I've been thinking lately of the stagnant place in my life that I'm in right now. Not a bad stagnant as in mentally or physically, but in the bigger picture of human lives and the points in life that seem to matter the most.

What I am trying to get at is, that depending on your age, there is usually a point in time we look forward to; such as becoming a teenager or being able to drive. So here is the list of big moments to shoot for.

Age
1-10--Every birthday is an important one
13----You're finally a teenager
14----You get your drivers permit - Enter high school give or take a year - Get a Job
16----Full fledged license - Get a Passport - Join the Millitary
17----R-Rated Movies - Apply for a Pilots license - Buy Firearms
18----Vote - Buy Tobacco - Buy Fireworks - Apply for a Credit Card - Tattoos - Jury Duty - Marriage without consent - Enter Gentleman Clubs - Leave Home without consent
21----Buy and Drink Alcohol - Adopt a child - Play the Lottery

Some of the things listed are dependent upon the state which you live

So as it appears, 21 is the final checkpoint before not much else happens. There aren't really anythings that separate one age to the next. Things start to meld together and not offer any reason to want to age past 21. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing like finally gaining the ability to do something that you couldn't otherwise do at an earlier age. I still remember hitting 21 and going to the local gas station to buy Smirnoff the very night I hit that 21 year old checkpoint. I proudly pulled the alcohol from the cooler and put it and my I.D. on the counter. I had no deep desire to drink, in fact, it was the middle of the week and I had work the next day, so I wasn't about to get drunk.

The point is, I didn't do it because I needed to or had to, but because I could. The divider that was preventing me from being able to do something, was seen as a moment to conquer. A chance to do something simply because there was no one that could stop me anymore. It felt like right of passage. In the bigger scheme of things, a life with Christ can feel the same way.

When starting off on our spiritual journey, it is nothing but checkpoints. One after another learning about different aspects of the Bible and then applying them to our lives. Growing and gaining understanding of new principles and seeing them work in our lives or with other people. From there we learn that we need to tell others about it and help people start their own journeys. Then, just like hitting 21, there stops being any purpose to doing what we have been doing. The checkpoints disappear under the guise of something we've conquered and now what is there?

When is the last time you really felt special driving your car or buying a beer?? Well why would you?? Where is the joy in the simplistic act of doing, just because you can?? We can't forget that checkpoints are not about the completing, just for the sake of moving on to the next one; Rather a point in history to look back and remember how they made you feel and what they accomplished. Get in your car and grip the wheel as if this is your first drive on your own. Buy a lottery ticket just because you have a couple extra bucks in your pocket and remember the thrill of the chance. Read a verse in your Bible like you never have before and apply to your life with the child like faith you once had. Tell your coworker about Christ in your life and who Christ would be in his or hers just so you could experience the great joy there is in giving someone a life worth living.

Just like you use to, just because you could.

Everyone has one thing in common and that, is purpose. Most of everything that we do in our lives comes from a purpose or a drive deep within us and I guess you could say, finding my life’s purpose turned me around. My story is not a heroic turn from evil, it's not a story of demise turned to glory, but a chapter devoted to what my turning point did to my life and its decisions.

It wasn’t long ago, that the thought of a greater power was in my thoughts at every ‘choice’ intersection. With a common feeling of powerlessness, I looked up for answers and comfort through life’s struggles. I was hoping for a feeling from above that would allow me to take some control over my life; by giving it to someone that could handle it. A God of such reputation and supremacy, that I previously knew from others and from stories out of a leather bound book, was the only response I got, which, to be honest, didn't help me at all. Soon, I was letting go more and more to the pressure from above to turn it over to him. In each instance, I hung on as long as I could. So, with a sort of inward embarrassment, I surrendered total control in hopes he would deal with it better than I did. Although; It wasn't always so clean cut.

