Do you ever watch an old scary movie? One you have seen before. You watch the character push open the old creaky door, walk down the dark hallway. Tip toe across the floor... and BAM! The killer jumps out.
The whole time you're watching this happen you are screaming at the TV "Don't go down there! What are you doing? The killer is around the corner!"
But the person in the TV can't hear your warning. Sometimes people in our lives are doing the same thing, walking down a dangerous path, but we decide to stay quiet.
A few weeks ago, I was at church and Andy Stanley preached about judging people. The first week of the series he talked to Christians and talked about how it was wrong to judge people outside the church because they didn't agree to the same code of laws that we did. We are supposed to love on those people. I talked about something similar a few weeks ago in "Sinners Like Us."
Anyways, the next lesson was on judging people close to us. Are we supposed to judge anyone? How do we approach people? He then brought up the point that when we see someone doing something wrong and it elicits a response from us, check our motives, figure out what's in us that is causing us to react to someone else's behavior that way.
Finally, he talked about judging people we are close to. If someone we love is going down the wrong path and making a stupid choice, and we know it is a dumb choice, and we are confident that we are upset for the right reasons, it is our job to step in.
Basically, many of us stand behind the statement, "I don't want to judge." Or "I'll just stay out of that, they didn't ask me for my opinion." I'll just "love" on that person and let them go their own way. THAT'S NOT LOVE!
Sometimes love isn't easy, it is not always the warm and fuzzy support, just encouraging people and let them go along as they please. Sometimes love calls us to get involved with people, help them, and step in when they are doing something stupid.
It is a lot easier for us to just stand back when we see a friend making a poor life choice, ruining a relationship, pushing away a family member, than to step in and get messy in their life.
"If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back." -Matthew 18:15 NLT
Did you catch that first part? Some translations don't include "against you." If another believer sins, we are supposed to confront them.
Believe me, no one likes confrontation, I regularly avoid it at all cost. I don't like drama, I don't like to rock the boat, I like to be liked. The truth is, that is not always the Godly thing to do.
There are times when a fellow believer, someone we know and love, someone we are close to, is making a mistake, and we have two choices, step in, or watch it happen and say "I don't want to judge, I'm not here to make their decisions."
We have to step in. I know its not a warm and fuzzy lesson, "Just love people." Yes, just love people, but sometimes loving people means we confront those we love when they are making a stupid mistake.
This is weighing on my heart because I know this happens in my life all the time. I see someone doing something stupid, going down a path I've been down. I remember how much it hurt me and how I wished someone would have stopped me, but I don't do anything and say to myself, "It's none of my business."
It is my business. If it is someone I love and they are making a huge mistake, if I don't step in, who will?
As followers of Christ, we need to help each other, help other believers, help our family, don't judge those outside your circle of relationship, outside your influence. Don't run up to people on the street doing drugs and yell at them, that is not what Jesus is saying.
But those people in your circle of friends. Those people close to you, that you truly love, that you respect, that you don't want to make the same mistake you did, that is who you step in and deal with.
If one of your closest friends is destroying his family, talk to him!
If someone in your family is making a terrible decision, get messy, get in their lives, try to stop them!
Stop letting people ruin their lives around you while you just "stick to your own business."
You have a responsibility to help the ones you love, its not always easy, but if you don't help them, who will?
Quit Thinking Ahead
The future is looming. Are you planning for it? Do you have every step plotted out on your route to success?
People are consumed by their goals. They are driven beyond belief. Always pushing for the next level, the next promotion, the next goal. People know where they want to go, they know how they want to get there, and they know how long it should take them.
Everyone I talk to here at school tells me their master plan. They talk about things like finishing their degree in engineering, or biology, or English, then going to graduate school, medical school, or business school.
They have their life mapped out, every step of the way, how they think it should go. But they're missing where they are now. Look around you, look at the life you are living. Look at how blessed you are to be at school, your biggest worries are what books you have to read, or what you are going to do with your degree.
The point is, don't get too caught up in the future that you miss the present. Sure, it is great to have goals. We all have things we strive for, we want to reach the top of the mountain, but what happens if we get there and we're not fulfilled? We have nothing to cherish because we ran through the journey as fast as we could.
You are where you are right now for a reason. You are part of a bigger plan, and doing your part just by living your life to the best of your abilities right where you are. God has a purpose for you, and has led you to where you are. Make an impact, right here, right now, quit putting it off.
There are a lot of things to enjoy about your life right now. Search for them, recognize them, and cherish them. Things will change, for the better, maybe for the worse, but they won't be the same. Some things you love won't be here a year from now, you'll be somewhere else, people will move on to different things, there will be new things to cherish, just enjoy what you can about where you are. Slow down a little bit. By all means, work towards your goals, but don't get too bogged down with busyness that you miss all the great things going on around you.
Also, be flexible. The Bible talks over and over again about how we can make plans but the Lord will determine our steps. Things will change, your perfect plan might not work out the way you set it up, but that doesn't mean you failed, or its wrong. Be careful not to look at your plans as the only path for your life. Do not put your goals for the future above following God's will. Because when God places you somewhere you are supposed to be, somewhere where you are meant to do something amazing, you might miss it sulking over your lost plans.
Enjoy where you are and be open about all the possibilities God has for you in the future.
"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."- Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)
People are consumed by their goals. They are driven beyond belief. Always pushing for the next level, the next promotion, the next goal. People know where they want to go, they know how they want to get there, and they know how long it should take them.
Everyone I talk to here at school tells me their master plan. They talk about things like finishing their degree in engineering, or biology, or English, then going to graduate school, medical school, or business school.
They have their life mapped out, every step of the way, how they think it should go. But they're missing where they are now. Look around you, look at the life you are living. Look at how blessed you are to be at school, your biggest worries are what books you have to read, or what you are going to do with your degree.
The point is, don't get too caught up in the future that you miss the present. Sure, it is great to have goals. We all have things we strive for, we want to reach the top of the mountain, but what happens if we get there and we're not fulfilled? We have nothing to cherish because we ran through the journey as fast as we could.
You are where you are right now for a reason. You are part of a bigger plan, and doing your part just by living your life to the best of your abilities right where you are. God has a purpose for you, and has led you to where you are. Make an impact, right here, right now, quit putting it off.
There are a lot of things to enjoy about your life right now. Search for them, recognize them, and cherish them. Things will change, for the better, maybe for the worse, but they won't be the same. Some things you love won't be here a year from now, you'll be somewhere else, people will move on to different things, there will be new things to cherish, just enjoy what you can about where you are. Slow down a little bit. By all means, work towards your goals, but don't get too bogged down with busyness that you miss all the great things going on around you.
Also, be flexible. The Bible talks over and over again about how we can make plans but the Lord will determine our steps. Things will change, your perfect plan might not work out the way you set it up, but that doesn't mean you failed, or its wrong. Be careful not to look at your plans as the only path for your life. Do not put your goals for the future above following God's will. Because when God places you somewhere you are supposed to be, somewhere where you are meant to do something amazing, you might miss it sulking over your lost plans.
Enjoy where you are and be open about all the possibilities God has for you in the future.
"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."- Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)
We're Both Weak
You know your strengths and your weaknesses better than anybody. You know what you can handle and what you can't. There are some things that come easy to you, that are no big deal, and there are some things that are harder for others.
It is very easy to lose sight of the fact that some things are not a problem for you, but are HUGE obstacles for others.
Everyone remembers having a bad math teacher in middle school or high school. One that would put a problem up on the board, look at it for a minute, come up with the answer in their head, and write it down. Obviously, you couldn't do the same, and couldn't figure out how the teacher solved the problem. Then, they would give you an F when you couldn't figure out the same problem on the test. You would get mad at the teacher for not explaining the process, they would get mad at you for not grasping it.
Your teacher didn't understand that they were strong in an area, that you were weak in. They didn't realize learning that theory came much easier to them than you.
