Timeliness Part 2: Beginning of Prayer.

Welcome to Part Two of the Timeliness 'Story'!

Today, we shall discuss prayer. Mainly I want to discuss the origin of prayer, and what prayer is.

Many people question where prayer came from, where it started. Some may answer that prayer originated when Jesus came to Earth in human form. but really, prayer has been around for much longer than that. We see it as early as Genesis 4:26:
And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. And men began to call on the name of The LORD.

So pretty early. This really says something. That praying wasn't just for Jesus, but for every man who has a heart to pray. Jesus simply prayed because He could. Because He wanted and needed to talk to The Father above.
 But we may be straying from my original point.

So have the origin of prayer, but maybe you are looking for what it means.Why pray?
Prayer is a means of talking to God. The preferred way. I don't think God is partial to smoke signals or huge murals etched on the earth in some New Mexico desert.

 Why pray? What's the point of praying if God knows the future and is in control of everything? If we can't change His mind, why pray?
Let's list some reasons.
#1: God commands us to pray(Philippians 4:6-7).
#2: "Prayer is exemplified for us by Christ and the early church (Mark 1:35; Acts 1:14, 2:42, 3:1, 4:23-31, 6:4, 13:1-3. If Jesus thought it was worthwhile to pray, we should also. If He needed to pray to remain in the Father’s will, how much more do we need to pray?"

I could seriously go on and on. There are so many reason why we should pray.

HOW do you pray?
This is a topic of much controversy apparently.
As many people know, the Catholic religion(among others) has a specific way of praying before meals. It's the same prayer every time, and that's just how they do things(I refuse to speak bad of it even if I don't agree with it).

Personally, I believe that prayer is something that should come from the heart. It doesn't necessarily need to be some repeated phrase or sentence.
God wants us to pray because we WANT to pray, because you WANT to talk to Him. Meaning that you love Him and have the freedom to do so, not because it's required, but because we will follow his command to pray because we love Him in return.

I think I may have skipped over the main point of "HOW do you pray?"
People want to know what to say...and while I can't give you a direct answer, maybe I can point you in a direction that will get you started.

Try starting your prayer something like this:
"Lord Jesus, I come to you..."
And follow with your heartfelt talk with God. Just talk to him. It's a definite start and things will get easier the more you do it.

This is hopefully...complete enough for the 2nd part of "Timeliness" 

I hope that you(any reader who may come across this) gained something from this. Start somewhere and end somewhere far better! :)

You can reach me with any questions or private comments at my listed e-mail address. If you wish to follow my blog but don't want a public presence, you can follow anonymously(I can't even see that you've followed).

~A Reborn.

Timeliness Part 1: Requests in prayer.

The title of this story is pretty explanatory to its nature...I started it two or 4 days ago...depending on what you want to believe. Or even where you live.....*cough*. Oh well.
I have recently been thinking about time. And the timely nature in which things are NOT presented.

For example: When someone asks you to pray for them or another person, what is your response? Usually something along the lines of  "Yes, absolutely! I will as soon as I can".
 Riiiight. How often does that actually happen?

Now, I'm not saying you all don't pray for someone when asked, I'm just speaking of a good deal of the population, including myself.

Think about it. The phrase "It's the thought that counts" just doesn't cut it here. Sorry.
People will think "Oh yay, a prayer request!" and get all excited inside and feel good about saying they will. Subconsciously, they have already done it. Because they thought about it and sincerely felt something about it.

Here's the thing though. Almost every time I forget, I realize it, usually too late, BUT I actually feel bad. I regret not praying when I could/should have.

Wanna hear the amazing thing though? It's not too late. Meaning you can STILL pray for that person. Even if you don't pray for that particular situation. I believe it's never too late. Everyone can use prayer, even YOU and ME. Its our way of talking to God and God created it so...you should probably do it. Plus we all need help, and prayer is good at connecting with that. It's amazing. :-)

I will follow this post with a second part focusing on prayer and it's origins. That particular idea sparked from one of the kids in JYC today asking if Jesus 'invented' praying. Should be interesting what we find. Stay tuned!

