Eating meat is a symptom of sin (It's biblical!)!

This week has been extremely trying and hard on my soul.

I have retreated to my crystal fortress in order to re-energize my soul for another week!

However, I need to challenge myself to stay on top of my goals, so that I can look back and see how much it didn't really matter. I'm kind of at a point where the initial excitement of new things is wearing off (the honeymoon is over) and it's time to get into the grind of keeping up the head of steam. Keep pushing, keep pulling, and keep moving!

I came to the realization that motivation is not an intrinsic quality that most people have, we go looking for it. We have to find it in order to harness it's power... like a Pokemon or something [gotta catch it all, if you will]. So, now I have began the quest to find motivation, but along the way I have come up with a bunch of insightful thoughts that I would, now, like to share with you!

• Eating meat is a symptom of sin... don't argue it's biblical!
• Forethought is God's technique for making sure there aren't mistakes in creation (The platypus was intentional!)
• Doing more is not equivalent to doing better... Hitler did A LOT leading up to and through WWII, but people don't argue that his effort to raise the genocide bar was doing a favor for the world.
• Perception is NOT reality... what you see and what I see probably aren't the same thing!
• Starting a conversation about intruders and the influenza pandemic with "I don't want to scare anybody..." doesn't make what you have to say following that any less ridiculous!
• God DOES NOT, in fact, hate Fags... don't argue it's biblical!

 I realize, now that I have typed out this list, that none of these are all that earth shattering, in fact a lot of them are pretty straight forward. Some are a little humorous, but the others on this list really are at the core of where a lot of my frustration and stress come. They are in fact based on some of the bullshit lines that I hear at work, or have heard at work in the past year and few months that I have been back in Des Moines.

I don't want to bad mouth individuals, so I will comment on people in general... THEY'RE DUMB!

God may call us to love our neighbors, and to have have love in our hearts, but when I am constantly barraged by stupid comments and a lack of proactive thinking, it really frustrates me and I really have no way to combat it. I want to be graceful, and believe that God will unleash his holy reign on their souls, but it's really just wishful thinking.

I want to do good for the kids that I work with, and their families--I really do--and I'm sure the powers that be feel at least a little similar to this, but there has to be a better way to do it! Keeping it simple has worked for centuries. I mean the Egyptians used the K.I.S.S premise when building the pyramids: have slaves do the heavy lifting! Easy! We can learn a lot from this, the path of least resistance is one that runs through a river of slavery?!?

No, that's not what I'm getting at, but if you laughed you are a demented soul and have earned a one way ticket to hell, which will eventually get cast into the lake of fire! Good work!

NO, we need to take the time to think things through, at least a little, before taking major action steps. God was a planner, that's why it metaphorically took God 6 days to create the entirety of the universe. Moses was a planner, that's why it took him 40 years to get out of the desert--taking his time. It even took Jesus 33 years to figure out how to make a grand exit from this plane of existence. Why can't we take a little time to figure out how to do a better job at whatever it is we are trying to accomplish?

There is no need to sit idly by while the world continues to suffer, but taking a moment to step back and really look at what you're about to do--at least every once and a while--won't hurt! Suffering will continue regardless of your inaction, however if we can plan a little bit in advance maybe we can make a greater splash in the world.

Here is the most recent thought on this topic (you may have read it on facebook already):

When faced with a problem, sometimes it is better to take a minute and really think about possible solutions rather than making rash decisions that are detrimental in the long run! Patience is a virtue, and a cold-hearted mistress!

 There is a truth in my words, and I hope something resonates with you.

I really just write these words to remind myself to take a step back and breathe. There is no need to worry myself to death about the going-ons of other people. I have my mission--my marching orders--and it is my duty to live my calling to the best of the ability that God has given me. The same goes for you!

Do your job, I'll do my job, and together we will change the world... one step a time!

Be blessed!

-Andy J. Graves