Isaiah 4

Isaiah 4:2-3 NIV

"In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem."

This chapter is short so my blog will be pretty short.

but the thing that stuck put to me here is this: even though the nation wass being punished...the faithful were blessed...

God always remembers His remnant...kind of basic but it's nice to remember the basics every nopw and then

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Isaiah 3

If you're reading this on FB i think you can click on a link to read the whole thing.
If not, jdtwopointtwo.tumblr.com works just fine ;p


Isaiah 3:6-7 NIV

A man will seize one of his brothers
in his father's house, and say,
"You have a cloak, you be our leader;
take charge of this heap of ruins!" But in that day he will cry out,
"I have no remedy.
I have no food or clothing in my house;
do not make me the leader of the people."


Isaiah was prophesying that it would get so bad that when people chose a leader, he didnt want to lead.


I guess the thing I got out of this chapter was that as long as there is not anarchy there is hope. We shoukd be praying for our leaders (our country's leaders especially), even if we don't always agree with wht they say.


Be thankful for our leaders, our teachers, our pastors, our bosses, our parents, our nation's leaders, anyone who takes up the responsibility to lead a group of people. Be thankful that we still live in a time where people are willing to lead so we can pray they do the right thing.

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The truth is...

I hate my youth group. I hate pretty much everything about it.

But it wasn't always that way. There was a time when I looked forward to Sunday nights.

The truth is, I've changed my perspective.
I've made up three lame excuses to explain my change of attitude.
1. I'm too old for the group
2. the leadership
3. the group itself doesn't get involved.

Notice that I never blamed myself for anything...

...and that's where the problem starts.

MY attitude changed so it probably has to do with me.
If I'm unhappy with the way things are then I should change them.

Mahatma Ghandi has that famous quote "Be the change you want to see in the world."

I guess that's true for any situation. Be that change.

But what if I fail? Well I have a quote for that too.

"If you're going to risk and maybe fail, fail at something that matters. Fail gloriously, so that even in failure, lives change." -Jon Acuff (he is an awesome Christian author/blogger, you really should check him out.)

and that' really how i should take this...so many times when I want to make something happen I don't because I'm afraid of failure.

So with this being said, does that mean I'm going to overthrow my youth leader and get things done my way? Of course not!

This just means that I am going to do all that I can to be the change I want to see.

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The truth is...

I hate my youth group. I hate pretty much everything about it.

But it wasn't always that way. There was a time when I looked forward to Sunday nights.

The truth is, I've changed my perspective.
I've made up 3 lame excuses.
1. I'm too old for the group
2. the leadership
3. the group itself doesn't get involved.

Notice that I never blamed myself for anything...

...and that's where the problem starts.

MY attitude changed so it probably has to do with me.
If I'm unhappy with the way things are then I should change them.

Mahatma Ghandi has that famous quote "Be the change you want to see in the world."

I guess that's true for any situation. Be that change.

But what if I fail? Well I have a quote for that too.

"If you're going to risk and maybe fail, fail at something that matters. Fail gloriously, so that even in failure, lives change." -Jon Acuff (he is an awesome Christian author/blogger, you really should check him out.)

and that' really how i should take this...so many times when I want to make something happen I don't because I'm afraid of failure.

So with this being said, does that mean I'm going to overthrow my youth leader and get things done my way? Of course not!

This just means that I am going to do all that I can to be the change I want to see.

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Isaiah 2

Isaiah 2:20-22 NIV

"In that day people will throw away
to the moles and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
which they made to worship. They will flee to caverns in the rocks
and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth. Stop trusting in mere humans,
who have but a breath in their nostrils.
Why hold them in esteem?"

these verses talk about how the people of Israel and Juda would view their idols when the day of judgement came. Here it says that they will throw them away and hide from God's presence.

When I read this I began to think about what I put before God as an Idol. I would have to say that the thing I idolize most is music. I'm very proud of my musical abilities and i love listening to different types of music (I'm currently listening to Choir pieces lol). but the thing to remember is that one day my musical abilities wonnt matter. all that will matter is my relationship with God.

I dont want to toss my talents aside to hide from the presence of God. I want to toss my talents at His feet to honor Him instead.

g'night...

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Isaiah 1

Isaiah 1:11-13 NIV

"The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?" says the Lord.
"I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

ouch...Isaiah is going to be tough...

but when I was reading the introduction to Isaiah i relaized that Judah of that time sounds alot like America today.

