Called

Being OCD for God Part 1

Caleb Joyner — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:31:29 +0000

To many times I go through life doing things because it has become routine. A good routine can be healthy, but a bad routine is life threatening. If I look at my daily routine I find that many of my habits have started out because I felt strongly about that particular thing. Before long, it becomes part of second nature to me. The little things, like loading the silverware into the dishwasher with the heaviest side up, or sleeping on one side instead of the other may have started with good reasons but are now second nature. Everyone has things that have become habit after starting them for a good cause, like cleaner dishes or an earache. I’m sure you can think of some now.

Because of these habits, I cannot do them any other way. Unfortunately, these good habits are just as numerous as bad habits. I want to become so intentional about my living that I become OCD about the little things. Living intentionally and doing things for a purpose.

I want to be OCD for God.

Breaking the Routine for a Better Future

Caleb Joyner — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:11:57 +0000

If you died today, would how I remember you be how you want to be remembered? I can say for most of us that’s an “absolutely NOT!”. Even if we are comfortable with how others see us I doubt anyone would be completely satisfied with how they see themselves. I know that I want to be a better person than I am now, but I am doing very little to be that better person.

I have been trying for the past month or so to put together a list of things I want to stop doing and start doing in order to get closer to where I want to be on my walk with Christ. From this list I am finding ways that I can work towards that goal. For example: I want to try to be on the computer less; so, I have written on my calendar for every 3^rd Monday of each month to remind me to not use any computer that day. Though one day a month won’t prevent me from over-using the computer the other 29 days of the month, it will help by decreasing the computer’s priority in my life. (which isn’t very high by the way)

Another area I want to improve is making school work my priority. One of the means I have come up with to help prioritize school is to fast lunch once a month on a weekday. Fasting can be used for several different reasons, but all have a single purpose: a priority “reset button”. For most of us our priority around noontime is to eat, but when we substitute that with something else, say, prayer or school, we push that above eating lunch, and several other things are lowered along with lunch. This method is effective for nearly any area of life you want to prioritize. Not always will you want to sacrifice lunch, but I have found it to be one of the most effective.

In order to help pinpoint something in my life to prioritize, I start by making a list of things I do at a particular time, for this example let’s use when I first wake up.

Alarm sounds at 7:30 and I gain conscience.
I lie in bed for another 10-30 mins until I hear someone else downstairs.
I mosey out of bed and go to take my morning bathroom break.
I normally get dressed and turn on my computer to do school.
Eat breakfast

Okay, short list, but I hope it gets my idea across. Now, I make another list of things I would ideally like to do in that time frame:

A. Read my Bible and pray.

B. Take a shower.

Now, I combine the two lists into an ideal morning, taking away some items and inserting the new ones appropriately. My list would look like this:

Alarm sounds at 7:30 and I gain conscience.
Read my Bible and pray.
Get out of bed, go to the bathroom, and take a shower.
Get dressed, eat breakfast, and start school.

Combating these issues may be rather difficult. I will discuss several ways to help put Bible reading higher up on your priority list.

Use a ten or twenty-dollar bill as a bookmark, after you’ve read a set amount of chapters/books you will treat yourself by spending your money. Every morning when you wake up and see that green bill sticking out of your Bible you have a reminder and a reason to read.
Meet with several friends or family members at breakfast to read the Bible. This does put the reading later on in time, but it also increases it’s priority by involving other people and providing accountability.
Sometimes breakfast can be sacrificed and replaced with reading the Bible. This is very similar to fasting lunch. Different from the other two suggestions which can be done every day, fasting should only be done at most once a week. Fasting every day is unhealthy and fasting 2-4 times a week can become part of your routine and not have as much of an impact, conversely, only fasting once or twice a year may not be frequent enough if you wanted to use this method to increase your Bible reading in the morning.

This approach to setting priorities has greatly helped me and I hope it will inspire you too. You must also keep in mind that these plans you make are not God’s. They may help you grow closer to Him, but often he has a greater and better plan for your life. If you make a plan and it is disrupted outside of your control, don’t fret, God is simply reminding you that your plans are inferior to His.

It’s the Good Times the Devil Tempts Us

Caleb Joyner — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:44:48 +0000

When your day is going great

Then keep in mind your fate

For then it won’t be very hard

For you to let down your guard

Don’t even take a second glance

It will ruin your very last chance

As evil lures you in to sin

you struggle harder to win

But your effort if too late

You have finally met your fate

New Things are Coming…

Caleb Joyner — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:13:01 +0000

I pray for new things to be known that have been unknown. Isaiah 48:5-9.
Not even ten minutes after I read this verse and prayed for God to show me something, He did. Not in the way I expected, but in an effective way.
I guess God was tired of me losing sight of looking for God doing things around me. Now that I have my eyes open I will be more keen to seeing God show me something that He has never revealed to me before.

