plumjuice.

here's my view from the smokers' bench!

turns out there are a few thousand ingredients in cigarettes, some of which are quite odd.  you know wat else is odd? bible verses like proverbs 22:13, which says,

"the sluggard says, 'there's a lion outside! i'll be killed in the public square!'" 

say huh? so i looked it up and... pshh. there would be another blog post about it. ;] so let's try out a diffferent verse, a few lines up. how about proverbs 22:9?

"the generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor."

this one seems to be a bit more clear right off the bat, which is always nice, but it also has some serious relevance to our everyday lives.  it's really, really cool seeing how more and more people are so apt to lend money out to others. especially when they don't demand or even ask to be payed back. it shouldn't be this way, but money runs the circus of a planet that we live on: it's a precious resource to say the least. 

fact: jessica alba is smoking hot, and i think every guy-- and most girls--would probably agree with that. 

fact: jessica alba has supported over two dozen charities and non-profit organizations.

wat if that was her bread winner? wat if we valued her generosity, and complimented her looks? jessica alba aside, that seems to be quite the opposite of how we treat the people around us. i am so freakin guilty of this:

"i got to know soandso because they were thisorthat and they could offer me suchandsuch. a few months later i found out he/she was a good person, too."

let's hear it for being #superficial! everyday i have to remind myself that being generous is not (personally) a natural thing, and that it often takes a conscious effort to seek out ways to bless others. it's a wonderful feeling to help somebody else, especially when it has nothing at all to do with money. there is a survey that determines which of these five categories symbolizes your dominant love language, both giving and receiving; my giving language is acts of service. god has given me a heart for his children, for all of you, and i love serving others. this doesn't come up all that often, but i love manual labor, which is why i love going to mexico on house building trips, and being an anonymous team member on volunteer projects, anything that requires a community effort to accomplish. wat do you like to give? wat can you give? wat do you give?

*note* 

i wrote this yesterday (thursday) morning, and ran out of time to finish, so i just added the last two sentences right now. i just read back through this, and my jaw hit the floor a second ago: not only is god alive and active, but he's also pretty good at letting you know it's him that brings about change. last night, 12 hours after writing, i had an experience that changed my life: god was able to use me to play out the exact words of proverbs 22:9. so my mind is blown right now. i'll try to write again tonight or tomorrow. i am freakin ready for life. he's a freakin lion, baby. not to be confusd with the lion mentioned above. ;D