All Christians Struggle

I went from being in one of my highest state of spiritual faith and growth to a time of hardcore struggle in a very sudden and short time. It is a very humbling experience. It is also a great reminder that all Christians struggle.
Too many times in my pride have I said I am so strong in faith that I will never struggle badly! Too many times have I looked down on Christians who struggled with reading the word, with spending time in prayer. But here I am in the same boat as everyone I judged, and the boat has capsized. I am holding onto the overturned boat for dear life. My hands slip - they are wet - and the boat is slippery - but I struggle to stay afloat.
Yes, all Christians struggle. Even the best of the best - thus we are all humans who desperately need Jesus. But, the one comforting thing I know through God's promises in His word is that He will never let me go. He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
I think the best part of struggles and tribulations is that you learn endurance. And that means you always come out with more character. And character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint. =] (Romans 5).

Grades and Character

Spring quarter 2008, my second year at UCLA, I my first Von Blum class. I had an opportunity to write an essay of my choice on any visual poster that took a stance for a controversial issue and defend my stance on it. The class was an extremely liberal one, with extremely liberal classmates, professors, and TAs. My desire, my passion, my fervor was in writing an essay that was anti-abortion. I did hours upon hours of research, watching videos, learning more and more while being filled with anger at the injustice of abortion. I started my paper on this topic; however, hours later, my mind wandered and remembered that my TA was a very liberal female who was very reputable in giving bad grades, especially if the stances were against the majority belief of the class. In fear, in cowardness, I scrapped the whole paper on abortion that I had already started and wrote a new whole paper on the need to preserve our environment. It was the most shameful "A" I have ever gotten in college.

Fall quarter 2008, my third Von Blum class (I had taken another one over the summer), I have the opportunity to write a paper almost as open-ended as the time I gave up the abortion essay. The class, Professor Von Blum, and all the TAs are still as liberal as ever, but this time, I will not give up my passion and fervor on the topic of abortion. I will not fear a grade - a simple letter - that 'apparently' tells of how one excelled in school, in college. The grade does not make the person; it does not show people who you are. It does not necessarily mean you are smart; it does not mean you excel. There are many wonderous things about people behind just their grades. Its a sad thing that scholarships do not view it as so.

I love people with character. I love people who are a piece of rock - they are solid, and the choices they make reflect it. Talent is a gift my friends, but character is always a choice. This time, my God-driven passion and hatred for abortion - the murder of the unborn - is going to produce an essay that is true and not modified to please the hearts of men. Thank goodness I have an opportunity to do this again. What a joyous essay this is going to be to write. What a sigh of relief.

*If you want to know know all the reasons why I am anti-abortion, do not fear to ask. I will tell you, gladly, and I will not be nazi-like to you. I will just tell you the truth.
www.abort73.com

Man of God

Today's sermon on what it means to be a man of God was awesome.
Guns? My guns are from my Bible - the living word of God!

It should be up soon on
http://ccac.ws/tinc?key=6cMqkMzG

I'm still going to work out though.