Have a blessed evening/week/month/year/LIFE.

A Reborn.

My workspace...

Aaah, good morning. For 30 more minutes. Or maybe afternoon by the time I'm finished with this....
#REALITY.

Ok, so as you know, I was working for a local contractor carrying out assassinations...wait...no, that's not right...ah! I was building houses. So anyway, I had a time of 5 months working for him and then I would leave. Well...it happened. 5 months passed, and here I am on day 4 of my new job...and I'm loving it! I had this same job before working for the contractor so I knew what to expect.
The business I am working for now is called Davis Communications. Good place. Local, small business owned by two wonderful people. They have 1 employee besides themselves, and that would be me.
If you do a Google search of our business, you'll find about 3 or 4 small businesses with the same name.
I thought I had a good point, but I guess not. Seems to be my life story.
Ok, well here is a picture of my desk. Since all else is failing.

There ya go! And I'm out. A whole hour and a half later than I thought.

Bye!

~AReborn.

Pain and healing...

Its funny how you realize how important someone was to you AFTER their gone...

Saturday, September 1st, 1:30 PM....a good friend of mine drowned trying to cross a lake in a nearby town.

When I first heard it, my mind immediately said it wasn't true. I was shocked and it didn't feel right. I thought it must not be true because I'm not reacting, not feeling anything.

Then one of my best friends starts crying, I start to feel again and it's not pleasant...it starts as a faint ache where my heart is and I realize my heart is beating far faster than it should be, but I still don't feel like crying.
My best friend is told the news by his dad, and he comes in and sits on the couch in a daze. I have never seen this guy cry. Not in the 12 years I have known him...but today he does. The moment he starts crying is when I feel like I should at this point. Sad, so sad. I sit down next to my friend, and the tears start coming. They come and go for the next two days, and I'm not sure they are finished, even now.

This was the first time someone I know besides family has died...and now I don't ever want it to happen again. Even though I know he is in the arms of our Father.

He was such an amazing young man, always jolly, always ready to make someone laugh when he saw them sad or unhappy. He was such a 'big puppy' as my mom would call him. Him and his Irish red beard...
He was also one of the best bass guitarists I've ever known. At the age of 19, just one year older than I am, he had a musical talent unparalleled.
His dedication to Jesus was...amazing. This is how I know he is in the better place.

Preston Vorhauer, you were such an awesome friend to so many and you will be missed by us all. And thank you brother, you made an impact on so many lives including my own.

4-H State Teen Conference 2012

Hello again!!

I am actually going to attempt to write something here, so lets see how this goes...

3 weeks ago I attended our 4-H State Teen Conference, and it was uh-MAZING. I have gone for 3 years total, and it just keeps getting better and better!
For those of you who don't know what Teen Conference is, a.k.a TC, it is an event where kids from all over, whether they be 4-H kids, FFA kids, Operation Military kids or even just regular ol' kids, come together and do activities, attend workshops, business meetings, assemblies, fun activities(such as games, movies etc). They even have two dances(during which the movies are played) and a banquet!
It's incredibly fun, educational, you meet new friends, you are brought more out of your shell if you have one like me, and overall it's an amazing experience! I highly recommend going to your state 4-H(etc) Teen Conference. You can probably get more info by going to your local agricultural extension office or 4-H Center. Each state is different, and the events are subject to change.

Also! I need to mention....it's not free. It cost me $145.00 WITH a $100.00 scholarship. But I have no idea if it's cheaper/more expensive in other states.

So on that note, I'll sign off and let you have fun researching your state TC.

Retur'yce mi!

~A Reborn.

Lonely....

*sigh*....ever been at that point when it's a Saturday, you have been working all week and you want to go out with a friend or two and just chill or go to the movies, but no one seems to be available for whatever reason?
Yeah...that's where I'm at. I need to socialize...work is pretty consuming, so much that I don't have time to socialize after I get off the clock because I have to get up so early!

All I want to do right now is scream. And go to town with a friend...

