A Third of the Angels

Ever since I read Revelations 12, I've been fascinated by verses 3 and 4 where it makes the reference of a third of the angels being kicked out of heaven. Throughout the Bible we read about a spiritual war going on between GOD and Satan. Some of us can agree that not all of our desires are born within ourselves, we know they can come from an outside source. I have always wrestled with which desires are inspired from Satan, which ones from GOD, and which ones from myself.

But what I want to comment on isn't which desires are coming from where, but the fact a third of the angels were kicked out of heaven. I still can't get over how the angels weren't content with Heaven, that they still wanted to what appears create or have there own way with doing things that went against GOD's sovereignty in His kingdom. Kind of reminds me of me at work wanting to do things my own way even though I was hired and am getting paid to do things works way.

Think of someone you see every day. They really get on your nerves because they completely have no respect for your outlook on life. They joke about things around you that are completely irritating. You have to listen to their selection of music all day from their cubicle. You have asked them to turn it down, but they claim they can't hear it that low. They are loud and obnoxious. But even though they have all these traits that make you angry, they still aren't doing anything wrong in everyone's eyes at work. Some people actually enjoy the music, they enjoy the jokes and what is loud and obnoxious to you isn't loud and obnoxious to them. Basically its just a difference of opinion with this person, not what is right and what is wrong. But every day you feel a huge relief immediately when leaving their presence.

So I wonder would GOD kick a third of the angels out just because of personality conflict? One thing I just can't stop thinking about is that everyone I know eventually moves away from roommates that they are having a personality conflict with, its just a matter of time before one or the other can't take it anymore. So is GOD trying to groom us to be roommmates in Heaven?And from the way He created us and under the circumstances of what Adam and Eve did in the garden, the grooming has to be done through a relationship with Him on earth?

I know this all sounds completely ridiculous. But, man is made in GOD's image. There are many people I just don't get along with, but its just a personality confict, niether of us are right or wrong. Could I ever get along with that person as a roommate if either I or they never changed? Don't see how that would be possible. So how does one come to the conclusion that GOD needs to change for them, or put up with something that is completely annoying to Him in Heaven? I know many of you are saying GOD is completely above this petty analogy, GOD is love, love perseveres through all things. I agree completely, but no matter how much I go back and forth, a third of the angels were still kicked out of Heaven.

Reference: Angels are often referred to as "stars" and "sons of God" (Job 1:6, 2:1, Isa 14:12, Rev. 1:20, 9:1, 12:4,9).

Habits

habit: 1. an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.

A co-worker who has to say “Help Desk this is Kevin” all day said he recently said “Help Desk this is Kevin” when he was at home. I can remember a roommate who after every work day would come home make something to eat and then go watch tv until he fell asleep in the recliner. I have a habit of picking up peoples pens at work because I need something to write with, I have no memory of doing it, just at some point during the day realize I have a different pen in my hand. Same thing as leaving something somewhere and not remembering where I left it. How did I develop this habit of picking up something or leaving something behind and having no recollection of learning this action?

Notice in the definition how it says, “acquired”and also the word “involuntary”. How many habits have I acquired besides my little pen trick? What about watching television? The more I watch the longer i can sit and watch that tube for 3 hours and it seems like one hour. The less I watch tv, one hour feels like 3 hours. So the more I do something the less I think about it.

At what point do my habits turn into addiction? I guess if its a chemical addiction. Exactly what is a chemical addiction? Something the brain gets used to having and then can't get anymore. Can the brain produce it's own chemicals, or wire itself from something visual, or just in thought and then when it can't get its fix anymore could something similar happen like a chemical that enters from outside the body?

I've never thought much about habits. The thought that I am subconsciously developing
habits is a scary thing, unknowingly creating connections between neurons to assist with these habits is even more scary. I need a monitoring system to keep track of all the habits I'm subconsciously developing, and also point out which actions I'm already doing but don't realize its a habit.

My money

I become extremely indecisive when it comes to spending money on big items. I become easily agitated when things don't go my way with those big items. Why don't I have a problem with the little items? money is security, the little items aren't going to break the bank.
I want my main concern to be where my money is going and what its supporting. What kind of salary and benefits is the worker getting that picked the orange in my fruit dish. The worker in China that made the shirt I'm wearing. The factory worker who killed the cow in my fridge. How can I know these things?
It's extremely difficult to track down all the people that are in the process of each product I purchase. Google will only take me so far, but the decision to try and make an educated guess is a start. It will be a constant fight to get information most companies don't want me to know. But hopefully in the not so distant future companies with the best worker compensation will prosper, and the other companies will be forced to follow suit, or else go out of business.

All isn't fair in love and war

Yesterday, I started blogging about how it wasn't fair that people on salary where I work get to come in late and leave early. And especially yesterday, because I overheard a conversation from someone in HR about how they were going to take off early today because of the weather. It didn't help that it was 8:30 in the morning and they were just rollin in off the elevator. You see I'm one of those that has to punch in by 8am and punch out at 5pm. It doesn't matter what the weather is like, someone has to be around to do the jobs that actually keep the company running.

Well, anyhow that post never made it to production, because as I was writing it, I realized those people can do those things because they don't get paid overtime. If, and that's a big if they ever need to put in those extra 10 hours a week, there is no extra dinero on their payroll. That's just the way the cookie crumbles in corporate america.

Another way I began to look at it is GOD let those people have those positions and He let me have mine. All is fair in love and war? Well, I guess its how you look at life. Nowhere does the Bible say anything is going to be fair in anyone's lifetime on earth, only that in the end all will be judged accordingly. So why then am I always complaining about what others have and what I don't have? What is this inside me that keeps analyzing what I have/don't have, and how can I go about getting it. "All warfare is based on deception" -Sun Tzu. Life is a war and I have been deceived! A war with wanting more than I need for no reason other than The Jone's next door having it. I deserve it because they're no better than I! The war is between my perception and wisdom, not against the man, or the Jone's. I so badly want to point my finger, but in the end it all comes down to my actions. Knowing the war is me vs me is half the battle, now i just need to figure out how to make peace.

It's Christmas time again.....

It's Christmas time again. Another Christmas rushing around and having the same old conversations with family members I see once a year. Enjoy it! Spend as much time with family members until u know that one more second will put you in a mental institution. Christmas isn't about us, its about giving. It's about spreading the beauty of Christ. It's about family, forgiveness, and assisting those that need a helping hand. Get caught up in the holiday, not the moment.

Soldiers of Fortune

⁴³ "You ^R169 have heard that it was said, `YOU ^R170 SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and ^R171 hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ "But I say to you, love ^R172 your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be ^F96 sons ^R173 of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ "For if ^R174 you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ "Therefore you ^{R175 F97} are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

For the last month all the soldiers, civilians and insurgency who have been killed in the Iraq war and all those who are family and friends have been on my mind. And this scripture above keeps ringing in my ears. The world says hate your enemy, Jesus says love your enemy.

Politicians love those who help keep them in office, and slander anything that is against them. Many of my co-workers brown nose those who can help them climb the ladder, or make their job easier and crap on everyone else that isn't a threat to them keeping their job.

How many people do you know that only care about their self promotion? Help them to try and understand a different way. Love your enemies as you love yourself.

Freedom of Expression

I would have liked to have done more research on what I’m about to write, but I need to type these thoughts down before they escape. Those of you who have been to my house have seen my walls laden with scripture and pictures of Jesus. Amongst that are articles and pictures of the starving and helpless and people that have turned their lives around giving all credit to GOD.

Lately I have come to a crossroads about the interior of my house. I can feel how uncomfortable many people have been inside my house. I have even had someone tell me its extremely obsessive and quite spooky. Well, on the obsessive side, I just chose to exchange filling in the void with GOD instead of the once sports, or once cars. People are used to seeing everything but GOD filling up a house, I can personally understand.

So where does one draw the line about expressing what he or she has chosen to be king of their mountain? There is obviously nothing wrong with putting up sports memorabilia all over one’s house. Nothing wrong with putting something collectible all over one’s house. Nothing wrong with putting posters of cars, favorite bands, favorite sports team, or even women all over your house, but I doubt a wife would be much inclined leaving them up. There is nothing wrong with putting basically anything you want all over your house because its………your house!

So why am I at these crossroads? Why does it matter whether someone likes whats in my house or not…..

So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 1Corinthians14:23

I feel not understanding tongues is like listening to the babble of an infant. To those who walk into my house and don't understand why there is so much scripture on my walls, what could of been understood will drown from information overload. GOD will be my house’s idol and it will be known, but where I am leaving these crossroads is making the decision to make sure subtly that everyone who enters my house know’s GOD is King of my house, but not doing it so that it gives off a tyrannical impression, or for one to say……u r out of your mind!

“well GOD made it good, I’m just making it better.”

http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Toogreen.htm

The other day I asked my friend, if GOD created the world and said it was good, then why isn’t a lawn good enough if it has weeds, isn’t thick enough, or needs to be a deeper shade of green? He said, “well GOD made it good, I’m just making it better.”

“GOD made it good, I’m making it better.” The other day I was riding my bike and a stronger than usual chemical smell caught my attention. As I looked to my right there was a proud True Green sign planted in someone’s front lawn. On my bike rides a wide spectrum of smells from roadkill to the beautiful smell of mint find my olfactory nerve. But the smell of those chemicals is always the worse. Just like hydrogenated oils, bleached (enriched) flour, bleached white rice, food coloring, high fructose corn syrup, the modification (evolution) of man is transforming nature and transforming our ideals.

We need to remember that modification of anything is done for a reason. In the case of these foods I’ve listed, it is longer shelf life, less cost, and more appealing to the eyes. Synthetic fertilizer companies have used all 3 of these principles to make us think the perfect lawn is a necessary part of our estates. All manmade chemicals and manmade food have side effects. This means they weren’t meant for the ecosystem or our bodies.

What if all the money spent for fertilizing, landscaping, and watering one’s lawn was spent on water wells, irrigation systems, and seed for poor starving regions of the world? If I only knew that sum, but I guarantee millions would not die of starvation. How have our lawns become more important than lives?

Hank Greenberg

Here is the link to read up on ol' Hank and other CEO's in the news. Its sad that CNN Money has a site reserved for Wall Street's most wanted. Never underestimate the power of greed. If you haven't heard, ol' Hank decided to give a gift to his wife of $2.2 billion in stock 2 days before he resigned as CEO of AIG.

Take a look at the list of em on CNN, http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/corruption/index.html

Why don't we know more about these CEO's? There is one making a final decision on each item we consume. Instead of celebrity magazines why aren't there CEO magazines. These are the people that run America and we know nothing about them. Next time you read through People magazine remember each one of those "stars" got there because a CEO let them.