The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I drive a lot. I'm not sure why or how it always ends up happening, but it seems like I always end up spending a lot of my free days driving for at least an hour or two somewhere to see someone or some thing. It's been that way since college for me, really, as the job I had in school required me to drive a lot during the weekends. Driving has become something that I look forward to and enjoy because it's fairly easy going, it provides a lot of time for one to think and it's a time that I can blare and connect through music- my favorite part. 

There's nothing like throwing on some of your favorite tunes and hitting the road by yourself. You don't have to stress about playing DJ or worry about what anyone else wants to listen to. You can throw your music into shuffle mode, hit skip as many times as you want and then land on something that fits exactly how you're feeling without having to worry about whether or not any one else in the car is feeling it. It's a great time to let out emotions, be honest with yourself and play steering wheel drums as loud as you want. This was something I got to do today, and there was one song in particular that I connected really well with that I never have before on an interesting level.

This afternoon during my shuffle session, the song 'The Good, the Bad, the Ugly," came on by Lecrae (no relation to the movie, 'The Good, the Bad, the Ugly). If there's one thing I like about listening to Lecrae, it's his lyrics. Sure, he's revitalized and set a new standard within the Christian hip-hop world with his style and quality of music, but more so than that, he's set a high standard of honesty within his song writing that I don't find in a lot of music. This was something that I connected with today in a new way.

As a writer, myself, I know how hard it can be to be honest in writing, especially when that writing is for other people and available for the entire world-wide-web to read. It's a place of vulnerability and a place that's hard to go to because it exposes everything to everyone. It's kind of like standing naked out in public, but instead of everyone seeing your body on display, it's your heart, mind and soul. It can be scary. 

Anyway, in this song, Lecrae opens up his past for the world to see; all of it, the good, the bad and the ugly parts. He talks about the drugs he used to struggle with, the girls he used to mess around with, and even more than that, he confesses the abortion he supported in order to keep his life the way he wanted it. Really, if you stop the beat and just hear the words, it's a song of complete vulnerability and honesty, confessing to his fans, followers and friends who he once was and what he's once done.

Today was the first time I think I'd really listened to that song before, and it really meant a lot to me. As a brother in Christ, and as a man trying to live a life of honesty and accountability, to hear someone put that kind of intense messiness out for the world to see was really inspiring. It spoke to me heart and I sympathized with him, just through a song. I became aware of the fact that the Church is really full of messy people who are sometimes pretending to look clean all the time. If we were really honest about our good, bad and ugly sides, I think the Church might be closer together than it is. It's just my opinion, but I think if Christians stopped trying to look like a bunch of perfect people and instead were real and honest about our imperfections, we might begin to see more perfection. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: The good, the bad and the uglier the Church, the prettier it will be. 

Change: The Extrovert in Me

Have you ever gone through a change in life when you're just stuck kind of wondering, "Whoa, when did that happen?"  It might be a  change you notice yourself or a change that someone points out to you, but it's a change none the less. It can be a good thing, a bad thing or just something weird, like being able to finally grow out a full beard (still not me). 

Well, recently I experienced one of those really weird changes that I'm still trying to figure out myself, and honestly, still trying to figure out if it's even a change. So, here it is: I believe I have turned into an extrovert. There. I said it, and I can't believe it.  

For the longest time I've always considered myself to be extremely introverted. Why? Because I'm a pretty shy guy, I've always liked my personal space and I don't do good in large crowds. Now, however, I'm not totally sure that these three 'areas of my life' are where I get my energy from. Lately, it seems like the opposit. It seems like I get most of my energy from stepping out of my comfort zone, being around people and hanging out in large crowds, and I have zero idea when this changed happened. Maybe it's because I lived with 30 people for 10 months; I don't know. I just know that it's a weird change in my life, and I have no idea when it happened. 

I'm wondering how many other random, completely out of context life changes are set to happen in life in the future. Like, is this just a stage? Is it normal? Do other people experience such drastic randomness? Who knows, and who knows if there's truly any such thing as a true introvert or extrovert. Maybe we all have some of both and that's just something I'm just now noticing in myself and in others.  

Life's funny and so are personalities. Embrace change because you never know when it might happen.  

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Change happens, even if it's grey hair, and it's okay.  

5 Ways to Become a 'Morning Person'

Waking up in the mornings is a funny thing. It's almost like waking up from time travel. One moment it's one day, and then the next moment, that day is gone and it's another day- all with the literal closing and opening of an eye. It's like going on this long 6 - 8 hour journey that usually feels like five minutes in which you don't remember anything about. Then, you open your eyes, wake up and feel like you've either been hit by a bus or had a long night of drinking the night before. 

