Everything Is Meaningless

"Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "utterly meaningless!" What do people get for all their hard work? Generations come and go, but nothing really changes. The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere. The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea. Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself. It has all ben done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn't already exist long ago? We don't remember what happened in those former times. And in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

I said to myself, "Come now, let's give pleasure a try. Let's look for the good things in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless. "It is silly to be laughing all the time," I said. "What good does it do to seek only pleasure?" After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. While still seeking wisdome, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I hoped to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. i also owned great herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!

Anything I wanted, I took. I did not restrain myself from any joy. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Wisdom is of more value than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. For the wise person sees, while the fool is blind. Yet I saw that wise and foolish people share the same fate. Both of them die. Just as the fool will die, so will I. So of what value is all my wisdom? Then I said to myself, "This is all so meaningless!" For the wise person and the fool both die, and in the days to come, both will be forgotten.

I wish I could take credit for such an amazing piece of literature, but this excerpt is from the first 2 chapters of the book Ecclesiastes in the Bible. I found it interesting that my pastor read over this in church today, because I was having a conversation with a friend yesterday about life and picking jobs and our futures and the fact that more than anything I don't want to be 40 years down the road looking back thinking, have I really done anything with my life? Does my life have any true purpose if I'm just going to die and all my possessions are going to be gone? Even worse, how much is it gonna suck that when I die, the possessions I worked so hard to get can fall into the hands of someone else that is undeserving and didn't work as hard as me to get them? If you read on King Solomon reveals to us what true happiness comes from, and the book is basically about how useless the things of this world are. It's funny how people refuse to believe in something like the Bible when the book was written so long ago, and still we are going through the same things that men like Solomon were going through thousands of years ago. It's tight to know that my struggles are not foreign to me, and it's interesting finding out that I'm not alone. It's crazy knowing that a man that achieved "everything a man could desire" could still end up in the end being so empty.

So how bout we chase something real eh? Love?

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever..."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

1 John 4:16-18

just think about it...

Keep The Peace

Beautiful

Today was an eye-opening day for me. My buddy Cody invited me to D.C. with his church's youth group to go talk with some homeless friends and give them some food, drinks, and supplies and it was definitely one of the best experiences I've ever had.

Too often I go about my day to day complaining about miniscule factors within my rediculously blessed life. As I started to talk to these people and hear their stories I soon realized how much I was learning and how bright these individuals are. Too often we as a people walk by the homeless and the poverty stricken people and judge them by saying that they're gonna steal my money or sexually harrass me etc. without really thinking about how they got there, or what their name is. It's sad that I never thought really to ask someone who looks homeless what their name was. Our names are so important to us, they give us a sense of respect and entitlement to our bodies, yet as soon as we see a human within a city that looks like they're hurting they don't have a name anymore. They get stereotyped into a huge sad pile that we like to call the poor or the homeless, where everyone walks by and looks and feels bad and doesn't do anything about it. It's almost like they're an exhibit in a museum of what not to be so we take it at face value and then exclude ourselves from any other type of confrentation because it could actually affect how we treat people or something. Today I realized that many of these generalizations are false and cruel and that these people may have just made one mistake or missed their break which has costed them a lot more because they had in comparison to us with so much, a lot more to lose. I noticed as I spoke with them and got to know them that I was understanding a lot of things about life and realizing a lot more through these people about certain things than I had in school. Their words also had so much more value because they've been through the struggle. It's not a history teacher that came from an affluent family talking about life on the streets as if she'd been there, these are the people, this is the body and soul of the streets and to be honest many of these people are beautiful human beings with so much to offer.

Seeing these people just really made me second guess what I thought of as beautiful, specifically in people. And as I thought about it more I started to see in my mind that what the world perceives as beautiful is not what I perceive as beautiful anymore. Some of the people that came to mind that I thought were some of the most beautiful people are not people I would've thought last year were beautiful. They're people that are real to me, that are confident in who they are. They're people that stand for something and believe in true good. They're people that live to lift others up and smile in spite of their downfalls or the shortcomings of others, because they understand that there is more to this world and this life than MY happiness, MY wealth, and MY success. This realization opens up our minds and our hearts to receive a world that is hurting more than we can understand, and helps us mend and heal the broken. This is what I call beautiful.

