Christians never say goodbye.

I have recently started reading "A Severe Mercy" and as I was reading C.S. Lewis makes the statement that Christians never say goodbye.  I don't know about you but I absolutely love that!  All too often we seem to find ourselves in a temporary mindset, the reason for that is because every once in a while we are tempted to not believe in Heaven, hell and God himself.  We take the term of God's grace being a gift too literal, we say thank you politely and then we put it in the closet, still in the box, grace is not something to be put in storage.  It must be applied into our lives so that grace not only is relevant to our lives but it emanates through us and affects those around us.

So knowing that Heaven, hell and God are all real, simply because we as "Christians" have accepted His grace, we can now believe in this idea that we never really say goodbye.  Why is that?  Well, saying goodbye is the idea that we may never see each other again, so we want to leave with a word that best describes our current mood upon departure.  The reason we don't say goodbye is because we will see each other again, in the glory and majesty of Christ.  It is through that grace that we accepted and have shinning through us that makes reunion possible.

So my friends, until we meet again may the grace of God be with you and shine through you!


-Todd LaBerge

For grace be our all.

In order for us to understand that which God desires for our lives we must first understand God, once we have an understanding of our guide we will come to the knowledge that He will never tell us where to go but will simply guide us there.

It is only through a complete surrender to grace that we can even hope to change the world.  Change must start with our hearts, those steps we take that allow the creator to settle into our lives are the most important steps we can possibly take.  The fact that God gives us the opportunity to surrender what we call a life to Him is one that has been taken too lightly, how can we have pride when we kill each other?  How can we have pride when children starve to death... How can we?   Yet we let anger and bitterness over take us as if we have some power over God.  Oh how misguided we are!  Only a fool shakes his fist at God, can no one put some sense into him?  Can no one tell him of the overwhelming love that he is throwing away?  Or the wrath that he is collecting for himself?

Let us be the melody of heaven in a world full of white noise, let our actions be that of old: bold, faithful and without doubt.  Rise up and surrender to grace!  Let redemption be our path and hope our shepherd.  Cling onto Christ who is wanting our all, let truth be our lantern in a world that is plummeted in darkness, and let love be that which keeps us moving.  For grace be our all so our all would be full of grace.


"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading." - Oswald Chambers


We become the song of heaven so that when we get to those gates we shall not be greeted as strangers but rather as someone who is returning home and we can continue the song that we have started on earth.

-Todd LaBerge

When in Rome.

Well, as most of you don't know, I am moving to a little place called Rome, Georgia.  It is an exciting process and I actually had no idea I was moving until about a month ago... Here is the story, about a month ago I had the chance to visit my good friend Ryan Simmons who lives in Rome.  I was sitting and talking with him and his wife, when Ryan just asked the question if I wanted to move down there and make movies with him.  This should have been a total surprise to me, yet it wasn't... the beauty of life is the fact that even if you aren't surprised with a question you are surprised by your reaction... Any way I said I would think about it but lets be real... I had already made my mind up right there on the spot... So I went home for a week before starting Summit in WI for 2 glorious weeks.

So... after Summit ended, my mind and heart had by that time been fully committed to moving...  I leave this coming Wednesday...

Now, it is important to look at this situation and see God's hand move in a real way.  I have been asked a lot, "Why Rome, Georgia?!"  My answer is usually a laugh followed by, "Why not?".  All too often in life we are faced with possibilities and we never take them, we let the "buts" in life make the decisions for us instead of the "King" in life.  Why is that?  If we believe that God spoke the world into existence why not believe that He will take care of us?  Or do we not really believe what we say...  I am tired of mouthy Christians who claim a God of power but live a life of fear.  C.S. Lewis talks about how God is the author of the play, He has written the beginning and the end but He allows the actor to do improvisation.  Those moments that the director lets us shine because He wants us to are the moments that in all honesty will scare us the most.  It is a matter of getting over the stage fright that we all experience, do we shake off those butterflies and perform for an audience of one?  or do we simply stand there and tremble?  Of course, there will be times were you are stuck in the intermission, but we can do one of two things, either sit there and be nervous or read our script and be ready for the next act.  How in all our pride and stubbornness can we stand before the cross and say, "God show me my path?".  Sometimes the best thing we can do for Christ's kingdom is to actually do something!  So why the hell aren't you?   Are you simply letting the little things stand before the biggest One?

I am leaving everyone I know and love because I am following the one who loves me... God is waiting for us to move, He desires us to grab a hold onto His hand... Whether this be in a relationship or a life change, God allows us to do improv... And when the play is finished and the curtains are down that is the moment we all meet again and congratulate each other on a fine performance and the King of glory will rush backstage to rain praises upon His star actor.

Are we waiting for God or ourselves?

So why not allow the God who chose death so that we would not be forsaken to reign completely over our lives?  Take a leap, for God is right behind you all the way.  As a child can sleep in the back of a car because they know that their dad knows the way so we can rest knowing God knows the way.