The country was doing great economically but they werent doing good spiritually...

people would give sacrifices and they would attend athe synogauge every saturday. But God was actuallyed annoyed with this. God mocked their church attendence and called 'trampling' the temple.

God doesn't desire religion. He wants a personal relationship with His creation. Even when Jesus came, he confronted the religious leaders of that day becaused they were too focused on the rules and not the principles of the law.

It's not hopeless though...

Isaiah 1:18 NIV

"Come now, let us settle the matter,"
says the Lord.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool."

Forgiveness from sin has always been a big part of God's plan. There is alway a way back to Him.

g'night

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Song of Solomon 8

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 NIV

"Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.

Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one's house for love,
it would be utterly scorned."


a couple things to get from this here

This sums up everything in thois book so far....it doesn't matter if you look at this as love between a man and a woman or love betweenChrist and his church...


Love should be unyeilding....Love never gives up...(sounds like 1 Corinthians 13)

there are 3 types of love

1. Eros- this is the type of physical Love we see here in Song of Solomn (this is where we get our word 'erotic' from)

2. Philos- this is the kind of love we have for our friends and family

3. Agape- this is the kind of love we have for God

I had to google these so dont think i had them memprized or anyting lol

we see all 3 tyoes in this book and I'll explain this now

1. Eros. Eros love is pretty obvious...it's the Love between the man and the woman. This is a love so powerful that it should only be shared with one other person your entire life. This is the love that should not "be awakened before it so desires."

2. Philos- This is perhaps the hardest kind of love to see in this book. But this kind of love also exists between the man and the woman. The man and the woman in this book show a great deal of friendship. Just like with any marriage, it can't be all about sex. You have to find someone with the right personality....someone that you enjoy being with.

3. Agape- prety obvious like the first one. ths whole bookn is a great analogy of Christ and his church.

ok so

Love is as strong as death-...my love for my future spouse may be as strong as death and unending (I hope it will be ay least lol). my love for God might even even be too...

but what about my love for others...Pastor preached on loving your neighbor today. Our love for our neighbor should be unending and strong.

loves jelousy is unyeilding as the grave...but i thought love wasnt jelouse

The bible actualy says "Love does not envy" it doesnt say Love isnt jelous...but to be fair I'll take that one on

love isn't jelous of the one it loves...but love can get jelous of anything that stands between it an the one it loves

thats about it for tonight

g'night

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I have no idea what to put here.

yeah so sorry that Song of Solomon 7 was soo short...

I've been thinking about this blog more and what I wanted to say.

I guess, to be real with you, I kinda hate being single. I've been single for a while now, and it's been a struggle. Keeping hold of all the things God has taught me hasn't been easy. I just don't want to get desprate.

I see that alot with people, not just guys or girls but both. They're so desprate to be with somebody that they'll take anybody. That situation can cause a lot of headache and heartbreak.

I'm at a point where I would almost feel guilty for dating a girl who I wasn't in love with first.

I guess that's something that I've learned without noticing. I've said it before in a previous blog on my old blog. You don't have to makeout with someone to fall in love. You fall in love with their personality and their qualities. And of course physical appearance plays a big part in that too, don't get me wrong. But I dont have to see a girl naked before I think she looks good.

Love is realy about patience.

Look at God for example, when we sin and walk away, He lets us go. He wants us to love Him. But more importantly, He wants us TO WANT to love Him.

You can't force someone to love you.

The world has a pretty messed up view of love...like the guy at my school who killed that girl because she wouldn't go out with him.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

I guess we really need to think about this and what it really means. We, the redeemed (not the band lol) need to show the world what love really is.

We're not having sex in the middle of a highschool dance in front of everyone. We're not getting so frustrated that we kill someone because they don't feel the same way.

We're respecting our girlfriends/boyfriends. We're being the men and women that can be trusted by their parents. We're living to give our lives for someone else. We're showing the world how to love.

at times when the burden seems like too much to bear, remember...


Love NEVER fails.

g'night

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Song of Solomon 7

Song of Solomon 7:10 NIV

"I belong to my beloved,
and his desire is for me."

today's blogs are going to be short..sorry lol..

ch7 is pretty similar to ch4 in terms of subject matter

she says that his desire is for her...

