Would Jesus Christ be a Chicago Cubs fan?

Proverbs 13

2009-03-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been ages since I have written. No explanations or excuses, but there have been two passages that have just rocked my world lately. They are Proverbs 13 and Psalm 6. Here is my take with nothing held back on Proverbs 13 with the text bolded, and my comments in italics...

Proverbs 13

Children with good sense accept correction from their parents, but stubborn children ignore it completely.

This is pretty straight forward. What's interesting to me though is that stubborn kids are often times modeling what they have seen from their parents. Therefore, the parents who correct each other in love, and accept correction from their spouses, seem to have kids who are more apt to accept correction.

You will be well rewarded for saying something kind, but all people think about is how to be cruel and mean.

Look at the word "MEan". It's all about me. If you are thinking about yourself first, then the chances of what comes out of your mouth sounding mean to others is much greater than if you are thinking about others before yourself. When your first thought is to love others, you just don't say mean things. It just doesn't happen.

Keep what you know to yourself, and you will be safe; talk too much, and you are done for.

This is something that I'm passionate about. I learned this from my father, who is not a Christian. He is a man that talks a lot and likes to have fun with everyone, but he doesn't claim to know anything that he doesn't really know. When he speaks on an issue of importance, he knows exactly what he is talking about. He never speaks confidently when he is unsure. I have come to absolutely love that about my father and I try to act the same way.

I want people to listen when I have something to say. If I am constantly speaking when I'm not sure about things, my opinion becomes less valuable than a grain of salt. When I only speak truth to those around me, then when important issues of life, death, and eternity arise, people listen. They might not choose to agree, but they will listen and consider. I believe that my father may be closer to a relationship with God than he leads on, but he won't say so until he knows. I pray that that day comes soon! What a celebration that day will be!

No matter how much you want, laziness won't help a bit, but hard work will reward you with more than enough.

Lazy people can gain rewards on earth, but it's not possible to gain rewards in heaven by being lazy. Hard work, and a commitment to God is the only way to gain the reward that lasts forever.

A good person hates deceit, but those who are evil cause shame and disgrace.

I hate to keep playing word games, but "shaME" and "dIsgrace" are both focused on me and I. The important concept isn't the play on words, but rather the fact of the matter that whether or not you are a Christian, if you think about yourself first, you are going to hurt others and thanks to the inner voice that all people possess, you will feel less than happy with yourself. You will feel ashamed and disgraced.

Live right, and you are safe! But sin will destroy you.

I hope that anyone reading this really believes that my words aren't just for Christians. The parallels are so great.

For Christians, living right means eternal life with our father, our God. Failure to live right will keep us separate from Him forever.

Isn't this concept true for the world too? If you sin, aren't you typically putting yourself or others in dangerous situations? Even the sin that doesn't directly hurt you, may destroy aspects of your life. For instance, pornography won't hurt you, but it could ruin a marriage, and it could ruin your ability to love and respect members of the other sex. If you live according to Christian and moral guidelines, you typically hurt less people, and put yourself at less risk of danger. With that said, all of us fail...but the effort is what counts!

Some who have nothing may pretend to be rich, and some who have everything may pretend to be poor.

This was the verse that caused me to read this proverb today. I just had such a beautiful picture in my mind.

I see this as a very spiritual thing. The "have" referred to is a relationship with God. So, those who have no relationship with Him, pretend to have everything they need and want here on earth. On the flip side, those who have Him (everything) should be able to live here on earth with no earthly possessions because we need nothing. This is easier said than done, but it's beautiful to tell God that He is enough and we need nothing more!

The rich may have to pay a ransom, but the poor don't have that problem.

The more you have the more you pay! I look at this in two ways. If you have a lot of stuff, then you have a lot more to give up to really make God number 1. Also, having Jesus in your life isn't a piece of cake. Those who have Jesus have more responsibilities than those who don't. Don't let anyone tell you that becoming a Christian will be easy, or all fun. It's not. Your life will be more difficult, but the rewards are so much greater than any investment we are capable of making.

The lamp of a good person keeps shining; the lamp of an evil person soon goes out.

Too much pride causes trouble. Be sensible and take advice.

This goes back to the earlier comments about talking when we don't know things, and about children taking advice and guidance. If you were to decide that you wanted to change your life, either for God or for yourself, then I have some advice.

If you can get rid of pride, and start putting others in front of yourself, you will accomplish most of your goals that you hope to achieve by changing your life. You will see a whole new you, and I'm willing to lay it on the line to say that you will be very pleased with the new you.

Money wrongly gotten will disappear bit by bit; money earned little by little will grow and grow.

Not getting what you want can make you feel sick, but a wish that comes true is a life-giving tree.

If you reject God's teaching, you will pay the price; if you obey his commands, you will be rewarded.

Sensible instruction is a life giving fountain that helps you escape all deadly traps.

Cling to all that is good. This is another that idea that applies to Christians, but also to non-believers. I would have to say that seeking advice and instruction from God above is the best thing you can do. He is the only one with all the answers, and He knows what you need to hear when you need to hear it, and what you aren't prepared to hear.

Here on earth, seeking instruction from others has great value. Have you ever had a friend who was in an unhealthy relationship. His/Her partner didn't treat them well at all, but they put up with it. You probably asked them why they put up with it, but they didn't even recognize what was going on. This is common. We are not perfect people. We need others to help us, and as Christians, we need others to help us refocus our eyes on our God, who provides the ultimate instruction.

Sound judgement is praised, but people without good sense are on the way to disaster.

If you have good sense, you will act sensibly, but fools act like fools.

Whoever delivers your message can make things better or worse for you.

All who refuse correction will be poor and disgraced; all who accept correction will be praised.

Correction is Godly. Correction is good. Why would someone correct you? Why would God correct you. To make you feel bad? NO! To hurt your feelings? Of course not!

