Monday, March 29, 2010

It's Not Worth It!!

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels" - 2 Timothy 2:23

"But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels..." -Titus 3:9

Something that has come to my attention lately, we argue a lot. Us as humans argue so much that some of us, in fact, enjoy starting these arguments just to argue. I don't understand this. Why do some people like arguing? Why do we argue so much? Is it enjoyable in some crazy way? When I hear all these negative controversies and pointless arguing, I see Satan working in us. When you argue, all you are doing is setting yourself up to be the perfect foot stool for the most piece of trash creation that ever was. Are you striving to become lower than "the most piece of trash creation that was"? I hope not! Satan loves to see God's children in quarrels, it pleasures him! Personally, I think I'll pass on pleasing Satan, that's not really one of my top priorities and I don't strive to make it one. Yes, we all fall. Yes, we all CAN get up. Put away your grudges. Put away all anger and malice and clear that bit of Satan from your heart, it's only tearing you apart. You can't love with the same heart that hates. You can't praise with the same tongue that curses others. Let's put an end to this.. NOW! Take a minute and pray. Please.


Friday, March 26, 2010

5 Ways To Stay Positive

1. Praying
- This should be your first and probably only thing you have to do when staying positive is praying. Not only will this calm you down and allow you to relax, but it will also change your state of mind almost instantly and allow you to continue with your day in a more laid-back sense.

2. Reading Scripture
- Reading the Bible is probably the last thing you want to do when you're not feeling just nice and dandy but once to put yourself down into reading it, I guarantee God will express some great verses to you that will encourage you in so many ways that your previous negative attitude will jump right into a state of joyfulness.

3. Take Negative Situations As Blessings
- Sometimes God allows us to be in hard positions and go through hard times just to see how much we depend on Christ to get us through these situations. If you are going through difficult times, why are you trying to get through them alone? You have the Creator of the universe by your side, give him a shout!

4. Take Some Alone Enjoyment Time
- One of the main things that puts people in these negative moods is stress. When we are overwhelmed with stress we see everything so bad. Take a second and relax. That may mean picking up a good book, watching some tv, playing some video games, jamming out, calling up your friends. You name it, you have a variety of things at your disposal, so don't be afraid to enjoy yourself, even if its only for a little bit.

5. Talk To A Friend
- Chances are that you have a friend, or multiple, who are having some difficult times as well. It's always nice to have someone you can relate to. So really when you are benefiting from simply having a conversation with someone close, it could be helping them as well. This is a time for you guys to joke around, laugh and maybe even hang out a bit, nothing too big. Some of the smallest things make the biggest smiles.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

FRIDAY FIVE!

FAVORITE DRIVER


FAVORITE BLACK GUY


FAVORITE EMPLOYEE



FAVORITE SNIPER


FAVORITE USE OF WINDOWS

5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me

1. I Sing Romanian Songs In The Shower
-Singing in Romanian is way more fun than singing in English in the shower. Plus it compliments my body wash.

2.My First Concert Ever Was Fall Out Boy/ All American Rejects
- Ahh the days of 7th grade, I was probably the biggest All-American Rejects fan there was and I thought that concert was awesome! Now that I've seen Mute Math, those concerts are obsolete hah

3. I Have Gone Through A Drive-Thru With "Barbie Girl"Cranked Up
-As an experiment, A couple buddies and I went through a drive-thru cranking up Barbie Girl just to see what would happen, that Wendy's have never looked at us the same.

4. I Have Kicked An Apple Off Of A Sword
-As stupid as that sounds, when I was testing for Black Belt, I figured I'd do something stupid and so I ended up kicking an apple off the tip of a sword. The kick was a success but I had cut my hand right after, fail. haha

5. I Have Been Stuck On A Fence.. Upside Down
- When I was about five or six years old, I was trying to jump over this fence really fast to catch up to one of my brothers going somewhere to play. I then got my underwear stuck on the fence and was stuck there for more than an hour, hanging upside until my brother comes back from enjoying his play time just to realize that I'm chilling like a villian.. on a fence. Haha




Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Click Play. Repeat.

Do you ever feel like your week days are on repeat? Like you do the same thing every day on the weekdays and the weekends are the only thing keeping your life sane in a sense. This feeling has been overcoming me today and I absolutely dislike it. The weekdays are so filled with school assignments and work that you never really get a chance to change things around for the better. I don't know, maybe it's just not my day and I know all of us have these kinds of days but I'm sick of coming to Monday, hitting play and putting my life on repeat. I want this to change, for the better.


"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
--Psalm 73:26

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Hickory

This past weekend I went on a trip to Hickory, North Carolina with Set and some of our great friends. We had led worship saturday night, for the least to say, it was amazing. We weren't amazing, God was and is amazing. He worked so much in that place that night. He worked so much in that place that people gave their life to Christ that night. Now lately, I have been really seeing a lot of signs from God that this is what we should be doing. This is what he wants for us, but I've been keeping my eyes open and praying and studying just to make sure. At this point, I really want to say this is exactly what God wants in my life along with Duane, Ovi and Chris's life as well (Joseph and Justin as well). I don't know how miniscule this sounds to you but this is huge! God is developing our lives for his glory and it's happening now! How many people can say that they can feel God developing them into His story right now? This is so life changing! I will keep praying for God's will to work in my life and His love to be bestowed upon the thousands through all of us!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Rock Thrower, Rock Catcher. Rock Crusher

Many times every day you will be attacked by Satan in so many ways. He will tempt you into doing things you know is wrong. He will try to get you out of things that is for God. He wants to do everything to make you miserable, to make you think you're happy with him. Don't buy it!

