Our Unselfish Temples

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself. - 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)

I've heard this scripture numerous times before. I've heard it quoted from people who have decided to stop smoking, drinking, doing drugs and those who have wanted to start eating healthier and start exercising. It fits all those motivations rather nicely wouldn't you say?

Even if you don't have a bad habit or you are already eating healthy and exercising this scripture STILL speaks to you. How?

Because EVERYONE is still selfish.

That's not easy to hear is it? I know for me, I immediately want to defend that claim and show example after example of how I'm NOT selfish. But just like those bad habits I mentioned above, all of us share a habit of being selfish. We have this same thing in common even though it might look different from me to you.

Some people are selfish because they want to smoke.

Some people are selfish because they want to drink.

Some people are selfish because they, like me, want to eat whatever they want.

Our habits look different but the commonality that we share is that we are full of our selves. And I didn't really get this scripture until I read the paraphrased version of it from The Message...

Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body! (emphasis mine)

WOW!!

Let people see GOD in and through your body!

When I read that I had a crazy thought.

What if one day I had to give blood for some kind of testing and the lab technician was looking at my blood cells through a microscope and actually seen that God was coursing through my bloodstream!!!

I know that is a pretty far-fetched idea but what if we actually were meant to be that dedicated to God and unselfish?

What if one day you you had to get an x-ray and all of a sudden you heard a commotion in the back of the building because the x-ray technician was able to see that God and His word was buried deep in your bones!!!

Though these examples aren't likely to happen, I still can't help but think that this is how we are supposed to look at this scripture. This is how dedicated and unselfish we are to be to God through our physical bodies.

Imagine what it would be like to be that unselfish!

Circumstanial Revelation

"Circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him."

- James Lane Allen

I read this quote just a few minutes ago as I'm sitting in the hospital with my beautiful daughter Emily. Our hospital visits are usually seizure related but this time we are here because she has pneumonia. We hate being in the hospital, who wouldn't? But we are thankful that we have almost gone a year (11 months) since our last visit. Not only that, but we are here because of something other than seizures!

That being said, I found it very appropriate that I should just happen across the quote at the top of this post. Most of the time we hear about how someone learned a lot because of a specific circumstance or a sequence of circumstances they were in. But never had I thought about it in this particular way. I never considered that circumstances actually reveal who we are.

Ever heard the old saying, "I wouldn't want to go through that again, but now that it's over with, I'm glad I did because I'm a stronger person because of it"? I know for me, I've said it a bunch of times. I've been through a lot of circumstances that have truly grown my faith and made me a stronger person. Circumstances that not only helped me but helped me help others too.

While it's true that circumstances will always have the potential to help us grow stronger it is also true our circumstances can be the best tool to actually show us WHO we are. Next time your circumstances aren't so pleasant and you find yourself becoming frustrated, take a minute to think about this opportunity for revelation. Let your circumstances reveal who you are!

Out Of The Same Mouth...

I was reading my Bible devotion the other day and for that day I was prompted to read 1 Samuel 20:30-34.

I really didn't think much of it as I was flipping back to the Old Testament and trying to find where 1 Samuel was among all the other O.T. books. When I found my place I started reading...

³⁰ Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman!...

OK, hold on a minute. TIME OUT!

What did that just say???

Now maybe I'm at fault for being the type of person who would have "those kind of thoughts" or maybe I'm not but I could have sworn when I first started reading that it was going to say "You son of a (word that rhymes with witch)."

Am I at fault for thinking this? Maybe so.

But maybe not either. I honestly couldn't help but think that maybe in that day and time to say "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman" would be just as insulting as the same expression we would think of today.

The more I thought about it the more I wondered...

I just couldn't shake it that THAT expression, (one that sounds very similar to a kind of expression we hear a lot today) was in the Old Testament!

I guess I just thought that because I was turning to the O.T. I wouldn't find too much that was relevant to what I was going through today. Boy was I wrong!

I learned that for a very long time man has struggled with watching what is said in frustration. It seems the more frustrated a person gets the harder it becomes to contain the tongue and that even in the O.T. we can see a very real and life applicable example of this in 1 Samuel.

