Johnny Plays "Things On My Heart"

Things on my heart...

There are many things that we learn in life. We can't all be the best of the best, that's for sure. There is only one winner of the Super Bowl. There will only be one driver that wins the Daytona 500. And there is just one President of the United States.

And, most importantly, none of us will ever be perfect. However, we must remember, that God designed us all for His purpose. That is the thing that should give us all hope.

I think that my experience here on Facebook has provided me with knowing these things so that I am able to cope with whatever feedback that I get, or don't get! Everyone here would enjoy a great amount of "Likes," and sometimes we just don't reach as many folks as we wish we could. I get that. There are times when we try so hard, doing something that we are proud of, and thinking it will be an amazing hit, that draws many viewers. Well, not always so much, not as we would hope for.

But, I can tell you this now. After all these years, if I am able to touch one life, I'm okay with that. And I have the one that is the love of my life that has taught me that. For sure!

In the near future, I will be making some changes in how I do things here on Facebook. I will make that announcement, very soon. This series, "Things on my heart...", will be posted on another venue, one of those blog things, but don't worry: I will share them here so that you can still see them.

Meanwhile, I want to tell you what a joy it is to just go to my keyboard, and play. Yes, I just play. Tonight, after the wonderful State of the Union, I got on the keyboard, and just enjoyed the moments, knowing the Lord has a purpose for me. I played, for Him! In His glory, came a tune that came to my heart.

I am definitely not beating my own drum, I am far from being perfect, especially when playing on the fly. But just know, it came from my heart, and I can only give Him the credit. You'll understand what I am saying when you see the attached video.

Appropriately, the song is called, "Things On My Heart" and I hope you will enjoy it! And I only share it with you, knowing my imperfections, because I love you.

Note from this author:

I am John Kubicek, the author for the Cross Tribe Network blog.  I sincerely apologize for the nearly five years of inactivity on this blog.  Never could I have dreamed of not being able to continue blogging in the way I had been previous to 2014.  That is going to change!  While I have been quite active on my personal timeline on Facebook, and a Facebook page called Johnny2k's America, it brought on a big change in things that I did, otherwise, and that was a horrible decision on my part.  I have recently seen a great need to revitalize my blogging activity.  You will see activity here, and on my other blogs here, much more like the times in the past, before I became disabled.  Yes, a disability can cause a person to change habits, and not always for the good.  Not that I don't still have the disability, but that I am learning to overcome the adversities.

Thank you very much if you have returned to see what I have posted.  You will be pleasantly relieved to see this blog being reinvigorated!

Last Week on TheREALjohnny2k - 12/21 through 12/31/09, Part II

By John Kubicek

It was the 201st decade since the birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ. It was a decade of wars. and very little peace. While there was the actual wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and every where else in the world that terrorists were able to strike, there has also been the virtual war for the hearts and minds of the masses. The battlefront has become youtube.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, and on the blogs. Between those two fronts, I opted for the cyber side of the war. It doesn't require blood, guts, and glory, but it does involve a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

My ultimate weapon of choice has been my work on youtube.com, along with this blog. That's right, uploading videos to youtube.com is a fantastic way to keep many people informed of all the things that are involved in the way this world is now headed. I don't even feel the need to expound in the video descriptions. I'll just let the videos speak for themselves.

I hope that the videos I tell you about today, that you'll see below, will show that not everything I think about has to do with politics.

December 21, 2009 - Has Anyone Told You? You are loved!

Jack and Rexella Van Impe provided me with the perfect video for this wonderful season to upload to this channel.

This will hopefully help remind you of the Reason for the Season.

December 23, 2009 - The spiritual surge in sports

It seems to me that in this segment, the spiritual surge in sports is being attacked. Or,is it just me?

December 24, 2009 - Best Church Choir In America - The Atlanta West Pentacostal Church Choir

This is absolutely sensational! They really are deserving of the honor of Best Church Choir In America as you will see - AND HEAR - in this video.

Thank you all for visiting my channel, TheREALjohnny2k. Please have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I love you all!

December 27, 2009 - "Onward Christian Athletes" - The problem with turning athletes into "heroes"

Who should be our heroes? This video brings up some interesting questions about athletes being heroes, and if some are expressing their Christian faith only when they win.