God's desire is for us....sometimes it's hard to remember that

Song of Solomon 7:13 NIV

"The mandrakes send out their fragrance,
and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
that I have stored up for you, my beloved."

she's prepared for him...


she has stred up treasures for him...

sorry i really dont have much tonight...but there is going to be another blog tonight

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Song of Solomon 6

Song of Solomon 6:3 NIV

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine;
he browses among the lilies."

the old NIV [irony!] (now known as NIV 84...if you have a NIV at home its a NIV 84 the new translation just came out like 2 monthas ago...and it's only digital now...they wont start printing them untill later this year)

anways like i was saying....the old NIV translated

Song of Solomon 6:3 NIV84

"I am my lover's and my lover is mine;
he browses among the lilies. "

Anywho...the woman is saying that they belong to EACH OTHER...it not just one person making sacrifices...they both are because they love eachother.

This is how it should be with our realationship with God. I know that most of the time in my life I let God do all the sacrifices for me...I dont expect God to get angry with me and I want everything He has for me...

but I hardley make any sacrifices for God...I get mad at God when things don't go my way, and i don't want to give Him everything that He asks for...

sometimes I feel like He belongs to me more than I belong to Him....that's not good at all


now for the second part

Song of Solomon 6:8-9 NIV

"Sixty queens there may be,
and eighty concubines,
and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,
the only daughter of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
the queens and concubines praised her."


Here we see the man talking about the woman...he says she is unique...

"There are always other fish in the sea" doesnt apply to him...The man here knows that out of all the women in the world...this is the woman he loves...this is important...

when you find what you're looking for...you'll know..

that's why i think (this is what i think) that every relationship should start out as a friendship...that way you get to know who someone really is before you jump into anything...

alright that's it, thanks for reading....g'night

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Song of Solomon 5

Song of Solomon 5:5-6, 8 NIV

"I arose to open for my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt. I opened for my beloved,
but my beloved had left; he was gone.
My heart sank at his departure.
I looked for him but did not find him.
I called him but he did not answer. Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you—
if you find my beloved,
what will you tell him?
Tell him I am faint with love."

ok so first things first...verses 2-8 talk about a bad dream that the woman is having...

we see here that her biggest fear is missing an opportunity to be with her lover...at the end of the dream she tells her friends that if they find the man...tell him that she is "faint with love"

This is how my life should be with Christ...I guess I have to ask myself "Is my biggest fear missing an opportunity to be with God?"...infact....a lot of times i sin knowing that it will seperate me from God...but God will forgive me right...

notice that the woman never thought that...she was devistated that she missed her opportunity...she was afraid that he would think that she doesn't love him any more....

I need to be more like this for sure


now for the second part!

Song of Solomon 5:16 NIV

"His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, this is my friend,
daughters of Jerusalem."

she calls him her friend....friendship is important in a relationship like this. Just because you're in an intamate relationship doesn't mean you have to be intamate all the time...

I work at a grocery store, and I see all sorts of couples. It really bothers me when I see two people making-out in a checkout line. there are plenty of couples who make it obvious that they are together without making a scene.

Another reason friendship is important in a relationship is that it helps other friendships. That's the funny thing about friendships...the better friend you are with a person...the more friends you're gunna have. You're going to make friends with their friends.

I know way to many people (and I was like this in high school) who pretty much shun thier friends for their girlfriend/boyfriend.

Pretty much, people shouldn't mind hanging out with you and your girlfriend/boyfriend....

well that's all tonight...i think when I get done with Song of Solomon, I'm going to make a blog with all of these bosts' clean up the errors lol, and print it out so I always temember it... well i'm starting to fall asleep...sooo...g'night.

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Song os Solomon 4

Song of Solomon 4:7 NIV

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling;
there is no flaw in you."

ok so first things first, is this how God views us...we should live our lives in such a way that He feels this way about us


now for the awkward stuff

I didn't have much to say about Song of Solomon 4 because it is one of the more...sensual chaperts in this book...

I kind of didnt want to share anything because i was afraid it might be awkward...but then i thought "Hey, if two people can have sex in the middle of a highschool dance, then I can definately blog about what the Bible says about sex."

so here's the thing...read chapter 4 of Song of Solomon for yourself....pretty much the man talks about the woman in a very poetic way. at the end he starts to compare her to a garden.