April 11th, 2010

Today was really interesting to say the least. Every Sunday my family and I usually go to the 9:00 church service together, but today I was just really tired cause I was up late last night so I was sleeping in instead. I woke up later around 10:15 to an empty house and to tell you the truth, it was horrible. That emptiness I woke up to just radiated into my heart and my mind and it was one of the few times I just really wanted to be with my family. I don't know why but I just really wanted to be with them and they weren't there. So I chilled and waited 'til they got back. I was planning on just continuing on with my day getting the rest of my homework done and tending to other house issues etc. but something was just telling me to go to church. And as much as I wanted to ignore it I just couldn't, today I needed to go. So I got dressed up in my Sunday clothes and went to the 11:15 service by myself today and it was glorious.

I noticed this past week that it sucks when people dissapoint you, but it sucks even more when the person that dissapoints me the most is myself. I guess compared to other people I'm pretty hard on myself as a human being, but I think it's just because I hold myself to a certain standard and when I don't meet those standards myself I start to become dissapointed with who I am, what I represent, and what I'm becoming. And it's so interesting because so much of my time I spend talking about other people and other people's situation when I truly have no clue or no business talking about what I'm talking about. Pastor today said that as he gets older he notices that he talks a lot less, because he notices the more you talk and ramble the less people take you seriously. The less your words really have meaning. It was interesting cause I could definitely relate; many of the people I truly respect and that I believe to be wise are the same way. They do a lot more listening than speaking, sometimes because they don't have much to say and the other person is doing all the talking, but also because sometimes they just don't know how to answer certain things or respond so instead of opening their mouth and letting something stupid or ignorant or derogatory come out they just keep it closed. A part of me respects this a lot and it just reminded me of how much of a problem our words can be sometimes.

Pastor also spoke about how we as Americans have this thing in our mind about terrorists and generalize people. We stereotype the Middle East for having terrorists and we talk about how bad it is and that they deserve today, but Pastor brought up the point that if we are saying that they deserve to die than why are we any different from them? He said that the terrorists in America live within our mouths in the form of or tongues. We are quick to speak down upon our peers and someone else's situation without really knowing who they are, what they've been through, or what's even going on. This is something about myself I'd like to change along with many other things and I just needed to be in church this morning to hear it. In that building there with the Lord is one of the few places I feel like I truly belong.

Later in the day it was so beautiful out and I didn't want to waste the weather so I texted a bunch of people trying to see if someone wanted to go on a walk, or longboard, or play tennis or something, but I had no luck. It was just one of those days I was meant to be alone and have some Egey time. So I went out to the hill and an empty parking lot and just rode my longboard. There's something about that phenomena, the gliding feeling, the ebb and flow of powerful pushes, the steady and cool breeze of coasting, the rhythmic pumping of body and soul as you build up speed and carve back and forth. It's just awesome. I really do love getting away from this world whenever I get the chance just to be with myself, and today was quality. No talking, no listening, no thinking, just being. That state of living is where I feel most like myself. Not a care in the world, just enjoying creation, and the fact that 4 wheels, some bearings, some metal axels, some nuts and bolts, and a plank of bamboo can take me there is pretty sweet .

Today started out slow and poopy, but it's truly crazy how God can turn things around. When I get woken up and realize that I have no right to be a grouch and that sometimes God throws tough situations within our lives to test our faith is comforting. For he is all I have and when I'm not close to him I'm living without purpose or direction.

"Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God"

Matthew 4:4

"He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."

Job 23:10

I need to fix some things in my life but hey.... I got God on my side :)

Keep The Peace

Dreams?

You know... it's funny how as kids life is so simple. We have goals and dreams and they are so pure and nostalgic. I've noticed the more I'm learning about life and the decisions I have to make to further my future, the more I'm just wishing that I could simply just do what I would like to do. And though this changes daily, there are some staple things that remain in my life that I love to do honestly and if I had it my way this is what my life would be :)