December 31, 2009 - About a Christmas Miracle - This will make you smile!

This video is about a great miracle. This happened just before the Northwestern Flight 253 miracle, where a bomb ddn't work, 278 people were sill alive, on Christmas day. Here are two more people that made it. God just wasn't quite ready for them to go home.

FAVORITE OF THE WEEK

Maybe it's because of the season. I chose this one to be my favorite of the week.

December 04, 2007 - Christmas Story - Steven Curtis Chapman - BluefishTV.

Video provided by bluefishtv

Validation

By John Kubicek

A wonderful friend of mine, Leah, a truly amazing person that I was lucky enough to get acquainted with on twitter, sent me a direct message yesterday that linked me to an awesome video on youtube.com. Leah said that I would love it, and I did. I don't know if Leah knew, or not, just how much I needed to see this video right now.

And whether she knows it or not, Leah is always sending me incredible messages just when I needed to be lifted up. You could call it, "Validation." You will understand what I'm saying much better once you watch the following video:

October 03, 2008 - Validation from hughnewman1024

"Validation" is a fable about the magic of free parking. Starring TJ Thyne & Vicki Davis. Writer/Director/Composer - Kurt Kuenne. Winner - Best Narrative Short, Cleveland Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Jury Award, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival, Winner - Audience Award, Hawaii Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Comedy, Breckenridge Festival of Film, Winner - Crystal Heart Award, Best Short Film & Audience Award, Heartland Film Festival, Winner - Christopher & Dana Reeve Audience Award, Williamstown Film Festival, Winner - Best Comedy, Dam Short Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Film, Sedona Int'l Film Festival.

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

By John Kubicek

It wasn't long ago - or at least I didn't think it was long ago until I realized it has now been three weeks - when I posted "Don't Give Up!". The music and the lyrics of that song by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush hit me hard, in a good way. It was what I needed to hear at that time.

So, last night, I had another deja vu moment. I accidently found this song, and then searched and found the lyrics. I came across a song that not only had I not heard for decades, but hadn't even thought about it. When I came across this one, it also hit me hard. Once again, it was another wonderful surprise to hear this song, and I'm sure it was no coincidence that this great song came back into my life at this time, for a reason! Listen to this song, and read the lyrics. It is a continuation of the theme, "Don't Give Up." I'll explain after you see this, hear this, and read the lyrics:

The Lyrics for "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" ~ By The Hollies

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there

For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share

And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy he's my brother

He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

In "Don't Give Up," the theme was about having somebody give us encouragement during difficult times. The focus was on the part that Peter Gabriel sung, from his perspective, having somebody there for him, giving him a lot of tender loving care, and keeping him going. But, in this song, it would be from the perspective of the person giving the tender loving care. This song would be from the perspective of the words that Kate Bush had sung. It is from the perspective of those of us that have a burden of caring for somebody else above ourselves.

Isn't it amazing how our Lord has set this all up?

Our own burdens seem so much lighter when we go out and help to carry somebody else's burdens! The more we care about helping out somebody else, the more we tend to forget - and not worry - about what faces us, and the burdens that we carry!

And in hearing this song, you will find that Love lightens the load, our love will make the load to be no burden at all!

I think that the Lord has taught us something today. I know that I learned something, anyway. My life just became a little better, even if it is a long, long road. Loving people, it "Doesn't weigh me down at all." Again, read this segment of the lyrics:

"If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another"

Please don't write me off while I am still alive!

A message from John Kubicek (the Editor of this blog)

This is the first time I've written here for, uh... how long? WAY TOO LONG! Yeah, well, go ahead, YELL at me! You have no idea what I've been through, either, now do ya?

Life has been exciting, to say the most. Just for starters, a new friend in my life, and another mouth to feed. That would be my adopted kitty, Pearse. You can read more about that here.

I had been planning on writing to let you know that I had taken a short hiatus from this blog. I had been wanting to do a few things to enhance the appearance of the Cross Tribe Network. I'm working on it.

But there are those times when I wonder how I'll "find the time" to do all the things I want to do. I found that there is a good locator device available that helps us to "find the time": It is called Motivation. How about some great videos to help you with operating the motivation device?