Song of Solomon 4:12 NIV

"You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain."

the woman responds:

Song of Solomon 4:16 NIV

"Awake, north wind,
and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits."

The man says that she is a garden 'locked up' which means she doesnt let everyone in. But the woman chooses to let the man "enter the garden"

A few things to note here

1. The man never asked for sex.
The man was just admiring his bride's beauty when SHE made the invitation. Why is this important? It's important because it shows that sex wasn't what was most important to the man. This couple is a married couple (the woman reminisced about their wedding in the last chapter.) but the man knows that sex is still a mutual descision.

2. The sex refrenced here is intimate not dirty
This couple isnt going to have sex in the middle of a highschool dance...this couple treats sex as if it is something personal and something special...they dont have sex to feed their flesh...

anyways...this blog was real and up front...

thanks again for reading....g'night

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my blog blog

so i guess this is probobly going to be kind of short…

but I’ve realized how good of an idea that this whole blogging thing was…

1. I love having a place where I can go back and read and review the things God has taught me in my life.

2. Blogging every day forces me to really think about what I’ve learned in the Bible. Just reading it and thinking “oh, that’s a nice concept” is one thing. But actually writing it as if to explain it to someone else requires a lot more brainpower than I thought.

3. Blogging is a great way to share what God has taught me. You pretty much get what I got right away. and it’s nice to see people learn what I’ve learned.

that’s pretty much all I’ve got…thankyou to everyone who reads these…feedback is always appreciated…g’night

Song of Solomon 3

Song of Solomon 3:1-4 NIV

“All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him. I will get up now and go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
So I looked for him but did not find him. The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?” Scarcely had I passed them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
to the room of the one who conceived me.”

ok so it’s late at night and the woman’s husband isn’t home…so she goes out into the city to find him…pretty simple right…

then how come I cant do the same with my relationship with God…at times when I feel God isnt there…looking for Him should be my first instinct….instead I tend to do exactly what the woman DIDN’T do

I complain or I panic…I sit there and complain…”where is God…I need Him right now”…something along those lines….the point is that i need to work on seeking Him out and not just expecting Him to show up when I need Him.

Song of Solomon 3:9-11 NIV

“King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon. Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, come out,
and look, you daughters of Zion.
Look on King Solomon wearing a crown,
the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
the day his heart rejoiced.”

Weddings are long, expensive, and a very big deal. why? Because they’re worth it.

Weddings should be days of enjoyment

On tv a while ago there was this girl talking about how she got pregnant when she was 14 and her grandma forced her to get married to the guy…and that’s kind of sad…a wedding should be a good memory…not a reminder on how you screwed up your life…

anyways that’s it…goodnight…

Song of Solomon 2

Song of Solomon 2:7 NIV

"Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires."

This is a pretty common verse in Song of Solomon...it is in the book like 3 times but ill talk about it here

pretty much she's saying "dont have sex untill your married"...but there is a lot more to it than just that...

wait for love untill it's the right time...and untill you know better...I used to hate it when people told me that dating in highschool was a waste of my time...looking back now and i can see that they were right

I'm not saying that any of my ex's are bad people. What I'm saying is that, I thought I knew what love was but I didn't.

I know a youth leader that used to tell his students "Get your hands off of sombody else's wife!"

and that is sooo true...that's something that all guys really need to think about. Here's what I've learned,

don't assume that you're getting married untill you're engaged.

pretty simple...no matter how much you think your in love....infact...

assume that you're NOT getting married untill you're engaged.

some advice that i learned from a speaker at ATF: Treat your girlfriend in such a way that if she were to get married to someone else, her husband would thank you for being such a gentelman.

wow thats wayyyyy different than the world's perspective

Now for the spiritual part lol

Song of Solomon 2:8-10, 13 NIV

Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice. My beloved spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me. The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."

This will be a bit shorter...but the thing I learned here is that we should be ready...

