Knights_Bridge's Xanga

Friday, July 11, 2008

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:22:49 GMT

Economic Stimulus!

I just got $600.00 worth of economic stimulus directly inserted into my checking account! Nice! I forgot all about that since I was way down on the receipient list! What shall I do...what shall I do...

What would you do with $600.00?

Friday, June 27, 2008

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:48:22 GMT

Moving to Fountain Valley Huntington Beach

It's official. I will be moving to Huntington Beach instead of Fountain Valley. I like Fountain Valley but God threw me a curve ball. It's actually quite remarkable how the whole switch came about. I was talking to my brother and telling him that I needed my own place. I have been living with a married couple for about 6 years. Over the course of time I have enjoyed the cheap rent and the fact that I had a pseudo family. Also, studying the married life as an inside man had it's advantages.

But lately, I have been feeling like I need to stretch out and get my own place. As I talked on the phone with my brother another call came in from my good friend Katie. Katie is the wife of my other good friend Hieu (R6Wheelie on friend list). Anyway, I switched over and Katie said,

"Hey Kirk it's Katie!"

"Hey Katie! What's going on?"

"Nothing much, the reason why I am calling because there is an opening hear at the apartment complex where we live."

"NOOO!"

"Yes! Give Pat a call."

"Sure thing! Thanks!"

Just to give you an idea I have been waiting a few months on a waiting list to move into this place. I didn't think I would get into this place as fast as I did but I see it as God's timing and a signal to move out into a place of my own especially since I had just been talking to my brother about it that very same instance.

So now I live near Hieu and Katie, my good friends, and I will keep you all updated on my new place when I move in August.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:28:00 GMT

Today

Today day is a new day. Today, you can leave bitterness behind. Today, you can let go of your pride. Today, you can forgive those who have hurt you. Today, you can heal. Today, you can experience the grace of God.

It can begin today.

Sir Kirk

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:21:47 GMT

Tiger Woods wins U.S. Open 2008 in a Sudden Death round.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:15:37 GMT

The Family (on Dad's side)

My dad comes from a family of 11 and my mom from a family of 12. Our immediate family is 6. These are big families by today's standards. Get us all together and we would need a helicopter to take aerial photos to include everyone!

These pictures above were taken at a family reunion on my dad's side last summer. We couldn't get everyone to come out but these are just the ones who could make it. I have so many uncles, aunts, and cousins all over the place that no matter where I go in the San Francisco Bay Area people come up to me and a say, "Are you Don Gill's sons? I'm your cousin so-and-so!"

My dad was the youngest and so my brother's and sisters are the youngest first cousins. We go 5 generations deep in these pictures though my grandparents have gone on to be with the Lord. I come from a Godly heritage where my grandparents modeled the Christian life to my dad and his brothers and sisters so most of us are Christians.

So, on this Father's Day I want to remember my Dad and also my family. Happy Fathers Day "Daddy-O"! (Top pic, Top Row, Yellow shirt)

P.S
If you are looking for me I am bottom right corner of the bottom pic just lounging on the grass. Todd, my twin brother is a more obvious top center of the bottom pic. If you were ever wondering what the main difference between us is, well, now you know...lol.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:42:06 GMT

9 Spiritual Fruits – Life in the Spirit

We recently finished studying through Galatians at our church. For those of you who are not familiar with this book from the Bible it is a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Galatia urging them not to forget what they were taught and not to add or take away from the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ which he had preached to them.

Basically, the charge was to keep a simple faith and to always remember that Christ was the only thing they needed and not the legalistic views and traditions that had begun to creep into their church, polluting the simple faith in Jesus Christ with legalism and man made traditions. The challenge for the Galatians was to hold on to the simplicity of the Gospel and to beware of the false teachers that were leading many astray.

At the end of chapter 5 of the Book of Galatians the apostle Paul talk about the 9 spiritual fruits. The "Fruit of the Spirit" are actually 9 characteristics of a person who is led by the Holy Spirit.

Since we didn't go in depth regarding the Fruits of the Spirit of God I started to do my own little study which I have placed below. I hope it helps you to understand the struggle we Christians face and also helps to identify areas in your life that the Holy Spirit wants to cultivate. May God’s grace be with you as you live out your faith day by day.

Galatians 5:16 – 26

Life by the Spirit

16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

One of the first things we can identify in this passage is a conflict between the “sinful nature” and “The Spirit”. When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior they receive the Holy Spirit as a guide. The job of the Holy Spirit is to testify about Jesus Christ and to lead the believer in all truth.

John 16:13-15

13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

The first half of chapter 5 in Galatians is dedicated to identifying the conflict. If you look carefully you will see words like “contrary”, “conflict”, “not” and “But” in verse 13 As Paul continues he lays out, in detail, the “acts of the sinful nature” in contrast to the “fruit of the Spirit”

In Paul’s day it was important for believers to be able to identify the inward struggle they would have in living by the Spirit verse living by their sinful nature and that it was a part of the Christian experience.

