*Trailer Alert* Clash Of The Titans

I remember watching the original movie when I was a kid….sometimes remakes really suck…but I don’t think this film will have any problems out shining the original film.

Album Preview – Phil Wickham “Cielo”

Today, I had the opportunity to preview a song from Phil Wickham’s upcoming album, “Heaven and Earth” (Releasing on November 17^th). The song is titled “Cielo”, and tells the story of a person entering the gates of Heaven, and his response to what he is seeing.  I was not expecting to get misty eyed when first hearing the song, but that’s exactly what happened!  The song is played in a lower key, which seems kind of different, because when you think of songs about Heaven, your mind tends to wonder to songs like “I can only imagine”…which is made more dynamic by the higher key it is played in.

But the dynamics of this song is not affected by the lower key, instead, I feel like it makes the song more personal and intimate.  This song resonates in me the fact that even in Heaven, our desire to worship and be with God will still burn passionately, if not more than it does now.

I’m excited to hear the whole album, and as soon as I do, I’ll write a quick review about it.  Until then, here are the words to this amazing song…I know you don’t have the track to listen to just yet..but even still, the words of this song-story are amazing!  I can so imagine everyone singing this song in Church as well as Heaven….

 

Cielo (Sky/Heaven)

 

I’m walking through the bright white gates,

Breathing in and out Your grace.

All around me melodies rise,

Echoing the joy inside.

So I start to sing…

 

But I can’t sing loud enough,

I can’t sing loud enough,

When I’m singing for You, my God.

 

With a thunder roll and brilliant light,

Your glory bursts and the Heavens shine.

Saints and Angels stand in awe,

Captured by the beauty of it all.

So I fall to my knees…

 

But I can’t bow low enough,

I can’t bow low enough,

At the vision of You, my God.

 

I can’t hold it all inside,

I’m reaching for the One who brought me out of death and into life….

 

But I can’t lift my hands high enough,

I can’t lift my hands high enough,

When I’m reaching for you my God.

Twenty Seven

Another year has passed…my twenty seventh to be exact.  And while my short existence has offered me many unforgettable moments, my twenty seventh year was in particular, memorable both in the small and large things one can experience in life.  If you would be patient with me just a little (because this entry is gonna be long), I would like to share some of these things with you.  Don’t get me wrong, I have no notion that my existence is so important that everyone care’s about what happens in my life, I understand that I’m just not that great!  But my experiences have helped shape me into the man I am today…and if you felt enough for me to visit my blog, well I guess you might want to share in some of these experiences, whether they are big or small.  I tend to get lost in timelines, so there will be no order to this, just whatever comes to my head first.

In my twenty seventh year I was able to hear all my kids tell me they love me…their words of affection always came at the perfect times, and their expressions created a feeling inside of myself that I cannot explain.  My girls are my life, my breath, my heartbeat…if anyone sees anything good in me, you can thank my four little girls for most of it…life would not be life if I could not live for them and with them everyday.

In my twenty seventh year I was able to grow closer too and love more everyday, my beautiful wife Elizabeth.  We’ve grown so much together this last year, and I can say without a doubt, that Elizabeth has brought out the best in me, the real me.  I’m honored to watch her be a mother everyday to our kids, there is none better.  And I’m amazed at her love for me, and the quality of life she wants to live with me…I don’t deserve such an awesome woman by my side, but I’m so very grateful for her.  Elizabeth is my favorite, my person.

In my twenty seventh year I was able to watch my dad take control of his health and shed all the weight that had been holding him down for so long.  His attitude, energy, and outlook on life has changed in such positive ways, I’m so very proud of his hard work.  I’ve also been able to watch and be excited about my mom’s retirement this year.  If anyone has earned it, it’s my mom.  I’ve also been able to watch her grow in Christ and cling to Him in the hard times and good times, my mom is my daily inspiration for living for God…I only hope to have even a fraction of her determination as I get older, for the things of God.

In my twenty seventh year I was able to see my sister get engaged to an awesome man.  I know Lyndi has prayed about the future she is about to experience for a long time, and I believe God has provided her with a partner that will walk with her and help lead her family in a positive direction in their daily life.  I was surprised when they asked me to officiate the wedding, but I’m honored and thrilled to do this for Lyndi and Stewart in my twenty eighth year.

