oldacre11's Xanga

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 05:00:54 GMT

For over a month now, i have been wondering is death really a tragedy? And the only answer that i have found is an overwhelming NO. Death has nothing to do with a tragedy, it is the life of the person that determines it. For example, in an exert from a book there is a story of a man and a woman both in their forties. Each one has just took early retirement from their jobs. They sold their house, bought a mobile home, and now they travel all over the United States collecting seashells and visiting resorts. Now when there time comes and they give an account of their life to Jesus, all that they are going to have to say is, "hey Jesus, look at my shells." Now thats a tragedy. This story may not mean much but it relates to modern day life so much. Everyday I see people living for a smaller, nondivine purpose in this life. There are going to be millions of people standing there on judgement day saying, "Watch me dunk a basketball, or look at my car, or look how much money i have." Now those are tragedies...... I love the quote " One life, One chance." It rings so true everyday. Our life is not our own but it belongs to the one who created it. In 1 Corinthians 7:19-20 it says "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You DO NOT belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." When this becomes a true desire in our lives, everything else is worthless. Over in Phillipians 3:8 it says,"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." Paul didn't write this to tell us to quite everything we do, he is just stating that in all the secular things we do, they are pointless and have no value. So with that being stated, glorify God in everything we do. Let his light shine through us no matter what task we are undergoing. And by doing this we will avoid a wasted life, or a tragedy.....As christians, our mindset should be to hear the words,"Well done good and faithful servant." And to be truly honest there are a lot of so-called christians who are going to be very disappointed on judgement day. C.S. Lewis describes christians in two ways: those who hear the Word and glorify God with it, and those who hear the Word and disregard it. Now the bible says that you are even worse off than before now because you know the true meaning of life and you just choose not to live by it. Now that's a tragedy. What Jesus did on the cross should be more than enough reason to life a Christ-like life. It is a shame that people can't realize that, i guess it is just a lack of faith, and sadly, a tragedy in the making. Psalms 119:11 states "I have hidden your Word in my heart that I may not sin against you." Now that is the way a life should be lived. Everything should have a Christ-like meaning to it. That is how you prevent a tragedy.

The diadem of pain,

which sliced your gentle face,

three spikes piercing flesh and wood,

to hold you in your place.

The need for blood I understand,

your sacrifice I embrace,

but the bitter sponge, the cutting spear,

the spit upon your face?

Did it have to be a cross,

did not a kinder death exist,

than six hours hanging between life and death,

all spurred by a betrayer's kiss?

"Oh Father" you pose,

heart-stilled at what could be,

"Im sorry to ask, but I long to know,

did you do this for me?"

When we realize the love of our father and truly desire to seek Him, listen closely and perchance you will hear him whisper...."I did it just for YOU."

-Max Lucado

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Sun, 30 Oct 2005 13:31:06 GMT

Thank you Jesus for falling in love with Sasha as I did, she was one of your best servants and I praise you for that. Through her life, many will receive salvation and I remember that one night when her and I were talking, we each said that we would die if it meant saving just one life....well you granted her a wish and then multiplied it by many. Now is the time Father to be the Almighty Healer and Comforter as we get through the loss of our best friend. Use Sasha as a defining moment for the lives of many as they examine their lives and seek the true meaning of our time on earth. This is just a blink of an eye compared to eternity and I know that the Holy Spirit will help us carry on the wonderful legacy that your humble servant left behind. She was so amazing, but nothing compares to the love that you have to offer. Use me and use your other servants to continue on for Sasha and more importantly for salvation to reach the lives of many. I love you Father and thank you so much for allowing Sasha to rest in your arms right now....I love you and ill see you soon beautiful! Love always~*

R.F.M. Sasha Owens........rejoice for me - I love you

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 02:38:55 GMT

Before I start I would like to state a quote that I heard last Sunday morning. "We are all like beggars telling another beggar where to find bread." This powerful statement simply states that everyone is on the same plane as everyone else. We are not better or more prominent than others. We were all created equal in God's eyes, this goes for all believers and nonbelievers of our Heavenly Father. However, believers do have the ability to offer a new life to another. We can offer something that will bring happiness for eternity and will fill up the constant void in their lives. This is the bread that is talked about in the quote. It is the source of life, or also known as Jesus Christ. He is the the gift that we have to share to others in order to save them from a life of death and destruction.