When we fail to realize that some things are harder or easier for others, we can end up labeling that person, or worse, hurting that person because of our lack of understanding.
Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians:
"But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble." - 1 Corinthians 8:9
Paul is saying that those things that you think are no big deal, might be a big deal to someone else.
If you think that having a drink now and then is alright, but someone else believes that it is wrong, or maybe they are recovering from a problem brought on by alcohol, don't drink in front of them.
I see this a lot in college, some people can handle going certain places and parties, where others go to those same places and parties and get messed up, they fall to that temptation.
Many times we get so caught up in our strengths, that we think others can handle the same things we can. All it takes is one time for the sides to be reversed, and we quickly realize how that is not the case.
Don't lead others into temptation, even if it may not be a problem for you.
If you struggle with some form of sin, and have ever been brought into a situation by a friend where that sin is just pulling you in while your friend seems not to be affected, you know how horrible that can be.
You feel weak and confused. You think, "What's wrong with him, how come he doesn't struggle with this?" Or you think, "What's wrong with me, how come I am not strong enough to handle this?"
It is better to run from temptation than to try and be "brave" and stand up to it. Don't make it easier for you to fall. And don't make it easier for your friends to fall.
I know a lot of Christians who go to parties, get wasted, and regret it. When I ask them about it, they say, "Someone's got to be a Christian at those parties." And I want to say, "Not you!" If you struggle with something, don't put yourself in that position under the guise of being a light in a dark situation. Run from that temptation! Let someone else be a Christian at that party, someone that doesn't struggle with parties as much as you.
Same goes for bringing a Christian friend to those parties. Maybe you can handle it, but they can't, so don't bring them.
Paul continues to say, "And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ." - 1 Corinthians 8:12
Be sensitive to what others are struggling with and don't lead them like a sheep to the slaughter. Stay away from those temptations for them. Be strong for them, but understand their weakness, because you have your weaknesses too.
If they feel weird about doing something, eating something, drinking something, watching something, or listening to something that you don't have a problem with, don't pressure them to do it.
If you are forcing someone to go against their conscience, you are going against Christ.
"When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some." -1 Corinthians 9:22
Understanding someone's weaknesses, and struggles, and seeing what they see, and helping them through those problems, will grow you closer together. It will make your relationship with them stronger. And through relationship, people come to Christ.
It is very easy to lose sight of the fact that some things are not a problem for you, but are HUGE obstacles for others.
Everyone remembers having a bad math teacher in middle school or high school. One that would put a problem up on the board, look at it for a minute, come up with the answer in their head, and write it down. Obviously, you couldn't do the same, and couldn't figure out how the teacher solved the problem. Then, they would give you an F when you couldn't figure out the same problem on the test. You would get mad at the teacher for not explaining the process, they would get mad at you for not grasping it.
Your teacher didn't understand that they were strong in an area, that you were weak in. They didn't realize learning that theory came much easier to them than you.
When we fail to realize that some things are harder or easier for others, we can end up labeling that person, or worse, hurting that person because of our lack of understanding.
Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians:
"But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble." - 1 Corinthians 8:9
Paul is saying that those things that you think are no big deal, might be a big deal to someone else.
If you think that having a drink now and then is alright, but someone else believes that it is wrong, or maybe they are recovering from a problem brought on by alcohol, don't drink in front of them.
I see this a lot in college, some people can handle going certain places and parties, where others go to those same places and parties and get messed up, they fall to that temptation.
Many times we get so caught up in our strengths, that we think others can handle the same things we can. All it takes is one time for the sides to be reversed, and we quickly realize how that is not the case.
Don't lead others into temptation, even if it may not be a problem for you.
If you struggle with some form of sin, and have ever been brought into a situation by a friend where that sin is just pulling you in while your friend seems not to be affected, you know how horrible that can be.
You feel weak and confused. You think, "What's wrong with him, how come he doesn't struggle with this?" Or you think, "What's wrong with me, how come I am not strong enough to handle this?"
It is better to run from temptation than to try and be "brave" and stand up to it. Don't make it easier for you to fall. And don't make it easier for your friends to fall.
I know a lot of Christians who go to parties, get wasted, and regret it. When I ask them about it, they say, "Someone's got to be a Christian at those parties." And I want to say, "Not you!" If you struggle with something, don't put yourself in that position under the guise of being a light in a dark situation. Run from that temptation! Let someone else be a Christian at that party, someone that doesn't struggle with parties as much as you.
Same goes for bringing a Christian friend to those parties. Maybe you can handle it, but they can't, so don't bring them.
Paul continues to say, "And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ." - 1 Corinthians 8:12
Be sensitive to what others are struggling with and don't lead them like a sheep to the slaughter. Stay away from those temptations for them. Be strong for them, but understand their weakness, because you have your weaknesses too.
If they feel weird about doing something, eating something, drinking something, watching something, or listening to something that you don't have a problem with, don't pressure them to do it.
If you are forcing someone to go against their conscience, you are going against Christ.
"When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some." -1 Corinthians 9:22
Understanding someone's weaknesses, and struggles, and seeing what they see, and helping them through those problems, will grow you closer together. It will make your relationship with them stronger. And through relationship, people come to Christ.
Sinners Like Us
"1 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2 And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3 Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?" -Romans 2:1-4 (NLT)
If you read Romans 1 you see Paul discuss some sins that people had been doing. He lists their shameful acts. He says they were doing every sort of "wickedness." Going on about how it is wrong. When you're reading it, it is easy to start thinking that you are better than them, and condemn these wicked people in your mind for their transgressions. It is like Paul knows what you are thinking and at the beginning of Romans 2 says this. He basically flips it on you.
I focus so much time and effort into improving myself, trying to live up to God's standards, follow the Bible's example, etc. That when I see other people who genuinely don't care about what the Bible says I have a natural response to look down on them. I can easily think of myself as better than them, since at least I'm not committing those sins.
But I'm not better than them. And neither are you. We all sin. The wages of sin is death, we are all guilty of sin. The standard Jesus set was perfection and we all fall short of that. Whether we fall short of it by an inch or a mile doesn't matter, we are all in the same boat: sinners in need of a savior. Through accepting Christ's sacrifice, we are forgiven by God. We must ingrain it in our heads that we earned nothing. God owed us nothing. It is through God's grace that we are saved.
On paper, I know it is easy to agree with that, yet how quickly we forget that we have done nothing to earn God's love, when we see someone doing something we know is wrong. We immediately think of how we wouldn't do that, how we're better than that. We're NOT.
Think of yourself. How you used to be, when you were in their shoes. When you knew no better. What did you need at that moment, condemnation or love? We are all sinners, we have all been there. Be careful not to get too full of yourself just because you found Jesus. He has been there the whole time, He was waiting for you, just like He is waiting for them now.
Remember, God loves them just as much as He loves us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less. He already loves us unconditionally and more than we can imagine. This scripture talks of God's kindness with us, He is patient with us when we sin.
We must remember that if God is patient with us, we must be patient with others. Do not judge them, do not look down on someone, do not condemn someone if you think they are doing wrong. See them as Christ would see them, with compassion.
We love Him because He first loved us.
So we have to love on others, no matter how close or far away they are from God. You're not better than anyone just because you're a Christian. God loves them just as much as He loves us. So love them, too.
If you read Romans 1 you see Paul discuss some sins that people had been doing. He lists their shameful acts. He says they were doing every sort of "wickedness." Going on about how it is wrong. When you're reading it, it is easy to start thinking that you are better than them, and condemn these wicked people in your mind for their transgressions. It is like Paul knows what you are thinking and at the beginning of Romans 2 says this. He basically flips it on you.
I focus so much time and effort into improving myself, trying to live up to God's standards, follow the Bible's example, etc. That when I see other people who genuinely don't care about what the Bible says I have a natural response to look down on them. I can easily think of myself as better than them, since at least I'm not committing those sins.
