October 28th, 2009 lukeneuman
This morning my neighbor asked me how the world was treating me. I responded with “no complaints”. I was really trying to play it off as a happy person, with no complaints about life. However the truth of reality tells me that the opposite is more accurate, that I’m a big grumbler. Last night the only thing that I may have complained about was a spicy chicken sandwich from Carl’s Jr, which had too much pepper on it. When I complain about spicy chicken, my life must be really easy. And it is, yet I complain so much, about everything from the cold weather, which I really like unless I’m trying to get out of bed, to my long hair, which for lack of laziness has not been cut. So many other little things which I can find to complain about yet, don’t really make anything better. So I’ve decided to look at those gifts of God which display his character. The generosities I’m talking about, like when I read His word, and am encouraged to keep living, for hope of someday seeing God. Or the generosity of His goodness to give me a wife, who is my faithful companion, and desires to see me grow. Or his generosity of keeping me from crashing into other cars on the freeway. CRAZY, eh? Yes, God’s love is crazy, and that’s why I live.
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January 27th, 2009 lukeneuman
I just took a shower, which reminded me about something we were discussing yesterday at work. We were talking about the dedication and commitment of Michael Phelps. For the past five years he did not miss a day in the pool. It is one thing to like doing something enough that you do it everyday for a month, but even being consistent for a year is a hard thing to do. I am sure there are days when he didn’t want to get in the pool. I like taking showers, and I take one just about every day, but I can’t honestly say I’ve taken a shower every day for the past five years. I think I’ve missed a couple days here and there. Anyways, all this to ask myself how committed am I to God’s word? Do I have the same dedication when meditating on the Word of God. Think of the benefits!
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January 20th, 2009 lukeneuman
I am very thankful for Rick Warren’s opportunity to pray this morning in our new President’s Inagural Address, join with me in praying for President Barack Obama…
Almighty God, our Father:
Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone.
It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.
History is your story.
The Scripture tells us, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.
Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States.
We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
Give to our new president, Barack Obama,
the wisdom to lead us with humility,
the courage to lead us with integrity,
the compassion to lead us with generosity.
Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.
Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans–united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.
When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you–forgive us.
When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone–forgive us.
When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve–forgive us.
And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.
Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.
May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.
And may we never forget that one day, all nations–and all people–will stand accountable before you.
We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, Esa, Jesus, Jesus—who taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Source: Brad Greenberg (script of speech)
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November 26th, 2008 lukeneuman
Take a trip with me back to your Algebra class where we would take an equation or a complex number and reduce it to a simple statement. Today there is an obsession for keeping things simple, if you doubt this, just watch the product demo for the new MacBook Pro. There is a whole philosophy or work ethic which is usually identified with a design aesthetic, where Apple has been one of the trend-setters. The question is by starting over from scratch and redesigning everything what are we losing. I know it is painful to part with things which are unnecessary, a necessary part of simplification.
So what should our response be to this? Should we throw out traditions which are not necessary and start over, building a completely efficient way of life? What do we have to lose? On the other hand should we be so set in our habits, that we can’t learn a new way of doing things? Should we be on the cutting edge of technology where we make things aesthetically pleasing?
Are there things which are distracting us from what is really important? Maybe we need to start over and find out what our life is centered around and then only keep the things which are pertinent to fulfilling that goal…
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November 21st, 2008 lukeneuman
A very useful tool in any editor’s back pocket is the rubberstamp, where one is able to “erase” any blemishes by replacing it with neutral content… I am learning to use this even in editing audio, as I get a “pattern” or just room noise to blot out any undesired audio… too bad I can’t do this in real life, using the good to wipe out the bad… anywho… just amused
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November 18th, 2008 lukeneuman
Ok. So I know this is a weird concept… but it is a hard lesson for a proud young man to learn. God is teaching me that in order to not be half-hearted and lukewarm in what I do, I must do less… In order to say yes to one thing, I must say no to a million other things.
In college, there are always so many things which we fill up our schedule with. Have you stopped to think about how many of the things that you start you are finishing? My personality is one which tends to be a good starter, but a poor finisher. I need to ask God to help me say no more often, even to things which are good. God is the giver of all good gifts right? But guess what God does NOT want us to have anything GOOD that takes away from us enjoying HIS GOODNESS… He has a name for anything which does this, it is idolatry.
