Archive for June, 2007

Hunger=God

{ June 29, 2007 @ 1:01 pm } · { Random Talk }
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After reading Hals blog about fasting I was encouraged to encourage others a little more.

Fasting is so critical in our times today but is disregarded just like meditation. If you look anywhere in the bible you will see how highly regarded fasting was. Jesus himself fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. So if Jesus did it for 40 days, we should try and at least give 1 day a shot for now. Our need for a location as a church is huge and fasting as an entire body of Christ is crucial for us to get an answer.  

Why is fasting beneficial? Every time you think “I’m hungry, you have to remind yourself that God will provide you with all you need to make it through”. So remember that feeling hungry is exactly what you want in order for a fast to really work. Also if you didn’t know,  fasting has been known to increase concentration. So this will only help you focus more on God and not just more but better. This is the perfect time for meditation because your mind is completely in Gods hands.

For those who are getting a little scared that you might starve to death, please don’t worry. For a human body to go into starvation it takes up to 40 days of no eating. The growling you’re hearing is only a spoiled stomach that is used to eating so much. Drink a lot of water and a lot of juice. This will help out a lot. I drank almost a whole bottle of V8 juice last night at work and it helped with the craving.

So I’ll pray that you’ll do well and that you pray whenever hunger kicks in. So remember it’s not “Hungry? Grab a Snickers”, it’s “Hungry? Grab a Bible”. Love you all.

The Reel

{ June 28, 2007 @ 1:46 pm } · { Movies, Music, Sports... }
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Lately it’s been movie time for me. I’ve been on a roll as far as watching good movies. Normally out of 5 movies I see, 2 I like and 3 I don’t. Not this time though. 5 in a row solid, knockout films. Hopefully this continues because I hate being disappointed. My wife doesn’t think I pick good movies when renting and I don’t necessarily like what she picks either. She’s into girly flicks and I’m into dramas. Total opposites we are but still I wouldn’t trade her for all the riches in the world.

So here they are:

 Schindler’s List- I finally got through the whole movie, for the 3 hours and 17 minutes that it lasted. Wow!!! This is one of my all time favs now and I acknowledge that the hype was more then deserved. How one man can save so many lives and doing so by sacrificing his own life is a lesson to be learned. If only all of us Christians can use all of our money, resources, and most importantly our love, we could save so many others from eternal life in hell. Oskar Schindler was not a good man per say, but he learned the importance of life as time went by and situations progressed. He had a dream that he wanted to achieve all his life and that dream got spoiled with the realization of a bigger world then himself. I love movies that inspire me to do more in life then pleasing me. I want to do extraordinary things for God. I want to save thousands like Schindler did. A classic hands down. Thanks Mike for letting me borrow this.(10 out 0f 10)

Little Children- This movie surprised me with how great it was. To tell you the truth I didn’t expect much going in, but I got sucked in very quickly. Little Children is watched as if you were reading a book. As a matter of fact there is no other movie that does this better, period. The acting is superb and the story is remarkable. You know when you are watching a movie and somebody is getting ready to do something stupid and you want to jump in and save them. Well this movie is full of those moments and surprisingly they always turn out to be the opposite of what you thought would occur. Pretty clever. The movie is very bold and not shy to show what’s behind the curtains of every day people. How we judge each other and oneself is what this movie boils down to? I didn’t go into detail on purpose so not to spoil it for you. (8 out of 10)

13 Tzameti- A foreign movie that I originally thought was based in Brazil but found out through watching it that it was set in France. It’s hard to believe that Russian Rullet is played all over the world and is heavily gambled on. It’s a sick, sick world we live in and our little ears and eyes are kept in the dark on issues like these. Not many know about this sport because it’s so secretive and low key and it’s organizers are basically untraceable. Well this movie wakes us up a bit and does so in shock. It starts of sort of slow but towards the middle picks up like a NASCAR. It had me sitting on the edge of my seat and sweating wanting the suspense to die down. This was the second black and white movie I’ve seen this week the other being Schindler’s List. (8 out of 10)

 O Brother, Where Art Thou?- Another supposed classic that I have never seen. It was a solid movie with a lot of laughs. The accent and the music got on my nerves but I can’t argue that it doesn’t fit. George Clooney got a new found respect from me. He plays some of the most interesting characters in movies and does very good. Syriana is one of those movies. His lack of faith reminded me of so many people that I know. In the end when he begs God to save him and God does so with a huge flood, it’s funny how he denies that it was God’s doing. I thought it perfectly illustrated how we go to God when we are in need, but as soon as he’s fixed the situation we go right back to our normal self. I loved the song they performed for some reason and can’t get it out of my head. Not so much all the other music. (7 out of 10)

 Knocked Up- Hilarious!!! Went together with Hal and Mike to see this at Brassfield. It was a foul, dirty, and obscene movie but with a message that rocks. Very funny and original. How a guy like that ends up with a girl like that is our society. Look around you these days and you’ll see beautiful woman with ugly and overweight guys everywhere. It’s a shame but it’s true and this movie is very real. I love the honesty approach. We can definitely relate to the relationship issues and there are a few things to be learned here. Give space, be yourself, love your wife, and compromise. The birth scene on the other hand freaked Hal and I out, but not Mike since he has seen with his own eyes the crowning. (7 out of 10)

 Anything that gets a 7 out of 10 or more from me is awesome. I’m watching Deja Vu next and probably Breach.