In my twenty seventh year I was able to experience Abby’s first day of school, something I will never forget.  Also, I was able to hear her teacher sing Abby’s praises about how well she does in school, as well as praise Danny, Elizabeth, Stephanie, and I for the job we’ve done raising her.  There were no better words than when her teacher said, “You can tell Abby is very well loved…” wow, that is just amazing words to a parents ears.

In my twenty seventh year, I was able to watch Maggie grow leaps and bounds in a short amount of time.  She started potty training, drinking out of cups with no lids or straws, and holding conversations! She’s growing up much too fast, but she will always be my little snicker!

In my twenty seventh year, I was able to watch Hannah dance in ballet class, it was hard to hold my emotions back as I saw my little girl growing before my very eyes, offering a glimpse of the person she will become through the movements of her little legs and beautiful smile on her face.

In my twenty seventh year, I was able to watch Emma in amazement as she sat down at her little drum kit and played the heck out of them!  I’m serious; she can rock a set of drums better than any kid I’ve ever seen!

In my twenty seventh year, Elizabeth and I were able to take a cruise and see waters we’ve only dreamed of.  We took in the whole experience with wonder, and we know without a doubt that such beauty, fun, and relaxation is absolutely something we will be doing again!  Kind of in the same vein, Elizabeth and I spent our anniversary camping at Lake Brownwood…swimming all day, cooking out, and at one point watching two of the SAW movies on my laptop, made for an awesome weekend!  I also was able to watch my first two movies at the drive in with Elizabeth!

In my twenty seventh year, I went from carpooling with Elizabeth, to receiving a truck from my parents on father’s day!  That’s right, my parent’s rock!

In my twenty seventh year, I was able to listen to the best music album I have ever heard in Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.”  Many don’t like it…it’s kind of deep and the music is different than what people are use to…but my love for music caused me to look deeply at this album…and folks…there is none better that I have heard.  “I took my love down to violet hill, there we sat in snow. All that time she was silent still, so if you love me won’t you let me know? If you love me, won’t you let me know?”

Don’t we all want to know….I know you’re probably confused, but that’s why you need to buy the album and hear it for yourself to better understand!

And finally, in my twenty seventh year, I was able to spend time and grow with my family; and that is what is most important to me.  Beyond the material stuff, family is all that matters.

Thanks for your patience if you made it this far! :o)

Jeremy

INSECURE

Insecure – not confident or sure; not highly stable or well-adjusted; deficient in assurance; beset by fear and anxiety

No matter what successes I achieve in my life, there is always a part of me that feels unconfident and unsure.  I walk one step at a time like everyone else but for some reason I continue to feel unstable and unable to keep up with their pace.  There’s a small part of me that daily fears of the unknown, whether it be in my failures or something unexpected, or beyond my control.  This small part of me never fades, instead it stays consistent in it’s original size and shape, and at times begins to bulge with fierceness as I find myself begin to unravel in my own insecurities.

I am fragile and flawed.  I am flesh and bone.  I am a lousy husband and a disappointment to my children.  I have failed my friends and family…and some I have hurt intentionally for my own gain….though I see these obvious offences and suffer in the choking pain of my own hand, I will never overcome or experience victory over them.

I am a sinner.  I am a man.

I will always battle against this unseen piece of weight inside of me that I created; this piece of my mind that tells me I am worthless.  I find no peace in my insecurities, they rip and tear at my heart…they cause me pain unimaginable…sometimes it even hurts to breathe.

Is there hope for me?  Or will I always have to endure this part of myself that lives in painful uncertainty…this part of me that feeds off paranoia and thrives in the certainty that I will never measure up and become the man that people will be happy with…this part of me that fears everyday that somehow and someway, at the end of things…I will be the last one hurting.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

The words above came flooding out of me today; they’re words that I don’t like to talk about.  Why don’t I like to talk about them?  Simple….I do not like to admit my weaknesses.  And that’s what these words are describing, my weaknesses.  Some might think differently, but I would challenge you to understand to look deep and find the originator of these weaknesses…..insecurity.