Whether you are a Christian or not you will agree that there are two natures at odds within mankind. Mankind has participated in of some of the greatest acts of kindness and love toward their fellow man yet in the same turn responsible for some of the greatest atrocities. Simply put, this conflict is the universal struggle between what is good and what is evil. Paul identifies this struggle so that people would know where they stood and that the lines were very clear.

The “acts of the sinful nature” are these found in verse 19-21:

19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

In contrast the Apostle Paul states the “fruits of the Spirit” in verses 22-26:

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The Holy Spirit is responsible for the 9 fruits and not us. As Christians our response is to allow the Spirit to fill us, and work through us. There is no middle ground for the Christian. The Christian who does not allow the Spirit to fill them is doomed to manifest the works of the sinful nature. Only by the filling of the Holy Spirit can we experience daily victory in Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Tue, 27 May 2008 13:52:14 GMT

"Boom Bap!", Underground Hip Hop, San Jose, CA. Circa 1995

Hip Hop is as much a part of me as music itself. I still write Hip Hop lyrics and these days Todd and I will be releasing some old and new songs we did back in the day. We are called "Bedouins".

What's cool about this picture is that this group of people started the underground hip hop movement in San Jose. A young Peanut Butter Wolf is bottom center. Google him and you will see how famous he has become in the music industry. A lot of us still produce, rap, do shows, etc. but this picture is a rare snapshot.

My best friend, "TapeMastah Steph", or simply Stephan sent me the picture recently and so I share it with you.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:10:53 GMT

Memorial Day Weekend

Where would this country be if not for the brave men and women who fight to secure our nations freedom? It's something to think about as we approach the Memorial Day Weekend. God forbid that we would enjoy this 3 day weekend without at least a silent thought about the great sacrafice made, both past and present, to maintain this freedom. The irony of freedom is that it is not free. An estimated 2,757,196 have given their lives since the Revolutionary War and an additional 4000+ to the Iraq War. Over 3 million American citizens died fighting for freedom whether in this country or in others.

If you know someone who has served or is serving in the armed forces then give them a big hug, call them, email them, remember them, simply do whatever it takes to let them know that you appreciate everything they have done for this country. Many of them sacraficed so much but returned to so little. We will forever be indebted to them.

This post is dedicated to :

-My dad, Donald Gill, my grandfather, Adolphus Gill, my uncles, Stevie, Robert, and Stacy.

-Dennis Tran ("Moosegun" on my Xanga friends)

-Nick ("quickstrike7" on my Xanga friends list)

-Canon Woods (my cousin serving in Iraq, see Saturday, April 26, 2008 post)

-The men and women currently serving around the world.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Wed, 21 May 2008 13:53:24 GMT

Poetry

I have been reading Pablo Neruda again. Here's a good one.

Your Laughter

Take bread away from me, if you wish,
take air away, but
do not take from me your laughter.

Do not take away the rose,
the lance flower that you pluck,
the water that suddenly
bursts forth in joy,
the sudden wave
of silver born in you.

My struggle is harsh and I come back
with eyes tired
at times from having seen
the unchanging earth,
but when your laughter enters
it rises to the sky seeking me
and it opens for me all
the doors of life.

My love, in the darkest
hour your laughter
opens, and if suddenly
you see my blood staining
the stones of the street,
laugh, because your laughter
will be for my hands
like a fresh sword.

Next to the sea in the autumn,
your laughter must raise
its foamy cascade,
and in the spring, love,
I want your laughter like
the flower I was waiting for,
the blue flower, the rose
of my echoing country.

Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die.

Pablo Neruda

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tue, 20 May 2008 11:37:34 GMT

"Follow Me"

Matthew 8:18-22

18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
20Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

21Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

22But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

__________

There are a number of unsettling truths that surface as I examine what it means to "follow" Jesus. In the passage above we find that Jesus is addressing His followers as it relates to the obstacles that stand in the way of following Him.

This particular passage comes at the end of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon Jesus has just preached the Beatitudes where He redefines what it means to be blessed. He redefines the Law and states that He is the fulfillment of the Law. He also preaches and gives new meanings to the terms "adultery", "murder", "divorce", and "oaths". Jesus doesn't stop there. He goes on to challenge His followers to "love your enemies" and to "pray for those who persecute you". Jesus then finishes up with a lesson on how to pray, fast, view money and a challenge not to worry.

As we now pick up with the passage above we find that a large crowd has gathered as a result of this sermon. I realize that as we come to the Lord we are drawn by what we hear. The words of the Lord are speaking to us and we are captivated by the message because He is speaking to a very deep place within us where no person has spoken before.

