You Want A Post? Fine, Be That Way!

In case you don't understand the title, read my last post's recent comments. ;)

Alright, if you insist. I'll post. I'm really not opposed to the idea, but there arises a problem. I don't have anything to post about! For the last two months, my schedule has been the same week after week: Monday-Friday is school, Saturday is paper route and Sunday is church. That's about it. However, if I can't post about my life, I'll post about everything else! So here goes. :)

The Redness
I'll begin with an animation I made, called "The Redness". ;)
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My Trip to China
On another note, I have a little story to tell. I wrote this somewhere else, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to share it with you all. I recently had an interesting dream. It was probably the coolest dream I've ever had, and it had a strange feeling to it. I'll tell that story, and then show the spiritual aspect to it.

Before I fell asleep last night, I was reading through a Guinness Book of World Records book, and came across a record that said China had over 14 billion moviegoers every year. It had a picture of a Chinese-language movie on the page, and that really stuck in my mind. I also was praying as I fell asleep, and there were so many things to pray for. My thought was, "God, I don't know what will happen with all these requests, but I'm just going to trust in You." I feel asleep soon thereafter.

I had such a vivid dream. In it, I won an all-expense paid trip to China. As with all dreams, it didn't all make sense. I stayed at the house of a Christian family there, and I remember we went to see the movie Kung Fu Panda at a Chinese theater. (This was, of course, influenced by the Record book I was reading). On a side note, this really shows the things we think about is the things we'll dream about. Back on subject, it was now time to return to America (my dream was simulated). I had to walk back to the Christian family's house, and I had no idea how to get there. I just started walking, and said, "God, I don't know the way, but You do and I'll trust in You."

I kept walking along a dirt road with nothing in site. I, in my dream, truly was trying to follow God and trust Him. I continued walking and there appeared the city where they lived! This may not seem like much, but China is a pretty big country. I ate dinner with them, and soon left for the airport to fly home to America. I didn't know where the airport was, I didn't know when the plane would leave, and I didn't even know what plane I was to go on. I simply knew God had planned for me to go home that day, so I decided to trust Him and look for the airport. I simply needed to follow Him.

Why am I telling this crazy story? Well, for one, it is what is on my mind right now. But also, it has a spiritual application. Isaiah 12:2 says, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." In my dream, what would have happened if I had just trusted in my own strength to find the peoples' house, or the airport? Would I have ever found it? Probably not. Proverbs 28:26a says, "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool..." Trusting in ourselves, and our own understanding, will get us nowhere.

In our day and age, there is so much to be afraid of. Jesus was probably speaking of our time when He said, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matthew 24:6-7) There is so much we can be afraid of, but a Christian ought never fear these things!

So today, let me challenge you to put your trust in God. I'm not talking about Salvation; I mean all of your day-to-day trust. Don't worry about your finances, how expensive your clothes are, what people think of you, your future; nothing! God is in control of everything, and "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) How powerful our God is, that we can simply rely on His Goodness! Praise Him!

The Witnessing Story
I haven't done a whole lot of witnessing lately, sadly. About a week ago, I was writing a devotional about "Preaching the Gospel". As I wrote, God really convicted me of not doing exactly what I was saying to do! It had been cold and rainy out, so I hadn't gone witnessing in a few weeks.

So I got up, put on warm clothes and walked 1/2 a mile in the rain to see if I could find someone to witness to. I knew God wanted me to go. I ended up talking to a man named Bob who believed he needed to (a) prayer a Catholic prayer (a ritual), and (b) live a good life to get to Heaven. Of course, this is not what the Bible says about Salvation, so I was able to share Christ with him right there! He didn't, to my knowledge, get saved, but he certainly was told the Truth and I left him with a Gospel tract. Praise the Lord!

The Photo
I'm in this photo. If you can find me, you win a prize! (Make larger; this contest is specifically designed for certain people with nothing better to do.)

So... that's all for now. I hope you were entertained my animation, exhorted by the dream, motivated by the witnessing story and then died laughing trying to find me in the photo. That way, you won't be around to complain when I don't post for the next few weeks. :D

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God bless, J.J. Biddinger