-Todd LaBerge

Love that will not let me go

A man bursts through a door on a cold wintery night... flames licking the roof of the building, a small child's voice is heard among the fire, "Help" he cries thinking that no one is there but none the less still screaming out.  As the flames get closer to the child fear grips his heart feeling as though all is lost and being completely alone...  The child puts his head down with tears streaming down his face knowing that he is about to die.  But the man leaps to his side and wraps his arms around the frightened child, to the man it was like picking up a doll, having no concern about his own safety he dashes for the door with the child secure in his arms, the flames burn and scare the man, but the child is still safe... the man makes a quick exit but the building starts to fall all around the two, a single moment in time, a single choice... the man leaps for the opening in the building, an opening that will mean safety, escape... As he makes it out with the building falling down... the child is still safe.   As people crowd around them the only concern the man has is for the child...  The child looks up at the man with tears in his eyes and asked, "Am I safe?" With a smile and a nod the man says "Yes".

Love that will not let us go is the love that keeps us safe... The love that gives us grace, for by this grace we are saved.  Even though the world may be burning down around us, we are still given the opportunity to cry out for help, even if it seem that all is lost, he is still seeking us, with no concern for his own safety, he is looking for that child to wrap his arms around.  He does what is needed... to keep you safe.  So one day we can look in his eyes and ask... "Am I safe?" and with the glory of eternity shining from his face he shall smile and say "yes".

So dear children, live with the love that you have been given and love the life that you have been endowed with for the King is keeping you safe.

 

-Todd LaBerge

Brothers in Christ.

To feel the pain of someone you love is potent in ones life, it is as though your very chest is ripped open to a fresh new pain unlike any you have ever felt.  It is one that we do not desire, one that finds its way into our life no matter how well we guard ourselves.  But the redeeming part of pain is brotherhood, we need brothers in Christ to come along with us when we are broken and distraught, when it seems that our lives can no longer get worse.  Christ brings that connection of souls into our lives to draw us closer to Him the way only pain can bring about.  Will we be bitter?  Maybe.  Does that mean God hates us?  No.  To experience a tragedy that a dear friend is going through is either the most destructive or constructive thing we can experience.  It is whether we choose to allow God in His grace and sovereignty to embrace us with peace and love.  It's O.K. to scream to the heavens in pain, to release that inner turmoil that we are experiencing, but we must not do it alone.  There is something amazing that happens when you share a burden, you begin to look up, to see that life is more then just pain and suffering, that love exists and is near.  To know that love is always near is a wonderful thought which we must grasp onto each and everyday.  Hebrews 2:14 talks about how Christ shared in our humanity.  He shared pain.  He shared friendship.  He shared love.  He shared life.  It is a moment in time where Man and God shared each other.  We must in turn share humanity with one another.  For we see salvation in our brokenness.  When we are weak He is strong.  I find myself weak a lot, so I find Him strong forever.

Let your hearts not be burdened down by the pain of this world, let it in turn be made new by the love of Grace eternal... For love is near and it is a beautiful thing.

-Todd LaBerge

To whom it my concern.

Oh to long for something greater then ourselves,  this is rare in our society... We all too often allow the pleasures of life to overcome the glory of eternity.  How can we live a mortal life when we were called to an immortal one?  It is something that has come to plague my every thought these days.  You could say "well you need to live life first!"  yes that is true, but you are missing the bigger picture!  To focus our gaze on eternity in turn helps us to be able to live our life here!  We can live fuller lives knowing that eternity with Christ and loved ones awaits us after we have carried out the masters calling, that is to live and live well. 
So my friends I besiege you to live well and love often.  God wants us to be happy!  Yes that may come as a shocker but the fact of the matter is God has always loved us, after all we are made in His image.  Now why would you want to deny that?  We need to talk of Heaven more, why do we avoid this conversation with friends and family?  Is it that somehow in the back of our minds we don't want to think of Heaven?  Well... To be honest that is O.K.  But here is the great thing about Heaven... It's not going to be boring!  I know!  Crazy right?!  The biggest fear of Heaven is eternity, but friends, believe it or not, time is something that we have to let us know that life is short, eternity is simply the fact that life is no longer short, but life is something that can be experienced to the fullest amount!  Imagine a world that is held back by sin and pain, but then it is renewed to a world that is free of suffering and death.  The fact that we can serve our God for eternity is something that should excite us!  Something that should drive our hearts to scream the truth from every building top.

To live the gospel is to know what living is all about!  SO LIVE!

-Todd LaBerge

The true thoughts of love.

Dear Child,


Rest your head in the thought of grace.  For it is eternal.


Embrace the quality of my love.  For I will never turn away.


Face the greatness of my salvation.  For I have already bled for you.


You are thought of.  For I am King.


You are beautiful.  For you are made in my image.


You are loved.  For I was broken for you.
 

You are mine.


- Father

A peaceful but lonely place.

The void of friendship once had is of utmost pain, to feel as though love and life was ripped from ones very own soul can be disheartening, almost of tragic build.  One finds them-self on the brink of life and eternity searching for a deeper meaning, these are the moments we most grab onto something bigger then ourselves, we must take time to allow the pain of loss to mold the mind of absence, take solace in the fact that you will one day meet again, take this time to cling onto the creator.  For He is the only one who desires us at all times, the only one who longs to see us smile, laugh and live.  He is the one who speaks to us when all is silent.  All to often we criticize God for not speaking into our lives but the fact of the matter is how often do we allow silence to happen in our lives?  How often do we simply let our father treat us to something amazing?  Before you start spewing out hate towards God because you haven't heard from Him in a while, stop and think, when was the last time I even took time for Him?  We live in a broken world with broken people, get this through your mind, no one is perfect, even the redeemed are not made whole yet, only Christ is whole.  So find that peaceful place.  Allow the maker to create something beautiful through you, take time to speak to the man who wants you to grow in wisdom and understanding.  So my beloved friends, remember that love that cannot hurt us or dismay us will never leave us nor forsake us.

