mensfashionworld:

Giampaolo Sgura editorial for Hercules

Dang. check out that hair…

Let’s have some real bros. 

• Bros that work out with you. 
• Bros that aren’t just about video games and sports. 
• Bros that can communicate. 
• Bros that know when to shut up.
• Bros that keep each other accountable.
• Bros that will challenge you. 
• Bros that got your back.
• Bros that are honest.
• Bros that you can trust.
• Bros that won’t become better friends with your crush, girlfriend, ex, than you.
• Bros that don’t forget you. 
• Bros that warn you if you’re about to do something stupid.
• Bros that let you do something stupid. 
• Bros that with no shame and are willing to do something stupid with you.
• Bros that make you do what you said you were going to do 3 months ago.
• Bros that own up if they screwed up.
• Bros that screw up every now and then so you don’t feel like you’re the only one. 
• Bros that have swag.

Is this that too much to ask for?

Upon being asked, “How good are you?” often times people will put themselves on a moral scale and say things like, I’m no Mother Theresa, but I’m not Hitler either. Ever since I’ve read Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, I’ve found that it actually isn’t quite that difficult to put myself on equal level as a murderer or even Hitler. It seems absurd to compare morality. Needless to say, I completely understand when the Apostle Paul writes the following: 

¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 

I don’t quite think to myself, “I’ve never killed anyone so I’m better than that person.” I know just as well that when Jesus says,

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

that that is entirely true. What really separates me from someone who has committed the act? A slight degree of self-control, but essentially, we’re the same. If I were to continue thinking in such thoughts, it would only be a matter of time until thoughts become a reality. 

So while I haven’t ever found myself thinking “I’m better because I haven’t…” I do still find myself thinking “I’m better than you.” Interestingly enough, these thoughts usually occur in the church setting. 

I think that a part of it has to do with motives. This is a whole other topic that I will probably cover in the future, but essentially, I’m sick of the people who are faking it. Well, who’s not? But I’ll come across people that are serving in the church half-heartedly and a lot of times don’t even want to be doing what they’re doing. If you read my post from yesterday, you know that when I do something, I go hard. So I hate to watch someone who doesn’t even want to do something get loaded with the responsibilities that I could have instead. 

For certain, the Christian faith isn’t very straight forward, and a lot of times doesn’t make much sense. God desires mercy, not sacrifice, right? He doesn’t look at what we do, He looks at our hearts. So I try to have a heart. Try to always be willing to do things. But somehow, that isn’t it either… 

I mean, it makes sense. I’m prideful. My “I’m better than you” mentality is without a doubt a strong indication of my pride. But how do I get rid of it? How can I still want to do things and have a heart for things/people without pride? I’m willing to do any and everything to “serve” the church. But why do I feel like I end up looking like Simon the Sorcerer? It’s terrifying, because I read Acts 8, and even though I know that he was condemned for trying to buy the power of the Holy Spirit, I sympathized with him… Peter rebukes him for not having the right heart. But how can I be absolutely certain of having the right heart? I try… but that doesn’t mean that I’ll get the right intentions… 

It’s scary to think that I come up with these thoughts; “I’m better than you.” Because I know that that’s what made Satan fall. 

I’ve never been in an interview where I was asked this question. I haven’t been in many interviews altogether… but I have heard that this is a pretty common question at an interview. 

I don’t think that I myself am in the position to really say what my greatest weakness is. But the one that comes to mind, is that I’m really emotional. 

By no stretch do I think that I’m a very simple person. I think that I’m a complex person with layers upon layers of crazy personality. There’s probably a better way to phrase this… However, at the same time I’m fairly shallow. I don’t know if this is a real word, but the word I would use is uni-dimensional. 

I only have one dimension. In the context of work, this means that when if I do something, I’m going to do it 200%. Unfortunately, this also means that if I don’t feel like doing something, it’s going to be really hard for me. I’ll get it done, but it’s not going to be done very well. 

On the emotional level, if I’m upset, you’ll know. If I’m happy, you’ll know. If I don’t like you, it will show. 

I don’t really see a reason to hide it. Don’t get me wrong. I think that I’m also capable of lying through my teeth and acting a certain way. For something work related, I’ll probably do it so I don’t get fired. But there are a lot more situations where I just don’t find much a need to bother having to act and hide how I truly feel. 

jspark3000:

From Jon Acuff’s blog, author of Stuff Christians Like.

Guest post by Cory Copeland. Quite hilarious. Especially about the hair.

Read here.

This is so good. hahahaha

Have you ever felt like you knew what something was all your life, only to find out later that what you knew was only a cheap imitation? That everything you’ve ever had before was a lie? That though it claimed to be one thing, it wasn’t? You feel ashamed for that imitator. You feel angry that the imitator even tries to bother to pass as the real thing. That’s how I feel about the cannolis from Termini bros at Reading Terminal Market…

I though I knew what cannolis were… I’ve seen them before at restaurants. I never thought they were all that good though. I always wondered what was so special about them. But I had never been to Italy or anything. I knew that this couldn’t be it. It couldn’t be this soggy mess filled with whipped cream.

