snorkeling.

like snorkeling? I do. the first time I went snorkeling was when I was 8 years old. I used to get so frustrated because some of my friends were swimming down under while I could only float around on the top watching them. my friends were interacting with cool reefs and fish while I was just watching. sometimes I would get so frustrated that I would try to dive in only to find myself drinking the purified urine and droppings of the Miami citizens. snorkelers can’t dive in to the deep (their snorkels wont allow them), but they can sure look at what goes on in the deep. Snorkeling is entertaining. a beautiful element of snorkeling is that when snorkeling, focus is turned unto one thing. stress is non-existent. it’s a very relaxing thing. most of us are snorkelers. we have our goggles on and were off swimming, in between ocean and sky, staring off into the deep .most people spend their entire lives snorkeling; never going into the deep, just watching. doesn’t it frustrate you to snorkel? floating around, watching others do awesome things (and stuff). whether we want to face the fact or not, there is a society called “needy’ out there. and it’s true to say that we are just snorkeling. the majority of us are anyways. I know I’m still snorkeling. and it’s frustrating. something in me longs to dive in and join in The Work. there’s also something in me that struggles to keep me floating upon the waters, watching. it’s called flesh (aka snorkel). I am probably the laziest man on the planet. I know what needs to be done and yet I’d rather watch. but lately I’ve heard the groan of frustration within me longing to be a part of The Work. there’s definitely opposition though. what’s your “snorkel” (corny, I know)? It’s hard to dive in when there’s an entire nation screaming at us through our plasma’s and Xboxes to just sit back and relax. the enemy would love for us to stay on the top just floating around, not doing anything crazy or different. and when we begin to dive in, he throws at us distractions (boys,girls,t.v,laptop,books,etc) one thing I learned about diving is that the deeper you go, the more pressure there is. maybe that’s why I haven’t “dived in” yet. I don’t like pressure. I’d rather sit around in my sandals relaxing. but I’m learning that Godly pressure is a really good thing. It’s good to have someone that presses you to dive in a little deeper. most people don’t like anyone pushing them to be greater, to dive deeper. I’m hoping that I can put some Godly pressure on you to dive in to The Work, and go deeper, for “deep calls out to deep”. God’s calling us deeper, “way beyond the veil”. so "get in the water!"- guy from "the notebook".

"Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment and dove into the sea."- gospel of john 21:7

Mrs Jesus Christ

This one's for the girls
Who've ever had a broken heart
Who've wished upon a shooting star
You're beautiful the way you are
This one's for the girls
Who love without holding back
Who dream with everything they have
This one's for the girls
- Martina McBride

There’s a desire in every girl to love and be loved.A desire to share every dream you have inside with someone who will dream it too.I read somewhere that men identify themselves by occupation.. for example, im bob the doctor, or im john the electrician, but women tend to identify themselves by relationship. Im so and so’s wife or sister or daughter… and we keep seeking that relationship with others to make ourselves complete and assure us of who we are. But what happens when the same people we are trying to find completion in fail us..? what happens when your best friend finds another best friend? Or when your family turns their back? Or when you realize Mr. right is not so perfect after all?That space in our hearts that we tried to have someone else fill is now empty and there’s a longing inside of us again to be made whole. Think you’ve felt the greatest rejection?

Nope… theres someone whos waited all eternity for your attention.All eternity to be with you.All eternity to have your heart.
All throughout the bible you hear of God changing mens names… he changed abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, simon to peter.. but only a few times has he changed a womans name.I think it was twice.. im not too sure.. but I believe God wants to change your name. im still trying to live up to it but he did it with me and he wants to do it with you. You know what He wants to call you? Mrs. Jesus Christ.I know… sounds funny. But he wants to marry you. He wants you to find yourself in Him and find completion. He wants to be the husband you’ve been praying and waiting for… he wants to be the best friend that will never leave you, talk bad about you, backstab you or get bored of you. He wants to be the perfect Father who will show up to every dance recital, look you in the eye and tell you your beautiful and protect you. You know how whenever we like a guy we tend to sign our name with his last name just to see how it will look together?? Just in case we ever do get married just to practice how we are going to sign our checks and stuff… haha.
Well God wants you to sign yourself as His bride… Mrs. Jesus Christ.

