Who is this Jamin guy anyway?
I am the husband of one and the father of nine. I was created to sing, to worship, to encourage, and to be steady. I am the Owner & Executive Director of Trinity Arts Center, a multi-disciplinary Arts Center in Eastern Tennessee, and the President of Trinity Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on funding arts education and performance. I've been involved with four music projects in my life -- Hot Pink Turtle, Spin Radio, Stand Like Stone, and of course, Jamin Rathbun.

In 2013, I added my Twitter feed to this site (below). To view the old content, just scroll down past the Twitter timeline. To keep in the loop on new posts, thoughts, and updates, just follow me on Twitter using the button below. Thanks!

Tweets by @jaminrathbun

box_stuff stuff

I was talking to one of the guys at work about Big Idea (Veggie Tales) today which caused me to google an old friend, Greg Hardin.

Greg is super-talented and definitely worth a peek if you appreciate comic art, illustration, or animation. He currently works for Big Idea as a character artist but -- he also has his own comic, Hubie, which is available from Funny Pages Press. Check him out!

box_bible bible

Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.

I love Proverbs. It is a collection of these little bits of wisdom that Solomon thought he'd pass on to all of us to come after him. There isn't much context. There aren't many sections that you could even group as a theme. It's just a bunch of "points to ponder" (to coin the old Readers Digest phrase).

Anyway -- one of the things that's been weighing on me lately is the incredible amount of time that I waste. I was thinking about how much time I spend watching tv every week and began to wonder what I could accomplish if I spent that time doing what I say I want to be doing more than anything else -- investing time in my family, leading people in worship, and writing music.

At first glance, I guess this passage sounds a little like one of those passage the "health and wealth" crowd might reference but -- I'm getting a whole other insight from it this week that I wanted to think through. Can I really commit "whatever I do" to the Lord and have it succeed? Can I commit my television time to the Lord? How about my Game Cube time? Maybe my surfing-the-web-playing-the-random-url-game time? OR does the "whatever" that I commit have to be important or worthy of success?

I suppose that I could commit my television time to the Lord if I were watching something that were edifying. Maybe an educational show that is helping me to grow in an area? My Game Cube time could be committed to the Lord if I did it with the intent of spending some time with my kids. I suppose even the random url game -- well -- nevermind -- I suppose that really is just a waste of time. = )

The point being that if I prioritize my time by considering how that activity can be committed to God -- that thing pretty much gets conformed to God's will or it gets eliminated.

How about that? In essence we could read this Proverb as "Do things the way I would want you to do them and I'll bless them." That hardly seems fair. Of course God is going to bless the things that he wants us to do. That just makes sense.

The cool part is this. It is a great picture of what God is about. God established certain rules within the universe that he created. He also gives us each a role to play within that world. He gives us each a variety of gifts and aptitudes and attitudes and flaws. They are all designed to set us up to eventually be what he plans for us to be.

The really cool part is this. If I will simply do what comes naturally to me. Do what I was created to do. Direct myself toward the things that God designed me to do well. Work toward the things that God has put a desire in my heart to work toward. Respond to the call that I receive from God's Spirit. Dedicate myself to solving the puzzles and overcoming the troubles that God has created in me -- I will succeed.

Easier said than done? Maybe. But -- if you take God at His word... It just may be as easy as that. Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.






© 2006-2010 Jamin Rathbun & Superdink.com. All rights reserved.
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Recommended Music:

David Crowder Band
A Collision
Illuminate
Can You Hear Us

Chris Tomlin
See The Morning
Arriving
Live From Austin
The Noise We Make
Not To Us

Matt Redman
The Heart of Worship
Facedown
Where Angels Fear...

Charlie Hall
Flying Into Daybreak

Bethany Dillon
Imagination

Starfield
Beauty In The Broken

Brenton Brown
Everlasting God

Ross Parsley
I Am Free

Matt Maher
The End & The Beginning
Welcome To Life
Overflow

Jars Of Clay
Redemption Songs

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