Romans 12:3

³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not
think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think
of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure
of faith God has given you. (NIV)

I’m young and still growing.  It fascinates me how often we take pride in ourselves and in our talents and skills but do not give that pride to God, the one who gave it all to us.

In my opinion, and let me know how you feel, pride is not a bad thing – when in the right place.  If we raise ourselves up on our own pedestal we are actually standing upside down underground, but if we raise God up in us for what he has blessed us with, light shall shine down upon it.

I got stuck in a rut today with a situation and I got in that mode where I am right and everyone else is wrong.  How thankful I am for having loving people to kick me down off my pedestal and remind me of my place.  “Think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you”.  This could be broken down as:  Think of yourself with a serious, sensible and solemn opinion with complete confidence or trust God has given you.

Looking back on all the times I was unhealthily proud, was I ever judging myself in accordance to a serious or sensible opinion of who I trust God has made me to be?  Definitely not.  I had an overly zealous opinion of who I think I WAS.  Period. Why would I ever want to be like that?  As a Christ follower with all my desire to glorify God, why would I ever want to have an opinion of myself that made me look foolish and disconnected from the Holy Spirit?  My answer is never, and because of that I think an important question, and more importantly is the answer to that question, is: What can I do to not do that or be like that again?

As a saved man in this fallen and broken world, I am fallen and I am broken.  My mind, while in connection with the Holy Spirit, is free from sin.  But when I act upon my body’s will I am enslaved to sin.  Take note in Romans 7:22-23…

Romans 7:22-23

In my mind, I am in happy agreement with God’s law.  But the
rest of my body does not concur.  My bodily members are at war
with my mind (which agrees with the law), and I have become a
prisoner in this war to the rule of sin that reigns supreme in my body. (The Voice)

So the very important answer to this question is this: do exactly what Romans 12:3 says, keep a solemn opinion of yourself in the faith God has given you, but do this constantly.  I suppose a simple way of doing this is when you catch the slightest glimpse of an ungodly opinion coming out of you ask yourself, “is this an act of being a prisoner to sin or a servant to God”.  Try to remember to always be raising God up in your actions and in your thoughts.

I pray that our minds, servants and obedient to the law, Your law God, be the master of our bodies.  That we will notice when we begin to fall back into that imprisoning cell of sin, God, may you give us strength to climb out as you are always there for us, I pray we will be aware and perceptive to grab your hand and climb out from the pit of all sin, and specifically prideful sin.  Lord I pray that you break us from our sinful and fallen minds so that we can grow and be the light of this broken world with you and for you.  Not for us.  Amen.

Children’s view of beginning and end is non existent, I envy that.  I get so wrapped up on the beginning and end that I spend bulk of my time thinking about the beginning and end or what’s next? rather than living in the moment right now, to the fullest!

Too often I feel that we focus on the beginning of something only to wonder how long it will last or when it will end just so that we can think or talk about the beginning of something all over again.

This could relate to a multitude of things, a few examples? k…

“Can’t wait till 5 o’clock rolls around so I can get off work.”
“Next Friday I close on my house!”
“I’m sooo hot at Rock the River and this speaking is loud, how long should I stay?”
“Waiting is so agonizing, how long will I have to wait”
“When I get this thing I will be ready”
on and on…

Don’t get me wrong, I think looking forward to things is a great thing and it’s partly what keeps us moving on some days, like these beautiful Mondays .  But I also think there’s a lesson we can learn here from yet again, a child.

I like the verse where Jesus talks about having a childlike mind and childlike faith:

Mark 10:15

“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Although this verse is in a slightly different context, I think it still serves for multiple contexts, I think there is a connection that can be made.  Think about how a child plays with their favorite toy, swings, eats, watches a movie, or plays with their celebrity (in their eyes) uncle! There is no end in their mind.  They do not think like: “I’ll probably play puzzle for the next 5 minutes and then move on to playing with my blocks” or “I need to play really hard because pretty soon we’re leaving and I won’t be able to play anymore” or “I love playing with my uncle and have to play with him and show him everything in the next hour because he’s leaving then.”… No, they are in the moment to the fullest, which is how we should be.

I was at Rock the River yesterday and caught myself thinking, “How long am I staying and should I just leave now or leave in a little bit?”.  My question to this is, and my question I am trying to ask myself frequently is, “Am I living in the moment, right now?”