Hosea 2:15-16

There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
"In that day," declares the LORD,
"you will call me 'my husband';
you will no longer call me 'my master.

Isaiah 54:5

For your Maker is your husband—
the LORD Almighty is his
name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.

Lovesick

Song of Solomon 5:9
What's so great about your lover, fair lady? What's so special about him that you beg for our help?

He wanted to love me.

I like to think a lot… I know, sounds boring. One day I was driving and looking at all the cars passing by and thinking that in every single car there is a person who has a family, who has dreams, who has pretty much… a life. But I also thought that in every car there is a person who has also hurt God in some way, including me. So I asked God, “God… why do you love us so much?” – and right away came my “theologically enhanced I know it all answer” when I remembered that someone had once said it was because He created us. Even though that sounds pretty accurate, it wasn’t enough… so I said “then why did you create us? If you love us because you created us… why did you create us in the first place?” I mean think about it… God knows everything. He knew Eve was gonna eat the fruit… he knew Jonah was going to run away… he even knew the nails on Jesus’ hands were gonna hurt… so why did he go through all that trouble of creating humans when all we’ve ever done is bring him trouble?

You know what He told me??? “I wanted to love you.” I felt God just speak over me [and no it wasn’t in some supernatural audible voice…. ] that he created us because he wanted to love us. Yes he thought about every time we’d sin. Yes he thought about every time we’d disappoint him. He even thought about every time we’d get all prideful after He’d use us and how we would sometimes try to steal the spotlight. He thought about all of that . Im sure he laughed too…. But then He thought about the times that we’d worship Him. He thought about every time we would tell him we loved him and really meant it. He thought about when we would talk about Him to other people, not with the goal of “getting them saved” but just because we were so in love that the whole world has to know. He thought about all that… and he wanted it. He wanted to love you.

So to answer the question about what’s so special about my Lover…..

Songs of Solomon 7:9-
"I am my lover's. I'm all he wants. I'm all the world to him!"

He sings over us with love……….

dear martha.

“Our thoughts create our reality -- where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.”

vanity. sidetracked.

you've spent countless hours "serving me". you've read hundreds of books about me. you can quote nearly the entire bible. you've won every debate on doctrine & theology. you've become distracted with "much". but one thing is needed. come sit at my feet. come listen, i have things i want to say to you. i have some secrets to tell you. i want to be intimate with you. here's the key to your prayer closet (you lost it. i found it under one of your books).

come hang with me. lift up your eyes and see the dying. zoom your lens unto the onething that is needed. do me a favor, crop out everything else and focus on Me. i do it for you everyday. my eyes are on you, seeking for the worshipper inside of you.

have you become sidetracked?

how many hours one our Journey have we focused on the things that don't even matter?

in eternity, God's not going to ask you "how many verses could you quote?", He's going to ask "did you live it?". He's not going to ask you how many theological or doctrinal debates did you win, what He is going to ask is "how many of My kids did you bring back to me?" there's only ONE THING that matters.Him. pleasing the Saviour. is your table full of books and yet your prayer closet unvisited?

try doing this: for one week.crop out all the distractions and hang out with Jesus. make your prayer closet your home.

this was the "new noel is not amzing version" of:

LUKE 10:38-42

"There is great danger of being corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ; 2 Cor 11:3. Satan desires to destroy us; and his great object is readily accomplished if he can seduce Christians from simple devotedness to the Redeemer; if he can secure corruption in doctrine or in the manner of worship, and can produce conformity in dress and in the style of living to this world. Formerly, he excited persecution. But in that he was foiled. The more the church was persecuted the more it grew. Then he changed his ground. What he could not do by persecution he sought to do by corrupting the church; and in this he has been by far more successful. This can be done slowly but certainly; effectually but without exciting suspicion. And it matters not to Satan whether the church is crippled by persecution or its zeal destroyed by false doctrine and by conformity to the world. His aim is secured; and the power of the church destroyed. The form in which he now assails the church is by attempting to seduce it from simple and hearty attachment to the Saviour. And, O! in how many instances is he successful." - a guy named Barnes

self-satisfaction

a great man of God wrote this (i forgot his name) :