First, I would live probably in a suburb near a city. My job would be to promote awareness about aids or poverty etc. just promote awareness for some cause for I guess a company that would advertise for funding to help change these things in the world. I think this is truly where my efforts and my heart lies in this world and there will always be a need for more people working to help others. I'd have two big dogs, I dunno maybe some labs or something, and a wife. I'd be involved in the local youth group at whatever church I attend on whatever days, because kids need people to look up to. People that have been through some experiences and can give first hand wisdom and speak truth and love into a young person's life. I'm so glad I have people like that in my life I can really go to for help and it'd be sick to be involved in helping mold a young man or woman's future just with positivity. Saturday nights I'd have a residency at a club where I'd DJ and spin pure dance music. From 80's dance to the present along with some mainstream Hip Hop and top 40 stuff and electro. More or less just a fun batch of music to mix, that has decent energy. That would just be sooo much fun, I have a real passion for DJing and the art if just so expressive and creative yet so precise. And it's really sick because music is something that everyone can relate to and knowing you're the reason why people are dancing and getting pumped to be free and alive is just wonderful. Then on Sundays I'd play drums for whatever worship band is at my church. Mostly because gospel drummers are just dirty but at the same time I've never really had the correct opportunity to use my love for drums to please God and that's all I really wanna do. So yea... and in my free time I'd just longboard, collect records, take pictures, and eat goldfish :D

Just in case you were wondering what I'd be if it MY choice haha

Good Friday

It's interesting how a day like Good Friday is a holiday. The Christian faith celebrates this day that reminds us of the murder of our lord and saviour Jesus Christ, but why would we ever celebrate this?

Before I get into the obvious good news I would just like to thank God for being God. I just want to thank him for not rejecting me when I needed him most and changing my life forever. I don't think we always understand the power of the Lord's love so I am just going to try and logically explain a little bit for my own understanding and for your understanding, because often times I forget why I follow the creator of the universe and question the spirit within me speaking to my heart and holding me accountable for my actions.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world (you and me) that he gave his only begotten son (sacrificed his one and only child), that whoever so believed in Him would not perish (go to hell and pay the price of the life of a sinner), but have everlasting life (in heaven with the creator of the universe)."

So to break this down even further... basically... The almighty creator of the universe came to this earth in the form of his son Jesus Christ. He walked among us a divine being that lowered himself to a servant's lifestyle so that we may get to know him on a personal basis and see only a fraction of the creator's power and love on this earth. Jesus lived a perfect life. And I don't think we all understand what that means. He gave all he had to every single person on this earth. He befriended adulterers and unruly taxpayers that stole from the congregation. He befriended the deaf, the blind, the mute, the lepers, the possessed and gave them new life. He healed them on the spot. And those self-righteous who condemned him for doing good works on Sundays and tried to frame him so many times in the act of saving souls by attempting to twist the words of his faith, he quited their words with the word of God. Not by cursing or having an attitude, but through truth. Then this man that lived a perfect life was later betrayed by his best friends who also had to go through some very tough times like him. He then chose to die for this world, a world that is not perfect, a world that chooses to spit on the idea of his being, a world that does not honor his life by living to share his light and love with others, but instead a world that is so caught up in it's own selfishness that we kill eachother and steal from eachother. A world that will implode itself from its own greed and pride.

He was beaten for me. He was condemned for me. He was nailed to a cross for me. And he stayed up on that cross, because of my sin, my shortcomings as a human being. My selfishness. And my struggles and my problems on this earth are supposed to compare? Never in a million years will they compare, nor would someone ever on this earth show a love gesture with such a magnitude as his. Just think about it, we are the reason why he was beaten and betrayed, we might as well be beating him ourselves yet he willingly died for me who is beating him, not to show me up or for his own self-righteousness but because he loves me and wants something better for me. That is Love.

So today I fall upon my knees in awe of someone who is so mighty yet would sacrifice his own for someone unworthy. I look to the sky knowing my Father has something better for me and that a love unyielding has bonded me with him for eternity. I now live with purpose and with new life knowing that I am who I am because of the blood of Jesus Christ. So how can I not rejoice? How can I not praise him? For he is the reason why I live. He is the reason why I prosper, why I Thrive.

It takes all of that to realize that I am so wrong, the way I think, the way I speak at times is just wrong. For the Lord never rejected me when I asked for help, he never looked at what I wore to school and judged me, he never looked into my eyes and saw what I was... a sinner who only cared of himself. Yet instead he took me in and "Keeps me as the apple of His eye; he hides me in the shadow of His wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me." He is my rock and my strong tower. He's the one who was, who is, and is to come. He's the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. He's all I have and through him alone I can see a life worth living. So I am forever grateful for his sacrifice and his love.

For me, this is the message of Good Friday. This is the reason why I get up in the morning, the reason why I am, the reason why I am able to smile when I am in pain, the reason why I can walk with confidence and live a life that is overflowing with joy. Because I am saved from the world, and I have found my purpose. To praise Him in whatever I do... He fought the good fight, he triumphed, and he died for me, for you, and for the world.

Keep The Peace