Hope is not a feeling but a man and his name is Jesus Christ.  Cling onto this man.

-Todd LaBerge

Pain.

My heart hurts like it has never hurt before, my body is weary like it has never been before, my soul is drained like it has never been before.... But my God is good like so many times before... My mind is restless, like a child running after a kite which has gotten away from him, the struggle to maintain composer is almost unbearable, I want to just sit down and cry out "I can't catch it!"  But I will not, for my mind is not one to be beaten.  I have a creator who loves me, not only that but He gives me reason to live!  For I am made in His image!  Chosen, bought, stamped!  I AM HIS!!!!  So like the child who cry's because he could not catch his beloved kite, so I sit, waiting for Dad to carry me home.  I long for the embrace of my Father again.  My heart is of fragile build... I need the carpenter to strengthen it.  My body is sculpted by the master artist, I need to be mended.  My soul is filled by the grace and peace of Christ... I need my savior to fill it a new.


Do I bare this weight all on my own?  Am I the only one who feels this way?  By no means!  For Christ experienced pain to the fullest, even rejection from God himself!  We mere mortals think we are alone...  But in reality, we are immortals who can never be alone.

This is from the heart and soul of a very, very tired man.

-Todd LaBerge

Pride is King.

"My dog is more polite then the shoppers here" this was something someone at my job said tonight and it got me thinking, how proud are we that we can't work, shop or process without grumbling about what is happening to us.   In this age pride is king and we are it's slave, we bend under it's power and selfishness thinking we have some sort of ownership to what is happening around us, we see everything as "Ours" and nobody can or should touch it.  We wake up every morning and think to ourselves how am I going to spend "My" day?  Since when did each day becomes ours?  We like to think that every minute is ours and it is a precious thing to us and if anyone wastes it then it has been stolen from us, for example that one person in your life who you can't stand wants to talk to you, but you won't give them the time of day because your time is too important to waste on them, oh the arrogance we mortals have, C.S. Lewis talks about how we trivialize the fact that we think everything is ours, from my boots to my God, he says "This is a joke both in Heaven and Hell." We are so arrogant that we even think salvation is up to us to choose.  God gave His only son to die for us, we never told Him to do that yet we still think it's our call to save ourselves.  Now you may be thinking I am talking about free will and all that jazz, I am not, I am simply stating that we make God out to be something that He is not, we want to control Him and make Him ours but the fact of the matter is, He is untamed, like a mighty wave that cannot be controlled by man, He crashes down on our insubordination and our lack of faith.  We want a cuddly God who tells us that everything is alright, We want a punching bag God who we can yell at and blame for our problems, but that is not who God is.
Back to our pride, we are not the masters of our destiny, we are simply vessels of God or vessels of death, in the end it's that fact that breaks it all, are we going to continue in our pride and pour out death? Or will we allow God to take charge and cast out pride from our lives?  Each day is God's day, this boot is God's and God is God, so remember to not complain or grumble, imagine a world where everyone lifts each other up, speaks words of truth into lives instead of gossip and deceit.  That world is one where Christ is first and we are last where pride has no throne and death is no more,  That is a sweet thought my friends...

This song is by Deas Vail and it has a great message about going for the last place because in the end it will be the first place.  This is the attitude we need for a Christ like life style.

Let's strive to be a servant like Christ, because after all He is King and we are His children shouldn't we at least try and obey the master?


-Todd LaBerge

The wisdom of children.

This kid is amazing, I'm sure most of you have seen this before but I just had to post this.

"It's an exciting movie" - 3 year old girl in the video.

-Todd LaBerge

I would give you Rome.

Love is a powerful word, one that has been miss used since the dawn of man, but when used in the right situation is the most influential word in history.  Now I bring love up because my dear friend Evan has recently entered into a relationship with a wonderful little lady named Jessica, this has brought up some  thoughts about love and what one will do for it.  How can we mere mortals even consider love when we live in a world so torn by hate?  Well it's simple.  God loved us first.  Now you may think that is cliche' or a given but think about it, we would never know love unless we at some point were loved first.  Sense we all have a beginning there had to be someone who was there from the start to show us what it means to be loved.  God is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. 

Love was shown in the beginning and it will be shown till the end.

This love triggers all other forms of love, but the strongest is that one that makes us toss and turn in the wee hours of the night, that love which tortures our very soul, it desires to burst forth from our hearts and be said from the mountain tops, this love that musicians have sung about for years, this love that poets make masterpieces out of.  This is the love that will drive a young man to conquer the world and a young women to chase her dreams.

I would give you Rome for a smile from you, I would give you Paris for a chance to be next to you, I would give you the moon to hold your hand and I would give you my heart for a life time with you.

Argue, laugh, cry, sing, read, dance, eat, travel, work, grow old.  This IS life that is to be had with one another that God intended,  for it is a glance of heaven, a song of ages and a call to Him in the end.  Let your hearts not fret for your special someone but rejoice in the moments that pass till you meet.  For every minute is a life time ready to begin.