Self-Satisfaction

Self-satisfaction is the death of progress. Contentment with worldly goods is a blessing; but contentment in spiritual things is a curse and a sin. What said Paul? "Not as though I had already attained" Phil 3:12. Some of us think, "If we could get as far as Paul did, we should be satisfied." But Paul said, "Not as though I had already attained;" and then he added, "Forgetting those things which are behind" Phil 3:13, why, some of us wish we had such things to recollect; but he wished to forget all that he had done, and to think only of what remained to be done;-"Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Oh, for this sacred forgetfulness, by way of contentment, of all successes and achievements, so as still to be pressing forward! I would that every believer had, for the glory of God, that spirit which is never satisfied, but always cries for more. I would have the hearts of Christians insatiable as death and the grave, for how can we bear that men should be for ever lost? How can we be quiet while hell is being filled, and souls are perishing day and night? How can we be at ease while God is blasphemed, while Christ is unknown in a great part of the world, and where he is known, he is not beloved? How can we be contented while the black prince of hell seeks to steal the crown rights of King Jesus? Contented and satisfied? Never, till all over this our highly-favoured land Christ shall reign as Sovereign Lord; nay, not then, nor till in every continent and island the nations of the whole world shall have heard the gospel, and vast multitudes have prostrated themselves at Messiah's feet in loyal and loving adoration. Up, saints of God, from your resting-places of inglorious sloth, and begin to cry aloud, and spare not; come to God's throne with a sacred spiritual hunger, for thus shall the Church of God be filled with good things. May God, in His infinite mercy, bless His message, and His shall be the praise and glory for ever. Amen.

love is free.

love
–noun

1.	a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2.	a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

3.	sexual passion or desire.

4.	a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.

5.	(used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?

6.	a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.

7.	sexual intercourse; copulation.

Love - one of the hardest words in the english language to define - in my opinion at least. dictionary [dot] com makes seven (the number of perfection huh... coincidence?) attempts on defining the word (shown above) and most fall short when compared to the Bible's.

now, i'm not much of a note-taker and most of my high school teachers can attest with the low test scores, but a few weeks ago i took more notes than i probably ever have. it was a friday night when my church's college group Bible study saw "Flame," one of the many Nooma dvd's by Rob Bell. the dvd spoke of love and the definitions the Bible gives us of the word throughout it's "sexiest" book "Song of Songs."

bold = original hebrew word.
raya: friend or companion - somebody you hang out with.
example: Thou [art] all fair, my friend, and a blemish there is not in thee (Song of Solomon 4:7).

ahava: love of the will, commitment. more profound than romantic feelings or temporary urges. ahava is making a decision to join your life to the life of another.
example: Many waters are not able to quench the love, And floods do not wash it away. If one give all the wealth of his house for love, Treading down -- they tread upon it. (Song of Solomon 8:7).

dode: to rock or fondle, physical, sexual.
example: Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth, For better [are] thy loves than wine.

after reading those definitions of love, the first thought that ran across my mind was "damn, english is a pretty simple language, why can't we have different words for love?" wouldn't life be so much simpler when it comes to expressing your true feelings for someone?

i mean, how many times has a good friend of ours looked at us weird for saying "i love you" to them? instead we could have just said "hey bro, i raya you." hah, wouldn't that make life simpler, or is it just me?

i don't know, love is a confusing thing isn't it? we lose friends, jobs, and sleep over it all the time. regardless of the hardships attributed to it, i believe love is the most important thing on this earth, and G-d calls us to love not only Him, but his creations. why? because he created them in His image. my good friend Johnfrank once said: "to deny love to a stranger is to deny G-d," and believe him to be right.

now, don't get too excited, that doesn't mean you should dode everyone... or anyone for that matter, but it does mean you should raya everyone. as "christians" (i hate this label, but thats for another blog) we should love everyone. the ones who have wronged us, hate us, deceived us, cheated on us, the list goes on and on.

G-d is love.
G-d is free.
love is free.

there is nothing more important in this world than love. if every single person on the earth loved each other we wouldn't even need "unconditional love" because no one would wrong their neighbors. think about that for a bit... no wars, no murder, no suicide, no pain...

unfortunately though, as we all know, thats not the case, and thats why i believe that as followers of Christ we are called to be the change. to start a movement that should have started generations before us. a movement of love, unconditional love that shines Christ's love through us. to end the wars, murders, suicides, and pain.

so i ask you this:
1. define love and...
2. how can us "christians" show Christ's love to non-believers?
[answer in the comments section]

love is the movement.