The woman here is quoting what the man said to her. The woman is ready to leave with the man when he says "Come to me"

we should be the same way with God...are we ready for the day when God says "Come with me my beloved"...the rapture isn't really something i think about on a daily basis...and it should be.


well that's it for tonight....g'night

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Song of Solomon 1

Song of Solomon 1:5-7 NIV

"Dark am I, yet lovely,
daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon. Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother's sons were angry with me
and made me take care of the vineyards;
my own vineyard I had to neglect. Tell me, you whom I love,
where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your friends?"

and

Song of Solomon 1:9-11 NIV

"I liken you, my darling, to a mare
among Pharaoh's chariot horses. Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels. We will make you earrings of gold,
studded with silver."


ok so first thinks first...there are 3 important characters in Song of Solomon

1. Lover. The lover is the man. The lover also represents Christ.

2. Beloved. The beloved is the woman. The beloved represents the church.

3. Friends. The friends are mutual friends between the lover and the beloved. They represent an outside force of people.

ok so now that that is out of the way


The first set of verses is from the Beloved...

back in that time if you were tan it was because you worked outside all the time...which is why the beloved feels almost embarased with her appearance...she starts making excuses (ver6). But in verse 7 she says, "Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?"

what she's saying is "Why should I be covered and ashamed of what I look like when I'm with Him?"

There are 2 ways to look at Song of Solomon...physically and spiritually.

Spiritually i can relate to the beloved here...there are times where i feel like I'm not the ideal Christian....but why should i be ashamed with who I am in christ...


the next set of verses is from the Lover....he lets the beloved know that he loves her and he thinks she's beautifull.

and so it is with God...God loves us, even if we afre ashamed of our faults.


physically thses verses show that beauty is more than skin deep...dispite the beloved's flaws, the lover still thinks she's beautiful


from now on i dont plan on having the physical verses the same as the spiritual ones lol....

anyways....g'night

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Here it goes...

The next 7 days are going to be crazy....


I've read Song of Solomon before and I guess I should give some backstory.


I'm not perfect, nor have I ever been. But my biggest struggle would have to be with my relationships with girls. (Like dating and stuff lol there was no good way to word that).

To make long stories short, around the spring of last year I took a break from my normal Bible reading to go through Song of Solomon. The little introduction that my study Bible has pointed out the fact that Song of Solomon can be looked at in two ways..

1. Love between man and woman

2. Love between Christ and His church.

So I read every chapter twice, once with Christ and His church in mind and then with man and woman in mind.

I learned alot about what love really is...and I still have a ton more to learn. That's why I'm so stoaked to dive back in this book.

Something to make note of though:

This book talks about sex.
Probably one of the most life changing things I've learned is how twisted the world's view of sex is. There are two lies that the world tells us (and most of us belive them)

1. Sex is dirty.
Sex shouldn't be viewed as something dirty, but it should be views as something sacred.

2. Sex is for "Adults only"
Actually sex is for married couples only, I dont care if your 18 or 85.

I'm sorry if this seems a little weird, but the truth is...the world has a twisted view of sex that is so totaly opposite of the Bible. And don't worry, not everything in Song of Solomon has to do with sex because there is way more to loving someone than wanting to have sex with them.

Song of Solomon has alot to teach us about what love really is...the next 7 days are going to be good.

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Ecclesiastes 12

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV

"Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil."

pretty self explanitory I guess...lol

The interesting thing about these verses is the fact that they can convict you or give you hope...

Every good thing we do that goes unnoticed will be aknowledged by God in the end...

but every bad thing that we do will also be noticed by God....

so like the verse says we should respect God and keep His commands...

that's it for Ecclesiastes....

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Ecclesiastes 11

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 NIV

"You who are young, be happy while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment. So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless."


yeah so something i've benn thinking about lately is going back to the gym...and there are pretty much 3 reasons why i want to go back

1. I want to look better and ultimately feel better about myself

2. I want to get in the habbit of being healthy

3. I want to teach myself some discipline

but when i read this i realized that i should focus more on my spirit than on my body...

these verses pretty much say "do what you want but keep in mind that God is watching and your going to die anyway"

and since that's the case...i should be more concerned with my spirit...so mabey I'll work on my relationnship with God before I start getting right into my exercise plan


tomorrow is the last day of Ecclesiastes....g'night

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Ecclesiastes 10

Ecclesiastes 10:2 NIV

"The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left."

this post is going to be about politics....

I'm kidding lol

Ecclesiastes 10:4 NIV

"If a ruler's anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;
calmness can lay great offenses to rest."


today i didnt have the greatest day at work....a lot of customers made me mad....

as a result i was ticked all day and i didnt really think clearly...

I guess i need to learn to be more calm...

anywho that's it for tonight...g'night

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Ecclesiastes 9

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 NIV

"Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

Ecclesiasted talks alot about our "meaningless" lives...and what do you do with a meaningless life?

the answe is simple....work hard and enjoy life...

life really is too short to waste time regrettin past mistakes...live is also extremely valuable and we should cheris every moment because..