But I'm not better than them. And neither are you. We all sin. The wages of sin is death, we are all guilty of sin. The standard Jesus set was perfection and we all fall short of that. Whether we fall short of it by an inch or a mile doesn't matter, we are all in the same boat: sinners in need of a savior. Through accepting Christ's sacrifice, we are forgiven by God. We must ingrain it in our heads that we earned nothing. God owed us nothing. It is through God's grace that we are saved.
On paper, I know it is easy to agree with that, yet how quickly we forget that we have done nothing to earn God's love, when we see someone doing something we know is wrong. We immediately think of how we wouldn't do that, how we're better than that. We're NOT.
Think of yourself. How you used to be, when you were in their shoes. When you knew no better. What did you need at that moment, condemnation or love? We are all sinners, we have all been there. Be careful not to get too full of yourself just because you found Jesus. He has been there the whole time, He was waiting for you, just like He is waiting for them now.
Remember, God loves them just as much as He loves us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less. He already loves us unconditionally and more than we can imagine. This scripture talks of God's kindness with us, He is patient with us when we sin.
We must remember that if God is patient with us, we must be patient with others. Do not judge them, do not look down on someone, do not condemn someone if you think they are doing wrong. See them as Christ would see them, with compassion.
We love Him because He first loved us.
So we have to love on others, no matter how close or far away they are from God. You're not better than anyone just because you're a Christian. God loves them just as much as He loves us. So love them, too.
The Impact of the Example of Forgiveness
Tonight, I was reading through 1 John mostly by chance. The one theme that really caught my heart today, and normally does catch my heart when reading this book, is that true Christians love their brothers and sisters in the faith.
"If anyone claims, 'I am living in the light,' but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness." 1 John 2:9 NLT
That just always talks about grudges to me. A few years ago, I really struggled with grudges. I had a lot of friends, didn't have any enemies (which is no small feat in high school.) But I had a hard time forgiving the few people that hurt me.
I held it in, and when I thought about what they did or how they treated me, it made me angry. I tried to keep it in, so rarely would I confront those people about their supposed wrongs. But it did seep out. Those people could tell something was different between us, which made it worse, we excluded each other from things and generally disintegrated our friendships.
In one particular occasion, it got to the point that I didn't even know what one person had done to me. Why we were fighting, and why I was so mad at them and waiting for an apology. Eventually, God convicted me that I was holding these grudges. One of the best messages I have heard, from various sources is that forgiveness is not for the other person, it is for you.
Forgiveness is not for that person that hurt you. You can hold a grudge, it will tear you apart, but that person will keep on living life. Waiting for them to say "I'm sorry" could be a long long time. If that anger festers in your heart, it will just burn you, not the other person.
So let go of it. Forgive that person. Let go of the anger. Let go of the thought of revenge. Let go of the thought that that person owes you something. Let go, move on. Lift that weight off of yourself. Go to God, ask for strength.
Eventually, I was able to do just that. Forgive those people of what they did to me. It took some time, and those relationships aren't the same as they were before, but I have been able to re forge those friendships and make matters a lot better between myself and these people. One instance, I even apologized to the other person for holding a grudge against them. They were shocked, but it went a long way to restoring our friendship. I tell you what, it is a lot better on the other side, and in the years since, my heart feels lighter.
I think I have blogged about that in the past, so what I really wanted to share was in verse 10.
"Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble." 1 John 2:10 NLT
God is saying that loving others is what shows that you are close to Him. More than that, your grudges aren't between just you and the person who hurt you, you are an example for other believers.
If you refuse to forgive someone, that can cause others to stumble. They may hold grudges too. Think of the impact it would cause, if a chain of people rejected forgiveness. There would be anger and bitterness in everyone's heart. There would be certain people you couldn't bring up around other people, there would be lives changed for the worse.
However, if you set an example and forgive those who have hurt you, who have wronged you, it may convince others to do the same. Those people will then experience the joy that comes from forgiveness and salvaged relationships.
We owe each other forgiveness. We have committed far greater trespasses against God than anyone has against us, yet God forgave us. Who are we to say that we can't forgive?
It is because of forgiveness that we are saved. It is because of forgiveness that we can live in love, joy, and relationship with God.
Forgiveness is central to who we are as people. It is a big idea, with big implications.
If we forgive each other, lives will be changed in the same way that God's forgiveness towards us has already changed our lives.
"If anyone claims, 'I am living in the light,' but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness." 1 John 2:9 NLT
That just always talks about grudges to me. A few years ago, I really struggled with grudges. I had a lot of friends, didn't have any enemies (which is no small feat in high school.) But I had a hard time forgiving the few people that hurt me.
I held it in, and when I thought about what they did or how they treated me, it made me angry. I tried to keep it in, so rarely would I confront those people about their supposed wrongs. But it did seep out. Those people could tell something was different between us, which made it worse, we excluded each other from things and generally disintegrated our friendships.
In one particular occasion, it got to the point that I didn't even know what one person had done to me. Why we were fighting, and why I was so mad at them and waiting for an apology. Eventually, God convicted me that I was holding these grudges. One of the best messages I have heard, from various sources is that forgiveness is not for the other person, it is for you.
Forgiveness is not for that person that hurt you. You can hold a grudge, it will tear you apart, but that person will keep on living life. Waiting for them to say "I'm sorry" could be a long long time. If that anger festers in your heart, it will just burn you, not the other person.
So let go of it. Forgive that person. Let go of the anger. Let go of the thought of revenge. Let go of the thought that that person owes you something. Let go, move on. Lift that weight off of yourself. Go to God, ask for strength.
Eventually, I was able to do just that. Forgive those people of what they did to me. It took some time, and those relationships aren't the same as they were before, but I have been able to re forge those friendships and make matters a lot better between myself and these people. One instance, I even apologized to the other person for holding a grudge against them. They were shocked, but it went a long way to restoring our friendship. I tell you what, it is a lot better on the other side, and in the years since, my heart feels lighter.
I think I have blogged about that in the past, so what I really wanted to share was in verse 10.
"Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble." 1 John 2:10 NLT
God is saying that loving others is what shows that you are close to Him. More than that, your grudges aren't between just you and the person who hurt you, you are an example for other believers.
If you refuse to forgive someone, that can cause others to stumble. They may hold grudges too. Think of the impact it would cause, if a chain of people rejected forgiveness. There would be anger and bitterness in everyone's heart. There would be certain people you couldn't bring up around other people, there would be lives changed for the worse.
However, if you set an example and forgive those who have hurt you, who have wronged you, it may convince others to do the same. Those people will then experience the joy that comes from forgiveness and salvaged relationships.
We owe each other forgiveness. We have committed far greater trespasses against God than anyone has against us, yet God forgave us. Who are we to say that we can't forgive?
It is because of forgiveness that we are saved. It is because of forgiveness that we can live in love, joy, and relationship with God.
Forgiveness is central to who we are as people. It is a big idea, with big implications.
If we forgive each other, lives will be changed in the same way that God's forgiveness towards us has already changed our lives.
Preparation
Hey everybody, I have a couple things on my mind, so I will break this up into two posts so it will be easier to read.
The first thing is that yesterday, while I was on campus reading at a picnic table, this kid walked up to me and asked me if I knew Joseph Smith had a vision, I said I did, but didn't know much about it.
This young man, no older than 17 or 18, then went on to profess his faith to me. He was a Mormon and said that proselytizing is what he did all day.
I told him he had a lot of courage to go around and openly talk to people about his faith, but I didn't agree with him that the Church of Latter Day Saints was the way to God.
He was well prepared and argued every point I brought up. I told him I didn't think Jesus walked in America after the resurrection, I didn't believe there was a complement to the Bible, and I didn't believe in Joseph Smith's "vision" that the Mormon Church was the only church with true authority from God.
I tried to express to Him what I believed and why I believed it. What it really came down to was that I believe the Bible is the true word of God by faith, and he believed that the Book of Mormon was the word of God also, by faith.
