Do we Americans and Christians feel we are entitled?

Thought of this as I listened to two people in front of me on the bus argued. They were angry because the government had lowered their amount of money given to them each month since one had gotten a job. They felt the government owed them money from time they were unemployed. Never mind that the government had been paying them falsely for Hurrican Rita claims that they had said they had damages, but don't even own the house they were claiming on. Still the people were arguing on the phone with agent from disability that they should continue to receive same amount of money regardless of even if both people got jobs.

I open with that, to say I think we as Americans have bought into the belief, that purely because we are in America, everything should be given to us or easy for us to achieve. Life is hard, God declared when Adam and Eve sinned, that working the soil, aka. work in general would be difficult and hard as opposed to enjoyable and easy before the original sin. For more on that look at Genesis 3 I believe.

When did we are Americans and we deserve whatever you can give us and we can take from you replace we are Americans and we work harder than any other country to be the best at all we do?!? Let me unpack this: My question is when did our nationality and purely who we see ourselves as become more important than good hard work? I have thought about this a little, and can't really pinpoint the exact time this occurred. I know I constantly hear African-Americans,blacks saying how they wish they were in the NBA or making that kind of money. Yet at same time they are unwilling to get regular job or put in effort to get to the NBA.

I expand this now to followers of Christ, when did we believe that Christ will automatically change us and make us into His image once we started following Him? Christ Himself says that life as one of His followers will be difficult to the point of death, yet, lots of us say oh life will be easy as a Christian and my becoming like Christ in character will be accomplished easily also. If the Apostle Paul felt basically unaccomplished at becoming like Christ in character and felt like he had a long ways to go to be like Christ, who are we to assume we will ever have "gotten there?" Christian life like any other life is one that is a journey, journey's are rarely ever accomplished right away, or finished without effort.

So I think we do believe we are entitled as a nation, but should make the effort to get back to made our country great to begin with. Hard work, sacrifice, looking out for those around us not just ourselves, not hustling but being honest in our work. Speaking out against social injustices instead of assuming someone else will take care of problem. We can be great nation again, just going to take some good hard work.

Random thoughts...what's new?!? haha

Well went to church with my sister and brother in law and two adorable nieces. My brother in law, who kinda had no interest in church a few years ago, was raving bout how great the pastor and worship time was. The service was well done and can see the appeal that the church has for them. I go to Houston's First Baptist Church, who you can follow at @Houstonsfirst or go to site: houstonsfirst.org. Was pleased that all of my sister's family has found a church they enjoy and can relate and grow in. Think that God can do all things, sometimes it is not in our time or the way we expect, but that's what makes Him God.

God works in our lives when we are His followers, in ways we don't see or expect. Sometimes it is in huge and dramatic ways, sometimes almost completely behind the scenes. Still He works. I have learned the hard way to never put a time table or limit on what God is doing or going to do. He is just not someone to put in a box or label.

Labeling those around us sometimes works and is ok with them, but just doesn't fly with God, purely because He is so much greater than anything we can imagine or even begin to describe. So I do the best I can in describing Him but know that it falls completely short of Who He truly is.

I know that His work in my life is not done or complete, for the fact I am not perfect or anywhere He desires me to be. I sometimes wish He would pick up the pace or finish up already, but He quietly says no, you are right where I want you to be, so be satisfied and allow me to shape your heart mind and soul into a clear image of Me.

My take on health insurance and other govt organizations

I was asked what I thought of the health care reforms that are possible and should the government become involved.

My first thought is this: we as a country have become more and more a country following the Utopia "dream" I say dream because that's what it is. Basing our life and future on the ideal that takes the humanity and free-will out of the equation. Really going to have to unpack this one. Been reading Chuck Colson's book "How Now Shall We Live" There is sections in there on health care and other current topics that are controversial and this book was written 11 years ago. Yet it could have been written today for how prophetic it is.

