thanks

Thanks, Father, for everything. :)

newish phone

I'm so happy my phone's running faster. Android phone. Had Open Home on it--like running one OS atop another. Uninstalled that. Much faster.

Thanks, Father, for the suggestion. :)

a lot of growing to do

I have so much growing to do. Good thing I have the Holy Spirit to help me out. :)

Thanks, Father, for the Holy Spirit.

handling prosperity

God's been reminding me: it's not how you act in lack as much as how you act in plenty that shows your character.

Thanks for that reminder as well, God.

trust

Today I stopped asking God "how" and started just following Him.

Thank You, Father.

reminders

Today God reminded me: "All you have is your word. Keep it."

Thanks for the reminder, Father. :)

God also reminded me of something Kenneth Copeland said: "The reason you think God's word ain't no good is because your word ain't no good."

Thanks for that reminder, too, Father. :)

God at work

Today, I got some money I'd been expecting and some money I hadn't been expecting--part 1) for a role I played and part 2) a refund from a dentist for some work I had done. This is a surprise, and a nice one, and I just give God the glory for it.

Thanks, Father, for the money. :)

glory to God

Had a talk with the bank today, and a fee that would normally have been assessed will not be; I explained the situation, they understood and are taking care of it. And I have the money to pay anyway if they decide to assess the fee. Glory to God for their understanding and taking care of the issue. :)

Thanks, Father, for that, and for reminding me to bring this up.

Also, thanks for the provision on my Starbuck's card. :) I didn't think I had enough to cover the coffee I ordered, but I did, thanks God. :)

read your mail

So awhile ago, I called Kenneth Copeland Ministries seeking prayer for a sign from God regarding a situation in my life. Turns out, I found out today, they wrote me back regarding that, and one of the things they mentioned in the letter was Colossians 1:9-13, part of which God just made clear to me--the part where it Paul prays for the Christian brothers at Colosse for God to fill them "with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding." To me, that had been kind of jibberish until now, and yet the answer to my question of how-to on God's will is right there: God will fill you with the knowledge of His will through spiritual wisdom and understanding." Okay, so that's the conduit God's going to use. How do you access that conduit? Read your Bible. Pray. Listen. Obey. Believe God will do what He said He would do. Let the Holy Spirit guide and speak to you.

Thank You, Father, for the understanding.

religiosity

Today, God freed me from religiosity, which is religiously going through the motions more out of fear of not doing so than out of a heart for God.

Thank You, Father. :)

long weekend

Wow. That was a long weekend. It's only just now that I'm feeling really tired--God got me through and kept up my energy as long as needed. Thanks, Father. :)

j & m in minnesota

Just talked to a good friend of mine in Minnesota. She and her husband, who's also a good friend, have been such stalwart friends, sources of support--just been there almost all of my life that I can remember. Even gave me the best dinner I've ever had (best bratwurst on the planet).

Thanks, guys. I love you both so, so much, and I thank God for bringing you into my life. :D

Thanks, Father, for J & M and bringing our lives to cross one another's. :D

I get it

So I get all upset sometimes, or used to, when people'd misspell my name. I just misspelled Shaun White's name, spelling it "Shaun". Oops.

Thanks, Father--I get it now. :)

still alive. :D

Wow. What a day plus. I woke up at 5:30pm on the 19th and now it's 8:41pm on the 20th, and I haven't been to bed yet. I was so concerned about a trip I took to go to an acting workshop (great stuff--learnt a lot), but God brought me through (very dark and foggy for some of the trip back--that plus fatigue is not normally a winning combination)--had me call for prayer and then just keep calling friends to talk to. The trip went really fast and the only reason I'm not at home is because I decided to unwind a bit at a nearby Starbuck's. And now there's a beautiful gal who's come in--gotta see if she's got a ring on.

