Hair & Beard

A few of the guys in my fellowship group told me to post some pictures when I had longer hair and a beard, so here they are:

 Getting longer...

A couple of weeks before I hacked the beard off. With a guy named Happy in Dalian.

 Back in America, right before the hair came off too.

Logo

One quick tip for the gentlemen; don't wear huge logos on your shirt unless the company is paying you to do so. Being a walking billboard for any clothing company is generally a faux pas. Create your own style, don't wear massive logos or plug exact looks from catalogs. It really isn't a good look and any sense of individual style almost automatically diminishes. Simple clothing without big logos always looks cleaner and better.

Don't do this unless Gucci (or any company, for that matter) is throwing out money to you. If that's the case, however, then stack yo' paper playa.

Who do you love most of all?

I had an interesting day last week. I wasn't feeling like the greatest Christian and I didn't feel that God was "blessing" me as much as some other days. So I got to thinking; why do I have these types of days? They don't happen very often, but it sure is a downer when they do. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the days that I don't feel like a "good Christian" are those that I love myself more than I love Christ. As a child of God, my main goal in life isn't my own satisfaction or the fulfillment of my desires, it's to glorify God with my life, share the gospel with the unsaved, build up His church, and make sure that at all times; God is my all. I get distracted quite easily with the vast amount of tasks I need to accomplish at any given time and lose sight of my goal and this always results in a lack of joy and satisfaction. True joy comes from living out your purpose, and despite what the world may say; that purpose isn't self satisfaction.

Just wanted to share this thought because it really helped me put things into perspective. Enjoy the Christmas season dear friends, keep your thoughts focused on Christ and the amazing thing that happened over 2000 years ago when God Himself came down to earth and took the form of man so that He could die for sinners like me and you. Also, remember to use this time to serve others instead of expecting to be served by them.

Artem Popov

My dear friend Artem did the awesome design you see on my blog. He's pretty darn good at what he does and for those of you who know him, I'm preaching to the choir. He just put his portfolio up on his new website, so check it out. And if you haven't already done so, take a look at his blog, it's super dope.

A photo to add to his credibility as a professional:





Teebs

Chivalry

Yesterday I had the great displeasure of seeing quite a few displays of men who lacked courteousness, thoughtfulness, and just plain common sense. I don't know why I paid more attention to this yesterday than I usually do, but it really stuck out to me. I saw one scenario where a woman was walking up to a store with a baby on her hip and a big bag tucked under the other arm. Three men walk past her, fling the door open, and all walk in ahead of her; not thinking to hold the door. I'm not sure when it became okay for men to stop being chivalrous, but it is unacceptable. It's not okay to be so arrogant that you're completely oblivious to the people around you. Hold doors open for women, walk them to their cars/front doors, pay for them when you're able to, offer a jacket if it's cold outside. Show some class guys, act like gentleman! And don't forget to stay proper.

Blessings & Prayer

Lately I've been trying to make sure that I notice the many blessings in my life. The Lord really is good to me and all too often I pay too much attention to my trials, the difficulties in my life, shortcomings in my character and/or personality and not nearly enough to all the great things God does in my every day life. While it is, however, very important to pay attention to the not-so-pleasant things and learn from them; to dwell on the negative or difficult things is detrimental to our spiritual health and just downright unnecessary. I've been thinking more and more about how amazing it is that God saved me. This is something that's kind of become "normal" or even kind of old for me because I'm so focused on moving ahead in life, growing spiritually, and maturing as a man. What a shame that this isn't always something that makes me want to shout with joy! God saved me; a sinner, someone who hated Him. He saved me and made me His child. That's something to constantly be thankful for. God also gave me a family who loves me and is patient with me, He gave me friends who accept me and help me grow, He gave me a church where I can work to build up His kingdom and am surrounded by people who encourage me and whose lives are an example to me. There's just so much in my life to be thankful for, and so many things that aren't even on my radar that the Lord does for me every second of my life. Be thankful to God for your life. Praise Him for His goodness, His love, His care, and His patience. Don't grumble, don't dwell on the difficulties; but instead rejoice in the fact that God has given you what He's given you and use it to glorify Him with every breath He graciously grants you.

Another thing that's becoming more commonplace in my life (unfortunately quite late) is regular prayer; a deeper communion with God. I'm starting to see the importance of bringing everything to God and truly trusting Him with it. I'll be honest, my prayer life is pretty weak. I'm working on fixing that, but for a long time this wasn't something that I saw as being all that important and therefore I didn't actively work on it. I've been seeing the horrible flaw with this kind of thinking and just how much it has stunted my spiritual growth. What I've been doing recently is making prayer lists for different days of the week and actually making myself stick to them. It's such a simple thing to do, but it has very unfortunately taken me a long time to figure that out. I've experienced a HUGE blessing in seeing God actually answering prayers and seeing that He does actively work in our lives. I urge all of you to be intentional about your prayer lives if you aren't already doing so. Don't be like me, be proactive in prayer!