I’ve been told by many that I’m not an insecure person, and I guess at times that makes me feel good.  But the truth is I struggle with insecurities everyday.  I suppose if we all were honest, we would admit to the same thing; no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel to do so.

Now, does this mean I live in a constant state of depression and self inflicted worthlessness, as it would appear from the words above?

Not at all.

Instead, I have come to find that there is one way of gaining ground on insecurity.  There is one absolute way of feeling secure even though this small part of me tries to tell me different.

Faith in Jesus.

That’s right, I said it! Faith in my God helps me to conquer my insecurities…and in case you missed it, these insecurities are mine and mine alone.  It would be very easy to deliberately and even unknowingly force my insecurities on others; my wife, my kids, my family and friends.  And beyond that it’s even easier for those that I have dragged into my insecurities to take them on as their own.

I cannot do this, and I encourage you to not do it either.

Also, I always have to remember that I cannot overcome my insecurities by giving my insecurities what they want.  And what my insecurities want and feed off of is my lack of faith.

You see, my faith in Christ, conquers uncertainty and fear.  My faith in Christ gives me stability and strength; it leaves me feeling secure as a child of God, a husband, father, son, brother, and man.  Without this faith I am left with nothing to give me support but myself, and that simply will not do.  I have to have faith that God will work all things out for good.

Finally, I have to work through my insecurities with the right heart.  If my only way of gaining victory over my insecurities is puffing up and trying to be better than everyone else so I make myself feel more valuable or accepted , well then…I’m going to fail and most likely cause myself and the others around me to have more struggles.  Remember, we need help to overcome insecurity; we can’t do it on our own.

Remember….faith in Jesus will give you victory over this painful issue.  And faith requires that you give up the one thing we hold onto the most tightly…control.

–Jeremy

Experience Description

I was once asked by a teacher to write a short descriptive paper on what I experienced as a batter whenever a pitcher was throwing a baseball at me.  By the time I finished the paper I had about six pages written and the teacher was very curious how I had come up with so much information.  I remember her asking me when I turned the paper in if I had actually written up an experience or made something up.  After she read the paper she told me while the paper was a little over done, she felt that she had truly experienced what I had whenever a pitcher had thrown a ball at me.

I’ve been asked this before, how do you write descriptions so well in a story?

The short answer is that you have to open yourself up to every possibility.  If we were outside and I asked you to describe what you hear, and you said, “I hear a dog barking up the block, traffic noise in the street, and the wind blowing,” this might not be an effective description in a story.  While you successfully conveyed what you heard, you’re not really sharing the experience with the reader.  And by that I’m saying you’re not making what you hear relatable to the reader.

When you’re describing a dog barking up the street, it might be helpful to add the tone of the bark.  Did the dog sound distressed?  Excited? Mad?  Was the dog growling?  The same applies to the traffic noise in the street.  What kind of traffic are you hearing?  Perhaps you hear the backfire from a passing car or a loud horn booming from a semi truck.  These are all things people have heard before and it connects them into the story because they can relate to what you’re describing.

The wind was blowing through the trees in mighty gusts, causing the leaves to sporadically fall to the ground and scrape against the pavement of the street.  The sound of the wind was like an old man screaming into the depths of a deep well, a loud blast in the beginning that soon crashed against the dark and faded into its echo.

So how do you come up with these descriptions?  Honestly, I usually try to experience them for myself.  I might step outside, close my eyes and just casually and peacefully, even if for a minute, take in the experience.  Before long, everything just clicks and makes sense.

For those things I can’t experience I sometimes might ask someone who has experienced that thing to give me their description, or read up on it somewhere and draw inspiration that way.  The thing to remember is that while everyone experiences things differently, we all have the same senses.  And these senses are what help us relate to another person’s experience.  I hope this makes sense.  Hit me up if you need some clarification.

Finding 100 – Still Breathing At 100 Pages

On May 2, 2009 I started writing another story that I’m really excited about.  As of yesterday I reached the ONE HUNDRED PAGE mark and couldn’t be more thrilled.  Some of you may be wondering why it’s such a big deal to me, so I’ll give a short explanation.