Thank You, Father, for getting me through.

a few observations

A couple of observations I've made or had shown to me (by God, of course) over the last couple of days:

1) Material stuff doesn't make one happy: I've got most everything I wanted materially, and the stuff is just stuff. Cool stuff, and I enjoy it, but in the end it's just stuff.
2) Happiness is less than it's cracked up to be. Too temporary. Better to focus on peace and joy, which are more abiding.
3) I'm not to wait for my life to begin. It already has. To be on auto-pilot until I get to L.A. is to waste a LOT of time.
4) I've gotten as far as I can without really trying. Time to put forth some effort, or I'll never get where I want to go. In weightlifting terms, go heavy or go home. In poker terms, either be all in or fold. In parenting terms, time to grow up--dreams don't come to fruition by themselves.
and
5) Fear of failure is stupid if you're following God. Just do it and and trust Him to nudge you back in line when needed...and obey that nudging.

Thanks, Father, for the observations.

cheese pizza

I came home today sort of looking forward to this cheese pizza I'd been avoiding eating. Cheese pizza is good, but not like pepperoni. So I look in the freezer, and what I thought was a cheese pizza was, indeed, a pepperoni one. Just one of those cool, thoughtful little surprises God surprises me with.

Thanks, Father, for the surprise. :)

confirmation

Just listening to a message by Robb Yandian of Grace Church--he mentioned that the role of the Holy Spirit is to lead you into truth. I'd sometimes wondered whether the Holy Spirit was active in my life, but this confirms that He has been--all these epiphanies I get, these things people say that stand out--I believe the Holy Spirit taps me on the shoulder, so to speak, and said, "Take note of this" or "See how this fits in here", and I'll understand something on a different level. I'll GET it.

Thanks You, Father, for Your Holy Spirit.

it gets better

Recently, I was in a situation that wasn't a good one. God encouraged me through it, saying, "It gets better." I'm grateful for that encouragement. It can also be used in wider situations/applications. I've been disappointed with where I am in life, but God's said "It gets better". Whatever I'm going through, as long as I listen to my Lord, it gets better. He's seen where I'm going. He guides me. It gets better.

Thank You, Father, that it gets better.

finally

Finally remembered what I was going to blog about: "Quantum of Solace", the latest James Bond movie. Finally saw it through. Best Bond film yet, or one of the top three. Which is sort of a relief because I'd been so disappointed, but the only reason is I'd fallen asleep in the theater, missed a lot of it and, well, of course it's not going to have the impact when you miss a bunch of it. I even fell asleep this time, but I went back and re-ran what I missed. So glad I did. Very good show.

Still, not quite the subject of the last blog. :)

Thanks, Father, for the last blog and the direction thereof. And for reminding me of what I'd wanted to blog about this time. :)

just start

I don't even know what I'm supposed to be blogging this time about, but I feel like God wants me to--that He'll remind me what it is I keep forgetting...

I need to get to bed. Sometime very soon. People are more vulnerable, apt to do things they shouldn't when they're tired and when they're bored. If they're struggling with pornography, they're more likely to visit porn sites when they're tired. If they're alcoholics, their guard is down when they're tired and they're more likely to take a drink. If they're a philanderer, maybe they're on a business trip and they see an attractive potential night partner and they go with that person more easily. I think it all comes down to this: we are more susceptible to suggestion when we're tired. For me, I find it so right when I wake up and haven't quite got my mind about me yet--for a minute or less, it's transitioning from its sleeping/dream state to dealing with the waking world. That moment right about 0-10 seconds is when Satan or his minions will put a thought in, and once it's in, it's hard to get out if you don't catch it right away. The other time is when I'm extremely tired, and again, my mind tends to drift, not focus, and that's another time a suggestion will get put in. Of course, the best answer to all of this, in all of these situations, is to recognise what's happening and catch it and go get some sleep if possible. A rested mind is a stronger mind, a more focused mind.

As to boredom, this is another time suggestions come, and I remember either Kenneth Copeland or Keith Moore saying the reason we get bored is we are not doing something we're supposed to be doing. That thing may be sleeping, studying, cleaning the house. The point is to stay busy somehow--whether it's watching an interesting documentary that's not going to trigger your weak spot (for example, if you're prone to porn, watching the life story of a nude model is probably not the best thing), just doing something interesting to take your mind off whatever your weak spot is, is the thing to do.