Another funny thing about waking up in the morning is the way that it effects your thought process. Take for example this common situation: It's 6:30 a.m., and your alarm goes off. You push snooze because in your mind at that moment in time, eight more minutes sounds like an hour and sounds like if you can only get that eight more minutes of sleep, you'll be fully rested. Eight minutes goes by, your alarm goes off and you push snooze again. And again. And heck, you're already going to be running 30 minutes late, what's wrong with hitting snooze one last time? It doesn't even matter at this point, right? See, the mind does funny things when it's morning and your reasoning function isn't full awake yet. When I think about that situation now while I'm fully awake, I think it's dumb to push snooze that many times; I would love to have the extra 30 minutes to myself in the mornings so I don't have to rush around to get to work on time; however, if you ask me at 6 a.m. if I want that extra 30 minutes, you bet your bottom dollar I'm going to take it. It's like I'm two different people. 

You see though, I really do like mornings. I don't know if I'd call myself a morning person, but I enjoy the part of the day before anyone else is awake yet; it's so quiet, and I feel almost like I have the world to myself. The hardest part of it all is the first minute and a half of trying to convince myself to crawl out of my warm cocoon and put my feet on the cold, wooden floor so I can make my way to the kitchen. After that 90 seconds though, early mornings are worth it. 

So if you're like me and trying to get into the whole early-morning adulthood thing, here's a couple of bullets of advice:

• Start by setting your alarm just 15 minutes earlier each morning until you're used to the early times.
• Don't set your alarm to the tune of your favorite song; By day three you'll hate your alarm and you'll hate that song.
• Set your alarm far enough away form your bed that you have to get out of bed to shut it off.
• Don't give up, even if you still find yourself hitting snooze.
• Think about why you're waking up as you wake up, not why you shouldn't wake up early.
  

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: You snooze, you lose.​

For When You Feel Ripped Off

Today was a happy day! After 2.5 long weeks, I finally got my truck back from the shop after my little fender bender that happened a month or so back. I was so pumped! I finally got transportation back in my life without having to rely on my friends (sorry, guys), Ubers or walking everywhere in the cold January air. I felt the freedom flow back into my anxious, lead feet, ready to hit the road again to drive around and see friends here and there. But then. . . I saw the bill. 

You know how sometimes you're like, "I bet I know what this is going to cost," (you know, because of estimates). Well, I did NOT know what this was going to cost me because the estimate they gave me was a lightyear away from what it ended up being. Long story short, I left the shop feeling PUMPED that I actually got to drive my own vehicle home, but by the time I got home, I felt broke as a joke and kind of ripped off, outweighing said PUMPED feeling momentarily. 

This circumstance provided a chance for me to do a heart check on myself by asking the question, "How should I respond when I feel like someone rips me off?" It's a question we should all ask because, eventually, we're all going to feel ripped off at some point.

Should we be angry? Do we say something, or better yet, do we retaliate? Should we pretend like nothing happened and just move on to the next thing with a little less cash in our pockets? WWJD? Do we make a vow to never use a business again? There are just so many options, thoughts and feelings, but which one is the right one? 

I'm still not sure, and I'm still not totally sure how I'm going to respond, but I know this, as angry as I was about it, I don't want to be angry, and as much as I wanted to walk back into the shop and demand to know why the cost was so much higher than predicted cost, I don't want to be a demanding person. I actually want to be the opposite of those types of things; I don't want to be angry or demanding, and I definitely don't want something like money getting me down in the dumps. There are bigger things to worry about and other things I'd rather be known for. 

Looking back on it now as the anger has flared down and I've asked myself that question, there's probably a logical explanation for what happened between the estimate and the actual. Going in there with my agenda and my thoughts on how they should fix it probably won't make any difference, and, honestly, I probably don't know enough about cars or the situation to justify anything. With that, I guess the best way I can think to respond when it feels like someone has ripped you off is to step back, let the anger flare down and begin to think logically, not emotionally, about the situation at hand. Weigh the facts and try to see things from the other side of the fence. Sure, you may and I may get ripped off, but in the end, aren't we supposed to turn the other cheek and give someone our shirt if someone takes our coat? 

Sometimes we're going to get the short end of the straw, but that's okay. Life happens, and in time, everything works out. If you feel ripped off, take a breath, step back and think about what happened and why the other party did what they did and why you're responding the way you're responding, then, if they have ripped you off,  rip off some kindness and send it their way. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: If you feel ripped off, rip off some kindness. 

How to Make a Frozen Pizza Without Eating Wax Paper

There's something about being a young bachelor and frozen pizza that go hand-in-hand. If you're under the age of 30, a male, unmarried  and have no one to cook for other than yourself, odds are, you probably eat frozen pizzas on a semi-regular basis (semi meaning at least once a week, maybe twice if it's cold outside). In my book, frozen pizzas are right up there with dogs as man's best friend, maybe even better because you don't have to feed them; they feed you. They're convenient, quick and great for any occasion, except, when they betray you. Tonight, I was betrayed by my frozen pizza.

