Have you ever wanted people to hear about your ideas? Have you ever had an idea that you just thought was profound and wanted to share it with others? Do you have an opinion regarding a specific topic that you want to voice and you want to know what others think?
What if I told you that you could do all those things? Would you be interested?
You absolutely CAN! This is possible through the use and creation of a “Blog”. You can have your own personalized blog that reflects your personality where you can write about literally anything!!! There people can view your thoughts, ideas and share opinions on the topics you find relevant.
So by now you must be thinking how can I get one of these? There are many popular sites that allow you to “blog” but often times people find the creation and use of these sites to be difficult. They see words and acronyms like HTML, CSS, XML, among others and they become very intimidated. The end result often times is that they just don’t create or use one!
One of our hall members Nathaniel Garcia is here to take the complicated aspects of the creation and use of a “blog” out of the picture so you can get to sharing your views, ideas, and opinions with others TODAY!!!
There has to be a catch right? Nope! This will cost you absolutely NOTHING!!! Nathaniel will create and put together a design that reflects your personality or interests and in return you agree to allow him to “monetinze” your blog. That simply means this allows, like any website or blog, for there to be small ads that are relevant to your website content to appear at the edges of the webpage.
So at absolutely NO COST to you, you will now be able to share your ideas, views, and opinions with the world on a cool personalized blog without the complications of confusing HTML, XML, CSS, etc.
Ready to get started? Post a comment below with your name, email address, and a good alternative contact info and you’ll be started in no time! He can even give you tips on how to increase the number of people who read your blog! Don’t wait get started now!!!
If you have a prayer request, PLEASE, leave it here on this page and we as a hall (Flower First North aka F1N) will collectively as a group gather together to pray for your needs! There will always be at least one person if not many who is praying for the request that you leave on the site!
The needs and prayer requests of our fellow CBC students, CBC Alumni, Springfield residents, as well as other brothers and sisters in Christ around the country from Alaska and Hawaii to California to New York to our missionaries abroad matter to us GREATLY!!! We believe in the power of prayer and we want to believe with you that God's will would be done in the situation and that God would be glorified!
Please leave your name, details of the need, and if possible a specific way you'd like us to pray. All unspoken needs are welcomed...
God Bless!
F1N
It's Wednesday and as my alarm goes off, breaking the peace of my sleep, I have no worries on my mind. That could be because I'm not even coherent yet or my brain, like a PC, takes a while to start up. Either way my morning has started off with not a worry. (Windows Vista Chimes) Ding! All of the sudden my brain is picking up where it left off last night. I have a test in Prof. Snavely's Old Testament class!!! Im looking at the clock and I've got 20 or so minutes to get ready cause I hit the snooze button three times out of either tiredness or a desire to hear my alarm go off three more times. Its been just minutes and I'm realizing that I have no cash on me, I can't find my wallet (thought empty it has my debit card), I have two socks (neither match), my coffee maker didn't automatically kick on this morning, and I've got just minutes before Dr. Vigil's class starts.
I just flew out the door! I'm fumbling through my pocket to find my keys and Im realizing I don't have my ID card. I'm going to be late again if I can't hurry up and find it. I've located it and I'm flying out the door again. Slam! Im reaching in my pocket for my keys. Ahhh what the?! I just cut myself on I don't even know what reaching for my keys. I locked the door and now I'm running to class. Ring! Ring! Ring! O no! My mom is calling me and I'm just now realizing I didn't send her the information on my bank account so she can handle some time sensitive financial issues back home for me.
"Hey Mom! I can't talk right now I'm literally running to class! I'm sorry I haven't sent you that information but I'll do it asap, I promise!"