Single people rejoice in the divine opportunity you have with God, grow deeper in His word, let not your heart wonder into the realm of those before you for it is not your time, you are to be focused on God and HIS plan before your own...   He would give you Rome, Paris and the Moon...  He already gave you His son after all.

A bit random but known the less still on my mind.

-Todd LaBerge

Mothers

  A mothers love is sweeter than honey, her patience is out done only by the grace of God.  She is a beautiful model of elegance and humility.  But yet we don't appreciate them enough, they toil and labor over us for years, yet we only take one day to celebrate these amazing women,  why is that?  All too often we take for granted the most important things in life, one of which is motherhood.  As teenagers we argue and complain with the women who spent hours in pain bringing your-selfish life into the world.  But you know what's best don't you cupcake?  Sense you've lived nearly half your mothers life you obviously know better then she does right?  Hmmm arrogance is such a childhood state of mind don't you think?  I say we leave the wisdom to the mothers, I mean that is what they are here for right?  To teach us our lessons in life, to be the comfort we needed when we were in our darkest moments, she cleaned us and fed us, she gave us life!  This gives us reason to celebrate her everyday!
   Now if you have a mother who has died and find this day especially hard to celebrate then I want you to know that I can't imagine the pain you feel,  but take this day to think about your mom and celebrate her, for no matter how short a time you had with her, she was still your mother and no matter what, a mother WILL always love her children,  You were loved... If only for a moment, you were loved.


Now give your mother a phone call or pay her a visit, let her know that she is loved too.

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."  -Abraham Lincoln

-Todd LaBerge

A letter to 22 from 21

Dear 22,

    I hope this letter finds you in the highest of spirits, 16, 17 and 20 all send their love and hope the best for you.  Now on to more important matters,  I have often wondered about you and how you will be embracing the changes you will no doubt be taking, I image you are preparing for the year, and the plans you will be making are (As I have complete trust in you) going to be marvelous!  I'm sure our friend Todd will be quite comfortable with you, he can at sometimes be a bit of a nuisance but he does have his moments (Make sure to make the most of those moments).  All I ask of you is to make sure that Todd is living a life that will be worthy of our family who is to come after us, make this year one that even 100 will hear of.  I beg of you to always make sure that Todd is living one of honor, respect and humbleness.  Let's pray we don't have another 13 again, we all know that was a terrible year.  But I just want you to know that I believe in you and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have Todd's best interest in heart.  We have a good thing going on right now, so stay true to the course and never cease, because the moment we fall out of line is the moment we have failed this young mans life.  Don't allow him to screw this up.  In fact as often as possible refer him to the man upstairs.  I mean God is the only reason we even exist,  He is the reason our path changed so much from 7 to 8, you remember the story that 8 tells us!  The moment we stepped into this race.   So be sure to encourage Todd as he runs the race, strengthen his resolve to be more then flesh and blood.  Remember though even if you do stumble on the way it is like the great scholar C. S. Lewis once said, "Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn."  So even if that point comes when he is in the toughest situation remember that experience will teach him something amazing.
So my brother, I love you and am looking forward to what you are going to do, may it be nothing less than spectacular.  

Knock em out kid.

Love,
 
21

Age, Brother and Baby.

   I am nearing my birthday here very soon and my beloved brother is having a baby... All this coming upon me is bringing back the fact that even though I will only be 22,  I am getting older.  But the one thing I am coming to grips with is that life is beautiful and it will continue to pass on by,  but you know what?  Life is made to be in motion.  It is the utmost importance to realize this,  no we cannot go back to our childhoods, no we cannot be 10 years in the future, we must embrace each and every day because you never know when you will be playing guns in the backyard and the next moment you hear your brother say that he is going to be a father.


  When you have taken life and accepted that it is always continuing then you are ready for what is to come.  So I am happy to say that I embrace this next chapter in my life, becoming older, an uncle again and whatever else life has for me I accept it with open arms and you should too.

"There is no wealth but life." -John Ruskin

We never see it coming, but what do we do when it hits us?  Do we sit down and cry about it or do we invite it in for tea and make the best of it,  I choose the latter my friends because no matter how hard we fight it will happen. 

           "Be the hero of this story because God knows every story needs a hero."

-Todd LaBerge

Be Still and Know.

Sometimes we get so engulfed in our own needs and wants that we forget that fine line between being holy as He is holy and just plain selfish.  Even in our desire to be "perfect" we forget who is actually perfect, we zone God out and replace Him with our own image.  You cannot see your reflection with a broken mirror my friends. 
We ask God to forgive "our" needs so much that we forget why we are even asking for forgiveness,  I have found myself going through the day "Praying without ceasing" for my own needs.  Sometimes God just wants us to stop and listen to Him say "Be still and know that I am God."


Be still and know that I am God... That is so powerful.  It is the still voice of God telling us to be as He is, to feel His love overwhelming our very life, to capture the very meaning of power, grace, redemption, hope and love...  How can we go a day without standing still and knowing that God is God...
This needs to be screamed from every pulpit in America.  When we move and ignore God we tend to lose sight of everything we believe in...  We begin to cry and morn about how miserable our lives are.  Or we judge and get angry at those who do cry out at every step of the way.  God has called us to be on His level, but yet we demand that He stoop down for us...  This is how we get such blasphemous beliefs like the KKK or West-borough Baptist Church,  We get a false sense of what is good and the world looks at that and says "There is no God... What God would allow that to happen?"
God forgive the arrogance that we sinners have, forgive us for the way we treat you and your creation.  forgive our need to fix things our self... forgive our desire to be independent of you. forgive our stubbornness to stop and listen to you who loves us unconditionally...