In christianity, love and faith are everything. Without them we have no foundation for christianity. Jesus' sole purpose on this earth was to offer us a source of faith to believe in God and to show His love to the world by grace, mercy, and most importantly dying for our sins. This love that Jesus portrayed was everlasting, he gave up everything to serve others and do the work of the Lord. Now thats a testimony. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, he gave us life and showed us how to live. We were created to live a life that honors God, and this often results in sacrifices. The bible often teaches that we are to lay down our own lives, take up our cross, and follow after Jesus. It is very hard to show love to others all the time, especially when they persecute or harm you. However, that doesnt matter, there are no excuses. God is the ultimate Forgiver and wants us to do the same along with showing compassion. I guess the point that I am trying to get across is this: Love EVERYONE. Don't talk about them when they arent paying attention, instead lift them up. All I know is that I have got new views on many people because all they do is gossip and cut everyone else down. I hate listening to it, I usually either tune them out or just walk away. However, the next step is just going to stand up and point out the wickedness that they are doing because the bible says that we are called to look out for one another. I am willing to do this for everyone and I expect the same from you. And dont take criticism harshly, take it as a foundation to build on.

The next thing I would like to point out is this: Romans 8:8 says,"You CANNOT please God if your life is controlled by sin." If you always backstab others, cuss, or be involved in sexual immorality, and it becomes a habit, you will not please God. This creates a pretty intense image, basically it is saying Get Your Act Together. Christains often wander how to become spiritual of how to get close to God, well the first thing you need to do is get rid of the sin in your life by turning from it and through prayer asked God to redeem you again. Now after you are on the same page with God, read the bible and pray on a DAILY basis. You cannot grow with God if you dont have a desire and commitment to do so. It all comes down to discipline. You either WANT to serve the Lord or you dont. It is your call. God has given you the opportunity through faith to accept him and live by his ways. And if you truly want to accept Him and live close to Him, you HAVE to pray and read all the time. This purifies both the mind and the soul so that you can be pure in the presence of our Father. So I am actually trying to say, get your act together, get disciplined, and start living the right life because Christianity as a whole often come down to this quote,"The chain is as strong as its weakest link." Christians are the chain and hypocrites are the weakest link and they often ruin the testimony of whole hearted christians by their evil ways.

The last thing i want to add is this. Ask God for Wisdom and knowledge. It is one of the greatest gifts that God has to offer. It says in James that all you have to do is just ask Him. When you truly mean it and truly desire it, God will show you things beyond your imagination. Things that I cannot write down on here. You will receive a greater understanding between right and wrong and good and evil. The bible says that "blessed are those who have knowledge and wisdom for they are pleasing to God." It is such a wonderful blessing that I wish everyone could receive.

Overall I am trying to say these things: 1. Love everybody because it is our testimony, dont be arrogant christians who think you are better than everyone else. 2. Be disciplined to serve God by praying and reading so that you spread the Good News. 3. Ask God for Wisdom and discipline so you can understand his plans for your life. and 4. Don't be the weakest link in christianity, instead get your act together and dont ruin the testimony of others.

The last thing I want to say is this: I love it when people comment me back with religious words. It is very encouraging, however make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Dont write something on here to show off what you know about scripture or to bring recognition to yourself, instead do it because God has laid it on your heart to share what He has spoken to you. Only God knows your heart and your true intentions, so do things to glorify Him. I hope God enrichly blesses all of you and please dont be afraid to tell another christian when they are falling, it is necessary so we learn from it and avoid having a weakest link.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 01:31:27 GMT

Well a whole lot of things have been bothering me lately so I'm gonna gather some things before I write something that really needs to be stressed....hopefully by the end of this week

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 05:11:13 GMT

Well, this week was awesome, school was easy, church was incredible, and we finally won a football game.....but for some reason there is always at least one downfall.....i dont know why, but it seems like everyone always has to cut down someone else to lift themselves up, why is this? It really drives me crazy when I see this.....and the sad part about it is that I have seen so many people, even christians, doing this. Everyone is so worried about everybody else and they dont even step back and examine their own lives....I believe Jesus said it best on his sermon on the mount, "How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you cant see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! first get rid of the log in your own eye, then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." (Matt. 7:4-5).....Is it that hard not to be so delighted in everyone elses live? We are not called to know every detail of other peoples' life, we are called to be missionaries of the Truth and a witness by our actions. In Psalms 37:1-4 it says," Don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away, and like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires." This passage is so powerful when you just think about it. Life is so much easier and happiness comes with no effort if all our trust and desires are placed in the Lord. Gossip is such a huge part of high school, everybody has to know everything thats going on. The tongue is the most wicked source of the body. It is full of evil, hated, and it can even destroy lives. For it says in James 3 that it is set on fire by hell itself. It cannot be tamed, so for that reason alone we have to watch every word that comes from our mouths. It is crazy how people only remember the sinful side of christians lives, they dont see the good, so in order to have a strong testimony we must act and speak as our Savior would want us too, for our bodies are not are own, they belong to the Holy Spirit that reigns inside of us, so stop contaminating our bodies with slander, gossip, and cutting down other people.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 00:26:08 GMT