Satan is going to throw rocks constantly at you! The catch is this: The rocks are slow

Satan will never throw a rock faster than God's hand. You have the biggest hand in the world in your life holding you and that hand is the same hand that will swat Satan's rock out of your life.

The first thing Satan is going to try when attacking you is to attack the good points in your life. Everything that you do for God, he will try to change all that. He will even use the people closest to you to make it seem like you're doing something wrong, when truly if you know with your whole heart it's for God, Catch those rocks! Ask God to crush Satan's rocks in your life today!

FRIDAY FIVE!

Favorite Beverage


Favorite Basketball Player


Favorite Commercial


Favorite Athletic Exercise


Favorite Game

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Awakening

"For you and you alone, awake my soul, awake my soul and sing" - Chris Tomlin

A millions things can come to mind when you read that. I know a million things came to my mind when I first heard that. Does anybody notice something special about this? Something kind of "hidden" in there. Read it again. Yes! Right there! Awake.. awake me from what? Don't you notice!? Our souls are asleep! Wake up your souls! Our lives are so consumed with ourselves that we forget we have a soul. A soul that yearns for God. A soul that aches only for him and nothing else we try to feed it. Give your soul a spiritual feast! There is one key thing that I have experienced that is just a perfect "Soul Opener". WORSHIP. When you worship, you leave the world. You leave your worries. You leave your project. You leave your problem. You leave your job. You leave school. You leave your bills. You leave life and begin to live.

Leave life, begin to live. WORSHIP!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Radical Us?

This past week, I was having a conversation at my location place of education in the cafeteria. In this conversation, an acquaintance and I were talking about what we sacrificed for lent. He said he always wanted to give something up but couldn't really figure out what. Of course, I tried to name some things, small things, that could be sufficient for this year and then next year he could do something bigger. After everything I suggested, he kept rejecting with replies like "nah, I can't do that" or "no way, that's too important".

I have heard and seen many times people say " Oh Alin, you're crazy, you're way too into religion"

What got me was two things in there:
-What is "way into"?
-What religion?

Guys, sacrificing something big in your life for God is not radical. Praying constantly is not radical. Praising and worshiping as often as possible is not radical. Attending services, small groups and fellowship opportunities whenever the chance is NOT radical! This is how God wants us to live, this should be daily and constant to us. This isn't a religion. This isn't a cult. It's a blessing from a God who wouldn't mind a few blessings back. Frankly, I see myself as failing at my job half the time while others see me as overdoing it? Turn and ask yourself if you think you've been trying your absolute best to please God and do his will with all your heart. If the answer is no, which is probably everyone, that's okay! Get up, rise, turn from this world and be "radical"!

Give.Pray.Fast.

Friday, March 12, 2010

FRIDAY FIVE!

FAVORITE ROMANIANS


FAVORITE GHOSTING


FAVORITE ORDER


FAVORITE STICK FIGURES


FAVORITE GERMAN

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

5 Thoughts of Mine for Today

1. Small Group
- Tonight(actually in a few hours), I will be leading our small group with this week's lesson. I don't usually lead things like this so I pray that all goes well tonight.

2. Weekend
- It's only tuesday and I'm already excited about this weekend and next! I mean come on, these weekends go by way too fast! What are your plans for this weekend?

3. Jamming
- I've had a lot of great lyrics could coming to mind in the past two days and I can't seem to put a melody with it, sometimes it is frustrating but I believe when I get a good one, It will be just splendid!

4. PS3
- I haven't actually gotten to sit down and enjoy an innocent game in quite some time, I usually play a game or two on friday nights but lately I've been so tired or busy that I haven't even tried in a while. Not that it's bad to not play, it's just relaxing.

5. Reading/Writing
- I picked up a new book yesterday, Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven but Nobody Wants To Die by David Crowder. I am quite excited to get into that and explore what David has to say. I also seem to be writing a lot of my own little "article" in a sense but not really an "article" because it's way longer. Basically, I'm just writing pages of my thoughts and experiences.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Conviction

Before you read this, I'm telling you now you are probably one of the people about to be convicted as well as myself in some areas.

You're probably an average "Christian". An average church-goer who attends a morning service on sunday and then you're set for the week. You read a chapter of the Bible every once in a while because you "have" to. You curse and swear anywhere except for church. You try to be a "good enough" Christian. You commit sins because you think no matter what you do God will forgive you so you might as well do them. You think about yourself and your life way more than you spend time reading or praying. You call yourself Christian but represent almost nothing that Christ represented. I could go on. and on. and on. and on. and on. If you in anyway feel embarrassed after you read this, good. I'm glad your conscience is getting to you. I don't want you to change out of guilt though, I want us to change out of love. Some more than others. Realize that God doesn't want an "average Christian". You might as well not even claim to represent God, spare him the humility please. God spits lukewarm people out of his mouth! You probably think that I'm being too harsh and that I'm not perfect either so I shouldn't be talking. I'm not perfect, at all but I should be talking. God wants me to get this word out! Please don't let this pass by, be convicted! Repent with your heart, not your tongues, love.

Friday, March 5, 2010

favorite beat box


favorite drummer


favorite music video


favorite joke


favorite romanians

Monday, March 1, 2010

I have a God.

I have a God who helped me through this day.
I have a God that said "There is no other way".
I have a God who does more than wipe tears from my eyes.
I have a God who took away my past and cleared away my lies.
I have a God who only asked for Thank You
I have a God who is GREATER than the life he gave you.

--My God IS greater, my God IS stronger, my God is MY God!