Where The Spiritual & Affable Collide

God Makes Me Sleepy

tmoney80 — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:32:38 +0000

So I am a night person and usually have trouble getting to sleep quickly unless I am really exhausted, because of that, it allows me to think in bed while I’m waiting to fall asleep. Last night was one of those nights. I went to bed not terribly tired, so my mind began to wander and I began thinking about the rapture. Usually when I think about the rapture at night, I get scared of it, more so than if I were thinking about it during the day. Maybe that has to do with the “thief in the night” verse…that verse is just creepy, I’m sorry. But this time before my mind went way off on the issue God spoke to me about it. You should know that most of my life I have always been a little scared of it…I guess because I don’t totally understand it. My fears lie in these unanswered questions: what’s going to happen to me when Christ comes back, how will it feel, what will I see, will it be scary in the first few moments, will I even realize what’s happening at first…those ideas are kind of unnerving to me. I know that the Scriptures say that He will come like a thief in the night…and in the blink of an eye, basically saying it will happen faster than we’ll know. But God gave me a very interesting truth last night. Basically He said “during your life you put your trust in Me for all your tangible needs: food, clothes, work, your dreams, your destiny, money, etc…when I come back you will need to trust that I will take care of you eternally, with things that you don’t know as tangible.” As I thought about that idea I realized “you’re right God” (surprise) in this life we trust God for things that we know about, things that man is able to attain without relying on God’s help…money, jobs, clothes, career, etc. But at the moment we enter eternity we will need to trust God with things we have no idea about. We will need to trust Him when He is perfecting our salvation, when He is giving us our glorified body, when He is showing us our mansion in heaven, when He is showing us how to truly worship. Now I know I am thinking about these things on a very human level and in human terms. I understand that when we get to heaven we will “know even as we are known” (1 Cor 13:12)…or in other words, when I am perfected all my imperfections will disappear, and everything that will happen to us, will be for our good. But I guess that’s my point…like Prov. 3:5 points out…Ultimate Trust is leaning not on your own understanding but in ALL your ways acknowledging Him. In all your doubts…acknowledge Him. I need to end relying on my understanding of eternity and the rapture and acknowledge Him. To the mortally minded that’s a scary thought, but to those who stay heavenly minded…it’s really no bother – this was a comforting thought as I lay there…then the next thing I know…I’m waking up for work.

*Side note: Isn’t it interesting how God comforts us of our worries basically putting us to sleep and taking them as His burden. It’s been said that God gets the most work done when we are sleeping. Probably because, at that point, we can no longer get in the way.

There Is Peace In My Presence

tmoney80 — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:19:35 +0000

…are the words I heard from that “still small voice” in the early morning the other day. God was up early and so was I. Uncharacteristic for me, but not for God. Even though I basically despise the morning there is something unique about it, especially in this day in age, when the ”noise” begins at 8:00am and doesn’t end until you go to bed. It was about 6am on this morning, it was still dark out and most people are either still sleeping or hitting the snooze for the first time. I was at the office sitting in the “creative arts” room waiting for 8:30 to come around so I could start work…I had to drop Jaclyn off at work early and that is why I was up. As I sat in the massage chair, I really tried to “be still” before God, not physically, since the electronic massage chair was making my body move, but spiritually and mentally. And as hard as it is to mentally “be still”, it actually happened. Weeks of not hearing from God were finally over when out of nowhere I heard softly and clearly…”there is peace in My presence”. I heard it again and again. I didn’t keep an exact count, but I probably heard it 5 or 6 times. There is something about hearing a direct word from the Lord that completely changes you. I can’t explain exactly what the change is, but I know that it is awesome. I guess it can be explained as the moment when your spirit and the spirit of God commune and you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is alive, real and is with you and powerful. When this happened the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders, the cares and worries of my present state were gone, and my heart was ministered to. Nothing else mattered and I knew, that I knew, that I knew that God was for me and was going to take care of me and Jaclyn. Ever since that day, I have not waivered and I have worked to stay in His presence. I remain at peace and now can testify that there truly is peace in His presence.