For that to be true then and now, it must also mean that watching what we say is a bigger battle than we probably realize!

In fact James says it like this...

James 3:9-10

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be!

James (in the New Testament) is addressing believers for something we just seen in the Old Testament, a battle with controlling the tongue.

I realized while reading 1 Samuel that I've been ignoring something very important. Taming the tongue is a good indication of how much progress we've made in our spiritual walk. Because Matthew 15:18 says...

the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart

If this is true, then it is a great indication of what kind of "heart condition" we are in. Next time you find yourself saying something that sounds like what Saul said to Jonathan use that as an opportunity to examine your "heart condition".

Like James says, "out of the same mouth come praise and cursing" and my brothers and sisters, this should not be!

Christians and Hammers

I had to use the hammer today to take something down. As I was pulling out each nail I was careful not to damage the wall in our living room. It's easy to do when you're pulling out a nail in drywall. I learned that lesson the hard way when I was still a brand new homeowner.

Sometimes my mind wonders as I'm doing simple little chores like that. Lately I've been thinking about a trial that has gotten a lot of national media attention. It seems the outcome that everyone had been expecting ended up going the other way, and everyone I've talked to has reacted with a lot of shock and disappointment. I was shocked myself to be honest. I thought for sure I knew what the outcome would be. I even found myself participating in some "hateful" conversations with some people I work with about what "should have happened" with the trial.

That being said, I want to get back to my epiphany if I may.

I think Christians are like hammers.

Let me explain. Most standard hammers have two sides. The Head (used to drive nails with) and the Claw (used to pull nails out with). If you asked any "man on the street" what hammers are mostly used for I would be willing to bet that the most common answer would be, "to drive nails with of course."

But what about the other side?

What about the side used to PULL OUT the nails?

Isn't it just as useful?

And that's where I want to go with this and what I realized as I was pulling out the nails in my living room.

I think, sadly, that too many Christians have become known for and recognized as being the HEAD of the hammer and not the CLAW of it. Too many Christians are spending their time DRIVING current topics into the ground.

Instead of being the Claw and PULLING OUT a hurting persons wounds or mistakes we tend to focus on how we can tell them more and more how they are wrong or how they shouldn't do what they do. DRIVING the nail deeper and deeper instead of helping to heal and leading them to the one who can PULL OUT that area of their life.

Lately I've been the Head more than the Claw. I think it's time to focus a little more on the other side of the hammer and see what "nails" I can help pull out of someone elses life.

I pray you can do the same thing too if, like me, you've been DRIVING more lately than PULLING.

Thank you Jesus for being the original "other side of the hammer". Thank you for PULLING OUT all our mistakes on the cross!!

Lessons From A Car Wash

I stopped at the gas station this evening to get some gas. The gas light was screaming at me again. Like most people, I think, I try to ignore the gauge for as long as I can. But once the little gas pump makes an appearance on the dashboard I know I have to take things more seriously.

Usually when I get gas it's the same old routine. Push the button to release the little door where the gas cap hides. Unscrew the cap and let it freely hang off the side, turn around, swipe the debit card, and make my selection. Same old song and dance.

But this time I was at a place where there was more to be had than gas. There was also a car wash available. And when I swiped my card to make my gas selection I was first prompted to make a decision. Did I want a car wash as well?

After trying to remember when the last time my ride had a nice clean bath I felt ashamed that I couldn't recall it, so I decided to quit putting that off as well and selected the cheapest car wash available.

After I filled up the gas tank my receipt printed off, and at the bottom I found a code that would give me access to the car wash.

I pulled up, punched my digits, and off I went. One cheap, much needed car wash coming up.

Once inside I found myself lost in thought. The radio provided some background noise but my mind was concentrating on how the "touch free" car wash could actually get a car "clean". I had never used this particular car wash before and I was eager to see how good a job it did when all was said and done.