The hard thing was, he said he believed in the Bible. Everything I believed in, he believed in too. I then asked what is the point of Mormonism and he said that you had to be baptized in the Mormon Church to be saved. First off, I don't think you have to be baptized to be saved, and I don't think it has to be in any specific church.
I guess what I am getting at, is that it is hard to witness to someone who is part of the Church of Latter Day Saints. We both believe Jesus is the Savior and both believe in His resurrection. The biggest differences I could see (excluding that whole polygamy thing) was they follow the Book of Mormon, and believe in that whole baptism under authority deal.
I wish I would have been more prepared as to why I see holes in their faith, by Scripture. So now I'm going to look and search for the major differences between Christianity and Mormonism. I was just wondering what you readers out there know about Mormonism, or any tips on how you talk to them.
The first thing is that yesterday, while I was on campus reading at a picnic table, this kid walked up to me and asked me if I knew Joseph Smith had a vision, I said I did, but didn't know much about it.
This young man, no older than 17 or 18, then went on to profess his faith to me. He was a Mormon and said that proselytizing is what he did all day.
I told him he had a lot of courage to go around and openly talk to people about his faith, but I didn't agree with him that the Church of Latter Day Saints was the way to God.
He was well prepared and argued every point I brought up. I told him I didn't think Jesus walked in America after the resurrection, I didn't believe there was a complement to the Bible, and I didn't believe in Joseph Smith's "vision" that the Mormon Church was the only church with true authority from God.
I tried to express to Him what I believed and why I believed it. What it really came down to was that I believe the Bible is the true word of God by faith, and he believed that the Book of Mormon was the word of God also, by faith.
The hard thing was, he said he believed in the Bible. Everything I believed in, he believed in too. I then asked what is the point of Mormonism and he said that you had to be baptized in the Mormon Church to be saved. First off, I don't think you have to be baptized to be saved, and I don't think it has to be in any specific church.
I guess what I am getting at, is that it is hard to witness to someone who is part of the Church of Latter Day Saints. We both believe Jesus is the Savior and both believe in His resurrection. The biggest differences I could see (excluding that whole polygamy thing) was they follow the Book of Mormon, and believe in that whole baptism under authority deal.
I wish I would have been more prepared as to why I see holes in their faith, by Scripture. So now I'm going to look and search for the major differences between Christianity and Mormonism. I was just wondering what you readers out there know about Mormonism, or any tips on how you talk to them.
Yo
Hey there everybody. Just filling you in on what's been going on. I am back up in Gainesville, on week 2 of my second year. Things are going great. I am now living off campus in an apartment with two of my friends from Campus Crusade. Shannon has transferred up here, and she is living in the same apartment complex. I have never eaten better at college than I have with Shannon here. I have gone from frozen corn dogs to Chicken Alfredo. It is great to have her up here, and my classes are going well so far. We are just getting started, but I am getting a handle on my classes, I'm sure in a couple more weeks I will be past the learning curve. I only have to go to campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I am taking a few classes online. It is definitely keeping me busy, but its great being up here, the change of scenery, and the change of atmosphere. The other thing coming up is football season. Only a few days away, I am stoked! I'm hoping for a Gators repeat and the Dolphins to make the playoffs.
So in summation, I'm going to be pretty busy the next few weeks, I will try to keep you updated, and whenever I am inspired, I promise to blog about it.
See you soon.
So in summation, I'm going to be pretty busy the next few weeks, I will try to keep you updated, and whenever I am inspired, I promise to blog about it.
See you soon.
What's the point?
I just finished up at a leadership conference and I was reading through Acts tonight and this scripture caught my eye:
"We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus." -Acts 15:11
This got me thinking along the lines of what Tim Keller was talking about at the conference.
He talked about the story of the prodigal son (funny how that keeps popping up) from the perspective of the older brother.
Basically, the way this all came together in my head was that it is very easy to lose sight of this verse, and this verse's meaning when we get deeply involved in ministry.
We are saved by the UNDESERVED grace of Jesus.
Many times Christ followers will start to "work for God" and volunteer at their local church.
I want to go on record and say that I personally think that is the best way to connect with people in a church.
But as always, we have to be careful.
Anyways, a person starts volunteering at a church, or is on staff, and soon gains responsibilities and jobs.
They have a list of tasks that they want to get done every weekend, and get done with excellence. This is anyone from a person who hands out bulletins to the lead pastor.
We all start to get into this cycle of trying to constantly improve work. We spend more and more time on how to do a better job, instead of spending that time with God.
We start to pour all of our effort and time into our ministry under the banner of "God's Calling", and in a twisted way, we start to worship the ministry and not our God who is behind it.
We become so focused on our work that we put it up on a pedestal. We begin to prioritize our work for God above our relationship with God. We worship our work, worship those who excel in the area of our ministry, worship the strategy behind an effective ministry like ours, we begin to worship ourselves for our accomplishments in our ministry.
In a short matter of time, we have convinced ourselves that our work for God is more important than God. In a sense, our ministry is more vital to us than God's grace.
If we're not careful we may begin to think that our work is critical to how God views us, forgetting how He loves complete failures and successful people.
If that happens, we will be under constant pressure to please God through our work.
If we are trying to work hard enough for God to love us, then we in essence are trying to WORK for our SALVATION.
We put ourselves in this pressure cooker to live up to God's perfect standards and actually get lost in our work, instead of getting lost in our God and his salvation through grace.
We are saved by the undeserved grace of Jesus Christ.
Plain and simple.
We don't deserve. Never can, never will. No matter how hard we work, we will never be good enough for God's standards.
Yet through His love, and His son's death on a cross, God gives us His saving grace as a free gift that is unearned and undeserved.
It is not we do. It is what Jesus has done.
We can't forget that.
You're ministry is important to God. You are changing lives!
Just be careful that your ministry doesn't become a matter of eternal life or death to you.
Yes, you should focus on your work. But focus more on emulating the spirit of God through your work, and your work will take care of itself.
"We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus." -Acts 15:11
This got me thinking along the lines of what Tim Keller was talking about at the conference.
He talked about the story of the prodigal son (funny how that keeps popping up) from the perspective of the older brother.
Basically, the way this all came together in my head was that it is very easy to lose sight of this verse, and this verse's meaning when we get deeply involved in ministry.
We are saved by the UNDESERVED grace of Jesus.
Many times Christ followers will start to "work for God" and volunteer at their local church.
I want to go on record and say that I personally think that is the best way to connect with people in a church.
But as always, we have to be careful.
Anyways, a person starts volunteering at a church, or is on staff, and soon gains responsibilities and jobs.
They have a list of tasks that they want to get done every weekend, and get done with excellence. This is anyone from a person who hands out bulletins to the lead pastor.
We all start to get into this cycle of trying to constantly improve work. We spend more and more time on how to do a better job, instead of spending that time with God.
We start to pour all of our effort and time into our ministry under the banner of "God's Calling", and in a twisted way, we start to worship the ministry and not our God who is behind it.
We become so focused on our work that we put it up on a pedestal. We begin to prioritize our work for God above our relationship with God. We worship our work, worship those who excel in the area of our ministry, worship the strategy behind an effective ministry like ours, we begin to worship ourselves for our accomplishments in our ministry.
In a short matter of time, we have convinced ourselves that our work for God is more important than God. In a sense, our ministry is more vital to us than God's grace.
If we're not careful we may begin to think that our work is critical to how God views us, forgetting how He loves complete failures and successful people.
If that happens, we will be under constant pressure to please God through our work.
If we are trying to work hard enough for God to love us, then we in essence are trying to WORK for our SALVATION.
We put ourselves in this pressure cooker to live up to God's perfect standards and actually get lost in our work, instead of getting lost in our God and his salvation through grace.
We are saved by the undeserved grace of Jesus Christ.
Plain and simple.
We don't deserve. Never can, never will. No matter how hard we work, we will never be good enough for God's standards.
Yet through His love, and His son's death on a cross, God gives us His saving grace as a free gift that is unearned and undeserved.