For many years now (honestly since high school) I have not finished one story, short or novel.  My life has been crazy busy and my motivation for writing has been put on the back burner for a long time.  That’s not to say I haven’t written anything, I just haven’t finished any of the stories that I have started. :o)

What makes this time different?  Well, I can’t say for sure that here in a few months I won’t get distracted and bomb out on another story.  I mean, I have a wife, four kids, full time job; it’s really easy to phase out on writing.  But I can say that I have more desire and drive to finish this story than ever before.  I try and write everyday, at least two thousand words, and the days I don’t write I’m biting at the bit until I get the chance to write again.

Also, my family is very supportive of me.  Elizabeth is my biggest fan; she gives me encouragement to keep pushing through the story and always shows crazy excitement when I tell her that I added another major piece to the story today.  I talk with her about my ideas and she’s very open and receptive, she’s only read maybe a chapter of the story and already knows the character’s names.  Her investment, love, and encouragement in my work help’s me more than she will ever know.  My parents and sister also encourage me to dig deep and just write what’s inside my heart.  I can see it in their eyes that they are confident in the ability and talent the Lord has blessed me with.  I’m so thankful for their support.

And finally, I’m not afraid to write anymore.  I write fictional stories about incredible, out of this world situations, and try and make them relatable to the reader.  This is accomplished by my desire to write characters anyone can identify with, and put them into these crazy situations and see what happens.  This thought use to frighten me a lot.   I would worry about what others might think after reading my stories, it really held me back.  But I’m at a place now where I just want to write and see what happens.  I’m not trying to publish a best seller here that everyone loves…I’m just writing to satisfy this hunger in my heart that has not gone away since I was in middle school.

In the future I’ll blog out some of my experiences during my writing process and hopefully someone else might be inspired.  If you have any questions about writing, just hit me up, and I’ll do my best to answer you.  Remember, I’m not a professional…just a man with a few stories up his sleeve.

Smallville-New Season…New Timeslot

This is for those of you that watch the amazing show SMALLVILLE.  It is getting another season (and most likely this will be the last).  And also will be getting moved to another time slot.  Fridays at 8:00!  So come September, tune in!

Kris Allen – God Of This City

Okay, so here’s he deal.  I don’t know much about his guy except that he won American Idol and sang some pretty cool songs.  But I did run across this today and thought some of you might be surprised.  I know I was.

You might recognize the song “God Of This City”, as Chris Tomlin has made it very popular.  It was originally written by a band called, “Bluetree.”  The song is awesome and I think Kris does a good job of singing it here.

Millennium Part Four – How It Ends

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.”

Genesis 3:1

I suppose it makes some kind of ironic sense that the same evil that deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, a place that was God’s paradise on earth, would also deceive millions or more in the Millennial Kingdom, which will also be God’s paradise on earth in the future.

It’s amazing to think that with everything everyone will witness in the Millennial Kingdom (the best of these things is seeing Jesus Himself) that anyone would be left with any doubts, and that anyone would be left not knowing Christ as Savior.

The twentieth chapter of Revelation is very clear about the return of Satan at the end of Millennial Kingdom, and also his deception of many across the four corners of the earth. No matter what some people have witnessed, touched, tasted, and experienced, they will still have doubt in their hearts about Christ and His glory, and it will be these doubts that will allow them to be convinced by Satan, that God can be destroyed (Revelation 20:7-8).

And there is no doubt that at this time Satan is going out to TRY and destroy Jesus. It’s clear in Revelation chapter twenty verse eight, that Satan will deceive and build an army, and this army will be like the sand of the sea. Of course we have no idea how he will deceive these millions of souls, but we can be certain, as stated in the writings of Genesis; Satan is very clever. And no matter what he promises or what knowledge he provides, these souls are not his worry; they will only be his means in trying to destroy everything that’s left on the earth. Knowing what we know about the devil, it is certain that he’s not building this army to protect anything; instead he will surround every believer and attempt to destroy them all (Revelation 20:9).