In what is seeming like hours, in reality its been 20 seconds or so, she's fitting in this lecture and informing me of all the repercussions that could be involved due to my delay in getting her the information. I've gotten her off the phone and amongst the other worries crowding my mind it seems I'm thinking of four other things I'm beginning to feel worry over. Its been just a minute since I left my room and started my brisk jog to Dr. Vigil's class. I reach out, grab the door handle (its ice cold), and open the door. I now have 20 sets of eyes disapprovingly staring at me cause I'm late. Dr. Vigil has just reminded me of the "no hats in class" policy. I'm taking my hat off and notice my shirt is all wrinkled and I'm wearing a pair of pants with a taco bell hot sauce stain. O great! I wonder if anyone noticed? Is that girl looking at me or my wrinkled shirt? (sniff sniff) What is that smell? Is that me? Nah, I showered this morning. I'm sitting down in my seat. Ive just opened my back pack only to find that I have all my Tuesday/Thursday class notepads in my backpack, I left my bible on my desk, and I've now got nothing to take notes on now. What am I suppose to do now? I don't really know anyone in this class. How am I going to get the notes? What if this is the lecture he tests on next week? What a situation I've found myself in...what the heck am I going to do?! AHHH SNAP!!! I don't have my notepad for Prof.Snavely's class!!! How am I going to do a little short review before I go take the test? (sniff sniff) Really?! What is that smell? It smells like I've got a wet dog sitting in every seat surrounding me. I look up towards the front of the class...wait...is Dr. Vigil frowning at me? Does he think I smell? Is he looking at my wrinkled shirt? Is he jealous I just saved money on my car insurance by switching to Geico? What is that face about? Ring! Ring! R...! My phone just went off in class and its an ALL CAPS text from my mom telling me to get with the program and get her the information she needs. Crap! I look up again and Dr. Vigil's frown is currently changing to this blankly inquisitive yet disapproving glare. Did I mention those 20 sets of I eyes are now glaring in disapproval that not only was I late my phone went off in class. O God! What am I going to do with this day! I've got fourty thousand things on my mind and nothing seems to be going right today!
I don't know if you've ever had a day that has started like this where from the time your mind clicks into gear your it's just filled with the worries of the day! You get started and before you know it you feel so bombarded by everything and stressed by the worries racing in your mind that you are ready to call it a day, get back in bed, and sleep til tomorrow. It's these situations that have led me to these scriptures and the creation of this devotional.
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
This passage of scripture is likely not new to you but there is a chance that after you've read this devotional you may implement this passage of scripture into your life, for the first time or the first time in a long time.
The Scene: Jesus is out amongst the people, preaching and teaching, doing what he does best. Jesus was a walking statement of profound truth and his teachings here in Chapter 6 were no exception.
The Message and things to take note of: Just as I was so worried in the short beginnings of my day, over things that seemed meticulous and in the overall grand scheme of life unimportant, you yourself (I'm sure) could admit that there have been times were your day became consumed with worries. Without even realizing it often times we find ourselves in this situation. While its happening we don't even recognize the problem that is quickly developing and ruining our day. Instead our minds became the catalyst for the worry that we have come to live in. Although some of us worry only when the big things in life are staring us down, others of us find the small things of life bothersome. Either way I think when reading this we can all say no matter what the worry or worries we've all been here. As if to cement that agreement Jesus leaves no stone of worry unturned. He quickly puts into perspective the worries of this life and addresses them. At the very beginning in verse 25 we see Jesus address an issue of perspective that is the primary problem many of us have.
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
In bold are the things Jesus is highlighting her as truly important in comparison to the things in italics that are secondary in their level of importance. Jesus realizes that we as humans have a perspective problem. Admittingly I can say that I've worried way more about what I'll wear everyday than the health and wellness of my own body. I can also say that I've worried way to much about what I'll eat (or how much due to my weight) than I have about my devotional life and making that a priority. Jesus is making it clear in his opening line that there is a problem with this and through contrast he shows it's a problem of perspective. As if to take it a step further Jesus re-stresses this point
26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
If to almost to lend us his perspective Jesus shows us his priorities. I don't know about you but birds can be and often are quite beautiful yet I do not find them to be of much importance among the things of this world. I actually grew a dislike for them in high school as I was pelted several times by bird poop. But despite my bias Jesus shows that God cares for even the birds and he meets their every need. And as if he saw the worries that burdened the crowd surrounding them he asked them a question with a very obvious answer. Are you not more valuable then they?Jesus here has lent us his perspective knowing we have lost ours. We often times not only miss prioritize the things we care about in life because of a mis perspective but we go a step further to worry about them because we lost God's perspective on us. Knowing that we find ourselves with this dilemma of perspective and that we find ourselves in situations much like mine he asks this question.