It’s a very simple question and it’s very easy to remember and constantly ask yourself and I think it is going to help me enjoy the not so ecstatic events in my life and make all events fullfilling and enjoyable.  I think I will begin building deeper relationships with some other friends that I never would have opened up because I will no longer be thinking of the next ecstatic event but will be living it all in the moment right now!

idk, I know this will help me because I have a lot of really good high energy moments and I have a few low energy moments where I’m only present physically for no particular reason.  I hope this helps me be more conscience of my mood and presence wherever I may be.  How we act affects our relationships 1 of 2 ways, positive or negative, there is no neutral reaction, if you could be aware of weather you are creating a negative reaction based on your mood would you be more inspired to do something about it!?  I would.

There is no part of me that wants to create a negative vibe ever!  Yet I do, occasionally, but this should help me, maybe it’ll help you too.

Let me know what you think in the comments, on twitter (@coffeencoke).  Also you can subscribe to my posts via the rss feed, or if you create a login you can subscribe and get email notifications.  Just fyi

I’ve been getting vibes both external and internal telling me to PICK UP THAT BLOG AND BLOG. And I’m happy to come back and start journaling again.

This is a shorter entry cause I gotta jet in a few, but just wanted to commence the blog’ness.

I went to my first Second Saturday today and enjoyed it immensely. Second Saturday is an event put on through my church, Windsor Crossing, that takes place every second Saturday of the month from 815 – 2ish. We go to u-city and help improve the city by fixing up houses, cleaning up the area, making time for conversation with those in need and reaching out to the community. I have not done much volunteering at any church so this was a big step for me. I’ve always considered myself an active church member, but I suppose that was limited to going to groups and meeting people and hanging out. I feel I’m making a transformation where the world doesn’t revolve around me, where my life is an instrument, and I am not the dictator anymore! I feel that God is moving the pieces into place and positioning me and I’m super excited to see what happens and what we can do.

Peace out

It’s amazing to me how powerful sound is in our lives.

The other day I was working and I heard a song from a cd I listened to back when i used to walk to and from work downtown chicago everyday. The memories that came back were incredible, all you can do is just smile and soak in the details. Memories that were sparked from a single soundwave.

The details are amazing too, I was drawn back to remembering events that occured, smells that I experienced, how the weather was, down to such detail that it felt like I was reliving the experience.

This has been happening to me a lot lately, specifically listening to music, maybe it’s because I pulled out a playlist from a while ago on my computer, or mayb e there’s some other reason.

Does this happen to anyone else? I would hope so. Or more specifically, does anyone have certain cd’s that they always pull out in certain seasons? (christmas cd’s do not count, I know everyone loves listening to christmas tunes in april)

I can’t believe the impact that sound or music has on my life, it’s awesome how it brings back all those great memories like a movie.

So tonight just happens to be one of those nights where I cannot sleep at all! I have been in my bed for about 1 and half hours trying to sleep and… nothing.

So – My church is entering a very intriguing topic – the song of solomon.

how did the world we live in become so corrupt of the essence of love? When did we lose touch and become so far away from the truth and meaning and practice? I hope that I can overcome the ‘normal’ of today’s society when it comes down to it and follow my heart and my morals; and what is right and not what the world tells me is right. I weap for the world but am joyful in the world all at the same time. I believe we live in a real time / current / conscious paradox.

Time to vent…
So, i just got a letter from my insurance because they don’t think I have a valid liscense. And nearly the same day I got a letter from my financing stating that they want me to mail them proof of my insurance. So I was completely fine with it, until I woke up this morning to go to the DMV to get my liscense swapped over to Missouri but that’s when I realized that the DMV has the most outrageous schedule in the WORLD!
The DMV Hours: notice the ‘first and last saturday’ What is that!? they basically make it absolutely impossible for anyone with a job to get anything done! i’m sick of it. Then I found out that in order to get a liscense plate in this state you have to do a list of about 20 things, and they have to all be done in order … AND nobody has the list. You just go to the places and they tell you what you need before you can do this and the next place does the same. URRRGHHHH!
OFFICE HOURS
Monday – Friday 9:00 – 5:00
First and Last Saturday 8:30 -12:00
Last 5 Business Days of the Month 8:30 -5:30

THIS OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED ON THE FOLLOWING HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lincoln Day, Washington’s Birthday, Truman’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

THIS OFFICE WILL ALSO BE CLOSED ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS: Saturday before Memorial Day, Saturday before Labor Day, Friday after Thanksgiving, Saturday after Thanksgiving, December 24, and New Year’s Eve (afternoon only).
November 01, 2007: Some offices are in the process of changing their business hours. The updates are being made to the webpages first and will reflect on the maps shortly.