My Story: Chapter 2(Grandparents)

{ June 9, 2007 @ 3:21 pm } · { My Story }
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Sarajevo, Bosnia

Continuing with the story I have to first tell you about my grandparents who had a lot to do with who I am today. My grandfather Josip and my grandmothers Milica and Vera. Deda Josip(Deda means grandfather in Bosnian) was a great man. He is my mothers father and was a very smart man. When he was a teenager his professors in school would go take a break and let him teach class. He was predominantly knowledgable in the History field. His way to success was paved for him but was cut short by his stepdad. His mother remarried and her husband was an alcoholic who never let my granfather do anything. He beat him daily and forbid him to go to school. He never went and never finished. It’s a sad sad story and makes me furious. He still was strong enough to pick himself up and have a wonderfull family. He married Milica and they had 5 kids. The first kid, ironicly was called Mladen, died as a baby. The other 4 are still alive and are scattered all over the world. My mother is the youngest of the 4. Baka Milica(Baka means grandmother in Bosnia) died before I was born. I wish I was able to meet her. I heard that she was a woman with a lot of compassion and love for God. On her funeral more then 500 people came, whom my mother didn’t recognize even 50. She must have touched many lives. Baka Vera was my step-grandmother. She is the one I remember very good. I loved her and never considered her a step-grandmother. One time my grandfather handed me some crayons and a piece of paper and asked me to draw Baka Vera. I sat there for minutes looking at her, looking at the paper, not drwaing a thing. My grandfather asked me if I was going to draw anything. My response was: “She is so big there is no way she could ever fit on this piece of paper.” Everybody died laughing and that story is told whenever the family gets together. Baka Vera died in the war. My grandfather died 2 years ago in a very bad state. I got to see him one more time when I went back to visit 3 years ago. He had alzheimers but he still remembered my sister and me. I will never forget that day. 

On the other side there was Deda Jovan and Baka Danica. Deda Jovan was a very strict man. My father and his 2 brothers were rebelious and got punished often. Grandfather was successful and lived on the road. He designed most of the tunnels that still exist in old Yugoslavia. He has medals and awards for his work. My father and my uncles were all born in different cities on the road. Grandfather traveled the world too. We have pictures of him in Chile and Peru. He looked like Al Capone, very sharp and handsome, but you could always sense his authority. He lost his hearing when a tunnel crashed down during construction. Many died but he survived and walked with a cane the rest of his life. He was able to retire comfortably in a beautiful home in Sid, Serbia. I remember the house very good. They had a huge garden with Apple, peach, plum, cherry, and walnut trees. I remember chasing the rabbits and the chickens outside and swinging on the swing they set up for us. The house had a wine celar that was in a very deep basement. It was build in the 2nd world war for protection from bombing. Later on it helped them survive during the war in Yugoslavia. Dada Jovan loved the nature, hence the garden. He made wine out of the grapes he collected every year. He loved hunting and playing chess. Inside their home you would find guns and medals from when he proffessionaly competed in chess. I always felt like I was his favorite grandchild. He had me do everything for him. “Mladen, get me this or get me that!” He also died after the war. I wasn’t able to see him before he died, which breaks my heart. I did visit his grave together with my sister.  

My grandmother Danica is the only one still alive. She is not doing well right now. If I could afford it I would go to visit her right now. The plan is to go see her next summer together with Christina so she can meet her. I pray that I can have that chance even though I know its selfish. Baka Dana, as we called her, is the most delicate person I’ve ever known. She is full of love. She spend so much time with me when I was young. I will always cherish those moments. Cookies and milk were always ready for me when I came to visit. She used to draw pictures of fruits, vegitables, and animals and had me tell her what they were. She went through a lot with my grandfather and her 3 sons. I admire her courage and strength.

All of my 5 grandparents played a major part in my life then and today. I will always remember them for who they were and the things they went through.

I hope this wasn’t a boring read. It’ll get more exciting, don’t worry.

A Witness

{ June 9, 2007 @ 2:47 pm } · { My spiritual life }
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This past week without even realizing I have witnessed to 3 people. It was very unexpected and kind of random. God deffinetly had his hands in this one. The week was actually a very busy one for me. I pulled of a 50 hour week at work and didn’t have much time to do anything I had planned to do. I seriously thought that I was slipping and not keeping my commitments to God. I should have prayed more, read the bible, read my book, connected with people. I even skipped out on church Wednesday night which doesn’t happen very often. God must be dissapointed I thought.

Out of nowhere he comes, unexpected as always, performing miracle work. That is God’s job so of course I never saw it coming. After what I thought was a terribble week turned out one of the best ever. He gave me the moment to help witness to my sister for 20 minutes. She was so receptive which amazed me. Most of you know that my family isn’t saved, so this was a huge stepping stone. I prayed so often for the chance and the words to say when I get the opportunity. 

 ”Thank you Lord for your wisdom and power. You gave me the vocabulary, the passion, and the answers to help witness to somebody who is so special to me. Father I pray that you keep feeding me with your word and give me more opportunities like this one. Use me as your servant and move me in the direction that you want me to go. I’m here and I’m yours.”

There are no words that can praise God enough. I am so excited. After all of this he gave me more. He put 2 people in my life that have touched me so much and they probably don’t even know. They both expressed how much I meant to them and how my blogs have inspired them. Sometimes we touch people and we don’t even realize it. I had no idea but God had it all mapped out a long time ago. Thank you Mike and Beverly. My faith has grown more with your friendship.

“Father I pray that you would touch these people’s lives like you have touched mine. We are all dying to get to know you better and be more like Jesus. I ask you God to clear our minds and rid it of all evil nature and replace it with your word and wisdom. We feel you coming closer and closer and we are desperate for your hug. But it’s not you who’s moving towards us it is us moving closer to you. Your arms are always open just waiting for us to come running. Steer us in the direction that takes us straight to you and help us run faster then ever before. Our lives we give to you. Do with them as you wish.”

Amen