our culture needs JESUS!

I often walk around just doing my normal thing when God shows me something through our culture. Today I was at school when I saw a guy walk into the cafeteria, get food, and sit down. Then I saw this cute looking Spanish chick sit down at his table and start talking to him. He obviously knew her. Then I saw his wedding ring (because I notice that kind of stuff I guess). I had to wonder where his wife was and what she would be thinking if she saw her husband sitting there with this 20 something girl. He was obviously "checking her out" and you could just tell it wasn't good. It reminded me a lot of the movie phone booth where the guy has this girlfriend on the side and takes off his wedding ring when he calls her. It's sad really. When are men gonna figure out that this kind of stuff ruins marriages, other relationships,ect. Don't expect to have a good marriage if you can't be faithful. So anyways.......then I thought of this verse "Ephesians 5:3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people". I wonder how different our culture would be if every man could just live by this verse. I think it would be much different. We Christians need to change the culture.


In other news, my step dad is home and its changing our ( my family's) lives. Its given me more patience, and is beginning to teach me the age old saying "You don't know what you got till it's gone" It certainly has changed the way he lives each day and is changing the way I live mine. Value your life


In other other news.... school is done in 9 DAYS!!!
I AM SO EXCITED

this is gonna be a tough week though...and guess I should register if (and when) Desales does not let me back... I guess I should get on that but right now I'm just excited...

My western civilization class is gonna be an A unless I like get a C or worse on the final (how can you do that on an open notes final? HA HA)

The other classes (Intro to Drama + Macroeconomics) should be OK (B or C grade though it really depends on how stuff do this week goes and how the final in Macro goes.


I am confident about the Intro to Drama (especially after seeing the following email from my teacher today)!!!

"
Message no. 21 [Reply of: no. 20]
Author: Judith Schum
Date: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:48am
John,Now you are on track. Make sure you develop that hero concept as much as you can and correct/add your citations. This is the kind of work I was expecting from you.'


SWEEEET
I'm just gonna pray about it... and let God worry
it will all work out

Thank you

Thank you Jesus for your forgiveness. Thank you for your grace and for the oppurtunity to pray to you sitting wherever I am, whether in the car, or sitting here right now at my desk. Thank you for your mercy. Thank for your eternal gift. Thank you for reminding me of all these things and thank you for your guiding in my life as I try to live it for you.

Just one more way God has changed my life

I'm sick of the fighting between me and my parents. Its not like it happens alot, in fact the arguments are few and far between. By God's grace we get along very well for the most part now, and its good to, because 15 months ago, I was ready to rip out all of my hair. But sometimes the arguments still happen and they just make me want to flip out. I have tried to leave the argument. For instance, Sunday morning I got up @ 7 AM, got ready for church, ect. and then went to my dad's house in Reading. Got there about 9 AM and tried to set up the wireless router I had (not exactly the best time to do it, right before going to worship God) So anyway... I start pulling stuff apart to plug in the router. So after taking some time to get it working, I couldn't get it and just put the computer back the way it was. So he gets on and is trying to get on his email, and starts flipping out so I tried to talk him into calming down and when he wouldn't I said "Ok I'm going then" and then he was like "don't make me feel bad now". The idea was never to make him "feel bad" but rather to avoid a fight. I spent the first 10 years of my life listening to my 2 parents argue back and forth and the past seven arguing with them to get my way. I'm sick of it and I'm not going to be the person to win every argument. Instead I'm going to walk out the door if need be. That's what I did and I stopped for a snack and cofee at sheetz and then I got up to Frieden's at like 10:20-10:30
if that's what it takes to avoid the arguments...I'm gonna do it


In other news, I ordered the book "When God writes your love story" the other day off of half.com and it arrived so I think I will begin reading it, because I know that after months of hope and now heartache, it's time for me to say "this is all yours, I'm done worrying about who I will be with and when " and just let go and live the life of a single person which is right where He wants me right now. I'm ready for God to write my love story, even if the final copy won't be "published" for a few years. I'm waiting
ok I'm done
I find myself rambling @ times.