I really don't mean to sound like i am preaching to everyone all the time, but i just keep having things that are bugging me and i have to share what i am thinking, so here it goes:

The Temple of God. What an amazing image. And im not talking about the divine structure where you worship the Lord. I am simply talking about our bodies, our soul surrounded by flesh. Something has been really driving me crazy lately, and that is people who have no will power or strength in the Lord that they cant control their own physical urges. I have seen so many "so called" christians lately that have been drinking, cussing, talking about sexually impure topics, and smoking. Why do it? Why ruin it for all the true christians out there who are trying to make a difference in this world. I'll stop for a second to say that i am not pointing at anyone in particular and i dont look at you any different because everyone makes mistakes and thats where forgiveness comes in....but please dont just ask for forgiveness and then do it again, repent from it, realize what you did wrong, and work to never do it again because people are watching.....not only fellow believers but lost people who want to find the true meaning of life, and what kind of example are we leading if we turn children of God away from Him.....God has said over and over that he will judge you for that, so just be ready, for it says in Matthew 3:10 "Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees(or non-believers). Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire(Hell)"......and then over in Matthew 18:6 it says "But if you cause one of the children of God who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around you neck and be drowned in the depts of the sea"....Just by reading that we should fear the Lord so much that we could atleast obey what He has instructed us to do in His Word by living the right life.........ok now back to the temple of God, we as christians have to honor that temple, for it is not our soul that is guiding us but it is the Holy Spirit......therefore since the Holy Spirit is living in us when we drink, cuss, and smoke, we are damaging that holy and spiritual life source inside of us, and without that source we are just like everybody else who lives in the dark. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 it says "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price (Jesus dying on the cross). So you must honor God with your body." And then for all those people who damage the Temple of God it says in 1 Corinthians 3:17 "God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." Is it that hard to say no? Why can't christians just refuse worldly things? It's things like smoking, cussing, drinking, etc., that is turning people away from the Lord, and thats why religions like Islam are growing so fast.....although I dont believe anything they teach, at least they are faithful and honor their koran and their so called god, allah. Many christians can't even do that with a Word and a God that they know is really in existence and is living inside of us. Isn't it time to change and stand up against the evil in this world and live the right and just life, the one that Jesus would want us to live......and the last thing i want to say is this it comes from Ephesians 3 and it discusses that we should live like God and not live a corrupt life...."So now you Gentiles (used to be nonbelievers but now are saved) are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. Together we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit." Lets all examine our lives, especially our hearts and get rid of all the undesirable elements in it and give them up to God. I would like to say again that i am not trying to single anybody out in particular and I'm especially not implying that I am more religious or holy or anything like that others people, I am just trying to stress the guidlines that God has given us to live by so we can honor him in our daily lives......I believe it is time to turn to the Lord with all the aspects of our life and live like pure christians before it is too late.

SEE YOU AT THE POLE TOMORROW AT 7:00.....BE THERE

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 06:10:46 GMT

Darkness, why is it appealing to so many? Why do people live in darkness rather than light? It is crazy how so many people miss the true meaning of life.......ill explain, I absolutely hate darkness, it terrifies me and makes me feel so uncomfortable. To get rid of this terror inside of me I have to find a light source. Once I have found it and I am inside of its brightness, i feel secure.....what i mean by this can be explained by a simple lightbulb. It is what allows us to see in what was originally complete darkness just by fliping a switch. As it produces energy and shines brightly, it can light up and entire room, it can be dull and light up only half of the room, or it can be burned out and leaves the room in complete darkness. Now, that lightbulb is Jesus Christ, the switch is the choice we make to either accept or reject salvation, and the three levels of brightness show what kind of person we are. Are you a person who lives in darkness and sin, and only lives for the pleasures of this world? Or are you a dull Christian who just walks the walk by going to church and claiming that you live righteously, but deep down you are full of hatred, self-centeredness, lust, etc., and when you are persecuted you just collapse and dont stand up for our Savior at all. Or are you a Christian who is sold out for Christ and loves to be in the light. Every day you get closer and closer to the Light of Jesus, and in turn you get more and more illuminated because of it. I don't know about you, but being in the light is the way to go. Your life is so full of happiness, God will always be there to provide for us, and he will continually shine through us and allow us to spread the Good News and the love of his Son Jesus Christ. So many people refuse to flip that switch on though to allow the Holy Spirit into their heart. I don't know if it is because they are afraid or if it is because they see so many dull Christians out there who live just like they do so they dont see any reason to change because these so called "christians" are living the same lies that they are. As Christians I think it is time to walk into the light completely and dont turn back. It will be so amazing to see how many people would be drawn to the lord if Christians would just lay down their pride and desires. One of my favorite lines of a song is " Into Marvelous Light I'm running, out of darkness out of shame, by the cross You are the Truth, You are the LIFE, You are the Way." This sums up exactly what i am trying to express, that it is time for all Christians to be drawn to the light and turn their lives around so we can better the Kingdom of God. And I leave you with this from John 12:46, Jesus said, "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark." Come on, let's get more Illuminated for the Lord by drawing closer to him, STOP living in the darkness or dullness like so many other nonbelievers and sinners, which is more important, life on earth or eternal life?