But God will not be destroyed…He will not be overtaken….and God will put an end to Satan’s roaming of the earth. Before a punch can be thrown or a shot fired, fire will fall from Heaven and consume Satan and all his followers (Revelation 20:9). And Satan will be thrown into hell, where he will finally stay for eternity (Revelation 20:10).

It will be this event that will end the Millennial Kingdom. God’s Word does not elaborate on any events that will happen after Satan’s fall into hell or before the Great White Throne Judgment. It is only certain that the Millennial Kingdom will exist for one thousand years on earth, and then every believer will finally be reunited in our home in Heaven.

I hope this series has given you some great knowledge about the Millennial Kingdom, as I myself learned much! Hopefully in the future we might experience more series like this, as God lays them on my heart. Thank you.

“Millennium” Part Three- Life and Death

“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

Revelation 20:4-6

There will be two groups found in the Millennial Kingdom, those with earthly bodies and those with resurrected, glorified, bodies.

Those with earthly bodies will belong to the individuals who accepted Christ as Savior during the seven year tribulation and survived. Meaning they were not killed by plague, beheading, or any other sort of device that results in death.

Those with glorified bodies will belong to believers who were apart of the rapture before the tribulation, those believers who were martyred or died during the tribulation, as well as the Old Testament saints. It is important to note that Gods Word is very clear regarding those that will have glorified bodies in His Millennial Kingdom. While some might expect that every soul in Heaven will take part in the Millennial Kingdom, scripture does not back this thought up. Instead only the souls outlined above will take part in the Millennial Kingdom and those in Heaven that are not outlined above will remain in Heaven during the one thousand year Millennial reign of Christ.

These two groups will join together in the Millennial Kingdom and share in the goodness of God. They will worship and work together everyday, they will tell stories about their past lives and their excitement for the future. They will be free from war or persecution and everything they do will be designed to glorify God.

There will be some differences in the two groups that should be mentioned. As the verse in Revelation above tells of those martyred living one thousand years with Christ; so will all those with glorified bodies live with Christ a thousand years. For those with earthly bodies they will most likely not live as long; as they will still carry the one thing that separates all of us from being truly holy, sin. But God in His grace and mercy will allow man to live long years again like those written about in the Old Testament. It will be completely possible that these earthly beings will live hundreds of years and still look very young (Isaiah 65:20). But like all earthly vessels, they will still hold the capacity to die.

Another difference between the two groups will be in their relationships to each other. Those with glorified bodies in the Millennial Kingdom will have no physical relationships; instead, all their relationships will be platonic. Since this group has died physically and rejoiced in Heaven with Christ, their relationships will be completely devoted to Christ. They will be daily fulfilling their destiny as being the bride of Christ, and no one with a glorified body will give into marriage (Matthew 22:30). The same will be true of all believers once we pass on. So if a married couple that are believers, died in the tribulation; then when they meet in the Millennial Kingdom they will still love each other, but not romantically. Instead, their entire hearts desire will be to worship Christ for eternity. It’s always possible that they will live and work together, but they will never marry or give into marriage. This will probably bum a lot of you out to think about (it bums me out) but the truth is, until we know exactly what it is like to have complete and total devotion to God, we’ll never know how awesome it will truly be to be His bride.

On the flip side of things, those with earthly bodies will be allowed to marry and have children, as they will still have earthly bodies. And it is through these relationships and new life that children will be born all over the world, and like today these children will be born into the bondage of sin. One might think in a place where God will physically reign it would be impossible to find an unbeliever anywhere. But this is not the truth, and unfortunately for some, they will die at the end of the Millennial Kingdom not knowing Christ as Savior (Revelation 20:8)

If you have any question or comments, please leave them below! Tune in next week when we’ll discuss the final chapter in our series about Satan’s release and how the Millennial Kingdom will end.

Extra Information:

Scriptural prophecies indicate that anyone who does not trust Christ by the age of one hundred in the Millennial Kingdom will be accursed. If the Bible is taken literally than this means that such people will die on their one hundredth birthdays exposing themselves as unbelievers (Isaiah 65:20)