Is GOD turning me into the man I'm supposed to be?

I can only hope the title of this is what is coming true. I want to be used to impact those around me. I am so happy from what he has taught me through everyone around me.

I have had a change of heart I have begun to pray for my (future)wife. It's something that I thought about a couple weeks ago that I had read in a book somewhere. Whenever I feel alone, whenever the feelings for her come back, I just have to pray for whoever my wife will be, and pray the God will keep her in his hands and for me until the time is right. It's so hard sometimes though. I just want the feelings for her to go away, and they have to an extent , but they are still there at times and sometimes I act so impatient. I expect feelings since February to go away in minutes, I expect someone who I thought about all the time, to just be someone I don't think about. It's not like that, but we are progressing in that direction.

I'm glad that the way I felt about her have not ruined our friendship but I feel like our friendship is actually better than ever before, because of the fact that it's all out in the open and I'm no longer sitting there "pulling flower petals" as it were.


I heard the idea of praying for my wife from I THINK the book, "Every Young Man's Battle" as well as this idea that also came from Harris' book where he says "Gentlemen, are you kind of friend to the girls in your life that you will one day hear from their husbands, 'thank you for being a brother to my wife'?

So anyways... I googled the topic and found this other blog OTHER BLOG

and found on it the following which I couldn't agree with more "I pray for my future wife. I cannot wait to worship You with her in my arms….at my side. I cannot wait to passionately pursue You with her in the midst of my tears. Jesus, I pray for my marriage. Ohh, the pain of today’s North American mindset of marriage and statistics. Jesus, I’m in complete wonder how you’ve given me such a beautiful wife. Help us to seek you out in praying together, reading the word together, being one in your spirit together. I ask, oh Lord, how did I deserve such a blessing?!? You indeed are good. God- Help me to pursue you in righteousness. Help in the midst of my impurities. I need you more than ever in this time of seperation. "

I love how the prayer is like, he's praying FOR her, and that its like halfway through (the part in bold) he's suddenly married to her, and praying for her as he always has been




Ok Im done

Pornagraphy has ruined our culture

So I was intrigued the other day. I picked up a copy of the USA today on my campus and saw the following front page article http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2007-10-17-porn-at-work_N.htm

So anyway, I read it and was shocked that people are actually looking at this stuff. It's just another way that Satan is choking our culture and its really upsetting me. And we wonder why the divorce rate is so high. Now technology has given these people (men mostly) the ability to "cheat" on their wives while they are at work bringing home the big salary for the new BMW. I honestly hate what pornagraphy has done to the lives of my friends, the lives of the people I sit in church with. Most of all, I hate what pornography has done to MY life. I'm thankful that through the help of many around me, its not something that is an issue in my life right now, though the temptation is obviously there at times. Christ really saved me from a downward spiral involving pornography which had been going on in my life for most of the last 3 years of my life until about 6-8 months ago.


For anyone struggling with this, please sign up for www.covenanteyes.com. It's $7 a month and trust me it's worth every penny. I'd be happy to be anyone's accountability partner. Ok anyway......



I truly think that we need to pray for the culture around. This isn't anything new though, as it (lust,sexual immorality) has been around since the beginning of the world and there are a few examples in the bible. The biggest story is the one of David and Bathsheba. This I believe, is why Paul wrote to the church in Ephesis "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people." I believe WE need to change our culture. Regain for Christ what Satan has destroyed, the sanctity of marraige and the issue of lust and sexual immorality.

Since my thoughts are always on Cornerstone , please pray with my for every man there would not struggle with this addicting sin, and if they are, that they not hide it, but go to someone about it and get some help. Pray that this would not affect any marraige or relationship within the church!!!

Ok, I think I'm done for now.... now I have to go study YUCK