People correct you to make you better. To focus you on what is good and what is holy. Now, your correctors are not always right, but their intentions are good. Otherwise what do they have to benefit from unjustly correcting you? Nothing!

Also, be sure to analyze yourself when you correct others. Be sure that you have the other persons best interest in mind, and that you are not correcting someone to make yourself feel better, because you will gain nothing but shame and disgrace.

There is one exception to the rule that you should accept correction, and I will write about that tomorrow. In Psalm 6, David says "Don't punish me, Lord, or even correct me when you are angry! Have pity on me..." David humbled himself and said, "I am at fault! I ADMIT my shortcoming!"

It's a good feeling to get what you want, but only a stupid fool hates to turn from evil.

Wise friends make you wise, but you hurt yourself by going around with fools.

You are in for trouble if you sin, but you will be rewarded if you live right.

If you obey God, you will have something to leave your grandchildren. If you don't obey God, those who live right will get what you leave.

Isn't that awesome? What do you want your grandchildren to know about you? Sometimes I think we care more what our family and friends think about us than what God does. We need to offer God even more of ourselves than our family. We need to offer God our everything! Ask yourself what you want God to know about you.

Even when the land of the poor produces good crops, they get cheated out of what they grow.

If you love your children, you will correct them; if you don't love them, you won't correct them.

If you live right, you will have plenty to eat; if you don't live right, you will go away empty.

Have a great day!!!

Joe

Another long day...

2008-03-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

I didn't really know what to expect going into this week, but I now know that it will be one of the bussier weeks of my life. I have more work than I could possibly complete, and I start my next quarter of graduate school classes this week. I am just feeling overwhelmed with a lot of little distractions. I really need to bear down and get off to a good start in my classes, while maintaining the highest level of work.

While that first paragraph sounds to be pretty negative, I must say that I am very pleased with my work, despite my overwhelming schedule. I finished my last quarter with over a 3.9 gpa, and my level of work at New Moms has really been at very high levels. I think that we are going to experience some big successes over the next few months at work.

After work today I had dinner with Adam. We enjoyed some good wings and good conversation at the Houndstooth. It's really good to get to know another good Christian guy. We were going to go to a Maundy Thursday service this week, but I ended up getting a train ticket back to Kalamazoo to see my family. I'm glad that I am going to get to see them over the holiday weekend.

The rest of the evening was spent racking my brain as I amended my taxes. I had failed to claim a major credit on my taxes, that were filed a couple of weeks ago, so I had to go back through and fight with some different forms to give myself the correct refund. I think that I eventually got everything squared away though, and I should be receiving a much larger refund than expected!

I apologize for this post being so choppy. I am just not able to focus on too much right now. I did want to pose one question to anyone who happens to be reading this though. Here it goes-

I have been spending a lot of time focused on the ten commandments lately. Today I got stuck on the sabbath. I feel some calling to honor the commandment about keeping the sabbath holy, to it's fullest. That could be difficult, but a challenge that could be completed. It would just require me to not do any work on the sabbath, and to not shop, or go anywhere that would require someone to work on the sabbath. Therefore, no Sunday brunch. BUT...that brings me to my question...

If all Christians made the choice to not never eat out, or go to ball games on Sunday's, then there would surely be jobs lost. There would surely be a single teen mom who is in high school during the week, and works nights and weekends to provide food and shelter for her family. Therefore, if we shut down many stores, restaurants and other businesses on Sunday, aren't we hurting some members that need that work? Your thoughts??

Have a great Tuesday!

It's not about me...

2008-03-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

OK, I am going to quit promising to update this blog daily, although I will make another attempt to keep this updated! I'll start today by giving you a little update on my life as of late...

I am still working as the Donor Relations and Communications Manager for New Moms, a Christian organization that serves teenagers who are pregnant and homeless, or at risk of homelessness. I am also in graduate school, where I am about halfway done with my Masters in Business Administration. My family and friends are doing well, and I am blessed to be dating a special young lady who is also dedicated to serving the Lord with her work, and with all parts of her life.

I am going to focus more of my updates on my personal life, so I had better introduce you to the people who I share most of my life with...

Tom- One of the best men I know. He's a teacher at Hope Christian Academy on the Westside of Chicago. We are getting ready to start a new book study together.

Adam- Adam is a newer friend. He is friends with one of my favorite people who you will meet in a second, Mandy. He went to Hope, and is working towards his Masters in Social Work at UIC here in Chicago. He seems like a great guy, and I am just getting involved with a small group with him and some of his friends. Byron the accountant, Jackie the communications gal, and Rachael, whom I have yet to meet. I am really looking forward to getting to know him, and all of them better.

Mandy- Mandy is a second grade teacher at Cambridge Christian academy on the Southside. Mandy is a great Christian Gal. I've known her for a few years, and she is actually my connection to my lovely girlfriend.

Katie- Katie is a kindergarten teacher also at Cambridge. She's a great gal, with a passion for kids. She went to Cedarville, and is friends with "the gang" from her high school days back in Michigan.

Sarah- There aren't many people that inspire me more than Sarah. She's a teacher at Coles Elementry on the Southside, and she is just such a faithful servant. She has such a tough job, and is constantly knocked down, and kicked while shes down, but no one stands more firm than she. I hope she always knows how inspirational she is to all.

Emily B- Emily is a nurse, and is in graduate school to become a Nurse Practitioner. She is a great Christian gal, who owns the condo where Mandy and Sarah live. Her and I are really able to connect as we have a lot in common, both owning property, and having more advanced portfolios than most of our friends, and both being in relationships with significant others.

(Sarah, Tom, Katie, Mandy, and Emily make up a group that I will often refer to as "the gang")

Emily P- Emily P is one of my favorite people, who lives in Indianapolis. Emily and I have become really close friends over the years, and have been through a lot of growth together. A couple of years back, Emily P left the Catholic Church to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So, when I refer to her as Emily the Mormon, it is with all due respect. I love and respect her, and her faith. We have some great conversations about life and faith on a regular basis.