If you're like me you usually find yourself disappointed after you leave a car wash when you realize what all it DIDN'T clean. Even though I always choose the "cheap" wash, I still fill like my car should come out VERY clean. I guess you get what you pay for.

Eventually a green light in the car shower told me to pull forward. The wash was over. As I was pulling into the sunlight the inspection would begin. And once again, I was disappointed. There were still things left behind that didn't come clean. You can always tell it best when you look through the windshield and into the sunlight. You see the spots that still remain.

The inspection failed but my mind was still turning. That's when I realized how similar our spiritual walk is to a car wash.

You see, I think many of us go to church just to get "clean". Or to at least fill like we've gotten ourselves clean for that particular week anyway. I'll be the first to admit that I really have felt this way before. But every time I walked away, if I would have truly looked at myself as if trying to pass an inspection I would have seen that there was still many things, many spots, that were left behind.

I was fooling myself. Thinking that (me + just going to church = good), like (car + car wash = clean car) was a mistake.

You can't think like that. You'll fail the inspection every time.

You have to get down to the nitty gritty. You have to put lots of effort into it and maybe even shed some sweat and tears to get the kind of clean your soul really needs.

And that kind of clean isn't "touch free" or even "soft touch". That kind of clean can only come from the nail scarred hands of a saviour's touch. The touch of one who died to clean ALL our spots. Even the ones that are easy to hide but hard to clean.

Thank you Jesus for teaching me something at the car wash. You really are EVERYWHERE!

How To Grow Chest Hair

1.) Eat meat with every meal. (Preferably cow meat) or BACON if you really want fast results!
2.) Shoot guns
3.) Zone out on sports
4.) Drink Beer
5.) Watch Sons of Anarchy
6.) Mistreat your wife or girlfriend
7.) Neglect your children
8.) Never attempt anything great
9.) Waste your money
10.) Did I mention eat a lot of cow meat?

Men, is this really what we’ve become? Are we really setting the bar this low? Do we call ourselves men because we do “such and such” and “this and that”? Do we call ourselves men because we focus on ourselves and no one else? I hate to think that is truly what we’ve become.

A man is more than chest hair, associations and eating habits. A man is more than certain hobbies, skills and coveted status. REAL men are defined with words like…

Honest, Noble, Faithful, Humble, Determined, Disciplined, Blameless and Wise

I’m tired of all the stereotypes men have gotten over the last few decades. Since when did we settle for trading Jack Arnold (Kevin’s dad on the Wonder Years) for Homer Simpson? Why did we allow Dr. Huxtable (the Cosby Show) to be replaced by Peter Griffin? If our culture is any indication of what kind of role men play in today’s society then we are in big trouble.

Men, it’s time to step up and reclaim what once was sacred, what once was respected.

We need to step up to the plate and show the world what it looks like to be a Godly man, father, and husband. It’s not going to be easy to right this ship but how much longer can we allow this to go on?

Just because you might have chest hair (or think you know how to grow it) doesn’t make you a REAL man!

Resuscitation

If you look at the date on my last blog post you will notice that its been a long time since I've blogged. I've missed blogging and I feel like my blog needed some major resuscitation. (Notice the changes?) I don't want my love for blogging to die because I still feel like it can be a huge tool for ministry. It's just that over the last several months the creative juices have been, well, absent.

Today the desire to revive my blog was just too overwhelming. I couldn't ignore it any longer so here I am. I pray you haven't given up on me by now.

I would like to start by saying how much I feel I've grown since the last time I blogged. Spiritually, I feel like I've spent a lifetime with a Holy "Mr. Miague" or something. I thank God daily for everything He teaches me, even if some things are learned the hard way because of my own stubbornness.

If I had to describe the "downtime" I've taken from my blog as a season I would definitely call it Winter. This resuscitation I feel the desire for would be my "spiritual spring time" if you will. I've learned and trained with Mr. Miague for a season and now it's time to put what I've learned into action!

Spring is here and its good to be back!

Election Day: Who Are We Listening To?

I love election day!

Why?

Because it serves as a reminder.

It's a reminder to me of who is really in charge and who I'm trusting in my life, People or God?

