Thoughts about God, life and the answer 42

Welcome mobile WordPress

troyhooper — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:02:51 +0000

Well, you wait around long enough and sooner or later someone will make the technology you’ve been waiting for… Or not. After trying numerous apps on my iPhone I said to myself, “I just wish the companies that I use would make an app” and voila! Ok, so maybe it’s been out for awhile, but my finding it was as if I was the only one. A text message to a friend showed me that I wasn’t. “hey, there’s a new app out from WordPress!” pause…. Reply: “I know. I’ve had it for awhile”. Grrrr! Oh well, it’s nice to know its out now. Thanks WordPress… Finally.

Weeds and Sin

troyhooper — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:42:45 +0000

I’ve been thinking recently about weeds. I don’t like them. And as I found myself out in our yard pulling them, I started to make some parallels between weeds and sin.
These are just some thoughts I had as I pulled each weed.

IT’S NOT THAT BAD
- I began to watch the weeds grow and I thought that they wouldn’t get much bigger. But the more time passed, they did.
- I began to look at other peoples weeds and thought to myself, “It’s not that bad.”
- “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” Luke 18:11
NO ONE ELSE CAN SEE IT
- I mean, no one else is saying anything like, “Hey, you got weeds.” So it must not be that bad.
- “be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23
THEY STARTED OUT SMALL BUT NOW…
- Everytime I looked at them I thought, “I’ll get to them soon”
- After awhile, I couldn’t even see where the plants were…the weeds had overtaken them
- “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” James 1:14

Just some thoughts about weeds and sin… any thoughts?

“Does it really matter?”

troyhooper — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:11:52 +0000

I was getting off the plane in Seattle and was walking towards a set of staircases that were split. Both were going up, but one side said “Do not enter”. The lady in front of me started to go up that side when her daughter said “Mom, you can’t go that way!” And the replied, “Does it really matter?” At the top of the stairs as we rounded the corner it was clear that one way lead to the door to get out, and the other way was blocked off and could not get back over to the door side. Does it really matter? Don’t all ways lead to heaven? This is what I thought as I encountered a modern day scenario that illustrated an eternal illustration. Yes! It does matter. Because while both ways looked good, only one way worked.

Solomon wrote these words that point to what I saw that day in Proverbs 14:12/16:25 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” So, yeah…it does matter.

New Address…

troyhooper — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:20:49 +0000

I’ve decided to put all my effort into one site right now… the address is www.troyhooper.me

So if you’ve followed me at this site, that’s where the new stuff will be that I’m posting for now.

Hoop

What’s in your heart?

troyhooper — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:44:27 +0000

To the church in Thyatira, John records the words of our Lord: (Revelation 2:23)
And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

We try to hide from man today our thoughts and the thoughts of our hearts…but God sees right to them.
We think that if man doesn’t see them, maybe God doesn’t as well. Wasn’t that the same thought process as Jonah?
That if he ran, God couldn’t find him?

Our concern should not be on whether man can see them or not, but rather, if what’s in our minds and heart are acceptable to God.

Maybe, just maybe, if things aren’t going well in your life, look in your heart. Check out your thoughts. Are these pleasing to God.

He gives according to our works. The answer is right in front us. But to do that, we must be more concerned with what God thinks than
what man does.

We must be in this for the long haul, not the short duration that we’re on this earth.

I took this from a friends facebook page…thought it ended this post well:

Two Natures beat within my breast, One is evil one is Blessed, One I love, one I hate, the one I feed will Dominate

Think myself clear…

troyhooper — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:59:49 +0000

It’s kinda lonely at 2:57 am. The house is quiet, everyone is asleep. And here I sit staring at my computer screen. It’s times like these when one of two things is running through my mind. Either my mind is just racing and I can’t seem to slow down…or there’s something bothering me. Tonight, I don’t know which one it is. A friend of mine years ago talked about the 3:30 am wake up call from God. It happened repeatedly until he finally got up and spent time in prayer. Seems he thought that was the only time God could get his attention. So my choices are limited at this time of the morning, but one thing is clear… PRAY.

I choose prayer.