Then on my birthday, a coworker went out and got me a cannoli from Termini bros, and my life was changed. That might sound too dramatic, but I assure you that it is true. The way I see and understand the word “cannoli” will never be the same. I will never eat another supposed cannoli again. In the past, if you asked me if I wanted a cannoli, I would have passed. But now, this is something I would gladly receive as a wonderful dessert. I would love to accept a plate full of cannolis over a birthday cake.

Bite into the truth.

The more that I read about the Pharisees, the more I wonder what they really believe in. The entirety of the Hebrew faith is about the coming of a savior. Yet, when he is actually before them, these leaders don’t believe. They didn’t consider John the Baptist as a true prophet. When they witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead, they wanted to kill him and Jesus. 

I know that we often say, “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” but this is too much. They really have no destination. So what will they believe then? 

For many, the period of fasting will end this upcoming Friday. This year, my fasting schedule was all over the place with lent, my personal season of fasting/solitude, and spring break. For all intensive purposes, my major fasting period ended last Saturday. 

During a season of fasting, it helps to really focus on God, whether we’re doing it out of remembrance, supplication, or humility. However, just like any time of spiritual goodness, it is almost certain that when our allotted time of fasting is over, we will be attacked. 

Without a doubt, my season of solitude was good. As much as it was getting extremely difficult near the end, it was an incredibly blessing time, and I learned a lot. However, what I failed to foresee, was just how difficult it would be to end that season of fasting. Especially since it was so difficult near the end, I figured that the end of my fasting from people would be a glorious reemergence into society. It was hardly so. 

It was pretty foolish for me to think that I would be able to flip a switch and I could go back to the way things were 3-4 months ago. First of all, I wouldn’t want things to go back to the way things were 3-4 months ago. I would sincerely hope that during those months, I grew and matured. If that were the case, then why would I want things to go back to the way they were? The second reason deals with what I noticed as I read the passages in reference to Christ’s temptation in the dessert. 

“And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came…”
-Matthew 4:2

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.”
-Luke 4:1-2 

What I noticed both of these times, was that while he fasted, he didn’t ever complain about being hungry or whatever. The scripture from Luke says specifically that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. There will be those times when we fast, even if we’re fasting only 3 days, after missing two meals, we can already feel the hunger coming. Yet Jesus wasn’t hungry until after forty days were over. The devil directly approaches and begins speaking to Jesus after the forty days were over. 

The real challenge of fasting comes when you think its over. When you fast for a whole week drinking nothing but juice, its so easy to think that you’re so hungry that you want to go and eat at the Chinese food buffet. Yet, we all know that that isn’t the best idea. 

Be on guard, friends. As you look to break fast in the upcoming week. If you make it through, it will be worth it. 

“Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

nickdrake:

muhammad ali.

swag

I hate expectations. I really do. They ruin everything. Nothing quite ruins a birthday gift like someone acting like they deserve it. You were born on this day. Wow, thanks for your hard work…

One expectation that has left me extremely jaded is the one I have for people older than me. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), it used to be a lot worse. I used to have the idea that adults were perfect. Being raised Korean American, obedience to olders was a must. Pastors especially were holy people. They couldn’t be wrong. But of course one day the effects of the forbidden fruit kicked in. The height of my teenage angst was probably around the time I realized how imperfect authority could be.

I’m not really sure why, but for whatever reason, but in college, I picked up those expectations again. I expected “older brothers” to really be mentors and teach me. I had never had someone to mentor me. I’ve already written about such a lack of male leadership. At Drexel, where there were so many of these supposed “older brothers,” I should have found some good mentors. Subconsciously, I expected it. (It may have helped if I were to actively seek it.)

In any case, I held these brothers to a certain standard. They were supposed to be wiser than me, stronger in faith than me, and able to teach me things I didn’t understand. Again, I’m not quite sure why I felt this way. They were only a couple of years older than me. Not only for people older, but for peers too. They were supposed to be helping me.

Instead, looking back, I’ve come to realizt that a lot of times, I was in a better position than some. While I looked up to them to teach me, I knew more than they did, I was more mature, and I was much more experienced. Not entirely, but there were definitely certain circumstances where it was the case. Especially for peers, I was in every bit of a position to be leading them. Yet, for so long I’ve been paralyzed by the thought of being inadequate.

So often, I look at leaders as someone to lead me and failed to recognize that they are also people in need of grace. The failure to understand that, affected the way I handled my relationships with leaders. Rather than showing grace where it was due, I was simply disappointed. That disappointment led to bitterness, and that bitterness would cause me to swell up with pride, thinking that I was better than them.

1 Timothy 5:1 ESV

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers…