The road of life has it’s ups and downs. At least that’s one of the sayings I have heard.
Another one of those sayings is, “You’ve got to roll with the punches.” I have never really understood the reasoning behind that one, though. Shouldn’t you be standing up and not rolling on the ground when people are punching you? If they are still punching you when you are rolling on the ground, then isn’t that a sure sign you are not getting very far in the fight?
Well, yesterday morning I published a video that I have already decided to take down. It was not that it was bad, or anything. It was just that it went beyond the intended purpose. I have shuffled, not rolled, with the punches. I have re-examined the road.
The Reason
A few weeks ago I decided to start something to help draw in more readers. The “Monday Monkey” segments were supposed to be quick, humorous segments to bring a smile to everyone’s face. This last one was just too long, too complicated, and too weird – especially the part where I wore makeup.
Aside from being too long, I felt that the video, although humorous, tended to give the wrong impression. You see, I like being considered a funny guy, but not at the expense of being taken seriously. Bringing people to this site was never meant to be solely for entertainment purposes. The whole reason for this blog was to address serious issues that affect the lives of Christians, present a grace-oriented view of ordinary situations, and hopefully present the gospel to seekers along the way. The video I just pulled seemed to steer away from that purpose a little too far.
Over the last few months I have witnessed some folks stray from their walk with Christ, which breaks my heart. People who I thought were doing so well suddenly decided to throw in the towel and walk away, all because the struggle was too hard. Sadly, going up hill is never easy.
The Nature of the Walk
But that’s the nature of the Christian walk, isn’t it? It’s never easy. What IS easy is putting life in neutral and coasting downhill at every-increasing rates of speed, forgetting that the bottom is down there somewhere. The struggle is in climbing up hills and mountains every day, knowing the view at the top is worth the climb.
The video I just pulled made me look like all I wanted to be was a comedian. It made me look too goofy and satirical. That side of me would be better left for the comedy stage, I guess. Ultimately, even though I want to bring a smile and a laugh, I don’t want anyone to think my direction has changed.
Keep checking back on Mondays for more “Monday Monkey” segments, but I will be trying to keep them simple and short. The blog is not supposed to be all about a monkey, or even a man. It’s supposed to be more about the Son of Man who taught me that walking up lonely hills is the best way to go.
The Recovering Legalist 
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Very Good!!
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If you were to ask man 100 years ago: do you think men will ever walk on the moon? You would immediately rise to the top of a short list with the dubious distinction of king/queen of village Idiots. Ask that Question today and the answer returned would be: why,…….. haven’t you heard!
“But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?…We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too” JFK. In 1961 when Kennedy made his now famous pledge to land a man on the Moon, the USA had only 15 minutes piloted spaceflight experience and only 5 minutes of that was in space while the Russians had already completed missions in orbit. Kennedy the face of virtually impossible odds due to limitations in technology and know how pushed NASSAU beyond their limits of planning a mission to fly around the moon and return, to land a man on the moon; coming form behind the Russians to achieve higher than expected goals.
The difference between limitation and liberty is knowledge. If confronted by limitations, the best course it to seek the know-how. By knowledge you shall be liberated form constraints; whatever the form. When confronted by limitations, if our first recourse is to concede, yield, and embrace them; we might well be going to sleep under a Russian moon, and flying a British flag for a national banner. Limitations by their varied and sundry forms are all the brood of ignorance; wherever found they should be banished. Ignorance is not so damnable as humbug, but when it prescribes pills (as does the wisdom of men) it may happen to do more harm”— George Eliot. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
It would serve us well to listen to JFK stir our nation to it’s feet at darker times in our history, to avert the real threat of Russian dominance in the outer space.
LINK BELOW: (the features a transcript of the inspirational speech, and an audio recording plays in the background)
http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/jfk-space.htm
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, it is the power of God to be delivered from all things which we could before not be delivered from. We seldom discern the wisdom of men which makes void the power of God; because by appearance it often seem wiser than even God’s council which is utter foolishness among men.
We should raise our awareness to the things that God has said and done, and the world is yet unaware of it. The way the Bible describes brainwashing is stated in (Isaiah 25:7—the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.) This covering, this veil that overspreads the whole world is the wisdom of man. The only way to overcome this is to receive the gift of the mind of Christ whereby by realize that all things are possible with us. If all your lives you are told one thing, in this case the wisdom of man; even if the truth is in front of you, you will not see it because of this veil that covers the face of the world.
Take this 20-second AWARENESS TEST and see what I mean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4
God has written to us of the great things of his law, but we have counted them as foolishness. Mark 9:23—Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Luke 18:27—The things, which are impossible with men, are possible with God. Matthew 17:20—. …and nothing shall be impossible unto you. After Jesus rebuked the storm, wind and tempest tossed sea, the disciples looked at him in wonder and asking each other; what manner of man is this. Jesus asked them, where is your faith? He expected them to do the same things he did; Jesus wasn’t the only one that walked on water, Peter did for a short while; this is so symbolic of the short period of time the church got it right after Jesus departed.
There are two parties identified here with whom it is said that all things are possible, with God and with men who believe. This is the righteousness of God, it transfers to man all the things of God that are given to men by believing, even God himself as the gift first given to Abraham, and promised to we his seed in Christ is transferred to man by the faith of God, that man is supposed to have.
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Good work. The video was funny, and I am glad I got to watch it before it was taken down. You are quite right, though. This is a good reminder of how things can get in our way and slow us down. (Which reminds me, how much time did you spend on recording that five-minute video? I only ask because you once brought up how much time goes into producing a one-minute video …)
For three years I would watch the news, read the newspaper, read online articles, and research world events for hours every day. I was keeping in the know so that I would be able to help anyone I could. Late last year it occurred to me: all of my news searching cut out so much time I could have used actually talking with people, getting work done, and (most importantly) reading the one thing that always gaurantees I can help people, the Bible. Today, I get an e-mail update with four or five articles, and I read no more than a handful of articles on MSN.com. If someone sends me information on something I might look it up, but my news searching days are now limited to about 20-30 minutes a day.
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It took about 3-4 hours (I think) for the 1-minute video.
Anthony Psalm 57:2
Sent from iPhone.
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