Tim Keller #1

     I've decided to take a little bit of a break from the Genesis Series and do something a bit different. I enjoy reading books about our faith. I am always highlighting sentences that really stand out to me. So, I was thinking about how I could take that little sentence and really expand on the thought of the author and speak about how it would effect me as I walk out my faith in Jesus. So, lets start with my favorite author Tim Keller.

     The quote is "Jesus must become more beautiful than our idols." I found the quote by following the twitter handle @DailyKeller. I can't say exactly what book this came from. My research suggests that it came from Reason for God.

     I find this quote to be such a beautiful explanation of what Jesus wants for us. We must put Jesus before the things of this world that come to take our time, money, and attention. This is really the first commandment. You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:2). Idols are not always bad things. They are good things that can become God things. We need to see Jesus as more desirable than the idols that we place in front of Jesus everyday.

     Here are some questions to ask yourself. What idols am I placing in front of Jesus? Is Jesus even beautiful to me? Why don't I see Jesus as beautiful? How can Jesus become beautiful to me? Am I constantly placing Jesus first everyday?

Blind

     I posted something on Facebook about this just to let people know the sadness that I see in our society. We makes stances on things but we don't back up our opinions. We bandstand about something and then go back to our pretty life and do nothing about it. 

     We as Americans have bought into the HYPE. Not me. The media feeds us information about this and that and we make stands on Facebook but get off of our soapbox as soon as we post our voice. We vent our frustrations about injustice but don't do anything about it. In a nation of such abundance, we are unwilling to sacrifice to make a change. Our life is consumed by the idea that we can make a change but nobody is making that change. We Need Change is what I heard but is there true change. I'm not trying to make it political so don't take it that way. 

     I looked at my most of my friends on Facebook make such ignorant statements. I was so disappointed in people. Should I not be disappointed? We are flawed people leaving in an imperfect world. We are naturally going to say things like this. With an imperfect justice system why should we be surprised? The thing about justice is people want to preach justice until it does not agree with their cause. Funny how people feel when the shoe is on the other foot. 

     Now to the race/color thing. I am a looked at in the world as a Black/African American male. Truth be told my father/sperm donor is a Hispanic male. My mother is an African American woman. Now if I came out looking like my dad a fair skinned male verse looking like my mother a dark skinned woman that changes the way people would look at me. How sad is that? Are we ignorant enough to believe the lie? The lie that depending on the color of someones skin they are either one way or the other. Have people not died to stop this?  Yes, we continue the cycle when we spew hate on the inner webs and then out into the world with our words and actions. 

      In conclusion, we as a people must be the change that we want to see in the world. That is what I live by. We show people that change can come. Change will come when you step out to be that change. We must educate people about the ignorance that they put out in this world. I know that there will be people that will not want to receive it but that must not stop us from doing it. So, what do you think?