I was just thinking... every day one single year takes up less and less percentage of my life. This has resulted in my recognizing that when I was a kid a year was a long long long time. Now, a year is pretty long, but not unbearable at all.

It's true, isn't it, that the older a person gets the more a minute's measurement of time will resemble a second, as will the hour's measurement of time resemble a minute? Imagine the consequences!

(No wonder children are always asking "are we there yet?" It's been soooo long for them as compared to the adult driving, who doesn't understand two hours to be a long trip what-so-ever)

I wonder to what extent our perception of time shapes how we live. Are we tossing a minute here and a minute there and still fall short to spend a solid minute in prayer?

Time. Interesting.

If my body will die one day (I have a hunch that it might :O), then it's only a matter of TIME until that moment comes that I breathe my last breath. Since day one, my time on this planet has been counting down (Although, my time with the Lord is eternity!). Going with this idea, there is a set number of times I will have the opportunity to lead songs, make people laugh, make people think, encourage somebody, pray for somebody, be there for somebody, be the one leaning on somebody else...I wonder how many more opportunities I have left.

God's will for you and for me, I believe, comes not by means of force but in form of opportunity. My temptation is to think about all of the times I have disregarded opportunities. In doing so I would disregard the opportunity I have in this moment.

So..

God be praised! He has been flawlessly faithful to all generations. In no storm can I find a reason to be complaining. Let a storm come over Your people, Lord, that we may cry out in fear of our lives. Scared to death, help us dwell in Your presence always. This, I pray, so that You may be given our opportunities...our lives.

Response to reading Ezekiel 1-5:

The Lord says to return to Him, to do away with your distracted lifestyles. Television is your plan for the week. Entertainment has become your priority. Comfort, you are not willing to sacrifice. Financial security in your homes and organizations has taken priority over the needs of others. False efforts are given in your hope to justify your laziness! Hollow words are used as your defense! Does God not look at the heart? Does He not see YOUR heart? Will He not tear down all that denies Him, lift high all that acknowledges and honors Him, and, with rage, destroy all that falsely testify (I don’t only mean with words, but with two-faced/inconsistent lifestyles) and use His Wonderful Gospel as a means of financial gain or some job accomplishment? It’s better for you to become an atheist or Buddhist or someone else who denies Christ than for you to claim the Almighty as the one responsible for guiding you into making your lousy decisions. I mean you – YES YOU! – who are able and blessed with the opportunity to do good, and deny it. Don’t you know the Scriptures? “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves, do what it says.” (James 1:22) It is your business to bring the Gospel to this world, yet you are easily entertained with unwholesome junk. Please stop trying to justify those television programs and music and other things which defile your mind. Stop trying to justify your deeds which do not match up with the sound-doctrine: To do the works of Christ in His Holy Spirit to glorify the Father in Heaven. You who proclaim Him are now supporting the absence of God in one additional dark corner of life. WHY!?

Fast! Sacrifice! Become filled with passion at the realization of your stupidity! If you are not in the business of saving souls, you are working against the Lord of Hosts…..good luck with that. If you claim to be one of Christ’s own and still do not save souls, weep uncontrollably, feel deep compassion for the lost souls, or feel anger toward the evil forces keeping them lost and in pain, then you do not understand the Scriptures with your heart. Pray! that you may be a worker for God, that you may feel conviction for the lost and that you may feel pain and agony at the thought of millions in the world dying without the light of Christ in their souls. And if you're still filled with selfishness, continue to pray until the Holy Spirit reveals to you the condition of your own heart. When you are brought to know your value outside of God's will and power, you will find foolishness in selfishness.

Dude, turn back to the Scriptures. Stop arguing about abortion, homosexuality, smoking, murder, suicide, and all the issues that the Scriptures claim as obvious sin. Stop arguing about secular music, rated R movies, the ‘morals’ of it all and remember the verse which says “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do, and does not do it, sins.” (James 4:17) Do you trust that the Holy Spirit will show you what TO keep from doing or watching or listening to if He really despised your doing so? Anyone who does not trust Him will never be at peace, and certainly will not experience the fullness of Christ. Such matters are between you and God; why do you need to justify your reasoning to others? You, why do you need to challenge others of their personal decisions because they are different from your own? Are workers of God not called to live as the body of Christ? Why, then, do you make assumptions and judgments about others in your mind? Worse, why do you verbally attack others? Eyes like yours see the evil in everyone but yourself. Your intention is to bring attention to yourself and your accomplishment, sadly, is the bringing of division to the Body of Christ.

Whether it be television you stop watching, or food you stop eating, games you stop playing or some other lie of a proclaimed human [relational] [interactional] [insert YOUR excuse HERE] ‘need,’ take the time to fall on your face before the throne of Grace. Your loving Father is merciful and has the greatest plans for you, if you would only leave your selfishness at the foot of the throne to be executed and invite the Spirit of the Living God to be your guide. Your life will be filled with good things and you’re genuine efforts will produce good fruit as soon as you begin to be more alert and aware of the Lord’s speaking to you and guiding you.

Your potential is far greater than where you are now. Listen, you are not making the opportunities happen of which the revolutionary does make; you are not praying in the Spirit in the presence of God as does the spiritual giant; you are not taking the opportunities already granted you and are beginning to desensitize yourself to the convictions of the Holy Spirit. If you are not being a follower of Christ in the sense that He wants you to be, than your efforts will only produce partially committed followers (hired hands), inconsistent to their proclamations of the Gospel, like yourself. Before you can save souls, you need be saved. Where is your courage and your confidence in Christ? Come to Him and be saved!

The God of Hosts wants to speak with you right now. Not to lecture you or to make you feel guilty or to condemn you of all the things you know you’ve screwed up on, but to offer you the chance to be forgiven of it all and start brand new. Take His offer. Turn to God. Leave your old, rotten, selfish self behind.

Lord, help me to act on the convictions that You put on my heart.

...go back to the name Steve  

'Chris' Howard - if you're reading - I'm back. My rebellious years of switching to the name "Chris" are now over!

Also, looking back a couple years at my old posts on here have led me to realize how serious my entrees have become. I mean, they may be thought provoking for some people, and it is definitely nice to feel open to vent my deep convictions, etc.. BUT I forgot how nice, even fun, it is just to write. Not organizing thoughts, just talking about my day.

I decided that I wanted to blog on xanga again. Heres the dilemma: I have made a different one that I've posted on for a while. But this one is working fine now, so I'm going to switch back to posting on here.

I got a text message from Brad earlier telling me about how the Lord's been moving in him, especially in reading the book of James. I love that dude - Brad I mean, not James. Well, I'm sure James is pretty cool, too. Anyway, I'm inspired - and heaven knows I'm in need of more in-flowing of the Word of God into my life.

I thank God for the people He's put into my life. Looking back, again, at old posts, I found so much encouragement from so many of YOU people. I thank God for each of you.