JohnHansman

After Birthday Thoughts

2011-10-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been a while..

I can't believe that it's already October. My birthday has come and gone. This years birthday was different. I look at life with new eyes. If you don't know Christ it's important to realize that Christians are not exempt from struggling. Last year at this time I was fighting depression.

Some very close people I love and generally turned to when struggling where under going their own life challenges. Close friends were getting into relationships leaving me the only single on in the house and the normal work of stress was mounting and I felt like I had no one to talk to. I share all this to make a couple points about life. And what I learned coming out of the 3 months of depression I was facing. I realize that this fight is different for everyone. Remembers God's truth is the same regardless of who you are.

God created us to need each other. I Thessalonians 5:11: Therefore, encourage each other and strengthen one another as you are doing. If your struggling with depression let someone in. God desires that we would support our other family members.
Learn God's promises, learn what his word says about you. The bible says that the devil comes to Steal, Kill and destroy. I was talking with someone the other day and I stated hows it's interesting that the devil only really messes with me in one place. He knows where my faith is weak and where I'm struggling to believe the gospel and that's where he attacks every time. If you are struggling with your place in life, your self image or where you going. Keep in mind that..

God has a plan and a purpose for your life.
God loves you and sees through your hurt pain and weak spots and he calls you to be set apart. If you feel like your different it's because you are. God loves you so much that he created you to be an individual.
God hears your cry even when it feels like no one is listening

Learn about who God's is and what does the bible say about God and his character. I'll give you a couple starting points. These things lead back to number to.. If you learn who God is.. You'll see that he always keeps his promises.

God is the only one who always does what is good, right and perfect.
God is Great - So we don’t have to be in control.
God is Glorious – So we don’t have to fear others
God is Good - So we don’t have to look elsewhere
God is Gracious - So we don’t have to prove ourselves

In the end I learned that God wants me to trust him. He wants me to give him my life and everything I have and am. In return he gives me the privilege of serving him, being his kid. It took me half of 2011 to realize that my depression was no more that the devil trying to attack me at the core of my faith in Christ. As I get ahold of my faith in the Gospel and what it says I see the world different. Look at all people with new eyes and I look at my life through Gods lense rather than my own.

Life is good, not by anything I've done but by me giving Christ my life and in return doing nothing but listening and then doing what he tells me. The battle is not over.. I finish up with a favorite verse.

Hebrews 12:1: Since we are surrounded by so many examples of faith, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up.

Calculated Risk

2011-09-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

A friend maybe the only guy who actually reads my blog made a comment to me about the fact that I haven't written anything recently. What he doesn't know is that I have. Turns out I have 3 drafts that I just haven't posted.. I'm not sure why maybe it's because I'm not sure about how open and vulnerable I want to be.

A conversation over coffee with a friend yesterday got me thinking about something. With God is there really a such thing as calculated risk?

We were talking about him looking for new jobs and interviewing this week and how if he got offers from both places that interview him what choice he would make. One is short term but offers possible growth and one of a kind experience and the other other offers stability. We talks about this and the options pros and cons. This made me wonder about our trusting him. As God moves us in to new places do we think to our-selves "no, that's too risky" or do we trust God to provide and lead us into a new experience. This was by no means his response but still allot of thought goes into our life decisions.

This same things applies to dating. Over the last couple months I started to have some attraction to a person who will remain nameless. The question runs in my mind do I put myself out there? Is the possibility of a little discomfort worth the risk? Is it really a risk? If she says no is that just Gods will in action? What's the right way to handle this? Or should I bail and run?

Again the question arises were is the faith in Jesus, if I act Godly and things turn out different whats lost? Does God have a plan inside that calculated risk? As we grow in our relationship with Christ, I believe he desires that we trust him, wait on him to lead us and then make a decision with him in mind regardless of our fears. Some times the scariest decisions in life is Gods way of teaching us more about trusting him and then him proving that he is faithful to us.

Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Do I know what I'm going to do? Am I going to take the risk? Only God knows. Maybe just like most of us I need to some faith in my Identity in Christ and who he's made me to be, trusting that the "what I have to offer list" will eventually be a what I'm glad I have list for someone else some day. ''

More and more, I walk in confidence in the man God created... Seeing past my flesh is still tough.

Good Night,

2011-09-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

Today I hit a milestone in my lifestyle change after losing 40lbs I did a day hike. I've done one other before when I was a teen.. This was my first in over 15 years. It was amazing. I was determined and I conquered the climb. I'll have some photos on my photo blog www.thephotoevangelist.com in the next couple days!

A couple thoughts..
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengths me.
Romans 1:20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Good night for now!

John

Weddings - God's Plan for us to trust him.

2011-08-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

For me weddings are bitter sweet. I love them and dislike them. I love what they stand for and it brings emotion to my heart as I think about God bringing two people together to spend the rest of their life together.

On the other hand because of that emotion I struggle with weddings. Honestly they are emotional for me. It's a desire of my heart to be married. Good human companionship has been slim in my life with the exception of a handful of individuals mostly older than me. (Like my parents age) I look forward to having someone to eventually spend life with. I have caught myself sitting in weddings frustrated with God because its not me up there and I'm not getting any younger.

This brings me to a thought. How much do I really trust Jesus with my life. God knows my heart, he knows my every thought desire and struggle and according to Jeremiah 29:11 he has good plans for me. Yes I still struggle with Gods "greatness" in my life. I struggle to believe that he is truly in control and has my steps ordained as well as the life of my future wife. Even though I've struggled through one wedding this year and I'm on the verge of a second one in which I experience the joy and the frustration with where I think my life should be. I praise God for the things he's doing in the lives of the people I love. I'm blessed, honored and humbled to be apart of this huge thing in their life and I have hope for my future.

I know I'm not the only one struggling with these feelings as wedding season is coming to a close. So I leave you with this tonight. If you struggling with where you are in your life remember that God hears your heart & and your cry. He has a plan even though at times it may not feel like it.

The Big Picture

Regardless of how our lives pan out. There will come a day where God will come for his bride (the Church) and there will be a great feast. Non of us know when/if God will bring our earthly bride but we are promised that he will come back for us.

My goal tomorrow is to not think about the natural and my struggles, but to remember God's plan and God's love for his church. I would be foolish to miss Gods example of amazing love towards his creation.

Lets Trust, Serve Jesus together.

Thank you,

John

New Blog

2011-08-24T23:17:00.001-07:00

Life is full of Challenges opportunities, joy and even pain. As I've been walking through life the last year I've been asking some real questions about myself.

Am I giving Jesus everything? (Good and Bad)
Do I really know who I am? (Whats my identity)
Do I really believe who God says I am and do I trust him enough to allow me to walk down the road to becoming that man?

I'm learning that what God says about me and what he says is different from the man I see in the mirror. At times I see a hurting individual. Others times I see a strong leader willing to do what it takes. Both things clash and bump heads and a seem inconsistent.

Here's what I know, God is ordaining my footsteps. He's calling me to explore his plan and purpose for my life and then learn how to believe what he says about me. My Goal is to put those things here as I learn about myself, who God is and what he's called me to be I plan to share the things Jesus is doing in my life to in the end bring him glory.. Two things are for sure..

I'm going to screw something up in the process - His grace is sufficient to cover all my short comings, fears and failures and in the end be a vessel to lead others to him..

Every day is a Challenge - Every day is a Blessing - Ever day brings me one day closer to being with Christ for eternity

Stay Tuned - I have allot to share. Hopefully my Journey will bless someone else who just might be struggling with the same things I am.

John

^{1st Peter 2:9} But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Old Blog Pictures! Round 1

2008-02-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

Funny, I'm looking through old blog post from a couple years ago.. Here are some cool pictures I found from my old blog...

I'm working on another post regarding some of the things God's been talking to me about.. Stay Tuned, I'll hopefully have it posted tomorrow.