How fitting is it that I would run across a scripture this morning that captures the essence of who we should really be listening to?

These days our candidates smear each other with attack ads and campaigns that would make our grandparents' candidates cringe at the thought of being so ugly and vicious. Back then a candidate would spend most of their time telling the people what they were going to do for them should they be elected. These days it's more like a barrage of mean-spirited attacks focusing on the challenger rather than the candidate making the argument.

It's easier now to point fingers across the podium rather than to focus on where we need to go.

Much easier now to attack the other candidate rather than attack the issues at hand.

It's gotten very redundant when you drive half a mile down the road and see all the money spent on signs that will be recycled (hopefully) after midnight tonight. Money that could have been spent reducing the deficit and earning them voters instead of littering your name up and down the highway.

You can't even turn on the TV for five minutes without hearing an attack ad.

In the midst of all the negative talk and candidates tarnished records and past history, how are we ever to decide who to trust and listen to?

It's much harder these days if you want to do it right. You need to do more research and make more of an effort than you used to have to. If you really care, that is. Of course you could buy into whatever the flavor of the day is and just vote according to your party affiliation or whatever the talking heads are saying on the TV and radio stations. But is that educated and honest?

Again, we are faced with a dilemma. Who do we listen to?

Would you believe me if I was so bold in saying that we've gotten it all wrong?

Could you find it possible to believe that elections these days have gotten so off course and ugly because we aren't listening to the one we are supposed to be listening to the most?

We find ourselves listening more to the created rather than the creator!

Jeremiah 12:16-17 (NIV)

16 And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people. 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the LORD.

Are we listening to God anymore?

Do you see the evidence in these smear campaigns of a nation that is literally being "uprooted and destroyed" right before our very eyes?

Who are we really listening to?

I love Election Day. It serves as a great and much needed reminder.

Happy Voting!

Be Blessed!
Joe

On The Palms Of His Hands!

In any given situation where you are going through something difficult it's easy to begin to feel far from God and maybe you even start thinking that God has forgotten about you completely. The longer you are stuck in that situation the more prone you become to attacks from the enemy who would want more than anything for you to change your thoughts on God.

Doubt creeps in.

Fear gets the best of you and eventually replaces faith.

And before you know it you start wondering if God is even with you anymore.

You start questioning everything and hope to find an answer but when none comes quickly enough you come to the conclusion that yep, God has abandoned you. And when that happens the enemy has won!!

The father of lies (Satan) wants us to think that God is not with us. He wants us to believe that we are all alone and we are stuck trying to figure things out all by ourselves. If he can get us to believe this lie and if we come to the conclusion that we do have to figure things out on our own then it will then eliminate our need to turn to the Bible. That is his ultimate goal. He wants us to do away with one of the greatest instruments we have to hear from God. Reading the Bible leads to hearing from God and hearing from God means He is right there with us in our difficult situation. Satan knows this and therefore attacks us and tries to make us believe the lie that will take away our proof that God is with us.

I think I first started believing that God was with us when I heard the song "He's got the whole world in his hands" for the first time. That song made me really start questioning things and eventually I became more and more interested in trying to learn about God.

Many years later I look back and realize that through many difficult situations where my faith has been rocked hard I can see where Satan has tried to bait me into believing that God is not with me. If I said that Satan lost every battle I would be lying. The truth is there have been many times where I took the bait and believed the lie for a season. I thank God that I always came running back to Him though. And He embraced me in his arms every single time! He never once turned me away. My faith is stronger and I believe He is truly with me more than ever now.

With all this being said I wanted to share a picture I found just recently...

Isaiah 49:16 says that he has "engraved us on the palms of His hands"!!!

God wants us to know that He is with us so much that he actually sent His son Jesus to die for us and prove that He is indeed right here with us. He has engraved us on the palms of His hands!!!

I pray that we never forget that we are not alone. That we are indeed engraved on the palms of his hands. Whatever situation you might be going through right now you are not alone!! Afterall, "He's got the whole world in His hands" and Isaiah 49:16 proves it!!