.....he wants you.....

“Love is when you shed a tear and still want him, it's when he ignores you and you still love him, it's when he loves another girl but you still smile and say I'm happy for you, when all you really do is cry."

...have you ever thought of this: God the Creator wants you...
...it's pretty much awesome...
...the worst feeling in the world is to like someone
and all they do is ignore you...
i've been there...i'm there...He's there...the whole cry of the Bible is God calling His little child-bride to Him.the whole thing about Jesus dying for us is God calling our name saying "come be my friend". one day the Father (no not the catholic leader person) spoke this silently over me when i was about to pray, He told me"i get butterflies when you pray to me".it was one of the only times i've ever heard Him speaking. that kinda messed me up. i had always thought that He was pissed off at me for some reason. have you ever realized that when we get butterflies, we tend to do really silly (or stupid) things. i'm personally a wreck when i'm face to face with a crush. at the heat of the moment, i say and do really dumb stuff. (note to all girls: i say really dumb stuff even if you're not my crush) had to say that. this might not be the most theologically correct statement but here it goes: i think God was in that position. He loves us so much that He did something pretty "silly". He sent Jesus. i can imagine the angels in heaven conversating (is that even a word?) over eternal fraps saying"He's lost it!" and maybe He did. love makes people do really silly things. he gave it all up for us. and he's not angry at us. he wants us. if we would just open our ears, we would probably hear him calling our name. see this makes our walk with God so much more exciting. it means that when we screw up, he's not pissed, he's brokenhearted - only because sin seperates us from Him. and its His nightmare to be seperate from us. so think about it. God knows your name. and he's calling us to be friends with Him.

"i opened for my beloved,
but my beloved had turned away and was gone.
my heart leaped up when he spoke.
i sought him, but i could not find him;
i called him, but he gave me no answer" - song of solomon 5:6

A Franciscan Benediction

A Franciscan Benediction
May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them andTo turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

Bride Dream

Bride Dream
“Excellence can be obtained if you:...care more than others think is wise;...risk more than others think is safe;...dream more than others think is practical;...expect more than others think is possible.”

I remember having all these big dreams when I was a kid. The older I got, the smaller my dreams became. "Reality" struck me like a Tyson left hook,and brought me down to reality. But reality sucks. I remember dreaming of having a beautiful wife that was in love with me and me with her, but all i hear now is: "Noel its not as awesome as you think". I get the same response when i begin to talk about my future. Recently, God put it in my heart to start dreaming big again. Especially in the field of ministry. I've always wanted to do huge things for God, and until recently i had lost those dreams and i was thinking"maybe i'm just going to be normal". God really hated these words. He wants me to dream big. So i'm starting to again. Most people that dream big have their dreams based on the American dream: get a well-paying job, drive a nice car, live in a big white house, and maybe work enough so one day they can retire. And when they retire, they feel so lonely and purposeless that most retirees actually return to their job. During this past retreat (Unite 07), God gave me a dream to live for. He called it the Bride Dream. It's God's dream. Its the call of Joel 2. God dreams of a day when His Bride will return to Him. Can you dream it?: Masses of homosexuals return to their Creator, government leaders returning to the morals of our nation's forefathers, Hollywood abandoned to God! Can you dream big enough to see your entire school passionate for Jesus? What about all the liquor stores in Miami being shut down for lack of business. What about the clubs in South Beach having to be used as Houses of Prayer..."Those dreams are too big Noel !"(or we can even say that to God) That's not reality. Have you ever read the book of Jonah. If you haven't, try reading it tonight( it's only four chapters). The entire city of Ninevah turned to God (including the leaders) in a day. Are we Jonah? Afraid to obey God due to the greatness of the task. God's dream was too big for "reality Jonah". God's looking "big dream" Josephs "risky" enough to turn an ENTIRE nation back to Him. I'd rather dream big and fail then to not to dream at all and succeed. " I have a dream!" , cried out Martin Luther King Jr. Then he was shot. Why? The "other side" hates dreamers. If we can see into the supernatural, we would be able to see the swing left hook of the enemy trying to bring us to reality and cause us to stop dreaming.
“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”