Emily W- Emily W is a great newer friend. She's an undergraduate student from North Park. She is dedicated to serving the Lord, and I am excited to see how He uses her. She volunteers some of her time to New Moms, designing some of our promotional materials.

North Park Small Group- Dan, Joe, Matt and John are a group of undergraduate students that I meet with on Wednesday afternoons when I lead our small group. They are a great group of guys whom you will meet one of these Wednesdays.

Leslie- Ah, the young lady who puts up with me as her boyfriend. We met here in Chicago last summer, and we have grown a lot together. She is constantly challenging me to become a better person, spiritually and physically. It is my hope that I can challenge her, and love her in the way that Jesus taught us. She is really special. She is finishing up her undergraduate work at Hope College in Michigan, but is going to be moving here to Chicago at the end of June. I am really excited to be able to grow more with her near by. You will get to know more about her in the coming posts.

You will meet more people as they are involved in my life and stories. I will go on to share some thoughts from today, and some other updates.

Well, last week I visited Leslie in Holland, and we had a really nice weekend. We did a lot of stuff, and had tons of fun. Both Friday and Saturday night, we had some super conversations, that shared some personal thoughts and feelings with each other, that hadn't really been shared before. It was really good stuff. I have been in other relationships before, and felt as if I knew a lot about what I wanted, and what God wanted for me. I had no idea. It's been such a powerful experience dating Leslie, and just trusting that the Lord has an amazing plan for both of us, whether He intends for us to live that plan out together, or on our own. It's really an incredible feeling, and unlike normal for me, I have no words to describe it. Oh, I also got a new book in Holland, it's about Joseph from the Old Testament. I love it. You will hear about it over the next few weeks.

This week has been a busy one, but very good. I got back from Holland on Monday, and had dinner with Emily P and her boyfriend. It was really great catching up with her. I showed off some of my new swing dance skills! (Thanks Hans and Leslie!) Tuesday night I met up with Adam, Jackie and Byron for a small group. It was really great! We had an awesome discussion on how faith and politics are interrelated. I am really going to enjoy getting to know each of them, and study the word with them. Wednesday I relaxed. I was dead tired, so after work I just tried to catch up a little bit. On Thursday I had dinner with the gang, and Adam came along. It was nice to catch up with them. They were all pretty happy because they were just about on spring break. Sarah and Katie are headed to Florida, and Mandy is going home, to be with her family during Holy Week.

On Friday, Leslie left for her Spring Break. She made a quick stop to see an old roommate in Indianapolis, and then is going down to a cabin in TN with some friends. She's really lucky! It should be a great time...I need a vacation myself! Well, after work on Friday I went swing dancing at the University of Chicago with 4 people I know, and about 10 of their friends. We had a blast, and for the first time ever, I felt like I was actually pretty decent at dancing. I'm not good yet, but I am having a blast learning. I also tuned my guitar again, and I am going to start practicing again, it's going to be hard, but I am going to do my best! Friday night, my good friend Jana and her roommate Jana came down from Milwaukee. We just crashed Friday night. Saturday, we went with Mandy to watch the river get dyed green, and then off to celebrate St. Patricks day. (I pretended that the burrito and Chinese food that I had was Irish!)

I laid low today, started to prepare for my classes, and then met Andrea and went to Church with her. Here are some of the things that this weekend, and Church led me to think about...

Well, one thing that I had really been praying about this weekend was that I would keep a very tight reign on my tounge this weekend. I struggle sometimes when I am around my non-Christian friends. Not in huge way's, but I just realize that I give into some pressures, and make statements that are more like the Kingdom of the World, than the Kingdom of God. Praise God that I am always growing stronger, but I also want to praise Him for his conviction. I feel like as I become a better servant, I feel even more convicted for the smallest of sins (That said, I want to give the disclaimer that all sins are equal. It is no better in God's eyes if you curse, than if you murder or committ adultry.) than I did for sins that seem bigger. I feel like as more of my actions are honoring to God, I feel more convicted for the sins that I haven't overcome. This weekend, I did a good job with my tounge at most times, but I wasn't the witness that I could have been to my friends. I struggled to shine Jesus in everything that I did. I am going to work hard to change this in future encounters with these friends, and other Christian friends.

This can be tied in by part of our discussion on Tuesday. I am passionate about politics, and have been getting very involved in the presidential race right now, because I strongly feel that certain candidates are running with motives that don't include the future of our country. In our discussion, the sermon that we analyze mentioned that we need to focus on our own sin, before we can start getting involved in the sin of others and the masses. You know what I am talking about. Don't try to get the speck out of your brothers eye until you get the log out of your own. I never related this to politics, but I think it was God telling me that He wants me to focus on me, and my service, and to pray and have faith that He will take care of our nation.

Ok, well, I need to get some work done before bed. Hopefully though, you will hear plenty more from me over the next few weeks. If you are so inclined, please pray for me as I begin another quarter of school. I have a lot of work to do to help us to better serve our teen moms, and school is going to challange me to stay organized and to work hard.

One final thought for the week ahead...Jesus is enough...we should serve the Lord well with all we do, but know that He is all we need...no sin is too large to be covered by Him.

Have a great week!

Witnessing...a twenty-four seven ministry. (Part 1)

2007-11-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

My hometown of Kalamazoo Michigan is a smaller county with a population of about 240,000. Of those residents, almost 85% are white, and most are Christians. It's safe to say that my upbringing was quite a sheltered one. After graduating from my upperclass Catholic high school, I decided to see what the rest of the world had to offer...I chose to study in Chicago.