More Personal

I've been trying for a while to figure out what exactly is wrong with my blog. I've thought of things like...

Does the layout and design catch anyone's eye?

or

Do I just have writers block?

to

Has everything I say already been said?

I've asked lots of questions like this and couldn't think of any answers. Until now.

My blog isn't personal enough.

It's true. It's been true for a while. I don't know why I didn't see it before but now that I've noticed and figured it out it screams at me like a huge neon sign flashing in my eyes at 1:00 in the morning.

So, with that being said, this blog is going to shift gears a little. Hopefully for the better. But I'll let you be the judge of that.

It's still going to be Christ centered and I'm still going to do things the way I feel need to be done, only now we are going to add a little more "Joe" to the recipe.

I should have known this is what's been missing. I should have seen that for post after post each of my entries lacked more personal investment. It was like anyone could have read what I wrote and claimed it as their own. The words were there but Joe wasn't. I've been M.I.A. for too long.

So now that that's off my chest let me say that I'm looking forward to revealing more and more me. I have too much to talk about and too much to share for my blog not to be used more often. Having a daughter with disabilities leads to lots of discussions and topics. (Hopefully it will also lead to lots of help and insight to someone else out there too). If nothing else I hope to accomplish that.

I started this entry at 5:00 am. Not because I'm bored on a weekend ( I wish ), but because last night has been probably one of the worst nights for our family. Emily (my daughter) has had over 130 seizures and the only reason things have "calmed down" is because she has been medicated to the point of sedation. It's the only thing that stops the seizures. And 9 times out of 10 when the medicine wears off and she comes back around the seizures start right back up where they left off. We call her seizures "the monster".

Emily was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms but the doctors call her a "mystery". This is because there is no medical reason for Emily's condition. Round upon round of genetic testing has come back clear. It's not genetic. Test upon test has been performed and there is no medical or physical reason that Emily should have these seizures. There was no traumatic birth, she wasn't premature and she has not suffered any kind of injury. She's a "mystery" to many people.

As a result of this seizure disorder Emily has undergone many things to try and help control them. The list is long and needs to be shared but I will do that in another post. We literally have journals filled with all the things she's gone through and she's only been with us for almost 16 months now. She's been through a lot in her short little life. I get a lot of inspiration from her, she's the strongest person I know besides perhaps her mommy.

There's not a whole lot of people who know much about Infantile Spasms. It's still something that is little heard of but we've noticed and made friends with other parents who deal with the same thing or same kinds of things. I'm glad it's not as rampant as cancer or aids or something like that but it does get frustrating that the same kind of attention doesn't go to making more people aware of this condition too.

Lot's of mommies blog about I.S. but you don't see many daddies doing it. I think that's a new direction God wants me to go with this blog. It's part of the process of making it more personal that I'm talking about. Daddies need resources too and hopefully this will inspire more and more men to step out and share their lives with this disability as well.

I like to remind myself when things get really hard and out of control like last night (or this morning) that I am still "in the grip of grace". God always holds us in His hands, even when it doesn't feel like it. It's in the grip of grace that we are even blessed with a daughter and it's in the grip of grace that we are able to enjoy her. She's an angel sent from Heaven. I don't doubt that one bit. So even in the bad times, the ones that make you want to scream and question everything, we find more and more that we are still in the grip of grace. And that, believe it or not, is not a bad place to be.

I'm looking forward to being more personal with this blog. I hope it blesses you in some way or another. And may God get all the glory now and forever!

Be Blessed,
Joe

Not Afraid

I found this video off of the POTSC (People of the Second Chance) blog, one of many that I follow.

I couldn't help but bring it over and repost it on my blog as well.

The beat is great, the story is real and the inspiration undeniable.

This guy took the beat and hook from Eminem's "Not Afraid" and laid down his own lyrics to tell his own personal story.

I have a feeling it will be stuck in your head after you hear it.

All for the glory of God!!!



Be Blessed!
Joe

How Soft Is Your Pillow?