Waiting In Confusion

tmoney80 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:28:58 +0000

Well some of you know that Jaclyn and I moved in with some friends for a little while until we get our finances straightened out and while this is a huge blessing it is also a sacrifice and a challenge at times. We all want our own space. I should say that I probably am the only one in the house that is still a little unsettled about all of this. Our friends have truly been great. Anyway, I believe God has Jaclyn and I in a time of waiting. The Bible says to “BE STILL and know that I am God.” so while I wait in stillness, I am trying to get to know God better. The Bible also says “I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you…” It’s really hard to wait on the Lord and a lot of times confusing, but the Bible promises that strength will rise as we wait. Please pray for us that God will clearly and dramatically guide our steps and that we will know the path He has before us. Waiting is hard, but it’s wonderful to know that it’s in His purposes. At least we’re not alone, right? …oh and watching two cats become friends is fun!

Logical Argument Against The Pro-Choice Ridiculousness

tmoney80 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:32:58 +0000

Hey everyone,

Here is a well thought out argument from my boss that pretty much destroys the “logic” of the ProChoice stance. Look at the graph below. Then forward this link to everyone you know. Here is a link to the full argument…http://web.mac.com/flugelboy/politics/choice.html

God Knows Best

tmoney80 — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:39:26 +0000

So last year, Jaclyn and I were heavily in the market for a house…so much so that we got as far as being in escrow for one condo and having inspectors come through to make sure it was a good buy. Well, to our disappointment, at the time, we had to drop out of escrow and give up the condo we both really wanted due to insufficient finances. We were about to sign on to a really bad loan based on stated income instead of proven income. We basically were going to do anything to get into this house. However, the whole time we were in this process I continuously prayed that God’s will would be done, if He wanted us to get this house, He would provide, and if He didn’t want us in the house then He was going to have to stop it. And that’s what happened. As I said Jaclyn and I did everything in our powers to get this house, but we didn’t get it because God stepped in and slammed the door. Jaclyn and I were devasted but we just went on knowing God had a plan. Well………..fast foward a year and a half and now, with what’s going on with banks and investment firms, Jaclyn and I are ecstatic that we didn’t get that condo. If we did, we would be in financial ruin, most likely bankrupt. We would’ve probably had to foreclose on our house and our credit would be shot. Thank God that He knows best and thank God that He reveals His plan in due season.

My Election Conspiracy Theory

tmoney80 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:34:46 +0000

A month ago I developed an Election Conspiracy Theory that I haven’t spoken much of, and I just today found out from a friend that Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly have expressed the same view, although not necessarily as a conspiracy…but I can honestly say that I thought of it all by myself…so mark my words.

What is my conspiracy theory?

As the election day nears, Joe Biden will “remove himself” from the Vice Presidential bid, however, it will really be at the decision of Barack Obama. Very shortly after Biden leaves, Obama will choose Hillary Clinton to replace him. This decision will be a late October surprise and cause a huge rallying surge from the Democratic base. Then on November 4th the Obama/Clinton ticket will win the election hands down.

Why do I think this?

I can’t speak for Rush or Bill but I believe this has been completely premeditated since the summer. Here’s my list of reasons for thinking this way:

1. Right after Obama overwhelmingly gained the lead in the Democratic primaries, he and Senator Clinton met at S.O.H. Nancy Pelosi’s house in California and had a “closed” living room meeting that lasted several hours. No one else was there except the two and Pelosi, who was upstairs working in her office. There was no media coverage and no reports on the content of the meeting. All that was told was that it happened. What did they talk about that was so important that still no one knows to this day? They are both very smart political chess players. And still no one can figure out why he didn’t pick her to begin with. Maybe they knew this move would seal the deal.

2. Barack Obama is very politcally savy and intelligent. He knows that Clinton holds 18 million votes and regardless of whether you “get along” with the person, most politicians seeking national office will do almost anything to become President.