Like most people, not just single guys, I don't like doing dishes, so I do anything I can to alleviate the number of dishes I do. When I make a frozen pizza, this involves one key thing: Placing aluminum foil between the pizza and the pizza pan so there's no pan to wash after the pizza is done. The foil protects the pan from the pizza crumbs and cheese, and you can just slip it back into the cabinet; it's a great concept if you haven't tried it. Anyway, this time, I was COMPLETELY out of aluminum foil, so I decided to try using the next best thing: a wax paper baking sheet. 

Except here's the thing; a wax paper baking sheet wasn't the next best thing.

You see, I feel like there's a little bit of misleading information in the term, "wax paper baking sheet." One, because wax tends to melt when it gets hot, and two, because baking involves heat. Heat and wax don't mix, so why are there wax baking sheets? Heck if I know, but I know I won't be using them again anytime soon because this happened:

I ate an entire sheet of wax paper. Literally, an entire sheet. How did this happen, you might ask. Well, let me tell you. I forgot that I had put the wax paper under my frozen pizza when I put it in the oven to bake at 400 degrees for 17 minutes, and apparently, the wax paper baked into the crust, because that's what happens when wax gets to 400 degrees; it melts. I didn't even notice or remember I'd put wax paper under it until I'd gotten to my last slice when I pulled a sliver of the paper out of my mouth because I noticed I was chewing on something that wasn't pizza. That's how it happened. That's how I ate an entire sheet of wax paper in one sitting.

I don't really understand how this happened. I've seen my mom use baking sheets hundreds of times, for cookies, bread and all sorts of stuff, so I don't know why my baking sheets melt and hers don't. Technically, I don't really know anything about baking or cooking, and I don't really have a 'Cliff Note' or a moral to this situation or story either, other than this: If you're under the age of 30, a male, unmarried and have no one else to cook for, and you like frozen pizzas, save time on dishes by putting something between your pizza and your pizza pan, but whatever you do, don't make that something wax paper. Otherwise, you'll eat, and you won't even know it until it's too late.

Cheers.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Wax melts when heated. Don't heat it, or you'll eat it. 

Trading a Birthright for French Fries; The Short-Sightedness in Our Decision-Making Process

Waiter: "What would you like with your sandwich? We have salad or fries."

Me: (thinking to myself) "Why am I having to choose from two of the most different foods in the entire world as a side? Is there no middle ground?"

Waiter: *waiting*

Me: "I'll have the fries."

I think we've all faced this situation before. The waiter asks you what you want for a side, and you can pick one of two options: The healthy option or the unhealthy option. Rarely is there ever a middle ground. One option, the healthy one, will be better for you in the long run. It's full of veggies, vitamins and freshness that ultimately, will be better for you. It's the option that you'll feel better with after you leave the restaurant and count as a win for the day as far as trying to eat healthier. The other option, the unhealthy one aka: fries, won't be better for you in the long run, but it's also the option that will satisfy what you want at the moment. The fries are the option you pick immediately because you know they'll taste the best, even if it'll cost you some health points at the end of the day. In the moment, it's easy to see the fries as the most satisfying option, but then later, it hits you. All that grease. All that fried-ness. All that artery clogging joy.

We're all faced with these kinds of decisions ever day, decisions that can either give us immediate satisfaction or decisions that require patience. We have to make choices that can either give us joy in the moment or choices that we have to wait and be patient for. Usually, it's the choices that require patience that are the tougher option, and it's also those choices that, usually, lead to the better result, like salad compared to fries. 

I read a story about this today, kind of. It was a story in Genesis of two young guys, one named Esau, and the other one named Jacob. They're twins, but Esau is the older of the two, so accordingly, he received the birthright of being the first born male. One day, Esau came home from work and was hungry, and he saw Jacob cooking some stew, so he asked for some. Jacob, being sly, said he would give Esau some soup if he would sale him his birthright right then. Esau, being hungry, and maybe slightly ignorant, obliged to Jacob's request and swore his birthright over to Jacob. Esau got his soup and Jacob got the birthright. Esau sold a lifetime promise for a moment's satisfaction without a second thought. 

Now, any normal person, or me on any day of the week, would look at this situation and say that Esau made a terrible move trading some Campbell's Cream of Mushroom for a lifetime of right of possession and privilege. It's easy to say he made a stupid decision and didn't think through what exactly he was doing; however, how often do we do the same thing whenever we're faced with temptation? We trade a moment of immediate satisfaction for a lifetime of promise. We want the soup, not the birthright because that's what's in front of us. In our short sightedness, we want what will satisfy us immediately, not what's best for us in the long run. 

It's easy to get lost in short-sightedness in our decision making process, whether it's order a side order to go with a sandwich, or in the face of temptation when it comes to choosing to sin or not to sin. We too easily associate the positives with what we ultimately  know is going to be a negative situation, rather than the negatives. If we want to help our decision making process, adjust your sights, look long-term and weigh both the positives and the negatives; don't just focus on the instant gratification. Look at the ultimate, lifelong promises at hand, and don't sacrifice those for something that will only temporarily satisfy your desires. A lifetime promise is greater than a moment's pleasure. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: If opening a restaurant, include something other than just salad or fries on the menu. Add a middle option too. Like apple sauce.  

'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' & Travel Dreams

Last night, I watched the movie, 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.' It's a great flick, and easily one of my new favorites. It's one of the few movies out there I can watch more than once and not get bored with, not to mention, it has an absolutely perfect soundtrack to go with it. Essentially, the movie is about a man named Walter who works for Life Magazine. He spends his days day dreaming a lot because he doesn't do anything exciting in real life, except work, until he loses an important photo for Life's final print magazine cover. He ends up traveling to Greenland, Iceland and the Himalayas searching for this photo, battling sharks, drunk helicopter pilots and volcanos along the way. Needless to say, his life goes from boring to full-on pretty quickly. It's a great reminder that 'Life' doesn't have to be a boring routine, and that it can be an epic adventure at any moment. All it takes is a few leaps of faith. Anyway, anytime I watch this movie, it makes me want to stop whatever I'm doing and get on the next flight possible leaving the nearest airport, which can be both healthy and unhealthy. It does another thing too. It makes me dream of what I think I want my life to look like.

I think if I had a dream life it might look something like this: 

Seeing the world and meeting the people in the world would be the highlight. The jobs I would have would be temp jobs that wouldn't require a long-term commitment but paid enough to have a small apartment. I'd be able to work until I'd saved enough money to travel to a new place. Then, I'd sell/give away some more of the stuff I'd acquired, move on and start the process all over again. I wouldn't really want to own a lot, maybe just a couple of suitcases of clothes- one for winter and one for summer, a laptop for writing, a camera for pictures, a few books and a phone to stay in touch. And an orange VW van. Definitely an orange VW van.

The trouble with this dream life is that it doesn't seem plausible. It doesn't really provide any way to get health insurance, have a family or prepare for any sort of retirement. Not to mention, there isn't really any guarantee of a new job each and every time I want to find another one after a stent of traveling. It also seems kind of selfish because it all centers on me. 

Living a life full of traveling, telling people about Jesus, seeing the world, writing, taking photos and working in temp jobs sounds like a dream, but is it? Sure, it would be the perfect life to live if I wanted to match it up perfectly with the ultimate Indie playlist on Spotify, but how realistic of a life is it, not just for me but for those around me? After all, mom and dad won't always be around to cover my back if things don't go according to plan. I'm not sure, but a life like this seems a little iffy. 

I'm not sure what exactly shaped this life dream of mine that lacks permanence and realism. Maybe it's the fact I just have the travel bug, or maybe it's something deeper. Maybe it's because, in the words of Switchfoot, "I'm just looking for a world where I belong." I think I'm at a stage in life where I'm still trying to figure life out. I'm at a stage in life where I'm learning that this world really isn't my home, and no matter how many places I live or how many times I scratch my travel itch, I'm still going to have that refugee feeling in my soul. I'm still going to have that unfilled feeling of not belonging that only eternity will be able to fulfill. Until then, I'm still going to have these unrealistic dreams of traveling/living that are unrealistic because the reality is, traveling the world and seeing it all doesn't ultimately satisfy one's heart's desire. My ultimate heart desire can only be met one day in eternity when I finally enter a world I belong in with my Creator. Then, maybe then, my travel itch won't itch any more. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Don't watch 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' unless you want to get the urge to drop whatever you're doing and get on a plan and go to Greenland. 

The Eye of a Needle

I spent my Saturday fishing. I hopped in my little rental, blue smurf car and headed to a lake that's about 20 minutes out of the city called Lake Keystone. It was supposed to be the warmest day of the MLK Day long weekend, so I decided to take advantage of it.

On my way to the lake, I had the radio tuned to a country station, and a song came on called 'Buy Me a Boat.' In the song, it has this lyric that says, "​I keep hearing that money is the root of all evil, and you can’t fit a camel through the eye of a needle. I'm sure that’s probably true, but it still sounds pretty cool." Now, I'm sorry if this offends you, but I totally fall into the category of believing that country music has some of the simplest/lamest lyrics out there of all the genres. I still enjoy it, but still. The lyrics could get better, especially lyrics like this.  

Anyway, the reason I point this lyric out of this song is because I thought it was super ironic that it was talking about threading something (a camel)​ through the eye of a needle, while I knew I was going to be practically threading needles all day fishing. 

You see, when you fish, you break lines, and when you break lines you have to tie new hooks on, which is, essentially, the most difficult part of fishing. It's tedious, time consuming and takes a steady hand, especially the part of putting the line through the eye of the hook. 

The line from the song is quoting a verse out of the Bible in which Jesus says it's easier for a camel (A CAMEL) to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. This description became a reality for me today as I spent a lot of my time tying hooks, rather than catching fish. It was surprising a lot more difficult than I'd remembered trying to get that tiny fishing line through that tiny hole of the eye of the hook. If it's that difficult to get something that small through an eye, I can't imagine what it would be like trying to get a camel through there. Fat chance of that happening. 

I say all this to say, I totally see where Jesus is coming from. I totally get how hard it is to not rely on yourself and rely on God when you have loads of money. It's easy to rely on yourself when have the capabilities of gaining the world yourself. It would almost seem unnecessary to rely on God. ​It makes sense that wealth is that big of a barrier to knowing God fully. I hope it's a barrier that I can avoid, and I hope it's one the guy who sings the song 'Buy Me a Boat' avoids too. 

​-Cliff

Cliff's Note: On the whole, country music needs to work on its lyrics. 

3 Keys to Finding Something to Do

Have you ever noticed that when you visit and/or move to a new city, the number of possibilities of things to do/places to go seems relentlessly long? Everything is literally new because it's a 'new' city,' and like all new things, you just want to try it and try it all. It's slightly daunting. 

When you're in a new place, you don't so much have to 'find stuff to do.' It's actually more like a you have to 'pick something to do.' It would be like hunting for beef in a pasture full of cows (not that that's something anyone would ever do); It's too easy, and the possibilities are endless. There are new restaurants to try, new roads to drive down and new people to meet. You don't have to seek these things out; they're just there. It's just up to you (and me) to go out and do it. But how? 

Ask for Advice
If there's one thing that people are especially bad at these days, myself included, it's asking for advice. There's just something about it that's kind of awkward/kind of hesitant. It's like a last resort for a lot of people; however, without advice, how would we really the secrets of what to do. After all, you can't believe everything you read on the internet, can you? If you want to find something to do and narrow down your choices, ask for advice. It'll give you some direction and give you some local secrets. 

Take a Friend
Doing things alone has it's perks because you can do whatever you want, but doing things with someone has it's perks too, number one being that you're not alone. There's something about making memories with someone else that holds more value than making them alone because then you have someone to reminisce with, laugh with and learn with. Having a partner in crime is a solid way to help find something to do in a new place. Sure, you may have the awkward, "What do you want to do?" "I don't know; What do you want to do?" moment, but in the end, you'll both be able to narrow something down pretty quickly and be able to find something to do you'll both enjoy. Plus, you'll miss out on the awkwardness that sometimes comes along with doing things alone in a new place. 

Don't Be Afraid of Being 'the New Guy'
This one is a tough one for me because I hate being 'the new guy,' or better yet, 'that guy.' Whether I'm visiting a new church for the first time or going into a new restaurant for the first time awkwardly wondering whether or not to seat myself, I always feel like I reek of the new guy smell. It's like people just know you're new because of the way you behave or because they just don't recognize you, and sometimes, this can be intimidating; however, it shouldn't be. Everyone is new at some point, and I know when I see someone new, I don't think anything about it. I'm excited to meet them and introduce them to my friends, and odds are, they're thinking that same thing. Let people know you're new, whether it's by reeking of 'new guy' smell or just telling them. Where your new smell proudly and accept the politeness of others when they try to help you out.

If you're in a new city or new place, embrace it, enjoy it and awkward it up. After all, you're only new once, and soon, you'll be the person getting to help along someone else who is new. Find something new to do and enjoy it!

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Ask for advice, find something new to do with someone and embrace being the 'new guy.' It'll make your 'new' experience better!

Skies Out Fries Out

I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but the weather outside today was absolutely amazing. The sun was out, it was warm and there wasn't any wind. For Oklahoma in the middle of January, that's pretty stinkin' good. I'd forgotten just how much of a blessing warm days in the middle of winter are, not just because it makes for a beautiful day, but because it provides a lot of relief for a lot of people who need a break for the cold.

Anyway, during today's beautiful sunshine, I met a man; let's call him 'Dave.' Dave was sitting on the sidewalk, up against a restaurant here in Tulsa called McNellie's soaking up the sun. He was wearing some black shoes to go with his black sweat pants and Chicago Bulls jacket, and he had a hat on to keep the brightness out of his face. I had just finished up eating at McNellie's when I caught sight of him as I swung out the door and headed down the sidewalk with a group of co-workers. We had just finished up at an employee's farewell lunch.

Dave was sitting by himself, not talking to anyone or doing anything, just sitting there smiling. He looked happy, so I stopped by him to say hello. He returned the greeting with a smile and asked if I had a couple of bucks to spare so he could go buy some french fries. Being a lover of french fries myself, I had to oblige. We talked about fries, what he was up to for the afternoon and sunshine for just a minute or so, but I don't think I've ever met anyone so content with simply sunshine and french fries.

Dave talked about how happy he was that he was getting a break from the cold weather and how he was ready for spring, and I couldn't help but realize just how big of a deal it was that he was getting a dose a spring time early. It was a small thing, but at the same time, a really big thing. It was a reminder that all cold seasons come to an end and have their moments of relief, just like all 'cold' seasons in life have their end and their moments of relief, and we should enjoy those moments and be thankful for them, basking in their sunlight.

It's easy to go through life enjoying the sunshine and not being thankful for it, just as it's easy to go through life not enjoying the cold and complaining about it; however, take some advice from Dave: "Take shelter when it gets cold and be extraordinary grateful when it's sunny. Life's gunna have its cold, and it's going to have its hot, so enjoy what ya got."

Dave was a cool guy; I hope to run into him again soon. Maybe we'll get fries.

-Cliff

Dave's Note: "Take shelter when it gets cold and be extraordinary grateful when it's sunny. Life's gunna have its cold, and it's going to have its hot, so enjoy what ya got."

The God Who Reads Minds

I don't know about you, but when I pray, I usually bow my head, close my eyes and pray silently. It seems pretty rare that I pray out loud, unless I'm praying with/for a group of people or another person. It's something I could definitely stand to grow at, but I just noticed one thing about praying to myself the other day that I think is is cool: God can read minds.

You don't have to have me tell you that God has a lot of really amazing characteristics. He's loving, kind, good, merciful, just, etc., etc. The list could go on for eternity; however, this whole idea of God also being  all-knowing, aka omniscient, really just recently stuck out to me. Yes, all-knowing means that God knows everyone and whats going on everywhere, but it also means so much more than that to me. It means He knows my thoughts, knows my heart and knows my prayers even when I don't verbalize them. Think about that for a second and let it sink it.

Remember all those times you prayed those silent prayers to yourself? All those times you prayed along silently while the pastor prayed out loud? All the times your mind was screaming out for help but your mouth stayed shut? Yup. God heard every single one of those, and this blows my mind.

The omniscience of God gets Him access to everyone's prayers ever. Not just mine, not just yours, but everyone's from all over the world. From the young kid across the big pond saying a prayer for the very first time to the elderly folks down the street praying for their long, lost friends, He hears them all, both the silent pleas we're too afraid to say and the audible cries out for help when we're most desperate. This is extremely comforting.

Psalm 139:4 says that "before a word is even on our tongue, He knows the thought completely," and then He comes back and promises us in 1 John 3 that He is greater than our heart, even when our heart condemns us because He knows all. Essentially, He overcomes all obstacles to knowing us. He already knows us. He knows us better than anyone will and anyone every could, and as scary as that may sound, I think it still sounds more comforting. I'm thankful I have a God that I literally can't lie to because He already knows. I'm thankful that I have a God Who already knows what I need when I need it, even when I may not recognize it yet. Having a God Who reads minds may seem like too much in some people's books, but in mine, it's amazing. I can be honest with Him because He already knows the truth, and He already knows the truth because He is the Truth.

Think about it. God already knows you are.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: God can read my mind. Cool. He can hear my prayers even when they're silent. Cooler. God knows my prayers before I even say them. Coolest. 

The Hidden Blessing of Job

I remember the first time I heard the term 'prosperity Gospel.' Honestly, I had no idea what it really meant, but it sounded good. After all, 'prosperity' is a good word, and so is 'Gospel,' so surely combining the two would be a good thing, right?

Wrong.

Now, I know what prosperity Gospel means, and I know that it's founded on the idea that with more faith, positive speech and tithing, one's material wealth will increase. It' essentially the belief that God's will is to financially bless His people, and frankly, when I read the Bible, I don't see this belief holding much of any validity.

I just finished up reading the book of Job. For those of you who don't know, Job was a guy in the Old Testament of the Bible who was considered to be the most righteous man on the earth. God saw him as this, and God knew that whatever happened to him, he wouldn't curse God's name. Then, the devil challenged this belief God had and struck Job with all of these plagues and terrible things, all of which God gave the devil permission to do, as long as he didn't kill Job. Job receives all of these plagues, but he never once curses God, even after his wife tells him to. He and his friends spend about 20 chapters discussing the 'why' of what's happening, but not once does Job curse his God.

Throughout the dialogue of Job and his friend's discussion, you get a glimpse into what Job's life looked like and how he lived. He lived a life of blessing, but even more than that, he really did live a life of righteousness. He fed and clothed the poor with his own sheep and food, he was a father to the fatherless and cared for widows, and he even made a covenant with his eyes to never look lustfully at another woman besides his wife. He truly lived righteously, but even yet, that did not stop the hard things from happening to him in his life.