Sad news, but I’m glad that this can happen and I can have my sanity at the same time. I found out this morning that there is more wrong with Rachel, my eagle talon, than what I thought / was told last week. I went to Dobb’s (mech. shop) to pick up my car because they said that it was fixed and that it was ready to be picked up. The reason it wasn’t working was a mystery to them, and still was when I went to pay and pick up my keys. 2 fuses were blown, and the oil tank was completely empty!? which is ridiculous because I just got an oil change 4 weeks before this incident. I went to pick up my car with Rob to drive my new car back (a half hour from home) got in the car, and tried to start it… the same thing happened. So basically I paid for a mech shop to give my car back in the exact same condition i handed it to them? no, not on my watch.
So long story short, I am getting full refund for the repairs and work done prior to, but… now my best option is to have it toed (pay for it) to a dump and get paid ‘maybe’ for the toe charge amount. So it’s crushed my spirits a little bit, but who knows, maybe i’ll put it on craig’s list for 400 bucks and it’ll be taken out of my hands.
eeeeeek!

Breahe You In
Thousand Foot Krutch

Taking hold, breaking in
The pressures on, need to circulate
Mesmerized and taken in
Moving slow, so it resonates
It’s time to rest, not to sleep away
My thoughts alone, try to complicate
I’ll do my best, to seek you out
And be myself, not impersonate

Tried so hard to not walk away
And when things don’t go my way
I’ll still carry on and on just the same

I’ve always been strong
But can’t make this happen
‘Cause I need to breathe, I want to breathe you in
The fear of becoming
So tired of running
Cause I need to breathe, I want to breathe you in
I want to breathe you in

I’m going in, so cover me
Your compass will, help me turn the page
The laughing stock I’ll never be
Because I won’t let them take me

Tried so hard to not walk away
And when things didn’t go my way
I’ll still carry on and on just the same

I’ve always been strong
But can’t make this happen
‘Cause I need to breathe, I want to breathe you in
The fear of becoming
So tired of running
Cause I need to breathe…

Took awhile to see all the love that’s around me
Through the highs and lows there’s a truth that I know
And it’s You

I want to breathe you in

I bought a new car! I’ve been looking for a while now and knew that I didn’t want to go through a rerun of last winter with the car I currently had (some know her as rachel, the eagle)… it just wasn’t reliable. So with my new job I knew that I didn’t want to have any possibillity of missing work and creating a bad impression. and that is THE only reason I got a new car…………….
yeah right! I’m am pleased to unleash my New car! It is a Mazda RX-8 with the famous 212 hp rotary engine, 18 rims, and more fun to go around. It is by far going to be a journey to afford it but it is a journey worth traveling.
I have more pictures in my photo gallery (use the button on the left) in the category My Car. But for you lazy people who don’t want to click the button here’s some appetizers for yah…

She’s my new baby, has yet to earn a name yet, but that’s part of the fun
click to check out more pictures (http://www.matt-simpson.com/component/option,com_easygallery/act,categories/cid,24/Itemid,35/)

Well, this is the last weekend in my apartment in Chicago ;(.

I put two faces because I will miss this place, but I put smiles first because I’m super excited and cannot wait to move! Since this is my last weekend I thought I’d have a little fun and go crazy, so that’s why my entire weekend consists of helping with a school project, watching movies, and freelancing. Very Exciting… not. Oh well, I need the rest anyways.

It is super hard to find boxes in this area for some crazy reason. I called 4 grocery stores in my area and everyone who answered the phone sounded foreign and they put me on hold for a while, came back, and told me they don’t have any boxes try back later. Tuff luck matt.

I only have 2 days left at work! It’s unbelievable, and agonizing all at the same time. I’m definitely not going to miss the train rides and walking aka the four hour commute. Although I will have to make up for the reading time.

Well, I gotta get cleaning / box searching / packing.

adios