Ecclesiastes 9:12 NIV

"Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpectedly upon them."



after reading this I can't help but to go go back and remember Jonny...the last day i saw him i didnt even speak to him....I thought "I'll say hi to him on Sunday"...but that Sunday was his day and it was unexpected for everyone...

I guess I like to think i'm invincible... but in reality...it's the same fste for us all...or as the NIV lables it..."A Common Destiny for All"

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Ecclesiastes 8

Ecclesiastes 8:11-15 NIV

"When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people's hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.

There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun."


so there you have it...the answer to the age old question....."Why do bad things happen to good people and why do good things happen to bad people?"

the answer here in Ecclesiastes is simple....don't worry about it....

the truth is...good and bad things happen to all people...God watches over the righteous...and there will be a day when we all will be judged by God...


but untill then...enjoy life for what it is...and live to show the love of God to others so that they too can be saved...

Ecclesiastes 8:15 NIV

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun."

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soo...

Not much tonight for a serious blog, sorry.


However if you go to www.myspace.com/mainstreamrocker than you can read all my old blogs. There is one about the love of God. Its really good and it has to do with Song of Solomon...which I'm pretty stoaked about.


Sorry again to dissapoint you....but tune in starting Wednesday for some pretty awesome stuff. God always hass a way of teaching me stuff in Song of Solomon...I hope you get something out of it too.

anyways...g'night.

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Ecclesiastes 7

Ecclesiastes 7:1-2 NIV

"A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
the living should take this to heart."

This really stuck out to me....it's a lesson on death...

death is a jard thing to think about for me...I dont know if that is because I'm young or what...but it's kind of scary to think that one day I'll die

as much faith as I have in God...I'm still a little scared of what's on the other side...but these verses make it pretty plain and simple..."death is the destiny of everyone, the living should take this to heart."


in fact...it says that the day of death is BETTER than the day of our birth...interesting...

i guess the point is....life is really short compared to eternity...and we should spend our lives showing the world the love of God...the day that we die is just the day we get to retire i guess....


anywho...goodnight

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Ecclesiastes 6

Ecclesiastes 6:12 NIV

"For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?"

A constant theme in Ecclesiastes is meaninglessness (is that even a word?)

it's not that life it's self is meaningless...its more like what we do with our lives is meaningless...

videogames, movies, hobbies...anything like that isn't really bad to partake in but isnt glorifying GOD is just a waste of time at best. I need to live like my life is temporary...

I need to focus more on my legacy than on current situations..

that'ds it tonight....Song of Solomon starts wednesday...I'm stoaked because i absolutly love that book...

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I suck at blog titles...

now that i got that out of the way....


Yesterday I recovered my old Live Journal account. My posts were from June-December of 2006.

Now that was about the time that I got saved and I used to think I was perfect then. But reading those blogs almost 5 years later made me realize a few things.


1. When I first got saved, I was too dependant on others for my salvation. Almost every post was about this girl I was seeing at the time. My posts were about God, but all of them tanked her for being in my life and none of them thanked God for being in my life. There was also one post about how some spiritual leaders in my life really let me down.

I guess I've come to realize that my salvation is between God and I. No one can take that away and no one can make me love Him more. It's a personal relationship.

2. I was selfish. None of my posts were about helping other people. All of my posts were about MY salvation. Even when I would talk about witnessing, it was only to impress the girl I was with. In one post I said something along the lines of "Today the youth band played in front of the congregation. I think I played guitar pretty well, even though the band as a whole didn't sound too great." I was pretty much saying "we sucked but it wasn't my fault"

I've learned that my life is here for others. I may not practice it every day, but I'm definately more aware of it now than I was then. AND WHEN i think of the youth worship team now, I never compare how I did with the rest of the band. I don't know if it is because I'm in charge now or what. But I've come to realize that the worship team is a unit and what solely matters is ushering in the presence of God. Whether I preformed well or not is irrelevant.

3. I learned that I was in desperate need of that 2.2 upgrade. Yes I was JD 2.0 and I was saved. But still desperatly needed change. I thought I had it together but I didn't. The upgrade process was tough.

