Spiritual Eyes

I never have truly attempted to grasp the presence of Satan's kingdom in this world until recently.  Last week I had the pleasure of having a needle injecting a drug into my eye in hopes of clearing up a retinal hemorrhage due to Cushing's Syndrome.  It wasn't very pleasant and I don't suggest it.  It ranks about eight out of ten on the creepy scale as compared to all of the medical procedures I have been through in the past few years.  I say all of this to say that the mind can go through some horrible times when faced with adversity.  I admit that over the last few months I have had to deal with quite a few attempts of the kingdom of satan in my thought life.  I know that God has and will always prove to be my healer, my provider, and my sustainer in everything I have and will ever go through.  I was taught this most of all by his provision in the form of my wonderful, amazing, and irreplaceable wife.  Nonetheless, the enemy still continues to throw everything he can at me.  

I am currently reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. After asking one of the godliest men I have ever known which books have truly challenged his thinking (in addition to the Bible of course) and his answer being this book, I decided to give it a try.  I must say that it has met my expectations and then some.  Lewis paints an extremely clear and articulate picture of what Satan and his demons are trying to accomplish today.  It covers all temptations and thoughts that we go through daily and lets us in on all of Satan's secrets by writing it from Screwtape's point of view.  Screwtape is the uncle of Wormwood, a demon in Satan's army sent to torment humans.  I found it so astonishing that it brings to light all of the traps the Enemy sets for us.  Whether it be lustful thoughts, legalism, idolatry, or any other temptation or lie that we deal with here on Earth, Lewis describes the spiritual battle we all fight twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  

My suggestion for you is to prepare yourself and anticipate the battles that you will face, but more importantly how you will fight them.  If you don't prepare yourself with the battle armor from Ephesians 6, you will be trampled on by the Enemy.  Heed Paul's advice and realize that "The battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world power of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens" (Ephesians 6:12) and take up the battle armor of God!  Fight!  "Therefore, submit to God.  But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you" (james 4:7).  

I praise the Lord for what I have been through because of all He has taught me.  Paul said, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ" (Phillipians 3:7).  I feel like I can say something a bit different at this moment in my life:  "But what things I thought were loss to me, I now count gain in Christ."

Fight the good fight! Know the enemy and his tricks.  Look at the enemy through spiritual eyes.

~Chris

They smile until you bite their head off!

The title of this post is a line from a Goldfish commercial...you'll understand in a minute...So Natalie and I are sitting around the apartment and I was treating a mild blood sugar low and I thought, WOW! I am eating an organic cheddar bunny. It's not the fact that I am eating an overpriced organic cheddar snack that gets to me, but the fact that I am eating a nice little bunny. Also, I have quite frequently eaten a handful of nice little goldfish of all varieties. I just find it amazingly fascinating that we gravitated toward eating nice little animals such as bunnies and goldfish in the cheddar form, not mean cheddar sharks, which I know could very easily be marketed in reaction to shark attacks all over the world. (Just a thought)
~Chris

Wives

The whole concept of marriage (as mentioned in that popular book, the Bible) is one of the most amazing things you could ever experience. God has blessed me with the most amazing wife in the whole wide world. It has been so awesome to learn so much from someone so different than myself. I know that she was placed in my life for many specific reasons. She was sent to be my support while I was sick over the last few years for sure. I can't even imagine going through all that we have without her. She is my health doctor without having the degree. Companionship is something that truly is indescribable. Having someone that knows your every thought saying a word is pretty dog-gone amazing.

Marriage...I highly recommend it!

~Chris

CUZ

CUZ
It is a belief of mine that we should encourage ourselves to do things every now and then just CUZ.

Why did you just sing that song outloud?
~CUZ
Why did you just try to play ultimate frisbee when you haven't run a mile in fifteen years?
~CUZ
Why did you just decide to take that random trip?
~CUZ

The "CUZ" is all about making memories? It is all about letting go of your inhibitions and just having fun. Go do it just CUZ, but be careful, some things were never meant to be done. Don't get confuzed with those, use your commen sense, which i have found not to be so common these days.

Please tell me all about your just CUZ moments...they are always very interesting to hear.

~Chris

No-Vite

The No-Vite is a situation when you and your friends happen to be sitting around and decide to do something (go to TCBY, go out to eat with short notice, go to somewhere random for any reason, etc.) and only those who are present get invited. The negative thing about the No-Vite is the people that aren't invited and can't handle it. They tend to get very resentful when they don't get invited. That is when I say respond in love by saying calmly, "Chill out, it was a No-Vite." Some people will never get over it, but now is a good time to introduce them to it.

~Chris

Generation NOW!

Here lately I have noticed how much time I don't want to spend in line, how much time I don't spend talking to each other, how much I basically don't acknowledge others' existence, and how I tend to put myself before everyone else I guess here lately I have been challenged to take the example of Jesus to heart. I am trying to get out of the "Your way right away" Burger King attitude. I challenge you to think about how much you do for others and how many people you put before yourself on average.

~Chris

the secret vault

Have you ever noticed that just when you payed off the iPOD, iPHONE, stereo or computer you just bought, the new and improved version hits the streets? It's just a theory but I think they have all the bigger and better gadgets like iPODs all locked up in a vault somewhere and just when they see sales start diminishing, they pull one out and put it on the market. Just a thought, but I don't think it is that far off.

~Chris