It's a pretty depressing feeling, this loneliness...

Aaand then I find a few verses in scripture. God is amazing at doing that. Sometimes when i feel like this, I will open my bible to a random spot and just put my finger somewhere. It always ends up being something I need to hear or read. Not exactly what I WANT to hear, but it's what I need.

Today I found this: Joel, Chapter 2, Verse 25-27:
25: So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locusts have eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
26: You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame.
27: then you shall know that I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.

Aaaaahhh! In other words, what I have lost, shall be restored/returned, for I have given myself to the Lord Jesus Christ and I believe in Him.  That's....almost too much to handle. It's truly amazing how the Lord guides the hand...
These verses apply to more than just this situation! Besides being lonely, I am feeling a little lost. A little discouraged, and this is what I NEEDED to hear. And you know what? It's kinda what I WANTED to hear too!

Ok, I'm going to go play some music or something...

Have a blessed evening all!!

~A Reborn

One more thing!!!

Ok I have one more thing to say before I leave, something that has actually been weighing on my mind for a while.

For all of you people who view this blog but don't follow me(or maybe you do so anonymously) don't be afraid to comment. Unless of course I somehow managed to block you non-followers from that, in which case I feel like an idiot.

I also hope I'm not boring here. Another reason for you lovely people to comment! Let me know what you would like me to blog about besides my personal life. Keep in mind that I also have my other blog for all of my fiction and tech stuff.

So anyways, let me know! Don't be afraid to comment(I'll check those settings right now....)

~A Reborn.

What's happening, right now.

Hello everybody, we are coming to you LIVE as we kick off this--

Ok so maybe not quite true. Live only works for television and radio, not blog posts. It's a nice thought, but it's not christmas.

Well supposedly, I am delirious, or so my friend says(Yeah talking about YOU Mike). And he may not be far from the truth. But you ever notice how much more creative you seem to be when you are delirious? And funny? And creative? Did I say that one already? Ok, now I'm just reaching.

Anyway, the main reason I am delirious(SUPPOSEDLY) is because I am sick. Yep, sick. But it's ok, I don't blame the doctor, in fact I have only visited the doctor a grand total of zero times. Same goes for The Doctor, I haven't actually met him either.

Oh hello, there he is. Weeelll, if you want to get technical, that is the TENTH Doctor. The other 9 are...outdated. But then we have The Eleventh, which was not able to make it to the party sadly. I think we forgot to get him an invitation. This time.

Ooookay, he always does that. Who says you need an invitation to these things anyway?

Well back to my original point.....which I can't remember, we will move on to more important matters. Which in this case is nothing. Because this is DOCTOR WHO we are talking about, and because my brain is far too tired after 3 hours of server and network maintenance to go. Any. Further.
I lie too big, God is far more important. 

Goodnight everyone!
Oh and check out Mikes Star Trek & Doctor Who Art on Facebook! Good stuff.The guy is an art genius.

~A Reborn.

I'm coming back!

Oh my gosh, I completely forgot to mention that I am Colorado! I left last Friday and have been at my cousins house since. Our original intent was to pick up my sister from the Ellerslie School of Honor. And we did just that, with a lot of shopping and Starbucks stops along the way.
Yesterday and today were the official 'Be a Tourist' days and so we were obliged to act like tourists by taking a million pictures of...odd things like shop signs, the buildings, the inside of Guitar Center(I found heaven by the way...) and of COURSE the cover to the book I ended up buying: Bass Guitar For Dummies. Lovely stuff, I wish we had another 2 weeks! But then again, I want to see all my friends again! So bad...

My shopping experience ranged anywhere from Murdochs to REI, Best Buy, Guitar Center(Did I mention I found heaven?), goodwill, Barnes and Noble, Tattered Cover, T-Mobile, Starbucks, Alba's Coffee, and...hmm, not much else.
I chose a tablet to buy when I get back to ID, because I need one for work and such. Good stuff. :D

But it was awesome, and I mean that in the sense that it should be spoken: I was filled with awe at how wonderful God is.
We went to the Ellerslie Chapel on Sunday which was also the day of my sister's graduation.
Eric Ludy's sermon was....amazing.
Andrizomai!

