Which way to pray?
Spiritual musings from the beginning of the year…
Life right now is NOT about bettering myself (though that is a natural outcome of the current goal). It is about drawing closer to God.
God has done so much for me, placing me in a family with strong spiritual values. And then, giving me a mind to comprehend deeper theology and faith. And recently, graduation from a highly academic
Christian college. As I shared with my friends, I felt God say “It is wonderful that you personally benefit from all that knowledge…but I never intended for you to keep it all to yourself!” So I am stepping out more in leadership, in sharing my thoughts, and not assuming my peers have grown in a similar spiritually information rich environment.
Something I am currently struggling with. Matthew 5:43-48 talks about how to act and to be perfect as God is perfect. The unspoken, key idea there is God is CONSISTENTLY perfect. But in 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says God will not send us more than we can handle. So if during my day I step out of the ordinary, out of my comfort zone, to REALLY help someone like Jesus would…it was just ONE person. Is that all I can truly handle? God thinks I can only help one person? How is the right way to pray about this? Two options:
A. God, open my eyes to opportunities that I keep missing to show Your love, or
B. God, fix my heart so you GIVE me more opportunities to serve you.
They sound the same, but are actually different. I jump back and forth between the two.
I do not know if this is from the movie “Yes Man,” but it is a motto I am trying to live out - ‘Err on the side of action.’ When deciding to go somewhere/attend an event/go out with a friend, the default choice is now DO IT. Now, granted, I also ask right after that, “Is it wise?” Going to a theme park when I have $10 in my account will not work. Still, I am trying to say yes if a friend says, for example, “Hey Robert…the best friend of my little brother is having a big poetry reading on Friday, in Marion, at 6. Want to come along?” Normal impulse is to say no, but I am trying to stay open to new experiences. Never been to a poetry reading, so how can I truly say it is not my thing?
Graphic novel - Ultimate X-Men #15: Magical by Robert Kirkman
HIS NAME: THE MAGICIAN!
He’s a media darling, a vital part of the X-Men dynamic and the newest member of the team. Watch the Magician live up to hiis name in ways you could never conceive. There is more - much, much more about this new mutant than any suspect. Meanwhile, a tormented Jean Grey is having great difficulty dealing with the results of the Shi’ar testing. Elsewhere…Dazzler stirs.
Quotes from Ultimate X-Men #15: Magical:
-Professor Xavier: Sorry, boys. That’s my other line and I need to take this. I’ll call you back later when I get a free moment. *Phone switch* Miss Pryde, it is so good to hear from you.
-Mrs. Pryde: Wow-you really ARE psychic, Professor.
-Prof X: Don’t be so impressed. We have caller I.D. here at the Mansion. What can I do for you?
-Professor Xavier: The EXTENT of his powers is the question here. I released him from sedation…allowed him to become an active member of my X-Men…long before I SHOULD have. It appears he may be controlling our behavior. Maybe you DID bring him here and you were made to forget.
-Nick Fury: You’re kidding, right? Trust me. I scratch my NOSE and I have to file a report. There’s not a bowel movement of mine that isn’t on record. I could be made to forget something but there would STILL be a record. No. I WASN’T here. You saw something else.
Graphic novel - Essential Iron Man #2 by Stan Lee
Inventor, businessman, playboy…super hero! Gravely injured in combat, billionaire genius Tony Stark save his own life by designing a life-sustaining shell - the hi-tech protective covering that transformed him into the Invincible Iron Man! In this dual role, he faces boardroom intrigue and super-powered menaces. A modern-day knight in shinning armor, he fights injustice wherever it rears its ugly head!
In this volume, it’s more armored action at its finest as Iron Man faces Ultimo, the Mandarin, the Titanium Man and others! Guest-starring S.H.I.E.L.D., the Sub-Mariner and the Hulk!
Arjayen
Life right now is NOT about bettering myself (though that is a natural outcome of the current goal). It is about drawing closer to God.
God has done so much for me, placing me in a family with strong spiritual values. And then, giving me a mind to comprehend deeper theology and faith. And recently, graduation from a highly academic
Christian college. As I shared with my friends, I felt God say “It is wonderful that you personally benefit from all that knowledge…but I never intended for you to keep it all to yourself!” So I am stepping out more in leadership, in sharing my thoughts, and not assuming my peers have grown in a similar spiritually information rich environment.
Something I am currently struggling with. Matthew 5:43-48 talks about how to act and to be perfect as God is perfect. The unspoken, key idea there is God is CONSISTENTLY perfect. But in 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says God will not send us more than we can handle. So if during my day I step out of the ordinary, out of my comfort zone, to REALLY help someone like Jesus would…it was just ONE person. Is that all I can truly handle? God thinks I can only help one person? How is the right way to pray about this? Two options:
A. God, open my eyes to opportunities that I keep missing to show Your love, or
B. God, fix my heart so you GIVE me more opportunities to serve you.
They sound the same, but are actually different. I jump back and forth between the two.
I do not know if this is from the movie “Yes Man,” but it is a motto I am trying to live out - ‘Err on the side of action.’ When deciding to go somewhere/attend an event/go out with a friend, the default choice is now DO IT. Now, granted, I also ask right after that, “Is it wise?” Going to a theme park when I have $10 in my account will not work. Still, I am trying to say yes if a friend says, for example, “Hey Robert…the best friend of my little brother is having a big poetry reading on Friday, in Marion, at 6. Want to come along?” Normal impulse is to say no, but I am trying to stay open to new experiences. Never been to a poetry reading, so how can I truly say it is not my thing?
Graphic novel - Ultimate X-Men #15: Magical by Robert Kirkman
HIS NAME: THE MAGICIAN!
He’s a media darling, a vital part of the X-Men dynamic and the newest member of the team. Watch the Magician live up to hiis name in ways you could never conceive. There is more - much, much more about this new mutant than any suspect. Meanwhile, a tormented Jean Grey is having great difficulty dealing with the results of the Shi’ar testing. Elsewhere…Dazzler stirs.
Quotes from Ultimate X-Men #15: Magical:
-Professor Xavier: Sorry, boys. That’s my other line and I need to take this. I’ll call you back later when I get a free moment. *Phone switch* Miss Pryde, it is so good to hear from you.
-Mrs. Pryde: Wow-you really ARE psychic, Professor.
-Prof X: Don’t be so impressed. We have caller I.D. here at the Mansion. What can I do for you?
-Professor Xavier: The EXTENT of his powers is the question here. I released him from sedation…allowed him to become an active member of my X-Men…long before I SHOULD have. It appears he may be controlling our behavior. Maybe you DID bring him here and you were made to forget.
-Nick Fury: You’re kidding, right? Trust me. I scratch my NOSE and I have to file a report. There’s not a bowel movement of mine that isn’t on record. I could be made to forget something but there would STILL be a record. No. I WASN’T here. You saw something else.
Graphic novel - Essential Iron Man #2 by Stan Lee
Inventor, businessman, playboy…super hero! Gravely injured in combat, billionaire genius Tony Stark save his own life by designing a life-sustaining shell - the hi-tech protective covering that transformed him into the Invincible Iron Man! In this dual role, he faces boardroom intrigue and super-powered menaces. A modern-day knight in shinning armor, he fights injustice wherever it rears its ugly head!
In this volume, it’s more armored action at its finest as Iron Man faces Ultimo, the Mandarin, the Titanium Man and others! Guest-starring S.H.I.E.L.D., the Sub-Mariner and the Hulk!
Arjayen