thier shortcomings. Are we movtivated by an issue (pornography, abortion, homosexuality, etc.) or are we motivated by genuine compassion for individuals who find themselves in these situations.

So I'm convicted. Why? Is it because I'm caught up in porn, no. It is because I have been and am currently guilty of being "issues-focused" and not "compassion-focused". We change the world, if we live liked Jesus lived when He was here. He was concerned about people not issues. What are we concerned about?

do it yourself

Little agitated this morning as I write. Little agitated at us, the people who call themselves Christians. At least I'm agitated at a majority of us. I have recently been preferring the term "Christ Follower" to Christian. My agitation has to do with our ridiculous desire to push off our responsibilities onto others or even off to Christ himself.

I was watching a Rob Bell nooma video last night and something he said just smacked me between the eyes. His statement that got me was "Don't ask God to feed the hungry, if you have plenty of food to feed them yourself." Let that sink in a little bit. We pray and ask God to do all this stuff or we think we are all "spiritual" if we come off our high horse and give a little money to some organization to help the "less fortunate". When in reality a simple inward glance within ourselves would reveal the true/intended instrument of change for others.

So I begin my day with a little righteous angst, a little concerned agitation. What will it take for us "Christ Followers" to open our eyes a little and see that the things we are praying for God to do and the things that we are giving money to others to do for us are the exact things that we are put here to do ourselves.

alpha

I have written in personal journals for many years. These journals have contained my ramblings, mostly directed at myself and at the Father. These rambling have called me to repentance, they have revealed the true nature of me (sometimes good and sometimes not so go0d), they have provided for me an outlet to express my feelings, and they have been an open diagloge containing my musings and bents towards a variety of topics that are important to me. I have decided to now take my personal journals and post them into this blog. A blog aptly called "spentlife". There is danager in posting a blog, danager not only because my grammar and spelling is not up to the level of some, but danager also because whenever you reveal your heart there is bound to be some who don't agree or get offended along the way. Such is this life, I guess.

I am writing this blog just for conversation sake. My strong desire is just to have a raw outlet of truth. I chose the blog title "spentlife" because of the true and simple power of the combination of those two words. If we are true to ourselves and true to our design we are called to live a life that is spent on others. It amazes me how so many of us get this wrong or for some reason never connect with this truth. This is true especially in the "Americanized" Christian church. For some reason most "Americanized" Christians have a tendency to look inward first and then possibly (on extreme and rare occasions) look outward. How this must grieve the heart of the Father.

For some reason "Americanized" Christians have this odd and dangerous inward view of their Christianity. They see things from a solely grace standpoint. They focus on passages that read "For it is by grace you have been saved,.......not by works, so that no one can boast." But for some reason they stop reading there, without looking at the verse to follow: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works." (Eph. 2:10). Can't believe I quoted scripture in my first blog, that is very odd for me. I guess I am just pissed at the inward focus of "Americanized" Christians.

There is no greater life than to live your life spent for the needs of others. Didn't make this up, it's truth. I'm sick of inward-focued "American" Christianity. We need to stop being so concerned about our bank accounts, personal problems, unanswered selfish prayers, and begin to be outward focused. We need to actively, passionately work to live a spentlife.

I guess I suceeded in posting my Alpha blog. We will see where this leads.