That was a bit to say for somebody who had nothing to say.

Thanks, Father, for the instruction.

great time off

Been having a great time on my time off this week--did a workout both days, didn't do much else, got my distortion pedal, shook the hand of a cool bodybuilder I sorta know, got some confirmation of my interpretation of some advice from my pastor. Feels like actual time off as opposed to the usual working time off. :)

Thanks, Father, for time off.

knee

Glory to God, He's healed my knee to the point, I've just noticed today, that it feels better than when it got injured and that He healed my other knee, too. :)

Thanks, Father, for the healing!

advice

Got some good advice today from my pastor--several things, in fact, first among which is that my value doesn't lie in my being in movies. It lies in being myself, the person God made me. I am not what I do. I am who I am. Secondly--much work lies ahead, and I must take opportunities as God presents them to me starting where I am and knowing that it's not the penthouse--I don't get to go to the head of the line. I may not be in the penthouse, but I think I'm in the lobby. Or near it. Thirdly, I must be open to what God has for me, even if it's not my dream as I see it right now.

Thanks, Father, for a wise pastor.

responsibility

Almost bought a TV today. Then looked at my bills. No freakin' way. Put a guitar on layaway instead. Paid some bills. Turns out I wanted the guitar more than the TV. Pretty happy about that. :)

I'm also happy about filming resuming. Maybe we can get this thing knocked out and I can go on to the next project.

Thanks, Father, for priorities and responsibility--what I have of it--and peace of mind.

luke 14

I was just reading something where somebody was talking about setting forward on a task and how in Luke 14 Jesus warns against building a tower before considering what it will cost to complete it. I was just talking about L.A. with somebody and that very subject--how much to go. Also pretty cool. The person was also talking about our calling, and I felt convicted that I haven't started on some stuff, or hesitated, because I didn't know if I had what it took to finish it. L.A. is a prime example--money aside, do I have the stuff to stick it out there? I've been scared of that for a long time. The person finished by saying that lack of money or a perceived lack of resources shouldn't keep us from starting, from using what we've got available, what we've got in hand.

Thanks, Father, for Your timing and Your wisdom and for the stuff You've given me to start.

pretty cool

I was at the gym and a guy with whom I'm lightly acquainted came up and flexed his arm and said he'd have arms like mine. Pretty cool.

Thanks, Father, for the muscle I have and the shape it's in as well as the better shape this body's going to be in. :D

tell somebody

The Bible says, "...if you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9-11) I may have been remiss in my invitations to get saved--you gotta tell somebody, whether somebody comes up and asks you or you go to a friend and share that with them, somebody's got to know. It may be something as simple as somebody asking you, "What's changed about you?" or "You seem different..." Perfect opportunity to tell them what's changed, what about you is different. And, I believe God's sharing this with me right now, it shouldn't be anything you hang your head down about but something you openly and appropriately share, like when you have seen a good TV show or movie or a nifty car or just something good and you tell your friends in conversation, "Dude, that movie totally rocked" or, "Man, I saw a Ferrari Enzo last week on my street..."

It's not a big, complex thing, but as the Holy Spirit leads and gives us opportunity, we need to confess that Jesus is our Lord.

another moment--true riches, true wealth

More from watching "Mr. Holland's Opus"--I've said to people who have families of their own something like this: whatever happens with my acting career, they're wealthier than I (at least until I get a family of my own--a wife, a kid or two maybe). This is true riches--not the money in the bank, though that is important, and not the stuff you have, but who you have with you, the people with whom you're sharing lives.

Thank You, Father, for priorities.

know before you go

I was just watching "Mr. Holland's Opus", in which a girl, before she moved to New York, made a bad decision. Thankfully, the other party involved wasn't having it, but it reminded me, and I believe God reminded me of something very important: before you go out of your home and into the world, know who you are. Know that, and that knowledge will save you from a lot of bad decisions, compromises, and errors in judgement.

