Monday Messages: Listen Up!! "I've Still Got Time"

Have you ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend? I haven't. So this may be the weirdest Monday message yet hahaha. Also has the potential to be cool if you aren't in a relationship (like me). The world puts so much pressure on being in a relationship. If you are in one, then it pressures you to have sex. Who remembers Tim Tebow? This past weekend, his girlfriend, Supermodel Olivia Culpo dumped him over one simple thing. He wouldn't have sex with her. I can speak on behalf of most men when I say that most of us would give in to the pressure. That's why 5 years ago, I got a purity ring. It's a promise between God and I to not have sex before marriage. I, personally could not live with breaking a promise I made to my Maker, so it keeps me in check, even if the chance for me to have sex has not arose.

Today's bible reading comes from 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.

12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

That reference has one of my favorite verses of all time. Your body is a temple. The world has made the body bad in very twisted ways. They've made people hate their bodies. They've sexualized bodies. The human body is the opposite of all of that. Its a very intricate, beautiful work that only God can create. Then you ask, "Why are some people deaf?," "Why do some people not have legs or arms?" God is good and some of those people he has used for very amazing opportunities. Nick Vujicic is a prime example of this. That was not my point though.

We have all struggled with being single. I'm no exception. I just finished Jamie Tworkowski's (founder of To Write Love On Her Arms) New York Times Best-Selling Book If You Feel Too Much. I highly recommend it, especially if you struggle with depression, suicide, self-worth, being single, etc. Towards the end, there was a quote that really stood out to me. It goes as follows: "There is still time for love to find you." It really hit me hard and him, being a 35-year-old Christian man who has struggled with the same stuff I am, it helps me stay positive. I hope it helps you too. This concludes the first series in Monday Messages.

Until Next Time, Alex

Monday Messages: Listen Up!! "Hello. Its Me"

Welcome to week 4 of my Monday Messages! I really enjoy writing these and I hope you enjoy reading them even more :) I actually almost forgot about it until a few minutes before I started typing this. Well, I was considering what to write about this week until it hit me! Why don't I write about the number one song in the world and relate it to my walk, your walk, our walks with Jesus?

Although Adele's number one song "Hello" is about a break up, you can relate the entire song, really, to Jesus. Imagine Adele is Jesus (which she is not). But He is always wanting to get back together, non-relationship wise, with us. Especially people who have walked away from faith or people who feel like they are too far gone. Like Adele wants to do with her ex, Jesus just wants to talk things over. You keep ignoring his calls. Although Jesus isn't apologizing to us, all the rest of the lyrics could be Him talking to us. He is literally a short prayer away.

Today's passage is from John 9:35-41

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” 38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” 40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

The main verse I want to focus on is 37. It proves that Jesus is talking to us. I will be honest, there were times when I didn't think God was listening. I didn't think God cared when my grandpa, who was given a clean bill of health a week before he died. I didn't think God cared about me when I has a couple bad rejections. I didn't think God cared when I couldn't find a job. The day that I realized that God cared was the day my life changed. He called me thousands of times to go over everything. I finally let him in.

Is He calling you? He very well could be. There's an easy way to tell. Let me ask you a couple questions that will help you determine if He is. Are you feeling lost? Are you feeling broken? Are you always sad? If the answer was yes to any of those, then He is calling you. Pray to Him. God doesn't care if you suck at praying. He just wants to talk. Let Him in!

Until Next Time, Alex

Now You Know (How I Feel About Icon For Hire)

What do you do when one of your favorite bands releases their first explicit song? If they were mainstream, you would probably think nothing of it. Now, what if they were Christian? Or at least pretending to be Christian just so they could be successful? I still didn't think anything of it, but most of Icon For Hire's fan-base was pissed. And rightfully so. Now I really was not mad about anything they have done. Up until the other day. Their drummer, Adam Kronshagen, recently started a blog. In that blog, he has just three posts. In his very first post, he referenced IFH not letting him be open about his faith in God because it doesn't fit in with their agenda which is another word for success. After reading this, I wasn't sure about anything. Then, the other day Adam announced his departure from the band. Although they said its to focus on his marriage more, I would put money on it that Shawn and REL telling him to "reserve his faith" is the reason. I don't know if any of what I just wrote is true, I'm just going off of a blog post. If I am wrong, I am sorry and please correct me. But until that happens from Adam himself, I have lost almost all my respect a band that has helped me through so much and that sucks.

If you wanna read any of Adam's 3 posts, click here: https://adamkronshagen.wordpress.com/

Monday Messages: Listen Up!! "Prions Pour Le Monde"

Whether or not you know what the title says, you might be able to tell what this week's message is going to be about. I actually have met a couple people that don't know what took place on Friday night, so I will recap it for everyone reading.

On Friday night, the biggest terrorist attack since 9/11 happened in Paris, France. There were several different places attacked, including one at an Eagles of Death Metal concert. All the attacks totaled to 129 people killed, including some of the attackers and another 352 injured. 