There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience. ~ French Proverb

Seems like some good food for thought doesn't it? It also sounds like something  you would hear your grandma tell you. Good ol' grandma, she always had something smart to say.

But perhaps this isn't just some great, witty french proverb or just good grandmotherly advice. Could it be that this is also Biblical?

Psalm 4:4
4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Selah

Here we find some godly advice on how to improve your quality of sleep. I knew the Bible covered most of everything but sleep habits as well?!
 
What this scripture is trying to tell us is very similar to the french proverb. That laying on your bed at the end of the day is the perfect time to search your heart and see how you did.
 
Did you sin in your anger?
 
How about when that co-worker stole your idea and you lost that much needed promotion?
 
Or how about when that person cut you off in traffic on the way home?
 
Psalm 4:4 reminds us that we need to be thinking more often about how we act and react in our daily lives. It reminds us that we need to search our hearts and be silent, thinking about how we can improve our witness as well as our quality of sleep!
 
Be Blessed!
Joe

Your Strength (The Missing Piece Part 2)

The enemy is after your joy because he is also after YOUR STRENGTH!

Nehemiah 8:10

10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

If you have no Joy in your walk with Jesus. You really need to examine how you got there. How did you all of a sudden end up with no joy? Chances are, it didn't just happen over night.

Our enemy is on his game. He knows what he is doing. He knows what support system needs to be taken out to cause our entire faith to collapse on it's face and believe me he is always on his job. If you are meeting opposition from the enemy in regards to your joy then take that as a red flag to stand back and make some observations. Really examine your walk for any clues that might give away how you've really been feeling lately.

One of the best ways to tell if something is wrong with your joy is how you act when you are alone and how you act when you are around others. Is there a difference? If you find you've been "acting fake" because you are around someone else then take warning, you are probably losing your joy. If you find you've just left an event where other believers are and you all of a sudden find yourself in a "funk" then know that too could be a warning sign.

Our joy should be constant. It doesn't matter what situation we find ourselves in we should always have our joy in the Lord. It's our strength. It's also what Satan wants to attack the most.

It's been so easy for me to feel like I've lost my joy lately because of all the personal struggles my family and I have gone through with Emily's battle with Infantile Spasms and her seizure disorder. Believe me, I know what it feels like to feel attacked and I know how awful it feels to have to come to the place where you are really questioning if you've lost your joy or not. It's not easy.

But if you allow Satan to steal, kill and destroy your joy then you lose your strength. And when you lose that you start to lose it all.

Here are some ways to maintain and build your joy.

1.) Read The Word.

2.) Pray.

3.) Learn from Biblical messages.

4.) Spend time with godly friends who will encourage you.

I pray that you find your joy renewed each and every day.

Be Blessed,

Joe

The Missing Piece

I've really noticed lately that Christians seem to be missing something. Something that, when it is used to it's fullest potential, acts like a magnet and draws people in. This missing piece seems to get lost over time. Through many hardships, trials, tests, and disappointments the missing piece eventually detaches itself from the whole and gets lost, sometimes forever.

The missing piece I'm talking about is our JOY.

You see, I can see it most everywhere I go. People I know who claim Christ as Lord of their lives live as though they've never had that life changing moment happen to them. They are hateful, hurtful and cynical. They sometimes go out of their way to show their disappointment in something and making sure you truly understand their position on a subject.

Perhaps the place I see it the most is in my own bathroom mirror. I am not innocent of this charge, but I do understand that the first step in fixing the problem is recognizing that there is one to begin with. That's why I have hope in getting my missing piece back but it's almost like it's now my mission to shed light on this growing problem in the Christian community.

Shouldn't we be the happiest people on earth? Shouldn't we be filled with more joy than most other people? And yet we're not. We have a one-on-one relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and yet our attitudes and outlooks say something else.

Could that be why so many people who don't know our Lord don't have the motivation to get to know Him?

Could that be what Satan knew would send the loudest message? That if these Christians would just live with sour and disappointing attitudes it would act as a type of repellent and keep people from wanting anything to do with that?

