Obedience

As I wake this morning after a fun night out with friends -- we watched "State of Play," great movie -- I'm thinking about God and His purposes for me. Being used by God requires very simple actions on our part, all precipitated by one goal - obedience.

We think it's difficult, or complicated, or inappropriate to do what God tells us to do sometimes. "People will look at me funny," or "I could never do that," or "that won't help" are all things we tell ourselves so we don't have to obey. But God isn't interested in what everyone else thinks of His goals for you. The miracles of change (not supernatural miracles, just the simple changes in our souls that cannot be achieved within ourselves by ourselves) come when one person is obedient to the will of the Potter. We are his Clay -- stop fighting, just shut up and color.

So, I'm planning on humbling myself this morning by reading some of His Word and playing some music on the guitar. You don't have to go to a church to meet God (you shouldn't GO to church, regardless. You ARE the church). You don't have to get on your knees or wrap beads around your fingers. The heart of God is a simple one, even if we don't understand it. He LOVES us unequivocally, undoubtedly, and that will not change according to your behavior.

God is love. Love is not an emotion, love is a commitment to the betterment of another with a dedication of the soul. God is dedicated to your betterment with a dedication of His soul. That can be accomplished through simple communication, and not all one-way. You must listen. It doesn't mean you'll hear an audible voice, though you might. God can speak with words, but he often speaks in understanding. Simple understanding is spoken into your heart, free of the need to translate words and descriptions.

This is how God speaks. Are you willing to listen?

Christian

Getting Started

My name is Christian Michael.

Today I turn 28, my golden birthday, and also begin a new phase of my life. Yesterday I left a fantastic job with the 22nd Air Force to begin a position known in the Air Force Reserve world as an Individual Mobility Augmentee, and will be based out of Joint Task Force, Fort Monroe, Virginia.

My plan (que God laughing at me) is to spend the next three years traveling, working at various units performing a variety of tasks, get promoted to Master Sergeant, attend online courses to get my bachelor's and master's degrees, apply for and attend Officer Training School, and publish two more novels beyond the one I just wrote.

I hope to meet lots of new people, see many new things, make new loves and a name for myself. Should you choose to follow me on this journey, I would, indeed, be honored. Be aware, I'm opinionated, political and irreverent for most things. My personal motto: Life is too short to take too seriously, and too long to worry about today.

So, to start us off, today I'm spending my birthday relaxing with a friend, running some mild, entertaining errands, going to my going away/birthday dinner and to see Prince of Persia. It's gorgeous outside, the weather is nice and God is good, even if I'm not so much.

And let me make this clear, I don't think my daily life is all that exciting. "Brushed my teeth around 7 pm" is not likely to be listed in my blog unless I had a revelation while cleaning my molars and just NEED to detail it. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my trips and my ramblings!

Christian Michael