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Tue, 30 Aug 2005 03:00:10 GMT

TJ and Polly had their baby this morning!!!!! That is so awesome, what better parents could a child have!! She is a baby girl named Anna Jo.

This hurricane is ridiculous, tearing through cities, flooding streets, and taking lives, when does all this madness stop? Well faith and the mere concept of Christianity tells us that it will not stop until we are rejoicing in heaven with our Lord and Savior after he has reappeared to the world and gather up his children from this awful place and ascended back up into the Kingdom of God with His followers by his side…..throughout the old testament and in parts of the new, the End of Days is hit on over and over….it discusses how there will be wars, famine, natural disasters, false messiahs, and an extreme buildup up the evil ways of the antichrist…..well it just so happens that all of these things are occurring right now as we speak, also, God also stated that he would restore Israel as a country and bring its people back into its land, as I believe it was in 1948 that Israel was declared a country again and recently many of Gods people are beginning to go back there, just as the prophecies predicted……but don’t let this be deceiving about the End of time, for the bible says that this is only the beginning of what is about to occur, after all these events happen, the bible says that Christians worldwide will be persecuted and even murdered for what they believe in and what they are preaching about….this is happening as we speak also because ALL Christians are being persecuted as of right now, the Gospels of the bible continuously state when anyone comes to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior then they are united with Christians from all around the world as one body of Christ, this means that if a missionary in Africa is being tortured then a piece of us is being hurt as well…..with this being said, we should be rejoicing with the fact that we have a God who gives us purpose in life and who gives us a chance to serve him till death…..I cannot wait until Jesus makes his trip back down to Earth because as Christians it will be a time of joy and rejoice, but for those who are full of sin and will not allow the Holy Spirit to guide them down the right path, ill pray for you because harsh judgment awaits you, but don’t hesitate for a second to give your life up to God because if you do and you truly believe it, then Jesus said that you will have eternal life and you will be so overjoyed that it will begin to overflow out of you, that right there is reason to accept Jesus, and especially don’t be afraid to serve him till death because men from this world can only take your life, not your soul, and your soul is for eternity, not for some 80 or so years…..the last thing I want to say is this for all the nonbelievers and half-hearted Christians out there, judgment will be harsh and it will not be worth selling yourself for the pleasures of this world instead of for the Kingdom of God…..it is impossible to tell who is a Christian sometimes and who isn’t because as humans we cant look into the heart like God can, he knows the true intentions of everyone, so I believe it is time to change for Him before it is too late….it is God’s job to serve judgment but it is our job as fellow Christians to win people for Him, build each other up, and especially encourage each other and not knock them down, for the bible says in Proverbs 27:17, as iron sharpens iron so one man should sharpen another…..this should be the motto of all Christians, to be there for one another and don’t let anyone go down the wrong path, because for some people God has planted a seed in them and it is up to us fellow Christians to water that seed and get it ready to harvest when Jesus returns….my prayers are with all who are apart of that terrible hurricane tragedy and may God continuously place His blessing and healing hand over this world!

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 03:15:29 GMT

Well one week of school has gone by and i couldn't be more dissapointed with my senior year, all of my classes are hard and i barely understand any of the material, oh well though only one more year to go and im out of oologah school, i cant wait......other than that things have been going extroardinary, and i am so glad that we are out of school next monday, hopefully i can go down to stillwater next weekend and visit my brother, i havent seen him in awhile.....i want to go to college there so bad, it is such an awesome campus plus i already have many friends down there like spence and lane, and hopefully some people in my grade will be down there as well, like ashlee and kelsey(thats a toss up) well im off to bed gotta get some sleep

Monday, August 22, 2005

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 01:02:00 GMT

This summer has been so amazing! From Falls Creek to going to the lake to going to Stillwater, everything went better than i could ever imagine!.....well today i just got back from Stillwater where a bunch of friends and i stayed at Sarah B.'s house...it was two of the funnest days of the summer, and i have to say, what an amazing family, i have never felt more comfortable or welcome in my life, and they made everyone laugh with their hilarious personalities, it was so fun.....well i guess this summer has to come to an end in about three hours, but hopefully it will be fun, i am so glad that it is my senior year....i am so ready to be done with high school and move on to college, i cant wait!....well i will see everybody tomorrow.

You can't stop it, You can't stop it