It is not we do. It is what Jesus has done.
We can't forget that.
You're ministry is important to God. You are changing lives!
Just be careful that your ministry doesn't become a matter of eternal life or death to you.
Yes, you should focus on your work. But focus more on emulating the spirit of God through your work, and your work will take care of itself.
Going on in my Head
Have you ever experienced a time where God seems to be telling you or a group the same thing? Everyone keeps coming across similar scriptures, all the preachers are teaching about the same idea?
Its pretty cool how things align like that sometimes.
This week, the story of the prodigal son seems to be everywhere I turn. You can find it in Luke 15.
To be honest, I am kind of at a loss of why this scripture keeps popping up in my life.
It is a great metaphor. A boy asks for his inheritance while his father is still alive, runs off and blows it. He does everything he thinks he wants to do but ends up broke and alone. He's living in a pig pen and realizes even his father's servants lived better back home. He swallows his pride and decides to go home and ask his father to at least accept him as a servant. Except, when he arrives home, he finds his father filled with joy at his return, and they enjoy a great feast.
Simply put, we are the prodigal son, God is our father.
We may run from Him, do everything He warned us not to do, we may end up living in the pig pen, we may be ashamed to turn back to Him. But He is anxiously awaiting our return.
God loves us.
No doubt, it is a great passage, but I had to think through how this applies to me right now.
Then I remembered that I had been praying for some encouragement. Nothing was really wrong, but I was just getting worn out, seemingly beaten down and tired. I could see some evidence of weariness in my relationship with God and prayed for Him to give me a little boost. Kind of a Red Bull for my soul.
I'm now realizing that this is one of the most joyful scriptures there is in the Bible. The more I meditate on it, the happier I become.
This passage is telling me that I can never screw up too much for God. The mistakes I've made are in the past. He loves me and just wants me to be with Him.
Yes, there are many other attributes of God, but what sticks out through this story is His love.
To me, the unending love of God is something that we can never think about enough.
If we don't focus on God's love, we end up like the prodigal son's older brother. Focused only on his father's wealth, and his financial loss. If we become the older brother, we miss the celebration, and the joy of God's love, just like he missed the point of the feast.
So I've decided that this lesson is a rather simple one: go back sooner to God, don't wallow in self pity, bask in His love and mercy, be more thankful for His grace, and rejoice!
Its pretty cool how things align like that sometimes.
This week, the story of the prodigal son seems to be everywhere I turn. You can find it in Luke 15.
To be honest, I am kind of at a loss of why this scripture keeps popping up in my life.
It is a great metaphor. A boy asks for his inheritance while his father is still alive, runs off and blows it. He does everything he thinks he wants to do but ends up broke and alone. He's living in a pig pen and realizes even his father's servants lived better back home. He swallows his pride and decides to go home and ask his father to at least accept him as a servant. Except, when he arrives home, he finds his father filled with joy at his return, and they enjoy a great feast.
Simply put, we are the prodigal son, God is our father.
We may run from Him, do everything He warned us not to do, we may end up living in the pig pen, we may be ashamed to turn back to Him. But He is anxiously awaiting our return.
God loves us.
No doubt, it is a great passage, but I had to think through how this applies to me right now.
Then I remembered that I had been praying for some encouragement. Nothing was really wrong, but I was just getting worn out, seemingly beaten down and tired. I could see some evidence of weariness in my relationship with God and prayed for Him to give me a little boost. Kind of a Red Bull for my soul.
I'm now realizing that this is one of the most joyful scriptures there is in the Bible. The more I meditate on it, the happier I become.
This passage is telling me that I can never screw up too much for God. The mistakes I've made are in the past. He loves me and just wants me to be with Him.
Yes, there are many other attributes of God, but what sticks out through this story is His love.
To me, the unending love of God is something that we can never think about enough.
If we don't focus on God's love, we end up like the prodigal son's older brother. Focused only on his father's wealth, and his financial loss. If we become the older brother, we miss the celebration, and the joy of God's love, just like he missed the point of the feast.
So I've decided that this lesson is a rather simple one: go back sooner to God, don't wallow in self pity, bask in His love and mercy, be more thankful for His grace, and rejoice!
Talking It Out
A friend of mine pointed out some scripture she was reading, it sounded like it had really grabbed a hold of her heart, so I read it over tonight.
The passage was Ephesians 4, Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus and basically telling them what's up.
He starts right off the bat telling us how to act with each other, always be humble, patient and gentle, bind yourselves together with peace, overlook each others faults with love.
That struck a chord right away. I don't know about you, but if you hang around a church or a ministry long enough, you will see relationships ruined by it. If you hang around really long, it can make you question if there is a way to do ministry with people without eventually destroying your relationship with them.
Paul tells us how to do it right here. He basically says to put yourself to the side. Be gentle, humble, patient. Don't get heated with the people you are doing life with. Work with them and their faults, overlook their faults with love, because that is what Christ did with us.
Paul is the man at bringing everything back to Christ.
He tells us its simple, not easy, but simple, if we constantly focus on Christ and try to emulate Him in everything we do, we won't have relationship problems.
The only reason that doesn't work is that pride, anger, jealousy, and frustration get in the way. It is a lot easier to tear someone down and blame them for bringing down your ministry than to listen to what Paul says in the next paragraph and build up leaders.
Paul keeps referring to unity in the body, telling us that we need to speak truth in love, like Christ, and depend on each other, help each other grow, and the body will benefit.
The Bible tells us how to confront people without causing a quarrel. This half of the chapter is a guideline to me for handling how you talk to people, whether it be at work, church, or school.
Paul tells us to first be humble and gentle. Meaning don't come in arrogant and hostile, thinking your idea is the only idea, you have the best solution and everyone should agree with you. You're just going to come across as a jerk. Be humble and gentle, listen to others, take in their point of view.
He next says to overlook each others faults out of love, because that is what Christ did for us. We don't need to point out every little thing that irritates you about a person. There are times when people need to be confronted, but the Bible says to "Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binging yourselves together with peace." Eph. 4:3
That sounds to me like you shouldn't rock the boat unless you really really have to. Strive to keep the peace, and overlooking some faults with love is how we do that.
Finally, it says that we need to work together. We are dependent on each other. No one can do everything perfectly, we need each other to maximize our potential. We have to depend on the other parts of the body.
That takes a lot as well. Sometimes that means you have to step aside, out of the limelight, and let someone who is better than you perform some duty. I know that can be hard. But how are we supposed to work together so well?
Paul says we have to remember that Christ is the head of the church. He is also the head of our lives. If we can look to Him, and remember what he did for us, remember that we are brothers and sisters of Christ, we're all on the same team, it should make it a little easier for us to work together.
This way, in verse 16 it says, "As each part does its own work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
Remember love, guys.
If you approach people with humility and love, those tough conversations will go a lot smoother.
The passage was Ephesians 4, Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus and basically telling them what's up.
He starts right off the bat telling us how to act with each other, always be humble, patient and gentle, bind yourselves together with peace, overlook each others faults with love.
That struck a chord right away. I don't know about you, but if you hang around a church or a ministry long enough, you will see relationships ruined by it. If you hang around really long, it can make you question if there is a way to do ministry with people without eventually destroying your relationship with them.
Paul tells us how to do it right here. He basically says to put yourself to the side. Be gentle, humble, patient. Don't get heated with the people you are doing life with. Work with them and their faults, overlook their faults with love, because that is what Christ did with us.
Paul is the man at bringing everything back to Christ.
He tells us its simple, not easy, but simple, if we constantly focus on Christ and try to emulate Him in everything we do, we won't have relationship problems.
The only reason that doesn't work is that pride, anger, jealousy, and frustration get in the way. It is a lot easier to tear someone down and blame them for bringing down your ministry than to listen to what Paul says in the next paragraph and build up leaders.
Paul keeps referring to unity in the body, telling us that we need to speak truth in love, like Christ, and depend on each other, help each other grow, and the body will benefit.
