Christmas, You Are My Everest

Three Questions I ask tonight:

Why do we do all of this?
What is happening to the holiday season in America?
What is Christmas; why is it universally joyful?


Stay with me, my messages tonight are initially bleak, but hopefully will become a lot better as you read.

First Question: Why do we do all of this?

When I ask 'all of this', I mean all of this struggle and stress for one day of the year that celebrates something so seemingly average; the birth of a child. Gifts are given, Santa comes, children are smiling. What does any of that have to do with a little baby being born? There are no words I can say to remind anyone of how powerful that child is. The most powerful being in the universe transformed himself into the most innocent, most vulnerable, and arguably the most beautiful thing in the world. As an amateur writer I have always searched for the schisms in literature, and this is one of the grandest ones.

It's really intense and glorious in fact; a little child, perhaps screaming in discomfort, coming down to love all of us. How many men, how many prophecies were fulfilled in this baby? It's almost comical, the little baby who saved us all.

I don't understand why Santa is a thing, and I couldn't tell you why we put a live tree in our home to die, but I do know that we should be celebrating. Our gifts should be given and remembered to be symbols of love for each other, as I've stressed in other posts on love; it is the greatest thing we can do for one another is to love them.

So; why do we do all of this? Austin's answer: to portray the love God showed for us through a baby to those we love & who love us; and to sing and celebrate. To be merry.

Second Question: What is happening to the holiday season in America?

The Christmas tree is a Holiday Tree, commercials do not say Christmas, and signs are constantly placing the word Holiday in their ads. It's crazy, in 1950 Frank Sinatra was singing about Christmas everywhere. Christmas was the bomb until a couple of years ago. I am perplexed and frustrated by this sudden change of pace.

How can people go out and buy toys to put under their holiday trees? What are the toys there for?

So; What is happening in America? Austin's answer: As a whole, Christians are no longer the majority, therefore as not to insult any newer religions in America, we have moved away from the Christ in Christmas.

Third Question: What is Christmas; why is it universally joyful?

I was driving today in the worst driving weather possible. It was cold, rainy, and windy. These three altogether created a high sense of discomfort, however I was in the cheeriest mood. All of a sudden it struck me; I was on a strange Christmas high, and I was happy to be spending the day with members of my family. I was full of warmth during this dreary Christmas Eve.

So I asked myself; why is Christmas universally joyful? Even if half the time it involves putting on a face to appease happy family members, it is still a warm time full of love and laughter. Just a while ago, my family sat around and sang acapella Christmas carols, and it was so delightful and odd to me.

There really is some strange magic around the season, take away the commercialism, the presents, the stress. There is nothing like walking down the stairs to see that glowing Christmas tree, or sitting by the fire with loved ones.

I decided today that I really do love Christmas, in all of its frustration.

So; What is Christmas & why is it joyful? Austin's answer: A time of fellowship, strange joy, and perhaps unaccustomed comfort; but I couldn't tell you why its joyful.

What brings you joy during the Christmas season?

Cheers, God bless, & Merry Christmas,

Austin

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
Luke 2:13-14

Floating Beauties

Before I begin, let's take a minute to reflect on how intensely beautiful that picture is. There are a lot of crazy creatures out there, like the Narwhal & the Sea Cucumber, but the jellyfish is one of the weirdest.

The ocean in itself is a massive mystery. We, as humans, however much we strive, will never be able to uncover all of it's strange depths.

Jellyfish are incredibly unique animals. There are too many types to count. There are almost microscopic ones in Australia that can either kill or paralyze with just one sting. There are massive ones called Man-O-Wars, that have 200 foot long tentacles, and there's even one that, through use of unique cells, never technically die.

Needless to say, there are a lot of them. And they are oddly similar to humans.

Why you ask? Here are some key characteristics of each:
-sting or harm everything they come in contact with.
-attempt control of direction, but are ultimately controlled by that which holds them.
-notorious wanderers
-travel in groups but are alone.

We, like the jellyfish, are natural born killers. We destroy the trust of our friends, we absentmindedly break bonds, hurt others. When we are born, we are the scum of this earth, even in our beautiful design.

Psalm 51:5 says "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me."
From birth we are evil. However good of a person you may be, you are still not good enough.