This pipedream that our current leaders of our country have bought into, is just a new and improved version of Utopia. The idea is flawed in that people who believe that if conditions are correct and people taught correctly then Utopia will occur and that if Utopia doesn't occur that the system and thoughts just need a little tinkering with. The reason or one of the reasons that system is flawed is that utopia removes personal responsibility and moral compass from equation and tells the people to rely on system and government to "save" them. Throwing more and more government run agencies to create utopia doesn't create desired result, just separates people from ownership of what is given them. For example, government provided housing, supposed to create personal utopia for people living there, but instead separates them from ownership and they don't take care of property, protect the neighborhood from undesirables like drug dealers and criminals. So much for utopia. To me, and this is my opinion and only that, people seem to thrive under more moral responsibility and ownership of what they do, than to not have that at all. Probably has to do with the way God hardwired us or something.

Think on the controversial topic of abortion for a sec and how much government has "improved" that sector of life, bit ironic there, that abortion is a section of life or the ending of it rather. Think one of major reasons that abortion has not been re-outlawed is that we strip or allow the stripping away of the humanity of the baby being aborted. Now it might be a fetus or unwanted "complication" that needs to be dealt with. Nothing more. Kind flys in the face of what we are all pursuing according to the constituition of "Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" Eliminates that as an option for the baby being aborted, doesn't it?!?

This is why utopia will never work, those being brought up to the level of the rest of society are thought of as victims of circumstances, people holding them down...and all other excuses that people give as to why they don't succeed in the system provided. Again, if current system or idea doesn't work, then government throws another idea at people, continuing to not require personal moral responsibility from people being "helped" If system is flawed then throwing as many programs at people will never work, no matter how much government hope it will.

Colossians 1:16-end of chapter

This is kind of an overview of what a friend spoke on at First Baptist in the Heights, here in Houston, last night. His twitter acct is @afshinziafat and he is a definite good person to follow. With that here goes the main points and small summary of what he said:
1) Jesus brings the personal of God to us in His very form. Thus it is not legalism or Gnosticism or any other ism that will bring you closer to God, it's all about Jesus and what He does to bring us to God.
2) Jesus is Firstborn in rank or Sovereignty. All that is has come through Christ. Thus it is a slap in the face to worship creation and take our eyes and worship of the Creator. Interestingly Afshin pointed out something I hadn't noticed, but is completely true. The 1st and the 10th commandment are essentially dealing with or are the same topic. That is that 1st: You shall have no gods before me and 10th: don't covet... Hmmm. That being said, "All that we run after are poor gods in comparison with the One True God"

3)"For Him" this small section seems to get skipped over or ignored. Yet it is a key point to understanding how to deal with life's struggle against materialism or any other ism that we put before God. Everything was created for God. The end, period. Nothing more needs to be said.

4) Everything that is, is held together by Him:Jesus. So without Christ in my life, it goes into chaos. So great as anything else is, without Christ it ultimately comes up meaningless.

5) Jesus brings an ultimate level of reconciliation to us from God!!! By this I mean Jesu restores us in spiritually with God our Father and Creator.

Why I follow people on twitter and friend people on facebook

Thought of this new blog while on the way to Popeye's today for their tuesday special, love that chicken from Popeyes,haha. This blog is on why I think that I and others have for following people on twitter and also friending people on facebook.

This is my two cents, not scientifically verifiable or anything, so don't be using this as actual fact or anything,haha. I think we as a people are social in everyway shape and form. So the minute that Myspace came along it gave us an opportunity to reach out across the world literally and sort of get to know people from places we had never been before or possibly even seen.

Then facebook came along and helped find friends, acquaintances from long ago, people we had forgotten about, or wondered "I wonder whatever happened to..." So the social connection moved a step further. Now it offers us an opportunity to connect, play games with and "be" with 24/7, 365days a yr. Now this ofcourse should not take the place of actual human contact and going out with "real" people that are in your lives daily, but does allow us to keep in contact with some people who we might not have any other way to talk to otherwise.

Twitter seems to take this a step further and also forces us to think before writing or...we may run out of the 140 characters and have to do a new update,haha to finish our thou..ght,see it will help us not just throw out whatever is on our minds. Plus we connect with celebrities we enjoy, sports figures and again people all over the world to see a peek at what they are all about. So social networking, socializing, whatever your politically correct venacular calls for is healthy and filled with endless possibilities. So enjoy, use the resources, but don't let the resources use you or take the place of going out and being with friends and family right there to be met with.