Friday, August 5th

Hello, Hello... at a place called home. Rangers drop one tonight. I think "dropped" would be a generous term. More like, gave away. Pitching and Rangers are not two words used in the same sentence, unless there is a "no" in front of the pitching, then it might make sense. I am working on homework, have been since I was 5, and something hit me last night, and I have been thinking about it for a while. Onto the definition of the day... (I think I may becoming a little predictable)

crit·i·cal (adj.)
1. Inclined to judge severely and find fault.
2. Characterized by careful, exact evaluation and judgment.

think·ing (noun)
1. A way of reasoning; judgment.

I have an assignment that is dealing with critical thinking, and the words just stuck with me. I was wondering how these two words fit in with my walk with God. I tend to make light of a lot of things in life, for the simple fact that no matter what I do, earn, and collect, in the end - it stays here and I move on to the "next stage." (That's not the former Nokia Theatre, btw) Do I have critical thinking with God, family, friends, work, or school? I think so. I think this even goes back to contempt. Would critical thinking maybe include contempt? If I were to find fault and pass judgment on someone, wouldn't that be contempt? And finding fault wouldn't be too hard to do. We all fall short of the glory; we all are not deserving of what God has done for us. Who besides Jesus deserved anything? And then to top it off, Jesus had such a humble attitude that he felt he didn't deserve a thing. By looking things up in the dictionary, judgment isn't so much a bad thing, though...

judgment (noun)
1. The capacity to form an opinion by distinguishing and evaluating
2. The capacity to assess situations or circumstances and draw sound conclusions; good sense

When I becameChristianian, I had to make a judgment on the situation. As we all do, assess the situation and form a conclusion. The question: "do I want to do this?" is asked in my mind, I make the decision and move on. So obviously judgment isn't a bad thing. Used on people is something else entirely.

Galatians 2:11-13
11When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

Peter does what I have done. I seperate myself from those who either intimidate me or I feel I am better than. If someone has a nice car, nice cloths, a lot of "bling," I develop an attitude that will either go like: You have so much money, I am not worthy to be your friend - you are too good for my tastes. OR: I am better than you because I don't need those expensive things to prove I am a good person.

Guess what? Both are wrong. Either way I go, I am in sin on this. I draw back and seperate myself both ways and that leads me to hypocrisy. Jesus talked to everyone, relatable to everyone and I need to strive toward that kind of character. I see this in my character and repent. Please hold me accountable. Thanks so much for reading the blog. Johnny Out.