It's hard to argue that anyone has ever lived as righteously as Job did but lost as much as Job lost. He lost all his sons and daughters, all of his livestock, all his servants and was even inflicted with lots of physical pain and sickness. He was truly tested, and that didn't look anything like 'prosperity Gospel.' It looked like the opposite. No matter how much faith, positive speech and tithing he participated in, he still was pushed to the limits here on earth. Blessings weren't given to him; they were taken away; however, I don't think anyone has ever been more blessed by God than how Job was treated.

God saw Job so righteous that God tested him to the most extreme of human circumstances in his day and time. God knew Job's heart so well that He knew that Job would not break. God knew where Job's treasure really was. He knew it wasn't in his stuff, wasn't in his family and wasn't in his health, but that his treasure was truly with God in Heaven. 

I can only pray that one day God sees me in the light that He saw Job- that He sees me as righteous enough to take everything I may hold dear to me away from me in order to prove that my heart really is with Him no matter what. That's my prayer.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Blessing doesn't always look like 'being blessed;' sometimes it looks like suffering.

The Seventh Day

​“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”​

This is the Biblical account of the seventh day of the world, and unlike the days before it, nothing was created, but everything was finished. The seventh day was a day of rest. 

I'm not sure if you've ever thought much about what God resting might look like, but think about it for a second. What does it look like for the Creator and Sustainer of the world to rest? Does He nap? Does He sit back, chill and watch His creation unfold? Maybe He people watches. I'm not sure, but I believe that there's something to be said for even the God of the universe taking a rest and a break from creation because He knows it's good and that He created it perfect, perfect to naturally, kind of "run itself," if you will.

I feel like God rested to show us that we all need rest sometimes and that the world will be just fine on its own without our input for a day. He made the seventh day a blessing and a break from all of the work, creating and business of the other six days of the week. The seventh day is a gift. 

God gave us rest and showed us rest when He didn't have to. He didn't have to take a break or show us how to take breaks. He could've kept working after He created Adam and Eve and put them to work strait away, but instead He blessed them with the command to be fruitful and multiply, while also giving them a day of rest and displaying the importance of rest by showing them that even the Creator of it all is humble enough to let the world spin and take a rest. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Taking rest is a symbol of humility.  

The Sixth Day

"And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds - livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.' And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"

"So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them."

"And God blessed them, And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.' And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."

This is the Biblical account of the sixth day of the world, and what a busy day it must've been. It's the day all gaps of the creation process were filled. It's the day that God finally populated with universe's first and best zoo. The sixth day of creation is why you and I are here and why you and I are surrounded by all we are surrounded by. 

The sixth day of the world was absolutely epic, and somehow, seems like it would've taken the most work. From creating every wild animal, every single bug and every piece of livestock to creating the human species, a lot went into day six; plus, day six would've been like God's Friday, and He work extra hard that day! I don't know about you, but for me, Fridays barely count as work days because the week is basically over. God didn't care though; He grinded it out all week, and then He finished just as strong, if not stronger than He started, with even more creativity and personal touch. 

I also think the sixth day of creation is amazing because of the way God seemed to have the whole world prepared just for what was coming into it: animals and people. He had already provided every piece of food, every piece of shelter and every piece of clothing that we and the rest of creation might need. He didn't create humans before He created provision for us, and He didn't create plants before He created sunlight. He knew what He was doing.

The sixth day of creation had to have been the longest day of creation; I feel like God definitely put in some over-time hours knowing He was going to be creating something in His image and knowing what all that was going to do. I'm glad He did it though. I'm so glad He made us and let us be a part of His story and that now, because He created us all those years ago, we get to live forever with Him in His New Creation. What could be better?

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: God made a great place for us to live in; He would be a great zookeeper. 

The Fifth Day

"And God said, 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.' So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them saying, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day."

This is the Biblical account of the fifth day of the world. This was the day that God filled the oceans, lakes, rivers and skies with all their living creatures. It was the day He filled the ocean's depths with all the mysterious creatures we barely know of and all the mysterious creatures that we don't know anything of. He made the creatures great and small, and He made some to live longer than other. He gave us birds to soar and fly throughout the heavens making traveling through the air appear seemingly effortless, while man still tries his hardest to build machines that can only scratch the surface of the elegance of flying.

It was on the fifth day that God decided to venture into the heights and depths of His creation and fill them with specific life that could only live there. He went to the deepest valleys of the ocean and left His fingerprints on sea creatures we've only just begun to discover, and He went to the highest of heights and filled the skies with birds of all kinds that seem to be able to fly to outer space if they wanted too, as they fly for hundreds upon hundreds of miles. 

God made the fifth day a special day because it was the day He told us that, "There is no place I do not know or have not been on my creation. I have covered it in my handiwork. You can go as deep as you want or as high as you want, but you cannot escape Me. I have created all and filled creation with all, and I know every height and depth of it." God truly knows this world better than we ever could. He has made it to be explored, and He's left a never-ending path of creatures for us to discover along the way. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: God has truly left his fingerprints all over the earth, both at its highest and lowest points. 

