We are called to abide in Christ.  Yet the temptation is to rely on the self in order to accomplish tasks.  Whether it be ministry-oriented, secular work, school, relationships, the list goes on.  The temptation is to make the achievements the end; to make the goal completion or to view success as having attained some status because of one's accomplishments.  But it's a lie.  Jesus doesn't want us living life in the flesh.  He doesn't want us reaching for goals and achievements out of our own strength.  The flesh is weak.  But the spirit is willing, and strong.  Jesus has called us to live for a relationship with the Father as the end, not any ministry vision or job position.  I want to be able to run freely in my relationship with the Lord, and not carry the burden of feeling like I'm not doing enough.
Lord, free me of the shackles of busyness.  Let me not make an idol out of the work you have assigned me.  Rather, with our relationship as the purpose and goal, let me refocus my heart and mind on the things that matter, giving You the glory You're due, while I lay down all this work at your feet and ask You to fill me again with your Holy Spirit, that I might fully abide in You, and You in me.  Forgive me for making other things, especially the ministry in which You've placed me, more important than my relationship with You.  I can't do any of this on my own power, for my flesh is so weak.  But You, Lord are my strength and my song.  Your love is the power and strength that gives me confidence.  Help me to walk in Your truth daily, taking up my cross, crucifying my flesh, and abiding in Your love.

"but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint."

        -Isaiah 40:31

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Some of you may have heard of Cindy Jacobs.  She is considered by some to be a "prophet of the nations."   (Which is strange already, because the Bible only mentions a couple minor prophetesses, never a woman "prophet.")  Because of her popularity among friends at the ASU prayer house, I have been doing a little research today to check the validity of her prophecies and teachings.

One example:
"Incidentally Cindy Jacobs prophesied that New Zealand would discover huge mineral reserves and the economy would boom and as a result funds would be provided for the church and that many missionaries would be sent out. The week she gave this prophecy the NZ dollar fell faster than the Fiji dollar even while the coup was in progress in Fiji. Since then there has been no indication that Cindy Jacob's prophecy was accurate in any way - quite the reverse. New Zealand's economy is still in the doldrums and there is no sign of the mineral reserves." (http://intotruth.org/prophets/no-profit.html)

This is only the beginning.  Something to stew on...  There is more to come as I find time.  Do some research of your own in the meantime!

Most of you, my friends and family, know that I am working on a BS in CIS at ASU in TAZ in the EV.  But the real question remains: Can you figure out what all of those letters mean?

Having just entered the "Professional Program", the WP Carey School of Business has its heart set on turning me into a "professional."  Part of this professionalization process demands that I take a 1-credit hour lecture aptly dubbed "Business Forum" which describes itself as follows:
The class is taught by an older, heavyset man who has spent many successful years in the recording industry doing business and "being a professional."  So now, he's turning the tables.  He's teaching US.  He's "giving back."  Now, for Mr. Burns (yes, that's his real name), success is turning all of us business college students into choice meat for all the hundreds of thousands of professional recruiters.  In order to fatten us up, he's given us a book called "Never Eat Alone."  This is not a textbook.  It was written by an extremely rich young man who made his way up the business/social ladder by making "real connections" and creating a huge network of people around himself.

And that book is the topic of this entry.  The premise of the book is, to build "genuine relationships" in order to "get what you want" and make your way up the ladder of success. 

Wait, what did you just say?  Oxymoron?  Oh.  Yeah, I guess, you're right.  Relationships aren't really genuine when you're building them for some other end (i.e., becoming a multimillionaire).  Hmm, guess I'm gonna have to entirely reject the very purpose and premise of this book.  Too bad, because apparently the ideas in it made one dude very well off.

But I remember that God's Word says, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)

In this book, the author says, "Don’t keep score: It’s never simply about getting what you want. It’s about getting what you want and making sure that the people who are important to you get what they want, too."

Translation:  Hey!  You selfish inconsiderate person!!  It's not all about you!  Well, actually it is.  But it's also about helping other people!  That is, when it helps you get what you want.

But hey, I think this book will do great.  After all, "...Never Eat Alone is destined to take its place alongside How to Win Friends and Influence People as an inspirational classic."  How to Win Frien....a-wha-wha?  Maybe I should stop giving this book space to dig its own grave.

Maybe we students need to wake up and smell the fake.