Guess what? The busyness does not stop after college. Believe ME. I am done with college and somehow, I find a quick and easy way to fill up my schedule.
Ok. Take a moment to think about your (actually my) breakfast. Would you ever eat an egg half-cooked (ok, calm down “over-easy” people)? Well, I wouldn’t ever want that half-cooked yellowness to gush out of the yolk (I think that’s what you call it.) Anyways… I am going somewhere with all this rambling. I am fighting my own luke-warmness, which comes from half-cooked breakfasts. Besides I would not want to be spit out, because of my luke-warmness…
Yes, we all have priorities, and when we stop to think what they are, how often are they what we want to accomplish rather than what God wants us to do. (my answer: most (99.9899% of the time) So, all this to say, that I would not want a half-cooked relationship, this goes for my relationship with God as well as with people he has put in my life.
So, I am going to have to say no to something. Pray that God would show me what he wants me to cut back on, and what he wants me to take a step forward in, by going another step further.
It is tempting to put a verse in here, but I think there are plenty of passages which God may bring to your specific situation, so in order to not limit him, I will refrain…
It is tempting to put a verse in here, but I think there are plenty of passages which God may bring to your specific situation….
Now I will retire…
God bless…
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October 14th, 2008 lukeneuman
You’ve heard of a firewall right? Well, anyways this awesome picture, which I got from LA Times was taken yesterday morning near Porter Ranch which is about 5 min from where I work… This is what happens when those strong Santa Ana winds blow - fire spreads easily. The 118 Freeway as well as the 210 Freeways were closed due to fires. Needless to say there were some changes to traffic patterns.
On the other hand, there is also a great movie that came out, called Fireproof. It is about a fireman who takes the challenge from his loving father to try to save his marriage. Great story. Well, stay safe and away from the smoke, unless that is where God wants you to be.
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuinness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” I Peter 1:6-7
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October 12th, 2008 lukeneuman
This is a very good question posed by a friend of mine. What does it mean for you to be politically correct in today’s society? We live in a world which tolerates many differing views, especially in Southern California. Is it possible to go overboard in being “PC” ?
Do I try to soothe my words to please those who are listening? Do I try not to offend others so much that I compromise my beliefs? Do I try to solve the problems between two “countries”? Am I a peacemaker? What is a peacemaker? How much tolerance for sin should a believer have in himself? In others? When should a brother admonish his brother about his sin? Is this being done in love in your daily circle?
Being sensitive to others and their beliefs is not wrong if it is done with the right motives. However if you are willing to compromise your convictions on an important issue, this could be dangerous. Too often I err on the side of “stepping on egg shells”, when I should be crushing the egg shells. But then I ask myself what would Jesus do? Did he try to change everyone around him, or was he peaceful in his evangelistic strategies? Did he allow others to believe what they want to or did he say there was only one way? “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to Father, except through me?” John 14:6
When I speak who am I trying to please? Am I trying to please a whole crowd or an audience of one? If I am trying to please more than one person than I have more than one Master, and that can be confusing. I need to focus on only pleasing my Lord and Master…
These are great questions to think about…
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September 6th, 2008 lukeneuman
Is it wrong to make a name for yourself?
What is your philosophy of fun?
What makes you a happy person?
Do you live for the pursuit of pleasure?
Are earthly pleasures wrong? How do they become idols?
These questions have popped into my mind, as I have more closely observed people living out the American Dream… what do you live for?
I think we were made to make Christ’s name known… to give him the glory, and then receive the joy which he graciously gives us…
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May 26th, 2008 lukeneuman
thanks for your prayers… Friday I had four wisdom teeth extracted, and since then I’ve not been able to do much… God used this time though to bring me closer to him… it was interesting to see my initial reactions to the pain and discomfort… I was thinking to myself, why does something so small like this have to hurt so much, and why can’t I just avoid this pain by not having the surgery? God taught me though to trust him more through it, and to realize that since my life has had relatively low experience with physical pain, this may be God teaching me a little of what it feels like to be in a hospital for long periods of time or to have other physical illnesses… Before I went to the doctor I was very glad for spending extra time memorizing the first part of Psalm 139, this really helped me get through the first couple hours of pain, and I was very thankful for this… God knows us better than anyone else, and this can be a huge comfort…
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