The Bible tells us how to confront people without causing a quarrel. This half of the chapter is a guideline to me for handling how you talk to people, whether it be at work, church, or school.
Paul tells us to first be humble and gentle. Meaning don't come in arrogant and hostile, thinking your idea is the only idea, you have the best solution and everyone should agree with you. You're just going to come across as a jerk. Be humble and gentle, listen to others, take in their point of view.
He next says to overlook each others faults out of love, because that is what Christ did for us. We don't need to point out every little thing that irritates you about a person. There are times when people need to be confronted, but the Bible says to "Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binging yourselves together with peace." Eph. 4:3
That sounds to me like you shouldn't rock the boat unless you really really have to. Strive to keep the peace, and overlooking some faults with love is how we do that.
Finally, it says that we need to work together. We are dependent on each other. No one can do everything perfectly, we need each other to maximize our potential. We have to depend on the other parts of the body.
That takes a lot as well. Sometimes that means you have to step aside, out of the limelight, and let someone who is better than you perform some duty. I know that can be hard. But how are we supposed to work together so well?
Paul says we have to remember that Christ is the head of the church. He is also the head of our lives. If we can look to Him, and remember what he did for us, remember that we are brothers and sisters of Christ, we're all on the same team, it should make it a little easier for us to work together.
This way, in verse 16 it says, "As each part does its own work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
Remember love, guys.
If you approach people with humility and love, those tough conversations will go a lot smoother.
Deception
I was on Facebook earlier today and a guy I know posted a link to a couple videos on Youtube. They were of this crazy preacher talking about God's "drunken glory." The guy was on stage, intoxicated, and rambling nonsense about "sexual worship" and throwing in a lot of mystic terms from various religions.
He had a packed house!
What gives me a heavy heart is that next to that video were dozens of links to other crazy "preachers" and nut job "prophets." The list went on and on.
It made me think of how many people were out there following these men, falsely thinking they were seeing God through ridiculous acts and heresy, like a "healer" beat a crippled woman with a baseball bat because "the Holy Spirit said it would heal her."
The Bible speaks a lot about false prophets in books like 1 John and 2 Peter.
It's scary! They loosely tie in parts of scripture to back what they are saying and babble on about nonsense that the people in the pews accepted as fact. I had to watch one guy for over 5 minutes before I was sure he was a phony. I can see how people can believe them!
These people are good at what they do.
The Bible talks about how those who are teachers will be held to a higher standard. I believe this is because many things teachers say will be accepted as fact by the congregation. Just like a lot of the people in those chairs assumed what this man was saying was rooted in scripture or backed up somewhere, when in all reality, it was coming from his warped mind.
It is a scary thing. Everyone out there who follows Christ, or at least has some common sense must guard themselves from these people. The Bible tells us they are out for money, greed, and sexual desires.
People abusing the Word of God and the natural respect people have for it, for their own twisted desires makes me physically sick to my stomach.
It is our responsibility as the body of Christ, especially those called to teach, to follow God's will and work for His glory.
If we're not the ones out there telling people truthfully about Christ, these whack jobs will be there to lead them down a dark path.
My heart breaks for those people, I'm sorry that it takes something being thrown in my face for me to really get fired up about it. This happens everyday and I don't give it a second thought until now. We must constantly remember that there are billions of people out there that are lost, hurting, and broken.
We have the one thing that everyone needs, Jesus Christ. Yet far too often we are more concerned with what we're having for dinner, where we are going to spend our money, or what we're going to wear tomorrow. We put ourselves in a church bubble and hang out with only church people. That is great, the Bible says we need fellowship and that will lead to spiritual growth. But never forget the main reason you are here is to glorify God by spreading His message to those around you.
Jesus came to save the sinners, that's why He hung out with them.
If we don't love on those around us and try to be an example of Christ to them, then those crazy deceivers will lure them in with false hope and false teachings, which will ultimately lead to Hell.
It is our duty to know the truth, and share the truth.
He had a packed house!
What gives me a heavy heart is that next to that video were dozens of links to other crazy "preachers" and nut job "prophets." The list went on and on.
It made me think of how many people were out there following these men, falsely thinking they were seeing God through ridiculous acts and heresy, like a "healer" beat a crippled woman with a baseball bat because "the Holy Spirit said it would heal her."
The Bible speaks a lot about false prophets in books like 1 John and 2 Peter.
It's scary! They loosely tie in parts of scripture to back what they are saying and babble on about nonsense that the people in the pews accepted as fact. I had to watch one guy for over 5 minutes before I was sure he was a phony. I can see how people can believe them!
These people are good at what they do.
The Bible talks about how those who are teachers will be held to a higher standard. I believe this is because many things teachers say will be accepted as fact by the congregation. Just like a lot of the people in those chairs assumed what this man was saying was rooted in scripture or backed up somewhere, when in all reality, it was coming from his warped mind.
It is a scary thing. Everyone out there who follows Christ, or at least has some common sense must guard themselves from these people. The Bible tells us they are out for money, greed, and sexual desires.
People abusing the Word of God and the natural respect people have for it, for their own twisted desires makes me physically sick to my stomach.
It is our responsibility as the body of Christ, especially those called to teach, to follow God's will and work for His glory.
If we're not the ones out there telling people truthfully about Christ, these whack jobs will be there to lead them down a dark path.
My heart breaks for those people, I'm sorry that it takes something being thrown in my face for me to really get fired up about it. This happens everyday and I don't give it a second thought until now. We must constantly remember that there are billions of people out there that are lost, hurting, and broken.
We have the one thing that everyone needs, Jesus Christ. Yet far too often we are more concerned with what we're having for dinner, where we are going to spend our money, or what we're going to wear tomorrow. We put ourselves in a church bubble and hang out with only church people. That is great, the Bible says we need fellowship and that will lead to spiritual growth. But never forget the main reason you are here is to glorify God by spreading His message to those around you.
Jesus came to save the sinners, that's why He hung out with them.
If we don't love on those around us and try to be an example of Christ to them, then those crazy deceivers will lure them in with false hope and false teachings, which will ultimately lead to Hell.
It is our duty to know the truth, and share the truth.
Separation
Today is one of those days where I feel like my prayers are hitting the ceiling. Like I can't get through to God. My mind won't focus, I have to fight distractions and discouragement. There is no major crisis or disaster I am dealing with, something just isn't right.
I think days like this are caused by disobedience. When I finally realize that something is wrong, something is different, hopefully it gets through to me that something needs to be fixed.
Times like this, I'm forced to think back through the last day or two. I have to check my actions, my pride, and my motives. I'm not sure if this is how it works in your life, but this is how it goes in mine.
My disobedience is sin. The ironic thing is God is just giving me what I thought I wanted. When we sin, we are declaring our independence from God. Most times "independence" is seen as a good thing, in this case it is not. We are saying we don't need to depend on God. I got it, I'm good, thanks for the help, I'll take it from here God. It is a dumb move, but when we sin that is what we do. God loves us and wants us to have our best life, we disagree, we think we know what's best, we declare it with sin, and are basically saying we know better than God.
So I think these nights when I feel distant from God are a result of previous sin. God is saying you wanted to be out on your own, here is a little taste. I know He would never let me go, the Bible says He never loses one of His flock.
Sin gets into our hearts, it hardens our hearts from God. In Philippians, Paul says we should have tender hearts like Christ. Sin does the opposite. It hardens our hearts, pulls us from God, makes us more defensive to His message and His call. That is why it is so hard for people far from God to come to Him.
So what do we do? We have to give it all up to Him. Repent, confess, apologize, whatever you want to call it. We have to go back to Christ. Make things right, ask for His boundless grace, and as Paul says, REJOICE when He forgives us!
I think days like this are caused by disobedience. When I finally realize that something is wrong, something is different, hopefully it gets through to me that something needs to be fixed.
Times like this, I'm forced to think back through the last day or two. I have to check my actions, my pride, and my motives. I'm not sure if this is how it works in your life, but this is how it goes in mine.
My disobedience is sin. The ironic thing is God is just giving me what I thought I wanted. When we sin, we are declaring our independence from God. Most times "independence" is seen as a good thing, in this case it is not. We are saying we don't need to depend on God. I got it, I'm good, thanks for the help, I'll take it from here God. It is a dumb move, but when we sin that is what we do. God loves us and wants us to have our best life, we disagree, we think we know what's best, we declare it with sin, and are basically saying we know better than God.
So I think these nights when I feel distant from God are a result of previous sin. God is saying you wanted to be out on your own, here is a little taste. I know He would never let me go, the Bible says He never loses one of His flock.
Sin gets into our hearts, it hardens our hearts from God. In Philippians, Paul says we should have tender hearts like Christ. Sin does the opposite. It hardens our hearts, pulls us from God, makes us more defensive to His message and His call. That is why it is so hard for people far from God to come to Him.
So what do we do? We have to give it all up to Him. Repent, confess, apologize, whatever you want to call it. We have to go back to Christ. Make things right, ask for His boundless grace, and as Paul says, REJOICE when He forgives us!
Hectic
It has been busy these past few weeks. Working at FRC has kept me going in all directions. I just finished up two weeks of High School and Middle School summer camp. I was a team leader. It was a tough camp, especially the first week. I had the flu and a crazy high fever but was out there playing the games with the students so it made everything worse. I pulled through and our team came in second.
That weekend in between camps, I rushed to the doctor, got some medicine and tried to recover for the next week. Luckily the worst was behind me when the next camp started, and I was able to be there the whole time, fully engaged, not laying down sick. Things went well, the camp was pretty hardcore, kids ran a few miles one night, had to climb over a 12 ft. wall, and kayak through a canal, but we all got through it. I was able to see two of the boys on my team come to know Christ, which was amazing. Our team came in first that week, so we went home with bragging rights.
We turned right around this past weekend and had an event called Beach Baptism. We all went down to Hollywood beach and baptized over 300 people! Hallelujah! It was an awesome experience. I had been working with our team on this event for a few months now and was happy to see all that planning pay off. Things went buttery smooth, no major problems come to mind. Well... except the rain. But the weather lightened up when it was time for the concert afterwards and spirits were high the whole time. All in all, it has been a successful few weeks.
Now that I am back, I will get back to posting the nonsense that runs through my head. I missed you guys, hope you have a great 4th of July planned.
That weekend in between camps, I rushed to the doctor, got some medicine and tried to recover for the next week. Luckily the worst was behind me when the next camp started, and I was able to be there the whole time, fully engaged, not laying down sick. Things went well, the camp was pretty hardcore, kids ran a few miles one night, had to climb over a 12 ft. wall, and kayak through a canal, but we all got through it. I was able to see two of the boys on my team come to know Christ, which was amazing. Our team came in first that week, so we went home with bragging rights.
We turned right around this past weekend and had an event called Beach Baptism. We all went down to Hollywood beach and baptized over 300 people! Hallelujah! It was an awesome experience. I had been working with our team on this event for a few months now and was happy to see all that planning pay off. Things went buttery smooth, no major problems come to mind. Well... except the rain. But the weather lightened up when it was time for the concert afterwards and spirits were high the whole time. All in all, it has been a successful few weeks.
Now that I am back, I will get back to posting the nonsense that runs through my head. I missed you guys, hope you have a great 4th of July planned.
Tips
I believe the church should always be focused on Jesus and the will of God first and foremost. Whatever threatens that, or anyone who doesn't recognize that Jesus is the heart of the church, should not be involved.
Churches can do great things through acts of love. These are some ideas on how to operate through love.
Vision Through Spiritual Growth
- Leaders are placed in ministry by the hand of God. That is something leaders must constantly remember. Through personal spiritual growth, God equips them with the vision to lead their ministry. I think the closer they are to God, the more obedient they are to Him, the more insight He will bless them with. When leaders are enveloped in the Word, and spending consistent time seeking God's will, He will bless them with a direction and ideas for their ministry. This is where the ideas come from that draw people to church. It is not about drawing people to a church. It is about God using the church to draw people to Him.
Leadership Through Humility and Compassion
- I think those are the two most important qualities a leader can have. Humility and compassion are keys to great leadership. Some argue that pure bravado, authority, and dominance show a strong leader. I argue that a broken person can be a great leader. A leader must be humble enough to accept his/her own weaknesses, to recognize when he/she needs help in certain areas. A leader has to fight pride and know when God has blessed them with something great, and an idea is not about making themselves great. When we are humble and move out of the way, we stop trying to focus the spotlight on ourselves, God can shine through. A leader must also have compassion. Through compassion a leader can understand people, their point of view, their pain, their mindset, and a leader can connect to people. Establishing that connection is what causes people to follow a leader. King David didn't force anyone to follow him in the caves, they did it by choice. People just want someone to care about them, try to understand them, and not expect anything out of force. People don't want to follow out of fear, authority, or lack of power. That's not a choice, that's forced. True leadership is through humility, and followers come through compassion.
Team-Building Through Encouragement
- Once the vision is cast, it is likely that the leader can't carry it out by themselves. They need a team, a team is raised up through encouragement. You need to build up future leaders. Recognize their strengths, where they excel, where they succeed and ask them to join your team. You need to let them know your admiration and respect of their gifts. Its crucial for a leader to step aside and let a team member shine when God has blessed them in an area more than the leader. The leader isn't supposed to be the best at everything, they are the person God put there to build a team. To find the people that are the best at one thing, and bring them together. So the team can be full of encouraged people, who are passionate about what they are doing, and confident they can succeed and their leader supports them. That's a good team.
Churches can do great things through acts of love. These are some ideas on how to operate through love.
Vision Through Spiritual Growth
- Leaders are placed in ministry by the hand of God. That is something leaders must constantly remember. Through personal spiritual growth, God equips them with the vision to lead their ministry. I think the closer they are to God, the more obedient they are to Him, the more insight He will bless them with. When leaders are enveloped in the Word, and spending consistent time seeking God's will, He will bless them with a direction and ideas for their ministry. This is where the ideas come from that draw people to church. It is not about drawing people to a church. It is about God using the church to draw people to Him.
Leadership Through Humility and Compassion
- I think those are the two most important qualities a leader can have. Humility and compassion are keys to great leadership. Some argue that pure bravado, authority, and dominance show a strong leader. I argue that a broken person can be a great leader. A leader must be humble enough to accept his/her own weaknesses, to recognize when he/she needs help in certain areas. A leader has to fight pride and know when God has blessed them with something great, and an idea is not about making themselves great. When we are humble and move out of the way, we stop trying to focus the spotlight on ourselves, God can shine through. A leader must also have compassion. Through compassion a leader can understand people, their point of view, their pain, their mindset, and a leader can connect to people. Establishing that connection is what causes people to follow a leader. King David didn't force anyone to follow him in the caves, they did it by choice. People just want someone to care about them, try to understand them, and not expect anything out of force. People don't want to follow out of fear, authority, or lack of power. That's not a choice, that's forced. True leadership is through humility, and followers come through compassion.
Team-Building Through Encouragement
- Once the vision is cast, it is likely that the leader can't carry it out by themselves. They need a team, a team is raised up through encouragement. You need to build up future leaders. Recognize their strengths, where they excel, where they succeed and ask them to join your team. You need to let them know your admiration and respect of their gifts. Its crucial for a leader to step aside and let a team member shine when God has blessed them in an area more than the leader. The leader isn't supposed to be the best at everything, they are the person God put there to build a team. To find the people that are the best at one thing, and bring them together. So the team can be full of encouraged people, who are passionate about what they are doing, and confident they can succeed and their leader supports them. That's a good team.
Poor Blake Griffin
As the Los Angeles Lakers were taking game 1 from the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, and trying for their 15th NBA championship, the Los Angeles Clippers secured the number one pick in this year's NBA draft. Once again, signaling the end to a disappointing season, and the beginning of another.