The college where I chose to study was a polar oposite from where I grew up. Columbia College Chicago is a liberal arts school located in the center of the big city. The student body was made up of blacks, whites, browns, purples and pinks. There were Democrats and Republicans (at least four of them), Christians, Muslims, Jews, and the largest percentage were Atheists. From freshmen move-in day until the ink dried on my degree, I was learning about Business, but more importantly about different cultures, religions and political beliefs. I had no idea that my actions and beliefs would have such a dramatic impact on many of my classmates and friends.

Just a few months after my 18th birthday, I moved into my dorm with 3 other guys. We would all become well known as the most outgoing guys on campus. We were commonly referred to around campus as either the "Party People" or simply "501". They all knew who we were, but unfortunately, people never got to know us as individuals the way that we would each have liked them to.

If you have watched television shows such as the "Real World" or "Big Brother", then you know what these television networks attempt to assemble when casting. They usually include a gay guy, a homophobe, a tree-hugging liberal, and a conservative religious type. When we all moved in, God must have been enjoying the aforementioned reality shows, because He assembled us in a very similar way. The guys in 501 were Rob the Comedian, James the Cook, Kevin the Potato, and myself.

James was a free spirit from the East coast. When I first entered our dorm room, I heard somoene in one of the two bedrooms so I knocked. James answered his door in a tie-dyed t-shirt and a bandana tied fasionably around his long nappy hair. His Bob Marly poster and wet towel under the door made me wonder if he might participate in the use of a certain controlled substance. It didn't take long to confirm those assumptions, but what a cook he was. I would come to know James as a very kind-hearted guy with a lot of talents and a tough addiction.

Kevin was an Irish Catholic kid from the southside. (AKA, Potato spent many nights partying hard with his good friend Jameson, Jameson Whiskey that is.) Kevin shared a room with James, and they were both partiers, but chose different guests and party favors. Kevin was very much against smoking and illegal substances, but he loved to drink and become quite loud and boistrous. The idea of a party to James was a few friends turning off the lights, smoking and playing his guitar. There were certainly some conflicts that arose from this living arrangement.

Rob and I shared a room. He was an extremely outgoing young fella that lived to make people laugh. He would laugh at you, with you, at himself, or at different situations. After years I started to see that he didn't really find enjoyment in laughing, but it was seeing people laugh at him that gave him true happiness. After about a year and a half of living with Rob, we would learn that he was gay. It didn't completely shock us, but we were taken somewhat by surprise.

As we were unpacking our stuff on that late summer day, Rob pulled out a menorah, and placed it on his desk. I didn't hesitate to inquire as to why he was displaying that. I wasn't being rude when I inquired, I just had never met a Jewish person before. In fact, I didn't really know that Jewish people existed here in America. Rob would go on to tell me that he is Jewish, but that his faith isn't really important to him at all.

Chapter to be continued...

Bring on the rain...

2007-08-08T18:19:00.001-07:00

It was a very hot, but dark and dreary morning here in Chicago. There was something interesting about my 45 minute morning commute. I noticed that no one was smiling. There wasn't a single person with a smile on their face. When I was getting off the subway, and about to take the escalator up to street level, I made eye contact with someone, and let them board the escalator before me. Finally, they smiled at me! I was relieved! For a minute I thought that I was in that new movie "The Invasion" starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, and Malin Akerman. (It's a movie where an epidemic alters the behavior and personality of all human beings except for Kidman.)

After seeing my first smile of the morning, I decided that I wanted to see more, so I began going out of my way to smile at everyone I encountered. Waiting for the bus, on the bus, walking into the office, I smiled at everyone. A lot of people turned their frowns upside down and smiled! It was really neat to see! That just goes to show how important the little things are!

With my commute out of the way, I got to thinking about bigger things. Life, and our purpose here. It's a big wrestling match inside my mind. I want to commit every aspect of my life to Christ, and to helping others. To do that though, I must give up a lot of my "stuff". I'm not wealthy by any means, but I have been blessed with some great successes that have allowed me to buy cars, a condo, and a lot of nice things to fill the condo.

It's just tough telling someone who is homeless that I can't help them with a few dollars, when I know that I CAN, but I think of myself first. Jesus didn't do that. Jesus gave His ALL for me. Jesus could have said, "Well Joe, I am going to let Pilate have my hand, but not my life. That way you know I am the Son of God, but Joe, I just enjoy my life too much to let them kill me in order to save you. I'm really affraid of thorns, needles and such, so I am not going to do the whole crown of thorns thing either. Sorry Joe."

I know it sounds a little silly, but is it really OK for us to say, "Yeah, we are supposed to love and help our brothers and sisters, but we deserve to have a good life ourselves"? It's the hardest thing in the world to think about though, because if you don't have anything, then you can't provide for your own family. It's a toughie. I am always going to try to give as much as I can, but I don't know that it will ever live up to His standards.

I am so incredibly blessed to know a God that pours down a storm filled with challenges and blessings that just soak me from head to toe with His glory and majesty. As hard as anything may get, remember that every day is a blessing from God! Thank Him for everything!!

Have a big day tomorrow!

Joe

Roller Coasters...no we aren't going on a trip to Cedar Point!

2007-08-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

No, we aren't going to Cedar Point or Disney World! Isn't it funny how life is filled with extreme highs and lows though? Actually, it's not very funny at all, it's quite confusing. Although I went to bed in tears last night, they were tears of joy and happiness. I was on cloud nine because I knew that I had done something right, and that my hard work and dedication was going to help make the world a better place.

This morning I must have gotten up, exercised, and had the most productive day making the world better for the blind individuals that I work on behalf of...right? Wrong! I woke up this morning and felt like I had run a marathon in my sleep. I didn't feel good at all! I didn't want to get out of bed. Am I sick? I don't think so...it's some sort of burn out. I am 23 years old though, and shouldn't be burned out.

Creating a personal schedule is hard to do. Some people schedule too few things, while others are always over booked. Think about an airline, and the way they operate. If you are currently flying your planes at half capacity, you will not make enough money to operate. On the flipside, if you are always overbooked, and have to bump passengers to later flights, people will stop flying with you, and you will again not have the income required to operate successfully.