Not every situation led to perfect results, in fact, more often than not, they didn’t go the way I wanted them to at all; that’s just the way the world seems to work. As if to make those problems worse, questions arose. If anything can beat down a persons beliefs, it's questions. Faith would come and go with each new situation or question derived from it. Even though questions came up, the conclusion was always knowing that although it wasn’t a perfect solution, it helped me deal with my less than ideal finish. With this knowledge from every experience, I gained a pure awareness of how my world can be better, through “understanding and acceptance”. Acceptance seems like dodging the bullet when it comes to the tough questions, but I'm not saying to avoid questions; Rather, accept the fact that they will arise through struggles and will be answered in time. Far too often, people drop faith the instant a hard question shows up. Why can't we be OK with not knowing everything?? I realize now, that if I so choose to hand things over to the one that knows me better than myself, those questions will be answered. Some will take longer than others, but never the less, they will be answered.

I believe now, through all of my experiences, that there is someone factual and beyond doubt, existing more than most care to acknowledge. I can confidently press forward with the greatest turning point in my existence, to make the rest of my reality, just that; real. No problem, choice, decision, or struggle has to be any worse than I wish to let it. When all else fails, don’t forget to stop and look up, for the world you live in isn’t restricted to what you see in front of you.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Over my lifetime, I've experienced an emotion that is hard to describe. Not too often, but every now and again, something happens to someone else that makes me feel like I just punched an old lady. It seems to happen most often, when something happens to someone, that I don't feel deserves it.

Some time ago, when I use to live in Decorah, my dad embarked on a epic journey that would change both my brothers and my view, of manual labor. My dad, not being one for doing anything on a small scale, decided to build a pond in our backyard. The pond was large enough to swim in and perfect for keeping Koi fish. Koi are beautiful Japanese fish, that were simply awesome to have around as pets, not just fish. To this day, I regret not taking more joy in the project, because now, it's gone and I don't think I truly knew how much it meant to my dad. We had somewhere around 30 Koi in this pond and the pond was deep enough to keep them in even during the Winter as long as there was a hole in the ice to feed them through. My dad took a plastic tub, put a light bulb through the base of it and then turned the tub upside down over the ice to keep it from freezing over completely. It worked great until one morning we had discovered the bulb off. The Koi had died due to electrocution. Somehow the water had swelled up into the tub and come in contact with the bulb. It was a grim day to say the least. I'll never forget that day, as I watched my dad reach into the water and pull out the dead Koi one by one. I couldn't help, but feel horrible. I felt mad that this happened and to someone that had done nothing to deserve this. Such a pointless consequence to beg the questions; "Why? Why? Why?"

There was so little point to this, that I reached for reasons to blame. Maybe it was my fault or my brothers. Maybe it was my dads fault, but even if it was, did it really merit such a crash to all that he had built? Where was God in this and if he was involved, Why couldn't he have prevented such a meaningless happening.

I have this feeling when someone goes through all the work of filling up there tray at lunch to trip and lose it all, on the way to the table. I experience it when the quiet bookworm kid comes to school with a black eye and a fat lip. I feel it when an old person gets hurt, as if getting old didn't hurt enough. I don't like this feeling of watching others hurt for no apparent reason, but I think there in lies the answer. There is no apparent reason, but who knows what is going on in there world.

There are, in most accounts, 2 reasons for a situation like this to happen. The first reason is known only to the individual going through it. The circumstance may be just the jolt they need for one reason or another. It may be what gets them on to the right path or back on the one they strayed from. More importantly is the other reason for such an emotional encounter. It's not for them, it's for me. I'm given the opportunity to alter life by their situation. I help them clean up there tray, I offer my hand in friendship to the person that's not very popular, I visit the elderly in there time of pain or I express my mutual feeling of sadness at the end to an amazing project together.