I'll never forget the night I ran up to my room, and prayed "God I need to be humbled" and tears stared to flow from my eyes, I was broken.

But what I know is that the Bible says that one day we are going to have to give an account, and when we do we will recieve a crown for what we've done, and we will cast them at the feet of Jesus.

I don't know if I will be proud or ashamed of my crown. I don't know I'll be able to look Jesus in the eye. But I do know that when I hear the words "Well done good and faithfull servant" all my failures will be far behind.

well that's it for tonight...goodnight and God bless.

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Ecclesiastes 5

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 NIV

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few. A dream comes when there are many cares,
and many words mark the speech of a fool. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God."


i know its a lot...but if you are reading this i encourage you to read all of Ecclesiastes 5

anyways...this is how we should pray...plain and simple...

I know sometimes when i pray..i ramble off to God...i need to be still and listen sometimes...

also...dont be quick to make vows...the new testiment talks about this when it says let your yes be yes and your no be no"

and

Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV

"Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless."

whoever loves money never has enough....so i guess it's logical to think...

whoever doesn't love money always has enough...

be content in everything i guess...

well that's it for my daily blog tonight....i guess im going to post my other blog tonight

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Ecclesiastes 4

Ecclesiastes 4:8 NIV

"There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
"For whom am I toiling," he asked,
"and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!"

This is really sad...the guy in this story works hard and achieves great success...but he is discontent because now he has no one to enjoy it with...

I can be the same way i guess...my pastor said a while ago that the problem with the pharasies was that they made God exclusive...

God's desire is for all to be saved....and since we have this treasure...we should share it...

i have recieved the gift of eternal life and i have worked hard to become mabey a little more like christ...but sometimes i'm discontent because i have no one to share it with....

that's it for tonight...I have a good post for tomorrow lol.....g'night

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Ecclesiastes 3

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 NIV

"I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

this kinda sucks...the burden that God has laid on us...He set eternity in our hearts but not in our minds...

sometimes Faith means listening to your heart rather than your mind...and that can be tough...that's for sure...

Ecclesiastes 3:12 NIV

"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live."

that's pretty strait forward...but i really suck at being happy and doing good...perhaps the two are related....


Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 NIV

"I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account."

another thing i need to work on...the fear of God...

i need to treat God with more reespect...God exisists outside of time...that's pretty powerfull...yet i still turn my back on Him on and take His grace for granted...not wise at all


well i guess i was all jumbled around tonight lol...

well that's it....gnight and God bless...

i have an idea for my real blog on wednesday!

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Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes 1:18 NIV

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief."

pretty depressing i think...

but something I need to relize some times is that grief and sorrow lead to change

for example...a couple years ago I went on a mission trip to mississippi/louisianna. We were helping rebuild people's homes after hurricane Katrina...

I'll tell you what...being there was quite the experience...learning about what happened there wasnt all that joyfull

but learning why we were there caused us to change peoples lives...and our own lives as well

the first step to solving a problem is learning what the problem is...

ignorance may look like bliss...but ignorance is no way to live your life...so i guess when life isn't easy it's because we're learning

that's pretty much it tonight...but i have another blog idea that i'm going to post...

g'night

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Proverbs 31

ok soo it's proverbs 31 time....
tomorrow i start ecclesiastes and then song of solomon/ song of songs...it will be incredible


ok i have a lot tonight...

first

Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."

I hear a lot of people say " I have a voice and no one can take it from me"

and that's true...but what/who are you using your voice for...

If i use my voice to uplift myself..then it's pointless

we in America have it made...we really do...we can use our voices for so much and we have so many opportunities...but helping others is always a chore

I went to American Eagle the other day, they asked me if i would like to donate to "help Hati heal" if you donated you got a shirt. First, i asked the lady how much it was...she said $15. then i asked her if there were any in a small...then i decided i would buy it

you see...even when donating to a good cause i was still thinking about me...ill tell you right now...if the shirt didnt fit...or if the shirt looked dumb...or if there were no shirt at all...i wouldnt have donated...

i'll only use my voice if it benefits me in some way and thats not what the bible says to do...

now for number two...it wouldnt be right to talk about proverbs 31 and not talk about the verses on Godly women lol

anyways the thing that blew me away here is that proverbs 31:10-31 were written long before women werw given rights...but even from Genesis the Bible honors independant and strong willed women..

it says "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value"

as i've gotten older i've found my self more attracted to strong willed and independant women...

i dont want someone to call me at 2am because she misses me...because at 2am...im sleeping...lol

but seriously i've heard stories where women say "well i was going to go to college out of state, but then my boyfriend decided to go to HFCC so i went there instead"...