The picture is my current view of the good ol' Colorado sky. :)
Lyin' on a hand made bench constructed yesterday by my brother and cousin. Have a blessed evening!

~A Reborn.

Starting soon!

Oh dear....I seemed to have promised that I would be back this next week! I have just had such a nice time kicking back and relaxing...doing nothing but look at my blog stats, how many views, from what country, etc. Oh, so fun! 

So I suppose I will start writing again on Monday if I find the chance....

Alright you all, it's almost 10:00 PM, and I need to rest for...um...Sunday? Heh, ok, lets say I am tired and want to go to sleep. Will you believe me then? Doesn't matter, I'm going to bed. So there. 

I'll be back!

~A Reborn.

Monkeys. And possibly some common sense.

The Welsh language...found in it's natural environment, yr iaith Gymraeg yn beth peryglus hardd ac eto ...
 Mae mwnci yn primat o'r suborder Haplorrhini a simian infraorder, naill ai mwnci Hen Fyd neu mwnci Byd Newydd, ond heb gynnwys epaod. Mae yna tua 260 o rywogaethau byw hysbys o mwnci. Mae llawer o goedwigol ydyw, er bod rhywogaethau sy'n byw yn bennaf ar y ddaear, fel baboons. Monkeys yn cael eu hystyried yn gyffredinol i fod yn ddeallus. Yn wahanol i epaod, mwncïod fel arfer cynffonnau. Efallai y mwncïod Tailless gael ei alw "epaod", yn anghywir yn ôl i ddefnydd modern; felly y tailless Barbari macaque Gelwir hyn yn "Barbari epa".

Mae'r Monkeys Byd Newydd (Ceboidea superfamily) yn cael eu dosbarthu o fewn y parvorder o Platyrrhini, tra yn ffurfio rhan y mwncïod Hen Fyd (Cercopithecoidea superfamily) o'r Catarrhini parvorder, sydd hefyd yn cynnwys y hominoids (epaod, gan gynnwys bodau dynol). Felly, fel y mwncïod Hen Fyd yn perthyn yn nes i hominoids nag y maent i mwncïod Byd Newydd, nid yw'r mwncïod yn unedol (monophyletic) grŵp.

~A Reborn.(NOT an evolutionist....)

Update for this week!(A little bit about me)

Hello all! These next few weeks are about to get busy, and let me fill you in on what's happening here.
First off I have work Tuesday Thursday and Friday at my dad's business, and that will be 10:00AM to 2:00PM Pacific time.
Aside from that, I help out at the local Good News Club on Thursdays at 3 to 4:30, training for that this Tuesday....and I also have Snowboarding this weekend(Friday) at the Brundage Mountain Resort!!!
Adds work hours to Tuesday and Thursday, but hey, it's good for me. And I need the hours. :D

Work schedule is the same for 3 months, then it goes to full time, 5 days a week.
And Good News Club continues till April sometime I think.

Anyways, with that rambling aside, I'll leave to go do something...less productive no doubt.

Have a blessed weekend!

~A Reborn.

It's Never Too Late (Renewal).

Renew, Refresh, Reset, Start over. All these things are possible to do with your life when you have Jesus Christ. And the best part is, you can do it over and over again.

When people truly give themselves to Christ, they give everything. Their whole heart, their whole life. But some of those who are less passionate and have less support and motivation to live in every way for Him tend to slowly fall away without realizing it until it's almost too late. Such is the case with me.

I just now "Renewed" myself in Christ, as I have been growing bitter because of some unseen thing lately. I still can't see it, but by praying and dwelling on the important aspects of life and Christ, I eventually will. And I'm not worried about finding it quickly. It will come, God will show me. That's the wonderful thing about Him, he is forgiving, merciful and loving. And it's never too late. It is exhilarating to feel such a thing.

I had been ever so slowly falling away from what is important, and in doing so, started to ruin my own character, my outlook on life, and my relationships with other people. And the terrifying thing is, I only noticed this about half a week ago. Shows you how destructive it can be...