I think I've come to realize, that the feeling of punching old ladies, only comes when I go no further then my emotions. I now know, I have to offer myself in a persons time of need, whether I can do it perfectly or not, to give a purpose to what seems like senseless consequences.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net">

I've been spending the majority of my nights falling to sleep watching ALF. The show has a sort of simplicity that you don't see in TV anymore. It also has a genuine humor to it that leaves racism, sexual innuendos and politics by the way side. If you're not familiar with the show at all, it's about an alien that crash landed on earth and is being protected by a family until he can be rescued. I watched the show for this long to only notice now, that ALF is Jesus. Not literally, but metaphorically.

Show after show, the family does everything in their power, to keep ALF hidden from the outside world. I do that more than I care to admit. All too often I find myself rushing Jesus into the kitchen or closet when people come over. After I know he's out of sight, I quickly turn around with a expression that says everything is OK. ALF was rushed into the kitchen every time someone came over and then the Tanners would smile and greet the company like the normal family they should be. What are we so afraid of? Hurting someones feelings? Being rejected perhaps? Maybe it's as simple as being afraid of confrontation and not knowing how to bring it up. I don't know about you, but I know I wasn't put on this earth to make sure Jesus is comfortable in front of the TV and has plenty to eat. I was made to be a servant for Christ, for others .

So, Should we be a smiling face to show all is well, normal and hope no one asks any tough questions like the Tanners do? Or should we open the doors and let in who chooses to venture our way? We need to stop hiding Jesus from the world, like he is some alien that no one will understand. Everyday we have the choice to step out in faith and let Gods light be shown or hide it behind the nearest door. We have to be less afraid of what we think people will think and start acting on what we believe. There is a lot to get from Jesus for ourselves, but what of Jesus do we give to others.

I was recently watching family videos of me when I was younger. I found a video of my dad, brother and I playing catch. I remember being scared of my dad throwing the ball at me. It wasn't that he threw too hard, because he didn't, it was that I knew he could. I had watched my dad throw the ball around at ball games with older people and new he had an arm. I watched myself lay my glove open, as he lobed it into the air gently. I would put the glove out in front of me as far as I could, to avoid all chances of getting hit. I remember that fear quite well.

As I grew older, my father threw harder. It was either catch it or get out of the way. I loved playing catch with my dad, but sometimes the fear got the best of me. My dad was very good at putting the ball right where I could catch it and only throwing it as hard as he knew I would be able to handle. I remember probably one of the last times I played catch with him. He was putting everything he had behind it. When I would catch wrong, it would hit the palm of my hand flat and it hurt with a sting that lasted well past the initial impact. Even though he was throwing it harder, I was staying in front of the ball. I was catching it and throwing it back with as much intensity as I had. I began to enjoy the sting and the pain because I was lost in the experience. The fear wasn't there and he knew I could take his hardest throws.

He always new how much I could take. From tossing it up in there air, to hurling it at me with a speed the Road Runner would be jealous of. I realize now that him playing catch with me wasn't about teaching me to be able to handle more, but teaching me how to deal with what was being thrown at me at the time. He knew what I could handle and it showed in how he threw it at me. Life is the same way with God. He knows what we can handle and adjusts his pitches accordingly.

There is two ways to fight through struggles that seem overwhelming.

#1 Without God
This puts the weight on you and you alone. Fear is more overwhelming knowing that you can only do what you believe you can do. There are no miracles, no saving graces and nothing to gaing, but the chance to do it all over again when you fall. Whether it ends good or bad, you are solely to blame and ultimately are all alone.

#2 With God
If you know that God doesn't put you through any endeavor that you can't handle you will feel ok. Reguardless of the situation, you will come out victorious. you know that God will provide and thus, nothing seems out of reach or improbable. There is a sense of security and wellbeing that can be gained from finding joy in a failure, knowing they can't get the best of you.

All in all I learned a valuable lesson from playing catch from my father. He didn't teach me to fear or hate the ball, but to understand it. In life and all its failings, I've learned no matter what comes my way, always stay in front of the ball, because when God is with me, there is no safer place to be.