I hope you stop to think about this observation. Do you also see that over the course of time and through the storms of this life your joy has slipped away entirely?

Will you fight to get it back?

Will you turn your "magnet" back on once again?

Psalm 51:12

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit...


To be continued...

How Much Are You Worth?

How much is your body worth?

A: According to http://soundmedicine.iu.edu/archive/2003/quiz/humanWorth.html
How much is a human body worth? When broken down into fluids, tissues and germ fighting our bodies are worth more than $45 million.

This price tag on the human body is based on a survey published in Wired magazine. It found that vital organs are no longer the most valuable body parts. Rather, bone marrow heads the list…priced at $23 million, based on 1,000 grams at $23,000 per gram.

DNA can fetch $9.7 million, while extracting antibodies can bring $7.3 million. A lung is worth $116,400, a kidney $91,400 and a heart $57,000.

Women's eggs are costlier than men's sperm. The survey found that a fertile woman could sell 32 egg cells over eight years for $224,000; however, for a man to earn the same amount, he would have to make 12 sperm donations a month for 20 years.

The prices are based on cost estimates taken from hospitals and insurance companies, and are based on projected prices only in the United States. Of course, the prices also assume that all these substances can be extracted from living tissue for sale.

Although this break down is illegal, unethical and also impossible, you should not feel like a million dollars any more. You can feel like $45 million, instead!

But according to this website:

http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/worth.asp

We are only worth $4.50!

But from this website,

 http://yedda.com/questions/Cost_Human_Body_Price_Organs_health_5187178519066/

the price ranges from $23.49 to priceless.

So it really depends on how you measure it and if it is allowed to be ethical or not.

My ANSWER:

depends how good you look............... jk

.....................

This article might be funny if it wasn't real.

How sad is it that we really need to do all these studies to see what we are worth just to try to assign some sort of value to ourselves when God is screaming, "YOU ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN YOU COULD EVER REALIZE!! YOU ARE WORTH MY SON DYING ON THE CROSS FOR YOU! THAT IS HOW MUCH YOU ARE REALLY WORTH!!!"

Jesus dying on the cross for us is priceless. You can't put a price on that.

And when you really think about it, it makes 45 million dollars look like a drop in the bucket!!

Thank you Jesus for making me more valuable than money could ever buy!

What do you think about this article??

Learning Is Humbling

I feel like I've been in a crash course lately. I've been learning a lot of things - mostly about who I really am.

Isn't it funny how that happens? Just when you think you understand and you finally get it you learn that you only just begun.

I always hated math in school. I remember when my math teachers would introduce us to new ways of solving problems and how frustrated I would get. Just as I was finally figuring out how to do something and getting the hang of it - BAM - something new would be introduced for us to have to learn. I didn't like math all that much needless to say.

But recently I've been feeling the same way in my spiritual walk. Just as I think I have it all figured out then - BAM - out of the blue something new is introduced to me. Don't get me wrong, unlike the math classes this time I really like learning all the new things. The only thing is, it's been teaching me that I DON'T KNOW HALF OF WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW!!!

I guess I thought that scripture that says, "The half has never been told," didn't apply to me for some reason.

And that is another lesson in itself. How when we hear about or experience something through other people we foolishly automatically think, "well that doesn't apply to me." But I'm learning the opposite is true. You would be surprised just how much things that other people are experiencing applies to you too - if you only think about it.

I'm loving all the learning I've been doing, but let me just say it's also the most humbling thing for me as well.

How's class going for you lately?

Christ's Letters

2 Corinthians 3:3 (NLT)


3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

Funny how you often hear of someones "life story" when they pass away or when you are at a funeral. That person is remembered by the things and events that made up their personal story. It's an easy way to honor and describe that particular loved one that was called away. Sometimes you see this on the news when it's a celebrity or public figure. Pictures and videos will be shown to give the viewer a better understanding of what that persons story consisted of.

In 2 Corinthians 3:3 Paul is writing to the church in Corinth and telling them that their lives are not just "life stories." In fact, Paul tells us that as Christians, we are more than just some story, but instead we are actual letters from Christ!