"For as great as His wrath shall be at the day of judgement so also is His love."

To be still and know that He is God.... Is all that He wants...  And everything is what we should give...

-Todd LaBerge

The thing about pain.

Something I wrote a little while back, thought it was good and that I would share with you guys!


Who am I to say that your pain is any less than mine?  I have struggled with judging people on the pain I see and not the pain that I cannot feel myself.  How can I say that your pain is less important than the man who is on the side of the road?  Has that man experienced your pain? No.  Have you experienced his pain? No.  We cannot judge peoples pain because we can never experience it on the same level, only one being in the existence of time itself can say "I know exactly what you are going through" He is the one who took that shame.  He is the only one who is just, The only one who you should be dependent on.  Now it has been said that God is evil because he causes pain, now why would a God who "Causes" pain allow himself to experience this pain to the fullest?  Why would he stoop to the level of man?  If he was evil wouldn't he just let us suffer?  In fact if he was "TRULY" evil he would not even allow us to know pain, because to know pain we must know happiness, now is this something an "Evil" god would allow?  No... Evil exists because God is GOOD!  It is like a light that shines into the dark, without the light you would not know dark.  Do we dwell in the dark or do we dwell in the light?  Now I can't say that we will not experience pain once we are Christians, just because you have accepted Him doesn't mean you are automatically taken out of the realm of the world and all its evilness, no in fact we are called to the world, as soon as we deny pain we deny grace,  life is full of pain, but growth comes out of pain, your mother had to endure pain to have you, would she give you up now to never have had to experience that pain?  By no means!  In order to give life she had to endure pain,  but after the pain we get life.  Christ endured the pain of being ripped from himself, but he did it to give life to the world, we as Christians cannot have an exit plan when it comes to the world, because as the great John Stonestreet once said "God did not save us from the world, He saved us TOO the world."  So when you see someone hurting, don't say "There's a child who is in far greater pain then you so suck it up."  We don't know their pain, how dare you judge them when you yourself have not experienced this pain.  Pain is a battle we all must deal with on our own level, but we can rest assured that Christ has experienced this pain, Also He carries this with him, the scares on his hands, the stripes on his back and the crown around his head.  So if you are in pain today, Christ is holding his bruised and beaten hand out to you, he is suffering with you.  You are not alone, Christ was the only one alone... He paid it, He lived with the pain.  That is why God is not evil.

But who am I to say this... I am only 21.

-Todd LaBerge

Check it out!

Love on the Mind

Love on the Mind.

As I am typing this I am uploading a video to my Vimeo site called "Love on the Mind",  I hope you all enjoy it.  I also hope you get it.   The story is about a young man who is on a journey to discover who his true love is, as he is traveling around town he is thinking about this love and how they have effected his life, he experiences confusion, frustration and pain just like we all have when seeking love, but sometimes love awaits us where we left it...  The ending is meant to be humorous/cute if that makes any sense at all.  It was a lot of fun filming it with my buds Evan and Eric Wilcox.  I love how even if the idea seems silly they will still help me out.  It's a HUGE blessing to have friends like that.  Of course this video is driven by my love of music, as you will see in the video, I have such favorites as The Avett Brothers, Frightened Rabbit and Vampire Weekend.  The emotion behind this project is largely due to the music, also my extreme love for something else as well.  But you will have to wait and see it in the video!

Be sure to tell me what you think!




-Todd LaBerge

Why do girls date jerks?!

The age old question that many men have asked.  I being one of them.

(I just want to start out by saying this, what I am about to write may be the most important thing I have ever written regarding relationships.  I say that because I hope this brings to light that which should have already been brought to light.)

One of the most asked question among guys to girls is "Why do girls date jerks?"  And I always thought this as well. We always look at how a guy treats a girl and we ask ourselves this question every time, we think that if only she would know how a true gentle man treats a lady then maybe she will break up with this guy.   I have asked many women this question and have thought about it a lot.  I never really got a solid answer, it was always, "Well maybe she doesn't think highly of herself" or "It's how her father treated her" and so on.  Until one day a very wise friend of mine said "Maybe it's not that the girl is dating the wrong guy but you are looking for the wrong girl"  Can some one say "Snap!".  It was as though a door had been opened and I could see everything!  So here are a couple of things I want to go over about this question.  You can take what I say or simply leave them, no matter what you do it will not effect the answer.