Let's start with the video, "In My Life," which shows us how Life is a journey, and we choose the path that we want to take:



That was such a beautiful song! It is the perfect lead into this next video, where Cedar Rapids native and PGA tour pro Zach Johnson shares some thoughts about perseverence, striving for excellence, and supporting those that are dealt the hardships of life:



And I'm not even going to say much about this one, because it speaks for itself. Folks, this is what our "choice" is all about. This is about the freedom to choose to excel in life:



I'll do my best to keep this blog going in the months coming. Right now, I am still looking for the time to get everything done. Translation: So much to do, so little time.

The Church asks, "Is Science so bad?"

By John Kubicek

I saw this one segment on Fox & Friends this morning, with Lauren Green, a Fox News correspondent, discussing "Evolution Week IV". The segment starts out with poll results that show a significant proportion of Americans that are "undecided" when it comes to the question of Faith vs Evolution.

So let's just watch the following video of that segment, and then we'll discuss what we're seeing here:



Of course, I won't be able to help us resolve an issue with this writing, one that has been debated for many years. That isn't my intent, either. At this time in our lives, the real question is how far the Church will go to satisfy the scientific community. It sure seems that the Church is doing as much as they can to reconcile religion with science. And there is a lot we can discuss in that area.

Centuries ago, the Earth was flat, and the universe revolved around the planet Earth, according to the professed ideologies of the Christian (Roman Catholic) Church and academia of the time. The "science" of that time was forced upon the people. But then, along comes Copernicus and Galileo, who discover evidence - with mathematical proof - that our universe is set up in a way greatly different from what the Church at that time was teaching.

What we are witnessing now, though, is a different story. Along came Charles Darwin, a couple centuries ago, with his theory of Evolution. Not long after Darwin's theories became the norm in academia, environmental alarmists came along, claiming that man was destroying the planet. We are now told of global warming (or climate change) being caused by man.

Our future generations are being indoctrinated the same way as were the serfs of the Middle Ages. We are now told to accept the ideologies of evolution and man-made climate change, in much the same way as when we were being told the Earth was flat. There is a parallel that should be bothering you, especially considering the video above. Once academia and recognized and accepted religions meet with ideas that aren't exactly proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, could we be facing another period of the Dark Ages when dissent was not allowed? Are we already there?

The Church is dangerously flirting with New Age philosophies. It wasn't that long ago that the Pope came out with the revelation that there could be a plausible chance of the fact that we are not alone in the universe. Could there be a better way to soften us up for the strong indoctrination to get us to accept all of the worldly dogma?

It wasn't that long ago that many leaders of the Christian Church jumped on to the global warming train. And now, they are being pressured to accept the Darwin theory of Evoloution. What is next? That is the question that Christians need to ask, and determine how far we must go to appease the social conscious of these times. It is an issue that we need to stay aware of.

Your Language Will Determine Your Destiny

By John Kubicek

"Your words become your thoughts.
Your thoughts become your behavior.
Your behavior becomes your character.
Your character becomes your destiny."

The above came from the website, NoCussing.com. In the last week, I wrote two commentaries about this at johnny2k Is Home. That all came about when watching the news last Saturday (1/24/09), and was able to record what I put up on my youtube channel:

I then followed that up several days later with my diatribe about Glenn Beck using coarse language on his new show at Fox News and his "Swear Jar"..

However, today, I saw something on youtube.com like I've never seen before. While it was disgusting and vile, the youtube video that I saw seemed to be telling me about the fruit on the tree, and will probably show the truth of the title of this piece, "Your Language Will Determine Your Destiny." Somehow or another, somebody was able to collect a few "out-takes" (?) from various news sources. The people on this video, "journalists," better hope that their mothers never, ever watch this video that I will only give you a link to (see below). Sailors would blush! Should you go to the following link, you will quickly understand why I didn't embed the video here:

WARNING: The following video, should you click on the link, contains extreme obscenities. It is only provided here, that should you want to know more about people you may have respected at one time, you will see the bad fruit on the tree:

THIS IS WHY OUR COUNTRY CAN'T WAKE UP OR GET THE TRUTH!!!