How we live our lives in this world while in a relationship with Christ sends a message. A personal message from Christ to the lost that is not just some story but instead a letter from the very son of God.

It's true that even though you may go your whole life without knowing Christ you will still end up with some kind of story at your death. But how powerful and wonderful is it to know that if you live your life for Christ you end up being His personal letter to those around you?!?!

What is Christ saying through you and your story?

Is your personal "Christ letter" getting delivered or is it getting lost in the mail?

Never Give Up and Don't Lose Focus!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Why should we never give up?

2 Corinthians 4:15 (NLT)
15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

Our spirits are being renewed every day even though our bodies are dying. Have you ever stopped to think about that statement?

What else in this world can you think of where as one thing is dying it also has something that is renewing at the same time?

It's funny how we can so easily recognize our "bodies that are dying everyday" and not even notice that our spirits are being renewed at the same time. Could that be because of our culture? And if so does it mean we are allowing our culture or this world to have a greater influence on us than we should?

Verse 15 says that all of this is "for our benefit" and then later it also says that "God will receive more and more glory" from it. Never giving up is a win win situation!! We win and God also receives the glory for it.

So never give up! No matter what you are going through. Focus on the part of you that is being renewed daily and quit focusing on the part of you that is only temporary and dying! This is for your benefit and it also brings God glory!

Now which will you choose to focus on?

The Rainbow

How great is our God?

VERY!!!

We came home from the hospital yesterday with Emily and just a couple of hours after being home we look out the back window and this is what we see...

Beautiful huh?

I think there are many times in our walk with Christ that God likes to show up in a big way. I even believe that there are times that God likes to, well, show off! :^)

God showing off has been needed in our little family recently. We've just been through so much with Emily's battle with Infantile Spasms. Many hospital stays and just a really hard time. We have been caught in a hurricane lately it seems with all that we've gone through but God has always been there.

Only God can provide a rainbow in the middle of a Hurricane!!!!

And that is exactly what He did for us, LITERALLY!!

I think back to the flood in the Old Testament. How after all the destruction and devastation was over with God made a promise to man that He would never flood the earth again and to sort of "seal the deal" he put a rainbow in the sky as a reminder that He would always keep His promise. And centuries later we see that God has upheld that promise. The earth hasn't been totally flooded and we still sometimes see rainbows afer the storms.

So whatever you are going through today, whatever storm you find yourself in the middle of, take comfort in knowing that God is still providing the rainbows. He is still on the throne and He is still keeping His promise. He is always with you!

"I will never leave you nor forsake you" - Joshua 1:5

Fear Of The Dark?

A light in the black,

OR 

just a fear of the dark?

It's crazy but sometimes when I'm really frustrated or just needing to unload I listen to some hard rock. It's my tool for self-therapy. I was listening to Iron Maiden recently (yeah, I know, that's pretty hard hard rock) when the song fear of the dark came on.

The first two lines of the song are written above. And as soon as I heard those lines spoken it got me thinking...

As Christians, are we really in it to be a light in the black OR do we have just a fear of the dark???

That floored me!!

Immediately I felt guilty for listening to something as hard or "unchristian" as Iron Maiden, but yet at the same time I was thankful because I felt like God was teaching me something in this. I'm a person who believes that God can use anything to teach us lessons so I let the guilty feelings melt away. After all, doesn't the Bible say something about Satan being the "accuser".

I wasn't going to let this teachable moment get lost in feelings of guilt.

Sometimes I've found myself wondering if I'm fully devoted to the Lord or do I do it because I'm afraid of the consequences. And if you're honest I bet you've wondered the same thing to.

Maybe you've thought of it and instantly let it slide. My hope in this post is that you think of it a little more because I really do think it is a legit question. I by no means want to "accuse" or bring guilt to anyone reading this I just think our Lord deserves for us to be honest with ourselves.

Those two lines really got my attention, do they do the same for you?

And do you learn things from unusual places too? If so, I would love to hear about it.

- Joe