The Weirdo in Summary:

He was such a weirdo. A rich man who took over his father's property...but see the things he did. He ruled in a different way from kings that had gone before him. I may not be able to portray the full details of his life the way I really want to, but I can give you a few notable things about him.

Any time his mother would come into the room, he would get up quickly and bow down to her, and then he also set up another throne for his mother to sit (kind of like his own), so that he wouldn't be the only one sitting on a throne when the mother who bore him for nine months was around. Pretty deep man!

He gave some ridiculous offerings to God. Imagine in a time when people counted sheep for the slaughter, he came with a thousand of them...to be served up as burnt offerings. In hind-sight, I would not have understood his offerings...I may have thought he was crazy at the time. But now I know better. His reasoning was that even a thousand burnt offerings was not adequate for a God who created the Universe, so why come to the altar with less when he had more back at home? Such a weirdo!

He's the only king recorded to have given a huge feast specifically for his servants. Yes, for the members of his palace who toiled day and night to keep the place clean, to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner...and generally to take care of the royal courtyard. He made a feast for all of them. I don't know...he was pretty weird.

I want this kind of weirdness...the ability to do extraordinary things that the eyes cannot fathom in a natural state. The power to be non-traditional because I won't always think with the mind-set of a mere human. The capability to operate exactly as the Spirit of God wants me to operate, even if it doesn't make sense to onlookers. Wow, I like Solomon. Such a weirdo!

Inspired by 1 Kings 2 & 3

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For Your Body's Sake:

In this lifetime, you will retreat for your body's sake. You will feel many things pressing towards you---many things of life: family, friends, work, projects, and other things. And if you are wise, you will understand that your body and well-being is very important...so you will retreat. You were created by God to operate in full dominion and authority. You were not created to be pushed into the gutter or trampled upon. You were created in the image and likeness of God. So when the enemy comes unto you like a flood, God must lift up a mighty standard against him. But you must know your own limits. Do what you can and retreat, leaving the rest to God.

I have some examples of when Jesus was teaching multitudes of people in Luke chapter 5. And so it was that he was standing at the edge of the lake, and these people kept pressing towards him. They kept moving forward, forward, and continuously forward...trying to glue their ears to what He was saying. I noticed that He looked back and saw two boats behind Him, then He thought about it again and made the decision to enter one of the boats, and then He told the owner to please drift out a little bit. And He continued teaching from His new vantage point...

See, when you don't drift out a little bit, the people will compress your message. The people might drown you inside a pit of no return. It is good to go away a little bit to re-group. When you say your message when people are not drowning you, you will sound stronger and more confident about what you carry.

Also, before you make important decisions of your life, you need to go away to your quiet place to consider what you are about to do. In Luke 6:12-13, it was recorded that Jesus went out by Himself to the mountains to pray, and He continued all night in prayer. The next morning was when He selected those 12 disciples that He would later reveal the secrets about His life to. The selection was an important process that He had to go through, but He went on a retreat with God FIRST before He made that decision. Do we do that before we make important decisions?

So my message today is that you must learn to care for your body and your mental health by retreating into the quietness of God's presence. In a quiet place you can think properly and communicate with God, asking Him about the best ways to proceed with certain decisions you have to make. Also, from a vantage point, you can see the people trying to press towards you more clearly, you can gauge each one of them and identify what areas they need your help in. You can ascertain the needs and characters of people by stepping away from them for a while, rather than studying them when they are right up in your face.

There goes my thoughts for today...I've been a little busier than I expected, but I will post again really soon. I may not be able to reply every single comment, but I want you to know that I will read your comments and probably smile at one or two...lol. I pray that you will learn to seek wisdom from a quiet place and a vantage point when no one is with you. Most of all, I pray that God will bless you and make His face to shine upon you, and that your hands will receive everything that He has already equipped you to be successful in this world. It's already in your hands...

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The Vulnerabilities of a Single Story:

On hearing the popular Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, speak about the dangers of a single story on TED, I was inspired to write about it.

A single story can change a posterity or a younger generation forever, either for the better or worse. A story embedded in the minds of the youth is what will cause them to want to become something great, or maybe something minuscule. A single story will dare us to dream mighty BIG, or will do the exact opposite-- drowning our thoughts of irrefutable success in an ocean that we cannot be rescued from.

What stories are we telling? What stories do we use to speak to our own destinies, or even the destinies of those around us? What stories are we publishing? Which ones do we deem as our representation here on earth?

My story is NOT a single story, but rather multiple stories wrapped into one, about the richness and intelligence of God's creations. My story tells of a series or combinations of how God originally intended for the world to be. This story is inspired by the Holy Spirit to inspire Nations. It is for everyone, regardless of race, color, or status. There are no disparities in this one, because God don't make ugly. There are no sensitivities, because the truth must be told, and tell it we must. There are no lies here, only transparencies. There is no judgment, only a plea for you to see that God designed you for greatness, and that He is actually real and not just a figment of your imagination. There are no obscurities because the will of God is clear. In God's story, there are no CHOSEN or SELECTED readers...because when God created you, He did it with a purpose in mind...so everyone is included in the plan. We just have to find out what that specific plan is.

I am in support of what Chimamanda has said HERE, regarding the dangers of a single story. But what matters are the stories that we CONTINUE to tell.

CONTINUE to strengthen your own story.

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Clay...

You're lying there in an empty arid valley...not breathing, not sighing, not in the least bit conscious. You don't have any form, you're just soft and gooey. You are CLAY. You're the hardened surface of a flat land, spread across a hidden valley...far from life and human existence. In this moment and in your subconsciousness, you secretly wish that you had a voice-- something to express the thoughts that weaken your soil. Something to make you leap and shout and fine-tune the energy that grills your being. You also wish that you had a body, something to give you the strength to move and exist in a better form.

Suddenly you feel a slight breeze blowing through your sandy veins. In the rising of a second, you do something you've never done before-- you open your eyes and you see the valley for the first time. It is beautiful. You begin to do other things too, like stretching out your hands to feel the lily of the Valley, and sniffing the soft scent of the buds. Then you also feel your whole being rising up to appreciate the day. As if this newness of life isn't enough, your throat starts to wobble and you begin to struggle in your plight to stop the movement. But you can't stop it, your words spill out like unstoppable Tsunamis...and you realize that God has visited you. You were only CLAY, but now you're alive. You were dumb, but now you can speak. You were hardened, but now you have a heart. You were blind, but now you can see yourself the way God truly sees you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In every man's life there will be an awakening of his soul. You will not be the same forever. Someday, you will have a witness inside of you...an experience that will change your life forever. This experience will have something to do with God. It will be unexpected, and you will be like clay in His hands...undoubtedly allowing Him to mold you in the right direction.

When that time comes, do not harden your heart. Allow yourself to be softened and to be open to receive the blowing of a new wind. With everything going on in the world today, there will soon be a major awakening.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)

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