Life is the same way. If you are under scheduled, you get bored. Your energy level drops, and your production drops. If you are over scheduled though, you tend to not be able to take care of the things that are required of you. You may be involved in 5 post-work organizations, but you might forget about a meeting during the day. You may help organize an event that builds a house for a homeless family, while forgetting to plan your child's birthday party.

I am learning how tough it is to juggle these activities. I committed to launching my own non profit designed to help others, and I have really dropped the ball on some personal and professional responsabilities. The launch of Give Your Gifts is in three weeks. From that point forward, my new focus for GYG is going to be finding the support that would be required to allow us to hire someone to manage the organization. This is going to mean finding a person, persons, or company that is going to be able to contribute about $35,000.

I have really enjoyed reading some of the comments and emails that readers of this blog have been sending me, and I just ask that you continue to pray for me with this time struggle in particular! There is nothing that can change the world like prayer! I need to be reminded of that sometimes!

Have a great evening!

Joe

The blessing in disguise!

2007-08-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had the pleasure to do something good for someone else? Sure you have. Wow, isn't the feeling you get incredible? Why is that feeling so strong?

Here's my take-

Do you remember back in middle school, when a person of the opposite sex smiled at you? At that time, you didn't quite know why, but deep down inside, it made you feel really good. Well, I think that when you do something that is pleasing to God, He smiles at you. The feeling when God smiles at you is much more intense than that of another person.

(Just an FYI, that last paragraph is based on no fact, it's not based on the word, or on anything else, it's just the way I think about it.)

Why am I writing about this topic today? Well, there is a radio show I listen to once in a while, called The David Stein Show. It's a nationally syndicated show from California, and the theme is celebrating life through sports. It's quite moving.

Last night on the show, David read a letter that he received from the father of an 11 year old girl here in Chicago who is battling cancer. Her name is Alexi. She is a big White Sox fan. I wrote David (whom I know somewhat) and offered Alexi my tickets for tomorrow's game. I also recently began the process of joining the Auxiliary Board of a foundation called Bear Necessities here in Chicago. It's a pediatric cancer foundation. I offered to connect Alexi's family with the good people at BN.

After conversing with Alexi's dad, I knew that I could do more. I wrote a letter to my friend Roland Hemond, who is the legendary former GM of the White Sox, and Mike Veeck, who's dad used to own the team. I am confident that they will do something very special for Alexi.

That wasn't necessary though. Alexi's dad sent me an email that said that Alexi stayed up late last night, and listened to the show, and heard David read my letter offering a few White Sox tickets. He said that Alexi was "Blown Away" when she heard my offer. (I have tears pouring down my face right now.) Why does God trust us with such responsibility to make people happy? I don't know, but it's a big responsibility.

Sorry this post is a little more personal, than generic, but I just pray that you have the opportunity to do something for someone else. It's an incredible blessing!

Thank you for being you! Have a great day!

Joe

No...God wasn't out to lunch!

2007-08-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

The title of this post is two dimensional. The first is the fact that I hadn't posted in a while! For that I apologize! I have been extremely busy preparing for the launch of Give Your Gifts, and just taking care of a lot of personal things! With any luck, I am back to a place where I will be able to post regularly!

The second meaning of the title is a topic I have been thinking about lately. Have you ever heard of the theory that God created the Earth, and everything in it, and then just left it. Some people believe this, that God existed, but is no longer involved/concerned with his creation.

I will start by saying that I have never thought this to be true, even before becoming a Christian. I have acted as if this were true though.

Let me explain-

When things are going really great, I pray a lot. I study the bible often. I give God thanks for his every blessing. I hold nothing back from the Lord. Similarly, when things are bad, and everything seems to be going wrong, I pray a lot. I offer those struggles up to God. I know that I need His unfailing love and support to get through.

Now what happens in between? You know, the times when things are good, when nothing really bad is happening, but nothing too great is happening either.

(Let me stop here for a second)

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Something great is always happening. Sometimes we don't recognize what it is, but something great is always happening. Whether they seem good, bad, or indifferent, they are part of God's plan. If you didn't go through the pleasure or the pain that you go through on a daily basis, everything would be thrown completely out of line in God's plan. Seriously. Think about a few things in your life. I am going to give you five areas from your life, think about how those things came to be, and I think you will see that things aren't random.

How you found the faith. (or lack there of)
How you met your significant other.
How you got your job.
How you chose your school.
How you found out what your favorite food was.

I'm really serious about these. This exercise seems very silly, because it's obvious that everything is a result of something else. That's the point. God has a plan. As crazy as it may seem sometimes, He has a plan.

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Ok, so now we have established that everything in your life is great, because they are all part of God's plan. Let's look at the things though that don't SEEM to be too good, or too bad. Those in between times.

I don't pray as much, I don't read the bible as much, and I don't offer the little things up to God. So I had the chance to talk with someone I love. Eh...it's great, but I deserve it. I'm a good Christian. My camera breaks and I have to buy a new one. Eh...I have enough money to buy a new one, so I can handle it, I don't really need God's help.

I'm not proud that I do this...that's why I'm writing about it. I wish I didn't. I tend to get down when things aren't too good or bad. The reason for that is because I tend to build myself up. When bad comes along, I tend to think that I can do something about it, and when the blessings come, I take some credit for it, and chalk them up to my hard work.

I am going to really focus on thanking God for the little things, praying for the little challenges, and offering everything up to Him. Speaking of blessings, I want to thank God, and all of my friends and family right now for all of the work he and you all has/have done for Give Your Gifts. The launch is getting closer, and this weekend I had the opportunity to bring a few folks out and record our mission statement from the dugout and field at US Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. You can see the video below!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

Joe

How do you know that it was God, and not you?