Day 7 … In the sun

troyhooper — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:17:43 +0000

I’m at Roaring Springs. It’s a water park here in Idaho. And I’m people watching. My daughters are enjoying themselves… Well, the 4 month old is sleeping in the shade and the almost 4 year old is playing in the water with her mom. It looks like they are having a good time. Sometimes you just can’t tell, even by looking. King David would write that when he was struggling with a sin, he felt as if his insides were wasting away. I don’t know if his faced showed how he was feeling, but I do know that when his illegitimate child died, he was mourning and then got up, took a shower and fixed himself a sandwich. His actions didn’t match how he was expected to be acting.

In my life, I think I’ve bottled up things and not allowed my feelings to show… To the point where my feelings began to show more than what I thought I was projecting. Does that make sense? It kinds does to me. This is why someone could walk up to me and ask how I was doing and me think “why are they asking me that?” Because my face was saying more than I thought it was.

Father, help me to be true to myself an what I’m feeling so that i’m not trying to hide who I am.

Who am I? An inside perspective

troyhooper — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:53:59 +0000

You ever wonder who you are? I mean deep down inside, past the “How are you doin? I’m fine” type thing and the charades that we play with our “friends”. That’s what part of this journey has been for me. Asking those tough questions that we think we don’t want the answer to. I’m not going to divulge any details now, but it’s safe to say that I’m beginning to understand exactly who I am and more importantly whose I am. Things are starting to come into focus.

Quick thought

troyhooper — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:33:01 +0000

Saw this on a facebook page today: If God brings you to it, He will bring you though it! Yeah, I believe that. But I think it’s better stated “when” God brings you to it. Times of testing are what we all will face. And when God brings us to those times, he will bring us through it, if our faith is in him. James writes, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:2-3

The only way to deal with trials in life is to have the right perspective going in to it.

Count it all joy. Joy doesn’t mean you’re not scared or fearful of the outcome. Joy means that you’re prepared for the journey ahead because you know the outcome.

You wont just face one type of trial in your life.

Various trials. Oh great. But it’s true. Life comes at you fast with all sorts of things. The only way to be prepared for all the trials is to have an attitude of joy.

The more trials you make it through, the stronger you become.

Trials produce steadfastness. They strengthen us. When we go through something we come out on the other side a little bit stronger for the next thing.

Just some more thoughts as I sit here. I need to do this more.

Day 6

troyhooper — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:58:30 +0000

In Donald Miller’s book “Searching for God knows what” he mentions that each of us are looking for an identity. That’s why we do the things that we do. We seek to impress because we feel that will identify us. We seek to make people laugh or be smart or even just be right so that we will have an identity. He shares that our identity found though, when we seek out God, not man.

While on this journey, each day brings sets of emotions. Fear, anger, guilt, sorrow, satisfaction, contentment and the like. The flood of emotions come like the ebb and tide. I feel empty. And then I feel full.

While sitting at Starbucks today, I looked at everyone around me and began to pick out what they might be thinking or feeling based on their body language. I could see saddness in a ladies eyes who was trying to act like everything was ok. I could see arrogance in a guy who walked the whole coffee shop on his cell phone dealing with things happening at his office. Kinda made me wonder what he was doing at Starbucks if everything was crashing back at work. Even though he smiled when he talked, there seemed to be a condescending tone about his voice. I wondered, “Do I sound like that?” God I hope not. But I’m not on the receiving end of how I’m portrayed. So I have to rely on those around me to tell me, “Hey, you could be a little nicer ya know?” And even though I can’t see it, I have to trust them that that is what I’m portraying. Robbie Burns, famous scottish poet penned these words, “O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us.” The way we see how others see us, is by listening to those we trust tell us how we’re coming across.

I need to be more present to those who are around me and be more aware of how I’m perceived.

I conclude this post with a song from Don Williams. I think this is how I’m feeling right now… course that could change

Lord, I hope this day is good
I’m feelin’ empty and misunderstood
I should be thankful Lord, I know I should
But Lord, I hope this day is good

                                Lord, have you forgotten me
                                        I’ve been prayin’ to you faithfully
                                                I’m not sayin’ I’m a righteous man
                                        But Lord, I hope you understand