Today's message is going to be how to see God in hell like this, no matter how hard it is. I didn't know what I was doing the message about this week then I remembered Paris and how it would fit into the series I'm currently doing. We don't need to pray for Paris. We need to pray for ISIS. We need to pray for the world and trust God.

Today's passage comes from Revelation 21:1-8:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

If you have ever read Revelation, you see everything that's predicted in it happening. Let me do a little recap in case you haven't. In Revelation, God says at the end of the world, there will be attacks, earthquakes, false prophets, etc. All of that is happening. Last week, America was arguing about some freakin' coffee cups and even after the attacks, some people still are. We don't need to pray for Starbucks. If this is truly the beginning of the end of the world, we need to pray for the world. EVERYONE in the world. Then just put our trust in God, as I have talked about in the first two messages before this. Soon enough, this world will be no more. No more pain. No more death. No more terrorists. More than likely, these terrorists will burn in hell. But, for the ones still alive, pray for their conviction. In a way, Paul was a terrorist. He killed Christians for the hell of it. God convicted him. He became one of the strongest Christians to this day. These days, its getting scarier and scarier to even step outside our houses. I'm scared, you're scared but why? God has a plan. If you die, He needs you in heaven. So here's the point: Prayer and Trusting in God does miracles and it all starts with YOU.

Until Next Time, Alex

Monday Messages: Listen Up!! "#blessed"

Who has seen the movie "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?" I personally love the movie and toward the end, there is a quote I love and even though not a Christ-centered movie it has really helped me stay positive about life. The quote is "We have to live through the bad days so we can appreciate the good ones." Really think about the truth of this. Everyone has bad days. Some people more than others. The answer isn't suicide. The answer is God because He will never put you through something you can't handle.

Today's bible reference comes from Isaiah 41:10-13: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ “Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them—Those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

Last week, I had no idea the week I was about to have. I just know I was going to my grandparents' house to work for them to have a little bit of cash on the side. Little did I know that on Tuesday, I get a job offer. Then on Wednesday, I get ANOTHER job offer and on top of that, two interview offers. I have accepted everything. Except I didn't get one of the jobs I interviewed for. No big deal. By God's grace, I have 2 confirmed jobs and 3 other potential ones. Remember the Disneyland story I told last week? I can guarantee if I ignored God, I would not be in this situation right now. I was at the point of tears when I got all these calls because I have been unemployed for about 8 and a half months. 

This message that I'm finishing up could technically be a sequel to last week's. Its a very similar subject to it. Recently, I decided to try and give it up to God again, as I told you last week. It has amazing results (obviously).

You're going to be attacked by the devil and will have hard times. It's just a fact of life. There are literally millions of ways he can attack you. It can be getting fired from a job, a break up or something else. But I believe that God has Satan do it so we can learn a lesson or if you aren't a Christian, bring you closer to God. But, as I said before, he won't put you through anything you can't handle. I know it seems crazy, but Job had literally everything taken away from him. His wife told him to curse God and he did just the opposite. He praised God through the storm. God knew Job could handle losing everything which, in my opinion, is why he is the greatest man ever to walk on this earth (besides Jesus of course).

Until Next Time, Alex!

Monday Messages: Listen Up!! "It's The Crazy That Counts"

Crazy can be both good and bad. In today's case, it will be good. VERY good in fact. Have you ever had God tell you something? If you haven't, I can vouch that is is a very amazing, confusing, and overwhelming feeling. Especially if it is something really insane and crazy. So crazy, you might just want to follow your heart and ignore God. You might say "This has been my dream for such a long time. Now re-read that. MY dream. Is it God's plan for your life? More than likely not. Which leads us right into today's Bible passage.

Jonah 1:1-16

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.

So a couple weeks ago, I got offered a position at none other than Disneyland. Everybody since they were a child have dreamed about working there, and I was no exception. In fact, I have been applying there for 3 years and I finally I get offered a position. I accepted the position right away. There's three parts to the Disneyland position acceptance process. You have a week to do all three parts. I accepted the position but I still had 2 other steps in order to officially be a cast member. That gave me a full week to pray about it. So I did just that! I had till the next Wednesday to decide and sure enough, on Monday night, I just felt God telling me no. Let me tell you something even crazier. The position at Disneyland was a paid internship with housing and I had another potential internship that was not gonna pay, and that was at my church.We all have decisions to make in our lives, especially when you come of adult age. I had one to make, and you may have one to make soon. I and you have two choices: follow God's plan or do what Jonah did. I could have gone to Disneyland and might have had a miserable time and might have had to quit or follow God's plan and follow my other dream of being a Youth Pastor. I did just that and I can tell you one thing, I'm just about the happiest I have ever been in my entire life.
God's plan isn't bad so just follow it! Listen Up to what He is telling you!
Until Next Time, Alex