27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
In other words who is actually improving their life because of this? Who is seeing improvement to their life by living this way? Important to note that this is a rhetorical question because the answer to this is clearly there is no one who improves their life by living like that (ie like I was or like you have). That question is likely Jesus' way of trying to get you to ask this question: If it isn't improving my life (more likely making life worse stressing you out) why do I do it? And if to know that he has gotten us to reach this point in our thinking he takes a second opportunity to lend us his perspective.
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Jesus has brought us to a crossroads in thinking; again lending us his perspective while provoking in us the thoughts of our own. Now that he has shown us the clear differences between his perspective and our perspective, he begins to try and draw us out of our way of thinking to a place in line with his own. As if to say "O my child don't you see..." Jesus reiterates his point, this time with his perspective in our mind. While he is showing us this he asks us where is our faith. With our ways of thinking put into perspective and a Christ perspective of life now in focus he wants us to see where amongst this worry has our faith been? Jesus had to show us the way we were thinking, show us the error in those ways, and then lend us his perspective just so we in that moment wouldn't worry. It's easy when we read this to not worry, but if after we close our bibles and walk through our days find ourselves worrying again have we truly addressed the issue of faith God has brought up? I believe as Jesus is trying to draw us in line with his thinking he's trying to show us that if our faith truly is in him we will have nothing to worry about. Now I imagine Jesus knew that there were those he was speaking to in that moment that had just taken on his perspective and were placing their trust in him...knowing this he seized the moment to instruct them (and us) on how to life with this new perspective saying...
31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Here he contrasts what people of faith and people not of the faith do. So if we are people of faith in Jesus Christ we shouldn't worry about all those things chasing after them like people of no faith (pagans) do. So Jesus tells us as people of faith what we should do saying...
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
We must seek him! If your like me and your mornings can be hectic or you know your morning is going to lead into a hectic day and that you struggle with specifically this portion of your day to cause you to worry I believe this passage of scripture can help greatly! What I am beginning to implement into my life to remedy this stumbling block is having my devotional times in the morning. I get up early with plenty of time to read my bible, spend time with God, and then do what I need to do to get ready. This helps me to keep the things of my day in perspective with what God has for my life and my day specifically so I don't let worry creep into my mind and hinder me from being in tune with what God is trying to say to me as I walk through my day. (Please note the fictitious narrative was used to be an example of worry in the mornings. If the story was actually how my morning had gone today I'm sure it would be a strong contradiction of this devotional.) Jesus closes knowing days like this happen saying
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
My encouragement to you today is that there is a God with the right perspective who loves us and cares about us. If we are willing to seek him and keep our faith in him among all the stress he can give us the right perspective. Don't let yourself get caught up in worries...is your life improved because of it?
Did you enjoy this devotional? Was is helpful? Was it too long? Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think! I would love to know :) Thanks
Nathaniel J. Garcia
Now that the framework for the F1N Project website has gone up, along with, the Door 109 blog and twitter I thought it would be good to explain the meanings of these terms and the intentions of what they represent.
What does "F1N" mean and what does it represent?
F1N stands for "Flower 1st North". It is a dormitory hall of twelve rooms housing nearly 20 people in the Flower Building on the Central Bible College campus.
Where did the term F1N come from?
The term F1N was first developed on September 14th 2009 during a hall devotional meeting in SGA VP Josiah Smith's dorm room (101). The person to be credited with the creation of the term is Nick Maese of F1N room 106. The creation and copyright of the F1N Project is credited to Nathaniel Garcia, of F1N room 109, who created and published its website and blog on September 20th 2009.
What is "Door 109"?
Door 109 is the location from where the F1N Project both operates and updates throughout its progression. D00r 109 is also the name of the F1N Project Blog.
What is the F1N Project?
The F1N Project is a creative extension of the internal thoughts and feelings of those within F1N. Those extensions are to include Biographies of organization members, Editorials i.e the Door 109 blog, Graphic Design, Photography, and Video. The intention of the project is to gain the readership and following of the Central Bible College campus and others abroad. The F1N Project is not intended to be a competitor of the Central Bible College newspaper "The Voice". It is only a creative extension of those within F1N...
When will the F1N website be operational?
The planned date for the beginning operation of the F1N Project website is 10.01.2009...
Does the F1N Project have a Facebook or a Twitter?
The F1N Project has both a Facebook page and a Twitter feed. The twitter feed is connected here on the Door 109 in the sidebar along with the F1N Project Facebook link located -->