2007-06-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

I was faced with a major dilemma this morning regarding what to blog about. I had a strong desire to write about relationships, and how you deeply impact everyone you come in contact with on a daily basis. I will write about that, maybe today, or maybe tomorrow. I received a quote though this morning, that just blew me away. This quote rocked my world, and I imagine it make shake your world up a little bit as well, so I would like to share it, and share what it means to me.

"A man who prays without ceasing, if he achieves something, knows why he achieved it, and can take no pride in it... for he cannot attribute it to his own powers, but attributes all his achievements to God, always renders thanks to him and constantly
calls upon him, trembling lest he be deprived of help."

-- Dorotheus of Gaza

Wow. Isn't that pretty powerful, and right on the mark? I will go into the quote in a second, but first, I always like to learn more about who is talking to us. Who the man is that shares these wise words with us. It really helps me to understand what the person is saying. Unfortunatly, I can't find too much on Dortheus, but I did find that he founded his own monastary in the Middle East, and came from a wealthy family. I think the fact that he comes from money yet still holds his faith in God above his own works, says a ton about his character.

Let's look at what the quote says. It's pretty cut and dry. If you give a situation, relationship or anything to God, then you won't be misled! How about an example that most people could relate to.

If you are in a relationship, and you make your first priority God, and His will, then the relationship will honor him. If the relationship is not in God's plan, then it will end. If it is in his plan, then it will be so much greater than we could ever plan. Why? We would know that we had nothing to do with it. Sure we were loving, and we followed Christ as best as we could, although we probably failed a lot, but first and formost, we gave God what was His.

This quote is a lot tougher to explain than I thought it would be. I think that the reason I am finding it so difficult is likely because Father Dorotheus was so great with his words, that he explained it thoroughly with just a couple of sentances. Isn't it a great quote. I am going to take this challenge to be more concious of the problems and successes that I hold onto, and keep from God, and to release and offer them to God.

I am going to change gears just slightly and look at how this all relates to God's planning.

I have just entered into an important new season of my life which I am very excited about...I am excited that for the first time, I feel as if I have a support system around me that will remind me to give glory, and thanks to God for all of His goodness. Two years ago, if you gave me a pen and paper, and let me ask God for exactly what I wanted in my life two years ago, here's what I would have said-

1. A great church family. (Just like in high school)
2. A group of friends who are believers. (Just like my youth group)
3. A nice girlfriend. (Just like the girl I dated in high school)
4. A good job in sports. (Just like my past ones)
5. A nice apartment. (Something in my then favorite area called "Wrigleyville")

That's what I would have asked for. That would have been PERFECT in my eyes. That list was created from my heart, and my mind though. I didn't pray about that. I didn't wan't to hear what God wanted for me. Come on...I wanted to be a part of a good church, with Christian friends, a Christian girlfriend, I only wanted good things, so why do I need God's help. I felt as if God was busy, so I could make these good decisions on my own. I think this is common among Christians. If you seek good things, then you are doing well.

Looking at the situation, there was one thing missing from far atop that list. It was a relationship with God that included a faith that asks no questions. A faith that know's God is with me, and will always guide me where He wants me, and for infallible reasons. Upon realizing that, let's look at where things on that list fell-

1. A great church family. (I am a member of the same church that I was two years ago, but it's completely different. I take that back. The church isn't very different...I am. The church that was a building, has now become a home. I have met so many incredible people there, and have been called to love, serve and worship, and it is incredible. I go back home and realize that my old church was perfect for me when I was in high school, but is not a perfect fit for me anymore. God knew what he was doing by removing me from that community and dropping me in a new one.)

2. A great group of friends who are believers. (Holy Cow. I had a cool group of youth group friends in high school, but I can't even compare them to what God has provided me with this year. Not that they are any better, but just that they are absolutely perfect for me now. I have a group of friends that get me, that love me, that are incredibly fun and encouraging to be around. Picasso couldn't paint a picture of a better group of people. I also just joined a small group. This group of guys is going to be such a great group to help me grow as a Christian, and help me to learn an incredible amount, while sharing some quality fellowship time.)

3. A nice girlfriend. (This is one that I struggle with a lot, because since my first real relationship in high school, I have expected a lot out of a relationship. My high school girlfriend was a strong Christian who helped lead me to Christ. Those are big shoes to fill. I dated some through college, and enjoyed getting to know people well, but that's all I ever felt. I felt as if I had gotten to know a few people very well, and then the relationships ended. I never felt moved...I wasn't growing. I was begining to think that relationships were only about finding what you don't like about others. Well, this summer I met a really great young lady. I wasn't expecting her, and I was actually pretty sure that I wanted to take some time alone, to know myself better, and why relationships seemed to lack so much. We have spent much of the last two months together, and I feel as if I am growing daily, and there is no discomfort. I don't feel like there is always something to fix about her or about myself so that she will like me. It's a pleasently weird feeling. Especially in a time when I wanted no such relationship, I couldn't have even imagined such a beautiful relationship on the horizon.)

4. A good job in sports. (This is a no brainer. I thought that I was happy because I was doing what I loved to do. Well, God had a much bigger plan. I am now working for a blindness organization, and love every minute of what I am doing. I also started my own non profit, Give Your Gifts, which couldn't be cooler! Praise God!)

5. A nice apartment. (Again, God gave me so much more than I could ever imagine. That's the resounding theme here. He gave me the opportunity to buy a nice condo, in a great area, and for a good price.)

As you can see, I was only able to want based on what I knew from the past. I had no idea what miracles God had up his sleave for me. That's exactly what they are too...miracles. With all these wonderful gifts comes a great deal of responsability. Responsability to give what I can to help others, and to praise and thank God daily for his commitment to me. I don't deserve any of this. I believe that God blesses us with gifts that he thinks we can use to create the most good. I need to do that for Him! This season in my life I will be focusing on honoring God, and giving him everything in my life...making him the center of my relationships...remembering that any success comes from him...and humbling myself before him by attempting to not create my own plan for things.