My Life is not Worth Living for

Caleb Joyner — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:14:57 +0000

I go through life

Thinking I’m the boss

Then I see Jesus on the cross

I live in this strife

Full of anger and chaos

Selfish living is my own loss

I stand here with a knife

My life to emboss

My sins to encross

How can I get across

Jesus died on the cross

Standards

Caleb Joyner — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:40:59 +0000

You set your standards when you desperately want to do something, but don’t after you weigh the costs.

Surrender

Caleb Joyner — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:02:58 +0000

Do I want to live tomorrow like I did today? I want to do better, but my actions don’t show that I do. So what I am going to do is to give up. I suggest you give up as well. Now, I ain’t no quitter, and I ain’t quittin’ nothin’! Except trying. I am not trying to do what I want anymore, I give up I surrender to God to take control of my life.

Overcoming Gravity

Caleb Joyner — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:03:15 +0000

“Do not spend your time with women- the royal pathway to destruction” Proverbs 31:3

Satan uses the beautiful things of this world to bring good men to destruction. It’s when God’s perfect creation is changed in vain conceit that man’s sinful nature gravitates toward. Few find the streangth to overcome gravity and fly. Nothing done on earth comes close to the acomplishment of conquering the gravitational force holding man down: Lust, Greed, Selfish ambition, and Pride. I’ve seen what men have done here on earth, but I want to fly!

Listen

Caleb Joyner — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:00:04 +0000

Of all the advice I have gleaned from society little compares to the simple truths admired by all, but excecuted by few.
“Tell the truth, all the time.” Those were Randy Pausch’s six words of advice. Everyone will agree that this is good advice,
however, mediocrity spots much of the simple white truth and causes a hazing of the impact of telling the truth. Only those
comitted to telling the truth ALL THE TIME will reap any of the benefiets of this advice.
Something that no human alive, or even has ever lived (with the exception of Jesus) can do is to be perfect. But, also,
we as humans have a choice of our actions and responses to our situations. We all also have the desire in us to improve our lives.
Therefore, our choices to help improve our lives affect us financially, as a person, and in our relationships.
But one choice all of us are faced with that will never make us worse off is to tell the truth. Occasionally being honest may
have immediate negative affects, but the truth sets us free from the demeining power of deceit. Us being free from lies in itself
makes our choice of telling the truth worth while, but the truth’s affects radiate from itself. Ultimately truth wins out hands down,
and that is one choice that will improve your life.
One of the most important areas to be truthfull in is with yourself. Being truthfull with yourself will set you free from the lies
holding you down in your life. Most of these lies we pick up from the world around us: “You’re too weak”, “you aren’t good enough”,
or “EW! You’re ugly!” All these are small examples of lies we hear that we continue to lie to ourselves about. But the most dangerous
lies are absolutely beautiful. They’re the lies that we take and keep telling ourselves because it makes us feel better. Lies like:
“That drawing is perfect!” or “This IS what you’re good at” Now, you are probably thinking “Aren’t those good things?” and
“What if the person is actually telling the truth?” The lie isn’t the statement itself, but rather that many times we let these
statements define what we do and who we are. Open your mind and look for what your purpose is, don’t let other people define who you are.
Our part for others is to encourage them because they are people, not because of what they have done.
Should we lie to people when they do something poorly? No! Absolutely not! But is telling the truth and saying what a horrible job they did encouraging?
It can be. The saying “sometimes the truth hurts” is my most hated phase because the truth should never hurt. The truth about our less
admonishable actions should be like a weight, yeah, you want to put it down and ignore it, but lifting it will make you stronger.
The lies about our weaknesses vanish. We don’t cover them up, and then again we don’t hack away at ourselves with an ax.
One after another reasons for telling the truth could be given, so why don’t you always tell the truth? If you have a reason for
lying you’re being lied to. Randy Pausch had great advice in those simple six words, I have companion advice: “Listen to advice, listen to truth”

The Calling: Something? Someone? Somehow?

Caleb Joyner — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:50:55 +0000

The title of my blog is “Called” because I believe we all need to search for God’s calling for our lives. Up until recently I haven’t really known what that calling was for me, God had only revealed little bits of stuff he wanted me to do. I thought some about how those little pieces would fit together into a profession, but I never really felt truly called to any of it. Now that I am a senior in high school and taking dual credit classes at Jackson State, God is slowly revealing my abilities to me growing off of the knowledge I’ve gained from my last few years in high school as I’ve let God move in my life. God has also been showing me how other people in my life will be helping me in my future and helping me become who God has called me to be. Two of those people are my parents, I’ve always appreciated my parents and what they do for me and my siblings. But only more recently have I tried to show them more respect, not only in my attitude, but also in my actions of going above and beyond in my chores wherever a need arises. My sibling are other people that are going to be there in my future, whether I like it or not. Not getting along with siblings because of little spats is never worth losing them ten years from now. I can’t control what they do, but I want to be sure that I don’t make any mistakes with the way I treat and respond to them. I feel like God has shown me other people to play a part in my future, but we’ll have to see how that plays out. I don’t pretend like my life is going great, but I do know my choices can affect how my future plays out. So I am committed to trying my best to make good, truthful, and Godly decisions each and every day in my life.