EverythingEverything

times

2011-03-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

New times, man. It's been a long since I've written in this thing. It used to be for my "Chris Wise" music news stuff. It's funny how much has changed in the last 2 years or so!
It's now 2011 and I'm engaged to the most beautiful woman alive. God has truly blessed me. I'm also a little less than two weeks away from the last Washington Mile show. It's kind of bittersweet to be ending it so soon, but I know it's the right choice and I feel comfortable with it.
So yeah things are good. Things are different. God is always there and that will never change. Things will probably be radically different again in just 6 months. MARRIAGE!

Wooooooo!

2008-02-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

Psalm 94:12-13

Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble…

God has been trying to discipline me for the last few months. Sometimes I let him and sometimes I don’t. Maybe that’s incorrect. Maybe he does it anyway or maybe not. Either way it’s the end result that matters in this instance. God has taught me lessons and I have refused to listen to them. Shameful as that sounds its true. If I’m really honest with myself I find I fail in a lot of ways I didn’t think I ever could or would. But praise God because he’s teaching me and showing me my faults so I can make them right and fall in line with his will. I’ve always thought that going “from glory to glory” was more or less a shift in paradigm. I still think it’s true. The only difference being before I always associated with it being an outwardly positive thing but I’m learning that’s not always true. Sometimes things that seem awful are the best things for you and sometimes it’s the opposite, either way its comforting to know that Jesus wants to be involved in my life, sometimes whether I like it or not.
He’s been teaching me discipline and probably will continue to do so until I die. Praise God. It’s been a while since I could say that. I need to say it more often. Praises God!
God only disciplines to save us from trouble. Amen. Thank you, God. Continue to discipline me according to your love and salvation that I may serve you and others better.

2 Timothy 2:22-24

Flee the evil desire of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lords servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

This is quite the standard. I love it. I need correction and I need a job description so I can carry out my job to the best of my ability. This needs to be what I’m striving for. I need to run away from lust, envy, pride, idolatry, and anything else that keeps me from pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace. It’s been on my heart since I can remember to stay away from useless talk but so often I get sucked in. It takes effort to talk about valuable things and to encourage others and that’s probably why we avoid it. It doesn’t take any effort to quote a movie or television show or make a stupid joke. Why do good things take so much more effort than bad or useless things?
It’s time to step into what I was made to be. It’s time to settle for nothing less than the best. It’s time, its Gods time. It should have been all along but I let things get in the way and now I know. I know that Jesus has saved me and wants to change me into something that reflects his character. Leaving the old behind I walk anew in the light of my Father. I dream of the day when I might touch his scared hands and rest my head on his chest and know that the pain is finally over. Until that day I will labor for his kingdom. Taking up my cross I will do my best to focus on what is in front of me not looking to the left or right but fixing my eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of my faith. I don’t know why I’m so flawed and beat up. Sometimes I feel like the furthest from a Christian. Why would God want or choose me? I don’t know. My stupid human brain can’t comprehend why the God of the Universe would seek out a personal relationship with me. I will do my best to accept it and live how he wants me to, how I need to.

O, how I need Jesus.
His unfailing love is true.
O, how I need Jesus.

dream

2008-01-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

Dreams lost and gained.

Where there is no vision, the people perish

Proverbs 29:18

I see myself doing anything and everything someday just not today. I see myself going to the ends of the earth someday just not today. I see myself doing anything anyone would ever dream of doing at the ripe old age of 23 and I realize how realistic, unrealistic, and strange dreams can be.

Dreams are here for better or worse, to drive us on or to break our hearts. Dreams are here to stay. I need to sift through these dreams and decide. I must make decisions and choices about which dreams to follow, which ones to save for later, which ones to curse, which ones to throw away, and which ones to protect with my life. I have many dreams but there are only a few that are within my grasp.

Dreams must give way to goals and goals must give way to actions however small or large it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to do and never stop doing. Once I stop doing I will die. If I cease to walk, talk, sing, write, visualize, express, feel, or sacrifice for my dream(s) then I will die. I don’t want to die. Do you? What are your dreams? What makes you decide that each day is worth living despite what your feelings may tell you?

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Langston Hughes

During hard times it becomes increasingly important for me to look to something other than myself. I’m not referring to a “911” prayer but a realization that God has us in his hands and he will protect us and our dreams. He gives us dreams so we can pursue them and with his help we will accomplish what we set out to do.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:33-34

2007-12-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those dark, clustered houses encloses it’s own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses it’s own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of it’s imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it!”

-Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

.

2007-11-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Find rest, O my soul in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken
My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 16:5-8

Sometimes life really sucks and sometimes it's really good. It's important to know who you are and who is on your side. It's important not to get sucked into a society that tells us to live by feelings rather than knowledge and truth. Ahhh I get so stressed out sometimes about what I feel. Sometimes I feel like giving up in certain areas of my life, sometimes I feel like I'm all alone or no one really cares, but that's not true.
I've been learning lately that I can't let my life be ruled by emotions, but at the same time I can't cut off my emotions because sometimes what I feel is true. I guess its learning to discern between what are true feelings and what are untrue feelings. I would rather be grounded and know who I am rather than be really good one minute and awful the next. Make sense?

If there is one thing I would ask for in this wretched world other than love, it would be wisdom. Wisdom to see past a situation and know it's going to be ok, wisdom to trust God in bleak circumstances and know that he has better for me.

God of love and wisdom, grant us all a little grace this day and show us who you are.