I actually grew up at a time when cussing and obscenities were looked down at. The people that used that kind of language were not considered to be very decent people. Well, at least, that was the way I was taught. But then, I hit the upper grades in elementary school: Recess and trash talk. Then, when I started my high school job at a gas station, and summertime jobs while in college, foul language was all I ever heard. I suspect it was the same for everyone else growing up in the 60's and 70's. It was way more than many of us were used to. And then, the stint in the military? Forget about it. There weren't too many words uttered that didn't start with an "F". The sad thing, it has only gotten worse through my life, from the 80's until now.

It seems that people are no longer ashamed to say these words, let alone embarrased to hear them. People that use that language now assume it doesn't bother anyone. There is no more remorse; on their part, anyway. And what are we to do?

First of all, I can tell you something that I recommend doing. And I have found that it is difficult to do, even with a very conscious effort; don't be one that uses that language in any situation - even when you are alone. Yes, that's not easy, especially for those that commute to work... It's very difficult sometimes to hold back! However, I have personally challenged myself to make an effort to not even THINK in those words.... no matter how mad I am at people that change lanes without signalling.... Okay, it is just called doing what we can to CONTROL anger, to control our speech by controlling our thoughts. No easy task, in these days. Just think... continue to think: SELF-CONTROL. And seriously, "Your Language Will Determine Your Destiny".

RELATED STORIES:
The Audacity of a Young American Hero
Glenn Beck's "The Swear Jar"

From a "Closet" Longhorn Fan

By John Kubicek

So, what does a college football bowl game have to do with Christian ministry? Or, maybe we should ask that question from a different perspective. Perhaps we could ask what Christian ministry has to do with a college football bowl game? From either perspective, I hope I'll be able to answer those questions.

If this blog post had to do with politics and religion, I wouldn't expect a large audience. Except for a person I know - a Longhorn fan - that went to sleep after the first half of the Texas vs Ohio State game, being that the score at that point was 6-3, in the favor of the Buckeyes, I would suspect that all of the Buckeye and Longhorn fans had the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game on Fox tuned in last night. I did, but I did it the right way. I slept during the first half, and watched the second half. That was the way to do it.

It was an amazing game. That second half was something you don't get to see all that often. A come-back by the Longhorns, and just when you thought that they would put the game away, another comeback - this time by the Buckeyes. With a little over two minutes left in the game, the Longhorns marched 79 yards down the field for a touchdown - another pass from Colt McCoy to Quan Cosby - and went ahead by a score of 24 to 21.

I was very happy about the outcome, as Ohio State is part of the Big Ten, and were the last hope for a Big Ten win in the college football bowl games - other than the Iowa Hawkeyes. That is one of the reasons, admittedly, that I was cheering on the Longhorns. But now, I have another good reason. It was during the post-game show that I saw something wonderful that the ACLU hasn't yet found a way to eliminate from our lives. There was an exposure of the Christian culture, a display of the willingness to display what many Christians are all about. Commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, in a national venue, in the view of millions of people.

I remember back when Kurt Warner (a Cedar Rapids, IA native) took the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl, and won, and in his post game remarks, happened to mention how much Jesus meant in his life. And I've seen him continuously doing the same thing at every opportunity. How great! And how awesome it is to see the public display and words straight from a Christian mouth, coming from a superstar - and not get bleeped. No, the most bleeping I've seen in a while on network television would be the garbage coming from the mouth of a misfit, Kathy Griffin. This gives me hope!

The fact that Christian testimonies are able to still be aired in the sports venues should give all of us hope! It might also explain why I've loved the Chicago Cubs games that are aired on a couple great networks. There have been many testimonies I've seen from the likes of Carlos Zambrano and others, all aired without censorship from those networks. And there is where we have hope: Sports networks that have allowed the message of knowing the Lord in our lives to be aired.

So, I guess I should now allow you to see the things I saw following the game last night. That explains the first video. The second one is a video that came up in related videos after uploading mine.

A Tribute to the Texas Longhorns from Iowa (Hawkeye Land)

Seniors Praying - James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, Colt McCoy, and Marcus Freeman say a prayer after the 2009 Fiesta Bowl

If I ever decided to move from Iowa, which would obviously be in an attempt to escape Iowa winters, I'd probably move to Texas. I would always be a Hawkeye, but if I was living down there in the Republic, I wouldn't have to be a closet Longhorn fan! Hook 'em Horns!