3. In recent days, Biden has made many politcal and party faux pas. For example, he has contradicted the Obama campaign numerous times, he has spoken against one of Obama’s political ads saying that if he knew about it he would have stopped it, his solution to the economic problem was for the public to become “more patriotic” and write checks to the government to cover the costs. All of these among other things. Now I personally don’t believe these mistakes are a huge deal or necessarily premeditated, but it does give Obama a public ”out” with Biden. However Biden will make it seem like his health is the reason he’s “dropping out”.

4. Now that Sarah Palin has been chosen and pretty much breathed new life into the dead Republican base, Obama now has some serious competition. Although, he didn’t know this was going to happen, he now has all the more reason to throw in the trump card by dropping Biden and embracing Clinton.

5. Even more reason, the polls have revealed a pretty strong deadlock between the two candidates. This would be a great way for Obama to gain an easy 10 point lead in the polls. (This one almost impossible to premeditate)

If this happens, the race would be over and in January Obama would be sworn in. This is not necessarily what I want, however I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened. If I were Obama, that’s what I would do. I guess we’ll see what happens. What say you?

The Inevitable Dealings Of A Christian Actor

tmoney80 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:28:54 +0000

I will be in the Modjeska Playhouses production of “The Odd Couple” on October 11, 12, 15, 18 & 19th at Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo, CA. Come if you can, curtain is at 7:30pm. Go to www.modjeskaplayhouse.org for more info.

Anyway, the play was written by Neil Simon and it is quite hysterical. If you want to laugh, this play won’t disappoint you. But even though the script is generally free of obscenities and foul language as a whole there are a few lines each of the characters have where they would say something like “for Crise sakes” or “for God’s sakes”. Now, I am not sure, but I want to believe that Neil Simon didn’t write those lines out of a disrespect for God but rather out of what was the common emotional & verbal response of the time, 1960′s New York (unfortunately it’s only gotten worse over the years). You see those specific lines only appear out of reaction to a ridiculous circumstance or out of a character’s attempt to get the other character to see things his way. Side note: I do not justify the reason or think that they should be in the script. But that’s why and where they appear in the script.

Which leads me to the point of this post. As a Christian actor, you always need to look at performance material through the eyes of the Christian Worldview. I tend to ask myself…does the message of this script point to the human condition and conclude in a way where we are left with hope. If so, I’m down. If not, probably not interested. Now some shows are written for strictly entertainment value and while I don’t necessarily believe they are the best use of the arts (more on that later), they have value in providing rest and leisure, which is good.

As an artist, the point is not to be perfect in discernment, but to have a Biblical standard of discernment. We all have done things which we look back and say…”yeah, that wasn’t the best decision I’ve made”. But I’m telling you, some people (“Christians”) have no idea what when to say “no, it goes against my beliefs.” And that’s a problem.

Also, as a Christian actor there are times when you say to the director I believe in the show and I think it’s fun but I will not be able to do or say this, this and this. And that is what I have done with those lines in The Odd Couple where I would be taking the Lord’s Name in vein. I haven’t heard back from the director yet so hopefully, I am not fired. I guess I’ll find out tonight at rehearsal. Actually, I’m sure it will be fine, since I have done it in the past and it’s been totally understood. It’s amazing how God works these things out.

Come see the show!

Unjust Criticism Forbidden

tmoney80 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:32:10 +0000

Last night I was watching television and a preview for Bill Maher’s new movie “Religulous” came on. If you don’t know Bill Maher, Wikipedia him, he is pretty famous for his far left liberal views and his outspoken and unapologetic belief that religion, any religion, is “a neurological disorder that justifies crazies and stops people from thinking” and therefore inconsequential (and that may be putting it lightly). Although to be fair to him, he does say…

“I’m not an atheist, no. I believe there’s some force, if you want to call it God… I don’t believe God is a single parent who writes books.”

So after seeing the ad, where in it the character “Jesus” says to him in a debate of beliefs “well, what if you’re wrong” and Bill responds with “what if you’re wrong”, I thought to myself, “Wow, this guys is lost and it is evident that sometime in his life he has developed this hatred of sorts for religion.” I then immediately prayed that God would soften his heart towards the truth about faith in Christ and lead someone to love him to Christ. After my short prayer, I thought to myself, “you know, if he died today he would go to hell.” Mind you this thought was not out of judgmental hatred for Bill Maher but out of genuine concern for his soul.