There are many people who come to God because of the message that they hear. Today we can see that many people all over the world have heard the message of Jesus Christ and here in America, even in Southern California where I live, many people come to hear this message of hope and salvation. But, is that following Jesus?

"18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake."

Every great move of God often starts with a huge crowd yet I realize that Jesus does not stay with the crowd. He decides to leave the crowd and travel to the other side of the lake. It's one thing to sit and listen to a sermon week in and week out and think that we are following God and, yes, it does start with coming to church and listening to what God has to say, but Jesus is not stationary. We have to ask ourselves, "Will I move when He moves?".

It is interesting to see that in the passage above that the progression is first the crowd, then it immediately shifts to the individual. Jesus starts out speaking to the crowd but what He really desires is for individuals to follow Him. We all know the crowd mentality is such that it is exciting to be a part of something everyone else is a part of. Some of the best times in my life have involved crowds of people. It's very easy to hide in a crowd, not have to commit, kinda blend in and stay unnoticed, feed off the excitement of others. There is nothing wrong with being a part of an exciting movement of God. In fact, God stirs us and gets us excited about the journey ahead. The problem is that when you start following Jesus you begin to notice that the crowds thin out and what is really happening is that Jesus is beginning to identify his true followers. He is wondering if you will follow regardless of what others think.

19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

These are the words of a man who has been moved by what he has heard. We profess similar words to our Lord. Will we really follow Jesus wherever he goes? The teacher of the Law declares this as Jesus decides to journey on. I would like to think that his words were sincere but how many people follow Jesus because everyone else is doing it. How many people follow Jesus because of the crowds of people that are attached to His words? How many people follow Jesus initially because of the excitement of the crowd or how it made them feel?

20Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his
head."

Jesus responds to the teacher of the law rather oddly. We would have expected Jesus to say something to the affect of "great!" or "glad to hear that!" but Jesus knew the true motive why the teacher wanted to follow Him. He tells the teacher of the law that the animals have a home but that he doesn't have a place to lay his head at night. Jesus was telling him in laymen's terms that,

"You see all these people and it is easy to say you want to follow me now but tonight when all these
people go home I will be alone and without a place to sleep. Will you still follow me then?"

Another way to look at this encounter with the teacher of the law is to examine jewish customs. It was customary and not unusual to take a person in if they needed a place to stay, more so if that person was a respected teacher who taught the word of God. That person by rights and custom could ask anyone who benefited from the teaching to stay at their house. So when Jesus explains to the fellow teacher of the law that he does not have a place to stay we find that the teacher does not even offer to take Jesus in. Jesus seems to be testing whether or not he really meant those words, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

That is what we Christians agreed to when we decided to follow Jesus. We decided to follow him "wherever you go". Yet a lot of us have responded like the man above. We didn't really mean "wherever", we were just influenced by the excitement of the crowd but not really aware of just what "wherever" truly means. When Jesus calls us on it, when he wants to come hang out with us tonight (figuratively speaking), we don't respond as we should because we didn't really buy into this whole following thing for reals.

That is the hard pill we have to swallow which is that most of us stay with the crowd and think we are following but we are not. We can see that the man was even a teacher which you think gets him off the hook but perhaps that is even worse. How sad is it to teach the words of God, to know the words of God but to not follow the one who actually said them. What good are they if we are not prepared to follow them?

The second man that Jesus encounters is a "disciple". A disciple is simply a "follower". So this person had decided to follow Jesus Christ as well.

21Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

22But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

It may seem cold what Jesus said to the follower who had to take care of his dead Father. It seems that Jesus is not empathetic with the disciples' situation. However, how many things in life could potentially delay our following Jesus? There are a number of different situations and circumstances that can arise that will hold us up. It is important to see here that the excuses are valid and real yet they stand in the way of us following Jesus. The burial of the dead in the Jewish custom lasted anywhere from 3 to 7 days including a time of mourning so really what the disciple was telling Jesus was that,

"Jesus, I know I said I was going to follow you but for the next 3 to 7 days I am going to take a break
and deal with this death I had in the family. "

If we start to allow situations in life to deter us from following God then we will never get to where God wants to take us even though the situations are real and pull at us. Jesus is saying to the disciple:

22...."Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

"Let the dead bury their own dead." Jesus is telling the disciple that people who are more concerned with the cares of this life as opposed to following Him are "dead". That sounds pretty cold, but it is the reality of following Jesus. What excuse do you have? I am here to tell you that there will never be a good enough excuse to following Jesus. He is life itself. How can we be more concerned with things that are dead than the one who lives forever?

What excuses do we have? Whether it is time, family, health, culture, personal belief, problems, pride, the cares of this life, is it more important than Jesus? "Follow Me", he says to all of these things. It's easier said than done. But we must leave these things behind and follow Jesus because that is the only way to stay close to the one we said we would follow wherever He would go. He leads us to life itself.