We are controlled by our God, our 'ocean'. He holds us, he directs our movements, and he puts us through tests. We will be tossed and turned through waves. We are helpless; "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;"
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

We live in our solitude, whether we like it or not. We can spend time with others, in large groups, maybe having a lot of fun. But we are alone, and without the mercy of our large and mysterious God, we are nothing but a tiny jellyfish in the sea, struggling to stay afloat.

"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48

What creatures jellyfish are.

Cheers, God bless,
& Merry Christmas.

Austin

Save the Hero

I'll dive right in. In Beyonce's song, 'Save the Hero,' she asks a surprising & simple question. She asks "Who's there to save the hero?"
When listening I thought to myself, 'valid point Beyonce, I'm surprised at you.' 
My point today is to tell you who really is there to save the hero. 
My answer is: no one. 

The hero doesn't need a savior; he is the savior. When Jesus hung on a cross, did anyone save Him? No, & he could have called down an army of angels to help Him. Heck he honestly could have killed all the sinners up in here without even blinking, but He didn't, because He's the hero. 

A hero is "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities."
And you can't deny that, because I got it from the dictionary. 
It's interesting to me that the definition says that the hero is admired for his deeds and nobility. Often times I think that the hero is cast aside because society cannot see his brave deeds or noble qualities. Does that make him more of a hero? 

I think so. I think that the greatest hero is he who does admirable deeds and possesses noble qualities but does not boast or show these traits only in front of large crowds. The greatest hero is someone who is not noticed in his deeds, maybe even sometimes questioned and even laughed at, but he pushes on because he knows it is right. 

Matthew 5 tells us to let our light shine before men. This at first seems to contradict everything I just said. Thinking about it, letting your light shine is not boasting or showing everyone your good deeds. It means allowing the light inside you that comes not from you, but from the Lord, to flow through you out into the world and others around you. 
You can still be mocked by everyone if your light is shining bright. 
Don't give up hope. 
Food for thought. 

Words or Actions?

Alright so, whoever said "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me," was dumb, right? But whoever said "Actions speak louder than words," was a scholar? Right.

Can we all agree with that? Why? Are the statements true? And should they be?

These are the questions that have been eating at me, and hopefully I can shed some light on the subject here. For myself and whoever you are.

I think that the single most powerful thing is when someone uses words backed with actions. A threat is just a joke without the follow through, and a promise just a lie. Words can be empty and hollow, but without them we are unsophisticated like animals, and they can also be quite powerful, life changing even. However actions are extremely strong, and used without words can be extremely calm and peaceful, like a hug or a smile, but also outrageous and brutal, like a punch to the face. If I could only have one, it'd be actions. They are the foundation of words.

But of course, I love words. I have a deep passion for the written word. Words can change the world. Blowing up a building can cause quite a stir, but an article or book can change a civilization's way of thinking. They are so moving and powerful; they can be more beautiful than the thing they're describing if used correctly. They allow you to see into the characters' minds. You can be whoever you're reading about. It's fantastic.

At the same time, sometimes words just aren't enough.

Of course, the answer is annoying; a healthy balance of both will be the strongest.
Food for thought. I don't have a real answer for you. I'm feeling extra cynical tonight. Sorry.

Trust Issues

I don't believe you.
Honestly, if you tell me you're going to do something for me, I think there's about a forty percent chance of that happening.
People these days can't commit and it's quite stifling. I think there's very few true friends out there for all of us.
When I say true friend, I don't just mean someone I know who will say hello to me in the hall and give me a smile, I mean someone who sees that I am in trouble and does everything in their power to help.
I miss being a kid, when everyone was right, and when you said you were a dinosaur, you really were a dinosaur.
I don't think we ever grow up. We just get hairy and tall.
We learn from mistakes, and we grow through challenges, but we don't grow up. Inside everyone is a child begging to be a spaceship pilot. I know I want to be a spaceship pilot.
But that's besides the point. The point is I have a difficulty trusting anyone around me. It's really not your fault, it's mine. It's fairly easy to see that I think.
I think the reason I can't trust anyone is because I get thrashed when people break commitments, and I need to learn to trust others without placing faith in them, because people are careless.

I am only one man. boy. child. I am only one person.
I need to realize that everyone else are people as well.
At that point maybe I can trust everyone.
I think that the greatest thing to strive for as Christians, & even as humans really, is to love others, and I can't love without trust.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about universal peace & love, like the hippies, I just mean showing others the care that you would like to be shown. It's the golden rule that is taken for granted every single day.
Today I rediscovered 1 John 4:16, which says "God is love, & the one who resides in love resides in God."