Now we would like to think that this question comes from a good place, but the fact of the matter is it comes from a misguided place, first off we say the wrong thing too quickly, Why do girls date jerks?  We are presuming that we are not jerks because we think highly of ourselves, when in reality we are just as much jerks as the next guy.  secondly we put the girl on the stand proclaiming that she is perfect, of course we need to get it into our thick skulls that no one is perfect, we see that in Romans 3:23 (For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.)  So with this in mind it changes the whole question.
Why,  This starts the question, why are you even asking why?  Get what I'm saying?  I have just asked the person asking the question why they think it's their business to interfere with someone else life.  Is it for the girls well being or do we only ask the question because we want to in turn be with the girl?  I have just taken what started out as a wholesome question into a selfish question.  We must be careful in all that we do even if it seems good at the moment.  Next, "Girls date jerks!?"  Why are we concerned with this?  Well most guys hate seeing girls being treated as trash, there is something in us that desires to protect another person.  It is God given.  But what I see all to often when guys ask this is that they really just want to date that girl, now I have already gone over that point but I just want to focus in on why this should not be the reason behind the question, now if it is true that girls date jerks because they have a warped look about themselves than this means they don't have their hearts right with God, now the Bible tells us to be equally yoked.  Lets say that the girl does decide to leave the jerk and get together with you how do you think that will change her life?  Are we not like her in the sense that we feel that if we treat her with respect and love that we in turn will be loved as well?  Far be it!

Guys, I can not stress this enough!  WE ARE BROKEN, SINNERS!  We can never love some one unconditionally on our own.  We can never make some one happy and she can never do the same for us.  Seek a women who seeks God's heart instead of a women who is only seeking a heart.  Make sure you are completely enslaved to Christ so that no matter what happens He is in charge.




 Ladies, I want you all to know that you are beautiful and deserve more, don't allow your heart to be taken by a man who is broken,  God is the only one who should have your heart.  He sees you with the only eyes that matter and those are the eyes of Grace.


Now coming back to the question "Why do girls date jerks?" well they date jerks the same reason we kill, steal, tell lies... It's because we are sinners, broken.  We must not allow ourselves to be the redeemer for the girl stuck in the bad situation, there is only one redeemer and we must never forget that.


This is rather long but I just wanted to share this with you.  We cannot hope to love someone who is chasing love.  So be sure to think about your questions...  It is all about Christ, it always has been and it always will be.


-Todd LaBerge

A piece of my past.

I was always influenced by the classic cartoons, I remember as a little boy just laughing and laughing as Donald Duck would lose his temper every time.  He was always my favorite cartoon.  I think the reason I loved this cartoon so much was because my brother and I would watch them together.


There is nothing and I repeat NOTHING in this life like laughing with those who you really care about and this cartoon is one of my all time favorites.  I hope you enjoy it.

"A good laugh is sunshine in a house"

                                       Thackeray

-Todd LaBerge

Happiness is not always fun.

"Fun I love, but too much fun is of all things the most loathsome. Mirth is better than fun, and happiness is better than mirth." 

-William Blake

-Todd LaBerge

A Fathers letter

Dear Child,


      It has been brought to my attention that you have been troubled lately.  It breaks my heart to hear this, I never intended this for you... I have also learned that you don't look at yourself the way I do... You don't see the beauty, compassion, love that I see... This breaks my heart.  My dear, I hear you cry because the world is overwhelming.  I have heard you cry out for me to come home and be the father you need.  I am sorry I am not there to hold you, know this, when you cry... I cry.  I made you exactly the way you were meant to be... I hear you don't like the why I have made you.  This breaks my heart.  In my eyes you are the very meaning of beauty, but you choose to distort that image.  I have made you in my image but yet that isn't good enough for you?  I have heard you say you love me, but how can you love me when you can't even love yourself?  

This breaks my heart.  

I made the stars to shine for you, I have sculpted the very Grand Canyon for you...  I spoke and it was so, but yet you aren't satisfied in who I made you to be.


You are the image of the invisible God.  How do you have image issues with that?


I just want you to love me.  For when you love yourself... You'll be able to truly love me.


I have made the very angels of Heaven to be in awe of you... And you still look at yourself with disgust.


Look not at yourself through the eyes of him who I cast out but rather look through the eyes of grace... Embrace who you are... You are mine... MINE!  The one who has no end.  The one who saw your face while on the cross.


When I first thought of you... You took my breath away...

So my love, I leave you with this... I know you are beautiful.  For I made you the way you are suppose to be.

From the very meaning of love,


Your Heavenly Father.

The captains speech.

Adventure awaits us my boys!  We are going to experience something great, but I must tell you now my lads, adventure is not for the faint of heart, we will be enduring great hardships.  We will know pain like we have never known it before, we may lose all that we know and love, and in the end we may not even make it back... But we can say with heads held high, "I AM AN ADVENTURER!  I HAVE LIVED AND LOVED LIKE ONLY AN ADVENTURER CAN!"  Your rewards will out weigh your loss...


Why do we go?.....  Well my boy... To find our beating hearts.... To know what it means to have a soul...


WHAT SHALL WE CALL THIS ADVENTURE SIR?!


Why my lads!  We shall call it "Life"  for that is the greatest adventure of all!

And so we live as only adventurers can live... To the fullest.



-Todd LaBerge

How Deep the Fathers love.

Some times we can only sit back and wonder how deep His love is.

I am a wretch... 

–noun

1. a deplorably unfortunate or unhappy person.

2. a person of despicable or base character.

But He sees me as His treasure....  

–noun

1.wealth or riches stored or accumulated, especially in the form of precious metals, money, jewels, or plate.

2.wealth, rich materials, or valuable things.

3.any thing or person greatly valued or highly prized

This gives me worth and that is priceless.   