So here in lies my question. Some people would say that what I thought was wrong. To strengthen their point they will quote the verse in Matthew 7:1-3 where Jesus says:

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

However, I believe the thought I had was legit. Because according to Matthew 10:32 Jesus says…

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

And in Romans 10:9-10 Paul says…

9 …that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

And again in Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus says…

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

These verses make it clear the requirements for salvation in Christ and how to see it manifested in man. So my question is two fold, first, do you think I was wrong in “judging” the condition of Bill Maher’s soul at this point in his life? If so, how would we decipher who needs Jesus or not?

If you don’t think I was wrong in my assessment, then how are we to interpret the first verse I quoted in Matthew 7:1-3 about judging others?

In my Bible the summary title for that group of verses in Matthew 7 is “Unjust Criticism Forbidden”. Notice it doesn’t say “Criticism Forbidden” but “Unjust Criticism Forbidden”. Obviously the summary titles are man’s interpretation of what’s written and not necessarily part of God’s spoken word.

I think what I thought about Bill Maher is not against the teachings of scripture. However, what I do or how I act with that judgment is a different story and there in can lay a whole list of unbiblical thoughts and behaviors. I believe it is what we do with our judgments that can lead to sin, not so much the judgments themselves. Since justice comes out of love, it’s through love that I would even care for the salvation of others and through justice (the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral righteousness) that I would know whether someone’s life bears good fruit or bad fruit.

My mom made a good point about this in saying it is important to use the correct wordage. She said:

Hope this answers your question. It is all in the terminolgy of ‘Judging’ as opposed to observing or discerning. We know when a person commits a wrong act or speaks against what we know to be true (from the Bible). We are not judging the person, we are discerning that they are wrong. We also know that people who don’t accept Jesus, won’t want to be with Jesus forever, so therefore they send themselves to a place where they will never have to worship him (Hell).

For more go to:

http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/bible.show/sVerseID/23318/eVerseID/23318

Great point…50 points for mom!

I am looking to come to a better understanding of the scripture…looking to study to show myself approved. So please offer your thoughts and beliefs on this, what say you?…Ready, set, go!

Difficult Times Call For Difficult Trust

tmoney80 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:54:49 +0000

Many of you know that my wife and I have been going through some extremely difficult financial times. God has taught me so much in these times, not because He finally spoke to me, but because I finally am listening. I can also see how God has changed me for the better in recent months…that’s always a cool realization. But here is something my mom emailed me this morning, thought I would share. Pretty powerful!

F. B. Meyer on writing about how Abraham lied about Sarah being his sister said this:

How much better would it have been for Abraham to have thrown the responsibility back on God, and to have said, “Thou hast brought me here; and Thou must now bear the whole weight of providing for me and mine: here I will stay till I clearly know what Thou wilt have me to do.” If any should read these lines who have come into positions of extreme difficulty, through following the simple path of obedience, let them not look at God through difficulties, as we see the sun shorn of splendour through a fog; but let them look at difficulties through God. Let them put God between themselves and the disasters which threaten them. Let them cast the whole responsibility upon Him. Has He not thus brought you into difficulties, that He may have an opportunity of strengthening your faith, by giving some unexampled proof of His power? Wait only on the Lord, trust also in Him…He will provide.

What The Blog!

tmoney80 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:03:26 +0000

Hello my friends (do you like my John McCain impression?),

I have been converted to the world of blogging by my friend Erin Alaine Smith. I’m generally the last person to dive gungho into new technologies and progressive practices, so I am pretty disappointed in myself. For example, it took me a while to get my first cell phone. I know…I’m pretty ridiculous, I have problems. But I realized that for the last few months I have been consistently writing little devotionals and thoughts, so I decided, I might as well put it in the form of a blog so everyone can read it. The intent of this blog is not just to share my spiritual thoughts but also to share my life, which is sometimes pretty ridiculous, and since I consider myself affable, that’s what I will share. Please feel free to subscribe, post comments & enjoy or hate, despise, reject and punch your computer screen after reading. Welcome!