Some irreverant humor to end your week on

Corny or not, it made me laugh really, really hard.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

When a good title escapes you...

...you should just leave it blank.

Three things then off to bed.

1) Virginia -- have a great time, don't drink the water, I'm jealous, be safe, and remember, I told you your dream guy would be named Chavo.

2) Vanessa -- I hope you enjoyed hanging out with our awkward little crew. Thanks for coming and come back anytime. Benji might need help figuring out where his obscure references came from.

3) Speaking of Benji, what a brief but powerful message tonight. If anyone struggles with behaving the way that they feel instead of showing Christ, it's me. I am an open book when it comes to what my mood is. One look at me and anyone can tell how I'm feeling inside. But that needs to change.

I don't have a problem with cruelty or meanness or anything overtly offensive to people. I'm just not made that way because I'm too laid back. But I have always been the type to walk into a room and isolate myself from dozens of people if things aren't going my way or someone isn't treating me like they normally do. I am way too analytical when it comes to others. But as the Grand High Potentate pointed out tonight, the excuse that, "I can't help it, that's just how I am," is a load of crap. In Christ, the way we are, and should be, is like Christ.

The fruits of the Spirit aren't a list to choose from. They are the manifestation of God's Spirit in us. All of them. Bad days will happen but it is in those times that we must remain focused on how we should be acting instead of how we feel like acting.

And spiritual gifts? Well, I don't know of anywhere in the Bible that we are told to determine our particular gift and ignore the rest. To say, "I am gifted with teaching so I don't have to exhibit mercy," or, "I have administration so that exempts me from service," is about as far from Christlike as I can imagine. We all have a predominant gift, but we should never accept that as a free pass from other gifts. Jesus was a healer, a teacher, merciful, a servant, an admonisher, a prophet, etc., etc. You get the point.

I get overwhelmed very easily. When that happens, I get quiet and withdraw from people. It's not that I set out to be rude, it's just that my mind is working overtime and I fear saying the wrong thing with the wrong tone if I speak. The drawback to thinking before you speak is that sometimes it prevents you from speaking at all.

So I have to change a few things. I have to pay attention to how I act, all the time, and strive to act more like Christ, all the time. For me, I think that means rejoicing in how truly good and blessed my life is especially when my momentary circumstances portray the opposite.

Anyway, feel free to call me out on this. That's what we're all here together for right?

Oh! By the way, Benji's house on Friday night. 7 p.m.