I will only boast in Jesus Christ.

"To boast in our creator is to bring joy to Him that creates joy... To love Him who is love and to accept Him who has already accepted us."

-Todd LaBerge

The Most Beautiful Woman in the World.

Dearest Madam of beauty,


You are the very essence of grace, elegance and charm.

You are the most beautiful woman in the world.

You have worked, cleaned, cooked, taught and given your all for us boys.

You are the most beautiful woman in the world.

You have given us a desire to chase God with our everything and to always trust Him and His sovereignty.

You are the most beautiful woman in the world.

You were there when I was sick, angry, tired.  My lowest and highest.

You are the most beautiful woman in the world.

When your name is spoken in heaven the very breath of angels stop and the halls of heaven shout!

You are the most beautiful woman in the world.

You bring glory to our King.


You are my Mother... The most beautiful woman in the world.


Happy Birthday Love!


Your Son, 

Todd LaBerge

Love.

                              Go out and love someone.


        

              "At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet."
                                                               -Plato




-Todd LaBerge

Faith 101

Faith is made for times like this... Times when we are so broken that we feel as though there is no hope for us, that we are simply falling into a pit in which we cannot see out of, to feel the suffocation of darkness invading our very soul.  We must have faith to know that there will be a sunrise, that the night cannot and will not over take us... To know that God is always with us... Especially in our pain...


I was playing poker tonight with some good friends and it was down to just my friend Caleb and I... The stakes were high... this was the time to take it all or lose it all...  I had a jack and a king, I had to get a 9 or I would lose... I had more chips then Caleb, so why bet it all?  Why not do the smart thing and play it safe.  Because in life we cannot always play it safe, because if we do we may miss out on what we were meant for, so with a sick feeling in my stomach I laid it all on the line, Caleb had a queen so he would beat me if the 9 wasn't dealt,  one chance, one card.  The last card was dealt in silence....... Then ROARS of laughter and "Ahhs" rang in the air as to my great joy a 9 had been dealt!  In that moment that I realized that sometimes that is how our faith should be, to know that God is dealing the cards, we are to bet our chips in order to win it all, to live is Christ, to die is gain!


Faith has to be the moment you surrender your will, your pride, your all...

Faith, Hope and Love.  These are the essentials of Christianity... The essentials of Life.

-Todd LaBerge

God is good period.

God is good and I'm not talking about a Sunday morning "God is good" but a eternal, life changing, redemptive giving, pure and unsaturated GOD IS GOOD!  He deserve more than a simple statement, He commands a life completely for Him.  Some one who is willing to give all for the Almighty one, to say I am nothing and you are everything.... this is a God who is good, but you say how is that good? isn't selfishness bad?  Our selfishness is.  But we are broken... He is not... We cannot compare ourselves to the everlasting one.  In doing so we elevate ourselves and down size God, if He created everything and still decided to die for us, then how can we possibly be on the same level as He is?  

Oh to carry the cross as He did is to carry the very weight of grace.  To share in His pain is to share in His gain.

He is so beyond us! but yet He desires to be with us, that is a concept void of all logic, but that is only our logic and our logic is temporary.


I am so honored to be in the embrace of my creature, my all!


Cry out for the love of our redeemer, cry out for love, hope and peace, for our God is good and He is deserving of all praise.

Be willing to give all for the one who has already done so.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” -C.S. Lewis

-Todd LaBerge

You are beautiful

The biggest disappointment in society today is the lack of self worth, whether that is how we view and or treat ourselves or the everyday ridicule of others.  The human worth has been thrown out the window.  We think of ourselves as nobodies because of what others say of us and the worst part is that we stand by and accept it.  We then turn it into self loathing and blame everything on ourselves.  This is rubbish!


Now ladies, I want you to know that if you have a boy who is interested in you, he is to treat you as if you are royalty, you deserve nothing less.  Men who abuse women are scum, plain and simple, you should never have to take that.  Never and I say never look at yourself and accept that you are worthless, you don't have a price tag, price tags are for objects, you are not an object!  You are the image of the immortal God!  Embrace your beauty and shine as only a pretty girl can and know that you are loved.


The worlds sense of worth is vastly different than God's, the earth's is only temporary and God's is forever, so it only makes sense that we would take that to heart right?  Sadly no, we buy into the lie that we must be something more than what we are, if you believe that then let me just say this, If you are the image of God who is perfect and beyond greatness than why would you want to change that?  How could you?  I am not saying that you are not destined for greatness, I believe we all are but our greatness does not define us, in fact it only testifies what we can accomplish because of who we are.  Who are we?  We are His, if we are only an accident then we have no worth so we cannot accomplish anything.  We can do great things because He is great!


This is getting rather long so I will end it with this.


You.


Are.

Priceless.

     

"The greatest evil that can befall man is that he should come to think ill of himself."

                       -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

-Todd LaBerge

The Warrior

Men, there is something amazing about an ordinary man who stands his ground even in the face of certain death, it's awe inspiring to see such bravery, one can only hope that when the time comes that they would be that brave.  Every man has a desire to be a knight, not in shining army as the romantics would have you believe but in war torn armor, armor that has seen battle, that has been a testament to bravery, valor and courage.  It is this war torn armor that women should look for, one that says "I stand for those who cannot stand, fight against those who wish to harm and I die for that which I love."  These are the men that we should strive to be, not a man who seeks to shed blood, but a man who sheds his own blood in order that other may not.  As the lion roars so must a man shout in the face of evil, saying "I fear no evil!  I shall defeat you!  Even if that means I lose my life."  