Blindness...Total Darkness

2007-06-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever imagined yourself being totally blind? I don't think those of us with sight can really even begin to grasp what it would be like. We may be able to wrap our minds around the physical implications, but what about the non-physical ones?

Love. If you were blind, how do you love? Better yet, who do you love? How do you know who you are loving? Do they love you back? What do they look like?

To me, thinking about blindness seems to always bring me back to a giant question mark. Consider the questions above about what it would mean to love if you were blind. I would love to be able to say that my answers would be as follows-

I would love by just providing endless hugs, kisses, and care. I would love all people. I see no races, classes or genders, so I am unbiased. I would know who I am loving through the sound of their voice, and the touch of their skin. It would be so heavenly. I would have faith in their love for me, it would just be that way. It wouldn't matter what they look like...I love them for who they are inside, regardless of whether I can see them or not!

Wait a second. No, wait more than a second. There is nothing wrong with those answers, but where the problems lie are in the lack of those same answers in my life. I have my sight. Does having sight give us some sort of authority to judge based on looks? Should it change who we love? NO. Does it? YES.

I am going to stick with the same idea, but change directions just a bit here, and discuss a problem I have been struggling with lately. I am judgemental. I try my hardest not to be, but I still am. I don't look at someone who is severely overweight and tell them that I don't like them, or turn my back to them. I don't mock cigarette smokers, and tell them how disgusting I think they are. Sometimes I wish I did do those things though. Why you ask? If I made some of the comments that are going through my head, I would be slapped, punched, and kicked right out of town.

Why do I/we not love people, and accept people for who they are right now? If someone is overweight and I refuse to give them the same love that I would give a "beautiful" person, what is that overweight person going to think of me? I will tell you what they are going to think of me..."Joe is an arrogant, judgemental @##$^%^. I hate him. Just because he is a Christian, he thinks he is better than everyone else. They all think that they are better than everyone else. If you aren't a tall, athletic, Caucasian, non-smoker, non-drinker, then you can't be one of them."

I don't blame them. It is me that has a problem...not them. By failing to love, I give Christ a bad name though. I am going to continue to work my hardest to not judge anyone else for any reason. Even if someone else is doing something that I do not believe is correct, I/we need to love them with all of our heart. Like past post's, I think this theme is universal, and can be understood and put into practice by people of any faith. It doesn't take an expert in theology or an ethics professor to realize that we are made to love, and not hate. If you are a Christian, pray for help (for you and me) be more like our savior, Christ. If you are not a Christian, then just search deep inside yourself, and if you feel that you were made to love rather than hate on others...then do it!

Who/What Do You Fear?

2007-06-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

I was on a bus this morning. The driver was talking on the phone. The bus shook violently when the driver accelerated. The brakes made an awful hissing noise when they were applied. I was afraid that we may be in an accident. I had the opportunity to get off the bus, but I chose to stay on all the way to my office. I had faith that the driver, and the bus would deliver me safely to my destination.

Last night I had the pleasure of discussing the first chapter of Isaiah with a fellow Christian and close friend. We got stuck on something that didn't seem too significant to me when I had read it in the past. The idea of fear, and in particular fear that comes from God. The idea of fearing God is really tough because God's wrath is real, but at the same time, we have faith in God's love, and his desire not to cause us harm, but rather to welcome us to spend eternity in his presence. I never liked to think of God as being angry. It's tough to get your mind around, but if you are disobedient, He will be upset.

A few years back, while working for the White Sox minor league system, I lived in a suburban community just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the southern part of the United States, it is often referred to as the "Bible Belt". It's a very conservative area that is completely different from the big cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.) While in this hyper-conservative area, I had a discussion with a young lady whom I had become good friends with. Her father was the pastor of a mega-church in New Orleans. This particular discussion led to the end of our friendship. It was quite unfortunate.

Our conversation was specifically about people who hear the word of God, and choose not to believe. (You know, things like if a missionary introduces someone to the word of God, how much do they have to hear to make a heartfelt choice to reject or accept God...that type of stuff) I don't really even want to get into that here or now. It wasn't what made me struggle to love my friend. I struggled to love my friend because she said that God would be upset with someone, and turn from them and be truly angered by them. She was right...I just didn't want to believe her. I think my problem was that if it were possible for God to be so upset with me, then I was in trouble because I had done a lot of wrong against Him, and know that I will continue to sin, no matter how hard I try not to.

I don't know that I had enough faith in God's grace. I believed that He loves, and forgives me...but for everything? If he is capable of being even just a little mad, then he will surly be very upset with me. God's grace takes care of that though...if we humble ourselves before the Lord, then He is enough. It's like an earthly fathers love, with some mysticism added in. You can do wrong in your fathers eyes, and he may be upset with you, but he will still love you when you humble yourself before him, and apologize. The problem with this analogy is that earthly fathers are men, and are not perfect like God, so they often do not accept their son or daughter no matter what they do. Sometimes they are not even existent in the lives of their children. God is a perfect father.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. The bible clearly states that God gets upset with disobedience, but it is up to some degree of interpretation as to what it looks like when God is upset. Please leave your comment about this, whether you are a Christian or not, I would love your thoughts!

The fork in the road...which one will you choose?

2007-06-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

I am going to go out on a limb, and say that most people reading this blog or any other for that matter, are people watchers. Why else would you be peering through a hole in cyberspace to read someone elses' thoughts? It's OK, I am a people watcher sometimes myself.

I sat down on the Subway this afternoon, and a young lady sat down directly across from me. When she sat down, she hung her umbrella next to her, and then pulled out a large book, that appeared to have been carried around for quite some time. Obviously, I was people watching this afternoon. What surprised me, is that this young lady watched, and digested info about people more than anyone I have ever witnessed. I felt that within just a few short minutes, she knew more about me, and about the other passengers than we knew about ourselves.