To share the gospel is not to spit out the story of Jesus and hope that we get through to the 'poor lost pagans.' If we do that, we are treating everyone we talk too like a free agent we want on our team. If we show them real love and care, I believe we can reach countless more without saying a word about Jesus.

I'm just as bad as this as anyone, and this is more a journal than anything,
but if you struggle with anything on here, I hope I've helped, and please feel free to come talk to me.
You're fantastic,
Austin.

The Other Cheek

Turning the other cheek doesn’t technically mean taking the punch and dealing with the pain. Personally I decipher it as allowing that person to continue their blows while simply ignoring the hurt, knowing that no matter what they do, they cannot actually do anything to you. If a person like me cannot learn to do such thing, they will live their whole lives hurting, instead of finding protection and comfort, without other people’s support. Recently I’ve discovered I’ve been allowing myself to get beat down when others have started to tell me the jobs I do aren’t good enough. I have to learn to allow these comments to roll off my back, otherwise what kind of life am I living? Introvert, extrovert. People who gain energy from being alone, or from themselves, or people who gain energy from being surrounded by others, or from others. Basically, the question is, can you, I, anyone, allow others to become merely people instead of authority, in order to turn the other cheek? Food for thought. Night folks.

good times bad times

Every moment, every second, every heartbeat is a test. We know that God tests us, for He tells us that the testing of your faith develops perserverance in James 1. We know that bad times bring us closer to Him. Fear, struggle, and heartbreak all lead us back to God.

Something hit me recently, and it hit me hard. It's so simple, yet very hard to grasp and utilize and that is that God is not only testing us in the bad times, but He is testing us even more fervently in the good times. In the bad times we run to Him, we cling to Him. The best way to get through a struggle is to cling to God.

But what if He's watching us even more intently during the good times?

Good times and blessings bring about extreme carelessness. I have found that I forget to read my Bible, forget to pray, and simply coexist with God in times of happiness, which should be the opposite of what should occur when I am blessed.

When we are blessed with good times, shouldn't we seek God even more?

I think so. I think we need to yearn for God's presence and sing praises to Him constantly while we are happy. If God is pouring blessings down upon you, you should be pouring praise back to Him, talking with Him constantly, wanting just to be with Him.

I'm not writing this to anyone, I'm just saying. It's fact.

Food for thought. I am sleepy.

we love we hate

I find it interesting that we grow accustomed to just about anything.

Let me explain. Say you have a car. It's a ten year old car, no stereo, has a weird smell. You loathe the car, you see other cars on the road and wish they were yours. However when you get this new car it might be great, and you might forget your old car, but if you were to get back in your old car and drive it around, you would remember the feel of it and somewhere deep inside yourself, you would miss it at least a little bit.

It's the same with situations and memories. Maybe a person goes through a difficult time, and it hurts, and it ends. When reminded of that situation, that familiar pang will still ring through that person's heart, because they grew accustomed to that time period.

Thoughts to reflect on as you go about your days.

As my eyes are struggling to keep open, I will leave you for tonight.

Welcome

I'm Austin. My friends call me Austin. I like people, but I hate people.

I find people interesting; their mannerisms, their styles, their different personalities. I think the most interesting thing about a person is their sense of humor believe it or not. Everyone has a different one, even those who attempt to replicate someone else's. I analyze people based on every little detail. To me everything has a purpose. A person acts a certain way because of something; some intricate action makes me wonder its purpose. I find myself on a regular basis trying to find this purpose in every person and every movement they possess.

At the same time, people bother me. I'm extremely likable (no matter how stuck up it comes off as) but I dislike about 75% of people around me, therefore I'm mean to them and only talk to about 15 to 25 %. Those few people I do talk to I really adore. I'm blessed with the friends I have. What kind of people do I really like? I like people that make me think, people that surprise me. I like people that I can be myself around. I grew up hating the ordinary, hating the structured life. My passions include art and music, and I've taught myself those things for the most part. The reason I find so much joy in them is that they are completely mine. I find pride in the fact that I did not gather my skills from another human being. Of course this is nonsense, as all music and art knowledge inside my head came from multiple humans. It is strange to think that every piece of knowledge we as humans have ever held dear or thought of even for a brief moment comes from all we've learned. Even new inventions and creations are all products of others' thoughts. It's like we take everything we know, and push it into our words, thoughts, actions, and in the end our entire being. I am perplexed, goodnight moon.