Let's Get Physical!~ Physical!~

I realize that I spend way too much time in front of a computer and sometimes hate the fact that we live in a digital age. My job consists of me staring at a computer screen for hours moving my mouse around and typing away responding to and composing emails. Lame-O! I sometimes wish I was a designer before the invention of a computer. Those designers were dope! Although it took forever to create something, they physically moved type around and mix paints, had to manipulate images by hand and compose their work by drawing. Nowadays, we manipulate images using Photoshop, we illustrate using Illustrator (moving pixels around) Even photography is all digital. Although the process was long and grueling there is something to be said about physically making something and creating a work of art.

Even with books, I'll be really sad if my kids grew up never having to buy a physical book and if they carry around an ipad or something of that sort where millions of books can be stored into one device. The smell of paper, the physical turning of the pages, the breaking of a spine, the texture of the cover and the pages will all be lost. Also, it would be impossible to have a pop-up book on a digital device! The bookshelves would not be filled with various shapes, colors, designs, and designs of spines, but made up of an ipad or a kindle! WAH!

I'm sure the generation before ours thought the same and never imagined music being digital. But there is also something to be said about having a record. To pull out a record, place a needle on an LP and having to switch sides to listen to the entire album through is so much more cumbersome than to click "NEXT" with a mouse. But there is a beauty in a record that I can't really explain that is so nice!

I also thought about going to the gym. We are getting physical excercise by simulating what one would do if our work and labor was actually physical. Like if I was a farmer, I would proabably be doing alot of heavy lifting I just hope all of this is not lost in the future. Let's get Physical! Physical!~

Thus Far

See that guy on the way right wearing green with the stupid smirk on his face?.... Yep. That's me!

I was browsing through the old GNC website and came across these archived photos. The photo above was taken in 2005 when I was fresh out of HS. It was my first retreat at GNC as an 18 year old kid. I was arrogant, naive, ambitious, and excited. Some of the best combination of traits you can put together for disaster. haha! Anyways... I tried to remember what it was like and all the things that I was going through at the time and questions I had for my future...

At that time in my life I was praying for three things.

1. Church. Which one do I go to?

2. Art Center. Is this where I am supposed to be? Am I ready?

3. Girl. I like! Should I pursue?

In hindsight is 20/20... But seeing how all these unknown things at the time played out, it brings me such clarity and joy to how much God works in our lives and how sovereign He is. Even in the little details. All of these things were unknown to me and who knows what the future holds, but it's all in God's hands and as Phil Wickham's song suggests, we are safe in His arms! [insert body worship here]

Absolutely Unlovable, Yet Absolutely Loved

What I find amazing about the gospel are the three words:" God Loves Me" We hear that phrase all the time. And people throw it around so flippantly you begin to think “uh… yeah ok… whatever” You can also think, Uh duh! God loves everyone and not think of it as that big of a deal. I don’t know about you, but the more I think about that statement, as cliché as it may seem, the more it starts to resonate in my soul.

First of all, why SHOULD God love you or me? If you try and think really hard, there is no reason why He should. Does He love me because I’m so awesome? Nope! Does he love me because I'm so good-looking? Nope! Does he love me because I'm so athletic? Nope! Does he love me because I'm so smart? Nope! Does He love me because I'm so artistic? Nope! Oh! I know! He must love me because I'm kind-hearted and obedient! Nope! Try again! I'm not even any of these things, but try and think REALLY hard why He should love you? You can't come up with an answer. God is not impressed with anything we do. Whatever accomplishments we find impressive, He doesn't. He doesn't look at Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points in a game and say "WHOA! You are sOoOo athletic! I now love you!" Or He doesn't look at how "good" you are and think "WOW! I love you!"

In fact, when I begin to think deeper I come to see that I am despicable. Despicable ME! If I TRULY looked and gazed into my own heart, it would shed light how unloveable I really am. Inside lies all my pride, all my insecurities, all my hate, all my lusts, all the wicked things I’ve committed in the past, and all the things I did and will continue to commit to directly offend God. You may also think... God can never love me!! I've done so many horrible things! I've raped, I've stole, I've killed, I've this, I've that!

The wonderful thing about God is that He doesn't see me when he looks at me, but sees Christ. His righteousness and beauty becomes my righteousness and beauty. Through faith, Christ takes my sins, I gain His righteousness. Unfair huh? Why should someone who did nothing wrong die for it? And why should someone who did EVERYTHING wrong gain? I don't get it either, and I'll spend my lifetime trying to understand it, but it leaves me at sense of extreme gratitude and a magnificent sense of self worth and humility! Tim Keller really put it well in that the gospel is the only thing that gives you a great sense of humility AND confidence! Nothing else can do that. I am humbled knowing that I did nothing to earn my righteousness and I am completely undeserving of it, but I am confident in knowing that all of my failures and sins (as great as they are) have been paid for! I no longer bear the guilt of my sins and I don't have to beat myself up because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

It really doesn't get any better than the gospel! All glory and honor and praise be to our God!