The Measure of a Man

How Do You Measure Up?

When I first heard the song “The Measure of a Man” by 4Him, I must confess that it gave me some food for thought. It did so when I was teenager and even now when I sit down and think about it, I am constantly reminded that it’s not what’s outside that matters but what’s on the inside. The chorus of this tune was especially poignant:

Oh I say the measure of a man
Is not how tall you stand
How wealthy or intelligent you are
'Cause I found out the measure of a man
God knows and understands
For He looks inside to the bottom of your heart
And what's in the heart defines
The measure of a man!

In reflecting upon what life has been like since marriage I realised that there definitely has been a change in the way that I perceive the world. Verily, things that did not seem all that important before suddenly attain significance of a startling kind. Being on one’s own is both a joyful and fearful endeavour. But why?

The Fork in the Road

Which way o_O? (Image courtesy of BlindGossip.com)

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what’s next in my life in terms of work and family. Right now I’m a Solutions Architect which is great and all, but my first love has been and will always be programming. When I started down my career path I never envisioned what the road would be like…and just how hard it would become to stay dedicated to a dream that always seems to elude one’s grasp. In a sense though, I do have the feeling that this was meant to be since as the Scripture clearly states, “A man lays his plans but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). At times (I’ll be quite honest), I become rather disgruntled because I don’t know what’s next. Over the years I’ve accepted this as being quite natural despite the fact that it has been proven to me over and over again that I really don’t need to worry about the next bend in the road, when God says He’ll provide, He is as true as ever to His Word as He was in days long past. Trust is something I’ve always spoken about, but dealing with it is easier said than done. Yet when you do you end up realising that the fears that were keeping you grounded were…well..groundless (been waiting for years to use that one!).

Many Are Called, But Few Are…Chosen…?

A shot of the Head Table at my wedding reception. Done by Karl Anderson. Couldn't have asked for a better photographer!

A recent devotional that my wife and I did led us to the passage of Scripture that dealt with the parable of the Wedding Feast. To make a short story..well..short-er…a King had invited some guests to his wedding banquet. However many of the persons invited either ignored the invitation or they beat the servants up pretty badly (maybe they were having a rotten day or something). The King got angry and torched the city in short order. He then commanded his servants to go and invite just about anyone they could find since those who had been invited were not worthy. It was done, but in the midst of everyone, the King found someone who did not have his wedding clothes on. When asked how he got in, he was speechless. Needless to say, he was thrown out with the famous captioned conclusion of “for many are called, but few are chosen”.

Running with Feet of Faith

My new pair of Puma Eco-Ortholite sneakers (R.I.P. Puma cross-trainers, you will be missed!)

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” — 1 Cor 9:27

Where Do Christians Fit In with Social Networking?

Image courtesy of GeekandPoke

Share. Share. And share some more. It’s almost everywhere you look nowadays, and every second of the day there’s someone around the world writing a blog post or sharing an article, or buzzing or tweeting (you get the idea). Influence is no longer a localised phenomenon–it spans timezones, continents and cultures. The breadth can be, in a word, staggering. Whatever is put into the public domain can now potentially reach and/or influence thousands of other people. Is that not incredible?

A Journey of a Thousand Miles…

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. — Jeremiah 29:11

After almost a month of late nights, fretting, and a whole lot of one-on-one conversations with God as to whether I’m really good enough for just about anything…I nailed it! I just had my solution design presentation last Friday, and while it wasn’t perfect, I’m happy to say that with God’s help, I’ve finally landed the job that will launch me into the next cycle of my career journey. Come April, I’ll be a Solutions Architect…an occupation that will finally put the knowledge I gained with my Master’s to good use. I just had to give God thanks since I really wasn’t sure that I’d be able to get in. I may be entering the world of design from an odd angle, but I sure as heck don’t mind. No sir, I believe God when He says that His ways are higher than my own (Isaiah 55:9). Sometimes the strangest things will turn out to be oddly fortuitous when you’re walking with Him…and I’ll have to admit, it’s a little hard to get used to. But it’s all a part of learning to trust and to lean on Him for strength when you find yourself either out of your league or facing something that just overwhelms you.

Eyes on the Prize!

Last week was rather grueling. I’ve missed several assignments now on Webcraft and I’m not even sure when I’ll be able to catch-up with everything. The pressure is building, but by next week I’ll finally get some breathing room. So if my time is so limited, what is it that’s keeping me up writing this post at 1:30am in the morning? Well, aside from being a night owl, I’m up against a challenge at work that requires me to step out of my comfort zone. Don’t be put off by my tone…I’m actually speaking about an internal job opportunity within the firm. As much as I would love to say that I handle change brilliantly, I’d probably be more accurate at saying I do “okay” most of the time. Other than that, I’m usually rather resistant and pretty conventional (at times to a fault). Not a good habit I know, and I’m sure God knows too–which is perhaps why I was presented with this opportunity. The major problem I face is…should I really give it my everything? There’s no guarantee that I’ll succeed, and even if I do, there’s no way of knowing if I’ll even be better off in terms of finances or overall standard of living. So then…is it really worth it? 

The Perfect Antibiotic

The past two weeks have been somewhat quite eventful. Among other things, I rolled out a small scale beta PHP app at work, designed a test WP site and deployed it for a WebCraft project, and started dabbling with OpenStreetMaps and JQuery. But another thing happened too. I had a horrible toothache! 

Why Lord, Why??

I’m sure we’ve all had our moments of disaster. It’s simply the order of things–Murphy’s law does indeed apply everywhere one looks it seems. Pessimism aside though, it’s how we react to adverse situations that really determines how we move forward with out lives. Would you believe as well that this can be a key determinant in your relationship with God? 

Touch and Go…

Ever observed a train of ants on a mission? It’s an interesting sight. The single line you notice tends to be actually two lines, one towards the target and the other back to the nest. There’s a constant series of brief collisions that happens in-between. Ants going bump into ants returning, and who knows, perhaps they exchange a bit of insectile information, and then move on as busy as can be. Whatever happens during that terribly short event is probably forgotten in the hustle and bustle of daily events.