Thank You, Father, for showing me.

hey, boy

Got a little talking-to from God just a few minutes ago. He reminded me that in this profession, most actors don't get the parts they audition for, but as long as I pray beforehand, I continuously improve and I do the best I can at an audition, I have nothing to gripe about. His hand (favor, protection, guidance, love, grace) is on me, and that's all I need. Things will turn out well--I'll make a good living doing what I love and glorifying Him in it.

Thanks, Father, for the talking-to.

reminder

Every once in a while, I'll get a wild hair about one thing or another, start a little research and then God'll remind me through something I'm looking at, reading, whatever, that this is not a wise course of action. Just happened now, actually.

Thanks, Father, for the reassurance. :)

tongue

So I accidentally took a chunk out of my tongue awhile ago--local anaesthetic at the dentist plus curiosity. Anyway, I used to notice that piece missing so much and now, I've gotten to used to it that I just now checked to see if it had grown back. Nope. The body adapts. Praise God! :)

low point

At a low point; please pray. :)

paid

So I'd been watching off an on to see if a bill of mine had come in--not a huge one but significant. I checked again and saw something different in the account but was grateful that there was still enough in the account to pay the bill. Turns out the bill had come in a couple of days ago and I hadn't noticed. Nice to know something's already been paid before you thought it had--so long as there's dough in the account.

Thanks, Father, for the ch-ching.

misunderstood

Just watching more of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's "Long Way Down", where they go from the top of Scotland to the bottom of Africa (roughly)--looking at some of the African children, I wonder, with a lot of chagrin, regarding slavery, "How _could_ we?" How could we, including perhaps some of my ancestors from certain bloodlines, look at children and think, "That'll make a good slave"? Different perspective, I guess. I think the view from here, now, is much different from the view there, then. I think I like here, now better.

Thanks, Father, for some perspective.

If you like, pray this prayer out loud so you can hear it, "Jesus, take my life and do something with it." If you prayed that and meant it, welcome to the family of God. Now, I'd suggest getting a Bible and reading it, starting in Matthew in the New Testament and get into a good church where they believe and preach the Bible, (which is the Word of God). You're on a great path now--stay on it. :)

health

Today, I'm grateful for my health. God-restored, God-maintained, divine health.

Thank You, Father. :)

different readings

Another thing to be grateful for: the advice given in an acting book I've been reading--read a section, dialogue, at least five different ways (pure logic, for example, ironic, intimate, sensual, sardonic, cynical)--great way to find all sorts of meanings in the script and add to one's performance.

Thank You, Father, for light. This is a watershed moment.

keys

I've been trying to figure out for awhile now how to move between key in a song--how to play in a certain key. Turns out the instructions were kind of on the chart I'd had printed out, there to see all along. Thanks, Father, for showing me that--I think I understand it now, especially given the lessons You blessed me with through Garageband. :)

today

Today, I'm grateful for good dentists, time, money, patience and good weather. And good food. And music. And humbuckers.

Beautiful sunset tonight... :)

Thanks, Father. For everything You've done and not done. I love You.

By the way, no I do not think this blog is my direct line to God, but I know He sees what I'm saying (and He doesn't need a blog to do it). ;)

just realised

Just watching Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's "Long Way Down", I just realised I'd like to go to Africa--to Sudan, Kenya and so on. I realise also that it can be a dangerous place, but nearly every place can be that. Anyway, I'd been avoiding even the thought of going to Africa because of wanting to not acknowledge that side of myself, which seems a bit foolish now--just now.

I also realise that this life is a time of realisation, if you're smart.

Thank You, Father, for smarts.

audition

Glory and thanks to God for near-perfect roads, for energy and for a good audition for a movie today. Anybody who prays, please pray that I get this part--thanks.

As ever, anybody who feels inclined to, pray this prayer out loud, "Jesus, take my life and do something with it." If you meant that, then welcome to the family of God. Now just get into a good church and get a Bible and start reading it--I suggest starting with the Gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That's a good introduction to your Savior. :)

Thank You, Father, for grace, protection and favor.