I caught her stealing the title of the book I was reading, the song title on my IPOD, and the name and company off the identification badge of the person sitting next to her. Her eyes and mine locked a few times, she knew that she herself was being watched by someone else. I could tell that it made her uncomfortable. After noticing me, anytime she started studying people, she would lock eyes with me again, wondering why I was watching her.

What was that young lady going to do with all of the information so digested. Is she going to do research on the book I was reading because I looked like an interesting person? Would she see the movie Oceans 13 because two teenagers were talking about how great it was? Was she planning to post under missed connections to learn more about the man whose name she stole from his ID badge? What will she possibly do with all that information?

What do we do with what we see when we watch someone else, or when we read someones blog? If they write about depression, do you consume the information, and wonder what the next entry will be? What about when you watch the homeless person who you pass everyday? You watch, but what do you do? This is a big fork in the road. What should we do when we watch people? You have two choices...you can watch them, and let them be...or you can get involved in their lives. This could mean you respond to a depressed blogger with a word of encouragement or a prayer. When you see the homeless person on the corner, feed, clothe, or pray for them.

That is my challenge to you. Do something for others, happy or sad, you can have a positive impact on their lives. I should probably touch on tithing briefly. For those of you who don't know what tithing means, it is setting aside a portion of your money for God's work. Most often it is brought up when speaking about giving to churches on Sunday. I'm not a tither. I like my money, it's hard to give it away. I struggle with it, because I know God wants my fruits to work for Him. I have been better about the issue since starting Give Your Gifts. It has taken thousands of my dollars, leaving me almost broke, but I am really happy to be doing it. I encourage you to figure out how to tithe.

As a part of my non profit, I have established a food for the homeless program. For only about $35 a week, you can serve 50 meals to the homeless. You buy the cheapest loaves of bread, packages of bologna, make sandwiches and a snack like a banana, pudding, or pop-tart, and put them all in a paper bag. My numbers are right, $35 and three hours of your time will feed 50 people one meal. If you can't afford to pay even that much, then talk to your well to do friends, family, or business partners, and see if they would support you by providing you with $35/month. If you could get just four people to give you $35/month, you would be able to feed 2,600 meals in a year. Three hours and $35 a week. That's it.

Did you really need to spend six hours at the bar spending twice that much money?

Let me know if you would like me to help you start feeding the homeless. I would be glad to point you in the right direction.

How many licks does it take?

2007-06-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

You are all seen the classic tootsie roll commercial with the owl, the turtle and the little guy. If you haven't, here it is...

This commercial sums up life...at least for me it does. Let me explain.

Today was a great day. It started off with a bit of frustration though. There were multiple things that I had planned to get done. I couldn't do them though. Something stood in the way of my ability to complete the tasks. They will get done, they will just require a little extra time, and a little extra patience to see them through. I have to lick the tootsie pop until I get to the center...I can't just bite it!

I was joined and met my new small group this evening. It's the first small group I am a part of since high school. I was really excited to meet these new guys, but I was also really nervous. Remember what I said about me feeling like I don't "fit in"? That's what I was afraid of. I was afraid that I wouldn't like the guys, or that they wouldn't like me...or that it just wouldn't be an encouraging group of guys. This had me so worried that even Leslie noticed. (You will hear more of Leslie down the road I'm sure)

Well, I met the group, and I couldn't describe how great it felt. This group of guys seems to be the perfect group of guys for me to learn, and grow closer to God. There are guys in the group that seem to be mirror images of myself, and then there are guys that I wouldn't fit in with. God knows what he's doing. There are so many things in my life that I just can't fathom. I couldn't imagine anything as amazing as what He has done for me. It just keeps getting better everyday when I have faith in Him.

Well, I am getting very tired, and am starting to type nonsense. That's all for today, but if I can leave you with one thought for today, it would be this. Find out how many licks it takes to achieve what God want's for you. It will be a lot better than the instant gratification that would come if you bit in, and got to the center immediatly. God Bless.

This blog is only for intellectuals...unless...

2007-06-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

you are male, female, have a job or are unemployed, live in a condo, apartment, or home, and have activity in at least one half of your brain.

I recently left my post as a Marketing Director for a Sports Agency (NFL, MLB, and Motorsports) to work for a non profit serving the needs of blind people in the Chicago area. I also just launched my own non profit organization called Give Your Gifts. Even though, at just age 23 I have all these other things going on, I like to consider myself a writer first and foremost. I am currently working on a few books. Those of you reading this blog, will have a sneak peak at a lot of my content, before it's published. You will be able to say that you "knew me when". I can assure you though, that you will always find something new and exciting in my posts, because I am different.

I don't mean that I am different like those people who dye their hair, pierce and tattoo themselves so that they can go to a coffee shop not named Starbucks and sit alone in a room full of people that are just as "different" as themselves. (Don't get me wrong...I love those people, in fact, that describes more than a handful of my friends from my college days at Columbia College in Chicago.)

No, my uniqueness is hard to describe. I seem to never "fit in", but tend to always be the person in the middle of everything, with the most friends around. I don't think that I "fit in" because I am always wondering why things are the way they are. If I don't completely understand why something is being done a certain way, I will ask the question, and expect a good answer, or I will find a better way of doing whatever it may be.

I could go on for pages about my thoughts and views, but I think that those should be saved for my posts, which will be updated regularly. The title of the blog may need a quick explanation though...so here you are.

I am a Christian. No No No...don't stop reading now just because...ahh, never mind, you can leave if you don't want to hear from a Christian who thinks like you, and makes decisions just like you, goes to bars like you, has friends like yours, and enjoys baseball just as much as you no matter what faith (or lack of faith) you practice. I hope you stay though. I think you will enjoy reading my takes, that will often be rooted in my faith. You will probably want to yell and scream that you think I am crazy, hopefully some of you will share my views. (That's what the comment button is for. Use it!)

Stick around...and don't be afraid to get in touch.