...REALLY??!?!?

honestly why would you base your future on someone...for someone your not even married to..


"Proverbs 31:3 NIV

Do not spend your strength on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings."

this can be taken the other way as well...women dont waist your strength on us...

if you really love eachother...you'll find a way to make it work im sure

ladies...if you want someone to love you...wait for him to find you...

cause if your anything like proverbs 31...

...he'll wont give up untill he has you...

hey, I said my blogs were gunna be real, right?

g'night and God bless...

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Proverbs 30

Ok so proverbs 30 tonight....


Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV

"Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the Lord?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God."


This is a perfect additude right here...he doesn't want too much so he feels he doesn't need God and he doesn't want to little to where he feels he will loose his patience and take survival into his own hands...

I've caught myself wanting too much

The other day at work I acidentally printed off a $200 lottery ticket...the lottery commission couldn't cancel it so we had to sell it...so we got 20 people to chip in $10 and agreed to split the jackpot if we won...

Instantly I started thinking about what I would do if we won..I thought about paying off the church...buying a house...buying a new car...so on and so forth...

But the thing I needed to realize is that God only gives us what we need to glorify Him...yeah a couple million would be nice...but who knows what I would really do with the money

I don't struggle with wanting to little...but I may struggle with the fear of having to little...

I guess what I need to realize here is that God doesn't want me to be so poor that I'm forced to steal to survive...God will always provide for His people...


Well that's that...this was posted from my phone so I hope it turns out ok

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Proverbs 29

I'll start with a disclaimer, I Bible reading plan went like this:

First I read Acts-Jude

Second I read Matthew-John

Now I'm reading the entire old testament from Genesis to Malachi

Next I will read Revelation

After that I'll do some studies or something

ok, so what I want to share today is Proverbs 29:19 (NIV)

" Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;

though they understand, they will not respond."

I thought that was kind of interesting....how do you understand but not respond...

but you see this all the time with drug addicts and alcholics...

You talk to them about their problems and they might say "I know it's wrong but I can't help it"...

that's because they understand that they have a problem but they wont 'respond' to it....unless they're forced too...

which brings me to my point

I see this alot in my life...there are things that i'll hear from the pulpit that i'll just throw in the back of my mind and forget...untill i get stuck in some situation....

words don't change people...actions do...words just prepare people for action....

anyways that just the way I looked at that verse tonight...it's 3am....g'night

JD 2.2!!!!!

Is there some deep meaning to new blog titile? Yes...

Is my blog title an android reference? Maybe...

Ok so I've got a lot to talk about so I'm just going to get right into it.

First things first. Why start a new blog?

Well I decided to start a new blog because I have a lot of great ideas and actually have some sort of idea of a theme.

Second things second...(I guess that only makes sense). What's with the title 'JD 2.2'?

Well that's the theme of course! Seriously though, it has a meaning. The idea behind the title 'JD 2.2' is that it's upgraded but not yet finished. I'll explain.

JD 1.0 is what I would call myself before I accepted Christ. JD 2.0 is what I would call myself after I got saved. And JD 2.2 is what I would call myself now, I'm better than I was when I first got saved, but I'm still very much in a development process.

And it's 2.2 not 2.7 or 2.5 or something because I feel I still have a long way to go before I become something different.

These blogs are going to be a log of my development process, an inside look at the changes and constants of my life.

Now for the interesting stuff!

I've been reading my Bible pretty much everyday since August of 2007 and if I continue to read a chapter a day I'll finish in October. Every night before I read I pray "God, please reaveal to me what you would have me learn in [insert book and chapter here]. And every night there is at least one thing I think about as I'm falling asleep at night. So I've decided that I'll make a short post sharing what I've learned.

Next, all posts will be on BOTH Blogger and Tumblr. Tumblr posts will show up on twitter and I will link to the Blogger ones at the bottom of the Tumblr post in case people want to leave comments or something like that.

Third, my blogs are going to be a bit more real...I might even pick regular nights to blog...like every saturday and wednesday.....hrm....i might be on to something...

Yeah so that's that...I have a blog in my head but i might just wait untill saturday for that one :p