The Fourth Day

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in he expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.' And it was so. And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day."

This is the Biblical account of the fourth day of the world. This is the day that God made the sun, the moon and the stars and the day that He hung them in the heavens. Like most days in the creation story, this day too has its questions and mysteries, but personally, this day has more questions and mysteries than others. 

It was on day one that God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. It was on day one that He gave the world something to break through the darkness; however, what was the light He gave on day one if didn't put the sun, moon or stars into place until day four? 

This was something that I noticed for the first time today as I was rereading the creation account. I didn't catch it at first, but then when I thought about it, I had to wonder why God would make more lights if the world already had light. Why would He need to create "two great light" if the world already had light enough for plants, vegetation and life to grow? 

I don't know the answer to this, and I'm not a theological expert, but I have a guess: What if the light from day one was simply God Himself? What if He was the one giving light to the world? I may be reading the creation account wrong, but I really do wonder why there's light on day one, enough light to have plants on day three and then two other 'great' lights are created on day four. It's just so cool to me in my head to think about God actually being all the light that's needed for the entire earth. It's like that picture we get in Revelation of the new Heaven when the world doesn't need the sun or the moon anymore because God will be the only light we'll need. I feel like Genesis was just a foreshadowing of what's to come in Eternity.

God made the sun, the moon and the stars because He knew we'd need them, but one day we won't. I'm pumped for that day.  

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: God is and has always been the true Light of the world, even before the sun, moon and stars.

The Third Day

"And God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.' And it was so.  God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good."

"And God said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.' And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day."

This is the Biblical account of the third day of the world. Land was formed, as mountains and hills jutted out of the ground, while valleys and prairies fell at their feet. Water rushed around the world filling river beds, lakes, seas and oceans, separating the salt water from the fresh water. The Creator who needs no land or water to walk on created land and water for us to walk on so we could walk with Him. 

The third day was the first day of life. Plants and vegetation sprouted out of the ground for the first time in preparation for what was to come next. Fruits, vegetables, seeds and plants took over the earth in preparation for the provision it would soon have to provide for all living creatures, and flowers and trees clothed it in matchless beauty. 

 An invisible Creator created the visible, and the Provider of all provided provision. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: The third day was the first day of life, just as the third day was our first day of salvation. 

The Second Day

"And God said, '"Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."' And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day."

This is the Biblical account of the second day of the world's creation. This was the day that God made sky. He made the heavens. This is the day that there became a separation between sky and earth, the day that birds had a place to fly and the day that space and open skies became a reality.

The day that God made the Heavens must've been beautiful. It would've been the day that hosted the first sunrise and the first sunset, the day that made cloud watching possible and the day that gave way to the great expanse of sky that wraps around the entire world. He separated clouds from lakes and storms from oceans, all with the command of His voice. 

That was the second day.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: The first sunrise and sunset must've been special; it was the beginning of the sky's worship toward the Heavens. 

The Builder

A good builder once constructed a beautiful house. He laid the foundation, built the walls and finished the roof all by himself. When he was finished, he looked at the house and saw that it was good. ​

Eventually, a storm came and hit that house. It knocked some of the shingles off and did some damage to the walls. The house was no longer what it was before, and the builder was grieved by what he saw. After all, he'd put so much work into it, but now the house was broken. It wasn't strong anymore. So, the builder tore down the house and started over. He rebuilt the house, fixed it and binded it up, making it stronger than before. Though the storm broke the house, the builder knocked it down, but after that, he fixed it. ​He made it better, and the house was stronger.

​“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.”

-‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6:1‬ ‭

Just like the builder, God is in control. He may break us down, but He will also heal us. He may strike us down, but He is also the one Who will bind us up. ​He may discipline those He loves, but He will no doubt heal them all the more. 

-Cliff​

Cliff's Note: You're the house; He's the builder. ​

The First Day

In the the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

This is the Biblical account of the first day. It was the beginning. It was on this day that the world was formed and creation begin, and its account is both mysterious and beautiful. It's an account that not only tells the story of creation itself, but it also tells the story of the creation that must happen in our lives if we want rebirth.

In the beginning, God created us, but we were without true form, void and full of darkness; however, the Spirit of God was still with us.

Then, one day, God performs a miracle in our lives and says, "Let there be Light," and He introduces us to His Son, Jesus. He calls His Son, the Light, good, and while there is still darkness, He separates that from us and gives us Day, and it's from that Day that we have our first day, our first day of Real Life and Real Creation in Him.

You're a creation, and you were formed by Him. He can and will speak Light into you. Live your first day.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Once there was chaos and darkness, but then He spoke order and Light.