For you see, in dying for something more than ourselves we become immortal.

This is the heart of a true warrior... A true man.


So ladies if you are looking for a man who stays clean and doesn't damage his armor.... then you are not safe for that is no man but a shell of a boy who has never experienced danger.

This video is a good representation of what a real man does, he not only stands for what is right but he makes others leaders and warriors.  William Wallace was a great example and he paid the price.


So men, stand tall, stay true and never let your guard down because evil never stops, we are to scream in the face of death and lay in the embrace of grace.  

We are men.  



Accept it.




-Todd LaBerge



P.S. This is also why guys are obsessed with Zombies, just so you know.

The mind

Our minds have many things to look for and many things to find, our minds must be pushed, encouraged and loved... For our minds want to go where no one else has gone, to touch that which cannot be touched, to feel as if it is the only thing that matters, to find what our mind wants is to find the very heart of God... Even if we must search for all eternity. 

Our mind is a beautiful thing.  Love it.

-Todd LaBerge

Sleep.

It goes by to fast.... I wish to hold on to it and tell her that I love her, but alas it is gone, in a moment it seems... but every night I shall see her again, like a promise she comes, sometimes too late for comfort but most of the time right when we need her the most.  

Sleep my love, I thank you for what you give me.  Peace.  

I am curtain we will sleep in heaven, why wouldn't we?  eternity seems like an awful long time to go with out it.  

I am off to embrace this wonderful thing called dreams, its the gift that sleep gives us, you better be good to her or she might throw in a nightmare every once in a while.

  "A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book."                                                                 -Irish Proverb

-Todd LaBerge

                                                       

                               "Sometimes you just need a laugh."






-Todd LaBerge

Time stands still.

Every once in a while you hear or see something that simply makes time stand still.  I thought I'd share this video with you, most of you have already seen this but I still love it.

-Todd LaBerge

Greatness in weakness.

Sometimes we feel as though we are only great when we are in our prime.  In the very moment where life is under our control and we can do whatever we want, this is a dangerous place to be.  For when we take the reins we really see how big the horses are, or how powerful the storm really is out side.  We forget who is suppose to be behind the wheel and we think only of ourselves... This is when we crash, when we lose everything, when we truly die.  It is a moment in time when we are alone.  It's a sick twisted feeling that we were never meant to feel... It is the moment we refuse to accept our place in life.  Our view of greatness is when we have the power.  The will, but that is really when we are the weakest.  Like a child trying to move an object twice his size.  It is only when we say "I can't do it... I'm too small." That we truly have accept our weakness and thus gain greatness. This moment echo's in time immortal.  We are weak, but he is strong.  God makes us great when he is most glorified, this concept is often times over looked and that is a tragedy.

"Strive for greatness by being humble in all that we do."

-Todd LaBerge

Past, Present and Future, Learning to invest in life 101

I have come across many people who never seem to be happy with where they are, whether that is wanting to be in the past or not wanting to move on, but most of the time it's about wanting to be in the future.  People always have this idea that if they are 10 years in the future then all their troubles will be taken care of.  We all know this can't be.  Our troubles cannot and should not be avoided, they help shape us, mold us, change us.  For the older man he doesn't want to face the fact that he isn't young anymore... Or the little boy frustrated with math and simply wanting to go outside and play.  We are all connected in this way that can't be explained other than the fact that we have a road to travel, we may never want it to end, or we are racing as fast as we can to get to the finish line.  But no matter what we are doing, we cannot not forget to stop every once in a while and pick a flower on the side of the road or simply talk to someone with you.  Because if you are consumed with getting it over with, than you are missing out on the whole picture!  We have to live this life to the fullest in order to understand eternity!  Don't you see, we mustn't live like it's a cheap memory or always wanting to be somewhere else.  Because in eternity we will always be living in the now,  That's why it's called eternity!  Yet we need to remember to not be careless with what we have, that brings us back to our troubles.  Face the tough times with head held high, because my friends, we are living in glorious times.  The day you accept who you were, who you are and who you will be is the day that God will most be glorified in you.  Past, Present and the Future is something we must take as a whole and not individually.

So my friends, I leave you this, one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands, it is a good adaptation to what I've been talking about, really it's about where you invest your love in life that truly matters in the end and we can only know love through Christ.

 "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
 
                         -Theodore Roosevelt

Let us now invest love in our past, present and future so that we can know true happiness in Christ. 

Good night my friends.



-Todd LaBerge

Movies.

Wes Anderson is the best.

Life.

Dear Life,


I am pleased to have met you, I have found living with you has been, heart breaking, renewing, frustrating, invigorating, joyful, satisfying, miserable and all together wonderful.  I have had my up days, my low days and just plain old normal days.  But I have loved every minute of it.  You manage to surprise me with every new breath I breathe.  You can bring a man to his knees and at the same time back to reality all in a matter of seconds.  It's amazing.  I look forward to more ups and downs and until then I  leave you this, one of my favorite scenes from any movie out there.  Almost brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it.


Thank you.




-Todd LaBerge