It is NEVER too late to ask forgiveness, never too late to "Renew" your relationship with Christ and other people. And I pray that I will keep my word to The Lord to keep Him number one, and that you do so as well.

Have a blessed day!

I encourage those of you who are not following my blog to comment anyway if you would like. I appreciate any input on all of the things I say. :)

~A Reborn.

New blog! (Nuovo blog!)

Hello everyone (All two of you), just letting you know that I have a new blog going up...well, yesterday in fact! This blog seems to have been more about me and my life than anything else. Actually, that was the point...but so you have something else cool to read or look at, I made a new blog called "Star Wars, Music and the 21st Century". The URL is http://swbminorpolitics.blogspot.com/

It combines some of my favorite things: Star Wars, Music, God and...one of my not so favorite things: Politics. But feel free to talk about it anyway, it will be good for me to exercise my skills in that area.
I will also be including some tech news or just stuff about new technology and such. Maybe some Lego creations of my own(not just for 8 year olds anymore). And of course, if you have any requests on what you would like to see, I will be glad to consider them!
Have an awesome day all you people out there!

~A Reborn

Taking advantage.

Have you ever taken advantage of something? Perhaps when something goes on sale, you take advantage of the sale because you didn't have the money to buy it before? Or perhaps you have done something worse, and taken advantage of a person. There are many ways to do this; and one common one is taking advantage of someone's kindness.
Maybe you dislike someone, but they don't see that, and are kind to you, and you go along with it, become their 'friend', then stab them in the back. Ok, so maybe not the most common scenario, but very realistic. It happens, and when it does, another heart is broken.
Another scenario, and one that is very worldly, but also true, and it happens:
You like someone, but can't get them to notice you. So, you think that maybe if you pretend you like someone else, they will. You find someone that is their friend, then tell them you like them, and so on. What makes it worse, is if that person already has a 'special friend', and then they feel torn if they also kind of like that person. So, after a very large conflict between friends, you finally leave to go to the person you were originally after, and leave the relationship almost broken between the two friends.
    Now, step into the shoes of the person who has been fooled. Imagine how it would feel if you were to find out that it was all fake. That the person was just using you to get to someone else. I would feel awful. And angry...very angry. More angry then I have ever been. And that's where it becomes a problem. You want revenge. So, you think of something very hurtful to do back to them, that will expose them. Only thing is, it's public, so once you do it, yes, others will know what a jerk that person is, but also, you will have to live with what you did for the rest of your life. Because no matter how much someone has hurt you, Jesus tells us to forgive them. And it will NOT be easy, but would you rather live with the memory of publicly humiliating that person, and having everyone know, or would you rather live with having forgiven that person after a long time of cooling down? The more I think about it, the more I lean towards the second option. You may think "You wouldn't, because if you have ever been in that situation, you would know what it feels like."
Well, truth is, I DO know what it feels like. I have been in that situation, as the 'special friend' that had someone stolen from me. And it hurt. A lot. But I see where God tells us to forgive, and I start to feel...pity. Pity for the one who has done this to me and my friend.
So, no matter how hurtful someone has been to you, it's ALWAYS possible to forgive them. No matter what.

~A Reborn.

Writing, lots and lots of writing.

Here I am, writing on my blog instead of working on IDLEHALL....how motivated I am...well, I need time to think of ideas right? I mean when I have been typing for a while, things get weird...I start getting ideas of Panda bears with AK-47s fighting Koalas in Humvees...so, I think that a break is good every once in a while, don't you?
Anyway, I'm really just editing my storyline for right now, and then sending it off to my co-author to get his opinion. Again. This makes my 3rd edit. I think it's time I did some actual writing in the book itself. I need to...but that's always hard, finding where you want the characters to go, and what you want them to do, what you want to happen. My goal is to get Chapter 5 done by June.

Have a good evening all!

~A Reborn.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

HAPPY 2012 EVERYBODY!!!!!! There is a great year ahead of us!!