These two teams may share the same arena, but they couldn't be further apart.
NBA Championships:
Lakers- 14
Clippers- 0
Conference Titles:
Lakers- 29
Clippers- 0
Division Titles:
Lakers- 30
Clippers- 0
The Lakers even have cooler fans, Jack Nicholson comes to every game and sits courtside. All the Clippers have is Billy Crystal.
Poor Blake Griffin, the forward from Oklahoma is the likely No. 1 pick. I bet this is what he looked like after he found out the Clippers got the first pick.
These two teams may share the same arena, but they couldn't be further apart.
NBA Championships:
Lakers- 14
Clippers- 0
Conference Titles:
Lakers- 29
Clippers- 0
Division Titles:
Lakers- 30
Clippers- 0
The Lakers even have cooler fans, Jack Nicholson comes to every game and sits courtside. All the Clippers have is Billy Crystal.
Poor Blake Griffin, the forward from Oklahoma is the likely No. 1 pick. I bet this is what he looked like after he found out the Clippers got the first pick.
College Food
Corn dogs were a staple of my diet at college. I elected not to get the meal plan, and in an effort to save money I bought food every week at Publix, stored it in my mini fridge and microwaved it up. Yum!
Needless to say, my menu options were limited and corn dogs and chicken nuggets get old after a while. Even when I tried to eat healthy, there are only so many turkey sandwiches I can eat.
Don't get the wrong impression, I made it work, and it wasn't horrible. Sometimes I supplemented my diet with some Chili's or Chik-fil-a, but I actually craved vegetables by the end of the semester.
So, its great to be home and enjoying my mom's cooking. I had some barbecue chicken, broccoli, and potatoes for dinner tonight. Sure, it took longer than 30 seconds to cook, and it didn't come on a stick, but it was good.
Psalms 51
We have all been there. We feel ashamed, guilty, with sorrow heavy in your heart. You just want that joy back, that fire in your heart that only God can give.
This prayer reminds us that God is love, He wants to forgive us, He wants to give us that joy in our hearts, He wants to hear our praises.
This is King David's prayer of forgiveness after he sleeps with Bathsheba and sends her husband to the front lines to die. Maybe you haven't done anything that terrible, but all sin breaks us nonetheless. This prayer really meets me at the point of repentance.
Psalms 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.[a]
5 For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6 But you desire honesty from the womb,[b]
teaching me wisdom even there.
7 Purify me from my sins,[c] and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit[d] from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
and they will return to you.
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord,
that my mouth may praise you.
16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.
This prayer reminds us that God is love, He wants to forgive us, He wants to give us that joy in our hearts, He wants to hear our praises.
This is King David's prayer of forgiveness after he sleeps with Bathsheba and sends her husband to the front lines to die. Maybe you haven't done anything that terrible, but all sin breaks us nonetheless. This prayer really meets me at the point of repentance.
Psalms 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.[a]
5 For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6 But you desire honesty from the womb,[b]
teaching me wisdom even there.
7 Purify me from my sins,[c] and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit[d] from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
and they will return to you.
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord,
that my mouth may praise you.
16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.
Earth Hour
Yesterday was Earth Day, and there was this international campaign going around called Earth Hour. The idea was for everybody to turn their lights off for an hour and give the Earth a rest. Check out some of the pictures.
This is Rome before:
This is Rome during Earth Hour:
Hong Kong before:
Hong Kong during Earth Hour:
Malaysia before:
Malaysia during Earth Hour:
New York City before:
New York City during Earth Hour:
I guess NYC didn't really get the memo.
This is Rome before:
This is Rome during Earth Hour:
Hong Kong before:
Hong Kong during Earth Hour:
Malaysia before:
Malaysia during Earth Hour:
New York City before:
New York City during Earth Hour:
I guess NYC didn't really get the memo.
Give Up
I've had a few things laid on my heart this past week, and to be honest with you, I'm not sure how they are connected. So excuse this post if it seems like a jumble of ideas, but I have to share this stuff.
"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." -John 3:30
That is one of my girlfriend's favorite verses, and it is a great verse.
It simply states our goal as followers of Christ.
It has to become all about Him.
This simple principle is so hard to live by, for me. It's MY life, MY future, MY plans. It's ironic that I have no trouble trusting God with something as big as eternity, but I struggle to trust Him with my finances, my classes, my job, and my future.
We worry about these things because it's all about us, we're worried about how we're going to handle these problems that life presents.
The truth is, we can't handle everything. We sure try, but it comes out worse than if we would have let God handle it.
You have to keep coming back to John 3:30, "He MUST become more and more, and I MUST become less and less."
This isn't a suggestion.
Look at the language, this is urgent.
The Bible says that when we are weak, He is strong.
Over and over and over again the Bible tells us to let go.
Trust God with all aspects of your life.
Don't let worrying rot you away.
Give it to God.
Let Him become more and more in your life.
I don't know what that means to you, what areas in your life that you're telling God, "I got this."
I know its not an easy thing to do, and you don't want to trust God with certain things because you just don't see how He can fix it.
All I can say is that we also see in the Bible that insight follows obedience.
Most of us want it the other way around.
God, you show me how You are going to help me, and I will give this problem up to you.
God wants us to go out on faith, give up ourselves to Him, our problems and worries, and on the other side of obedience, after you have let God do his thing, we will understand.
"He MUST become more and more, and I MUST become less and less."
"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." -John 3:30
That is one of my girlfriend's favorite verses, and it is a great verse.
It simply states our goal as followers of Christ.
It has to become all about Him.
This simple principle is so hard to live by, for me. It's MY life, MY future, MY plans. It's ironic that I have no trouble trusting God with something as big as eternity, but I struggle to trust Him with my finances, my classes, my job, and my future.
We worry about these things because it's all about us, we're worried about how we're going to handle these problems that life presents.
The truth is, we can't handle everything. We sure try, but it comes out worse than if we would have let God handle it.
You have to keep coming back to John 3:30, "He MUST become more and more, and I MUST become less and less."
This isn't a suggestion.
Look at the language, this is urgent.
The Bible says that when we are weak, He is strong.
Over and over and over again the Bible tells us to let go.
Trust God with all aspects of your life.
Don't let worrying rot you away.
Give it to God.
Let Him become more and more in your life.
I don't know what that means to you, what areas in your life that you're telling God, "I got this."
I know its not an easy thing to do, and you don't want to trust God with certain things because you just don't see how He can fix it.
All I can say is that we also see in the Bible that insight follows obedience.
Most of us want it the other way around.
God, you show me how You are going to help me, and I will give this problem up to you.
God wants us to go out on faith, give up ourselves to Him, our problems and worries, and on the other side of obedience, after you have let God do his thing, we will understand.
"He MUST become more and more, and I MUST become less and less."
My Jesus
He died for me.
Paid my eternal debt.
Died so I can truly live.
He died on the cross for you too.
Salvation is calling.
Paid my eternal debt.
Died so I can truly live.
He died on the cross for you too.
Salvation is calling.
The Glory of it All
I bought David Crowder's album Remedy a few months ago. It was one of the best buys I have ever made, it's full of great worship songs, but the one that really clicks with me is "The Glory of if All."
There is one part in that song that says:
"After all is lost,
find Him there.
After night,
dawn is there.
After all
falls apart,
He repairs."
It hits home every time. It constantly reminds me that no matter how many times I screw up, no matter how broken I am, no matter how many times I succumb to sin. He is there, and He is ready to forgive.
We can always go back to God.
If I was a Baptist preacher, I would say that deserves an Amen!
There is one part in that song that says:
"After all is lost,
find Him there.
After night,
dawn is there.
After all
falls apart,
He repairs."
It hits home every time. It constantly reminds me that no matter how many times I screw up, no matter how broken I am, no matter how many times I succumb to sin. He is there, and He is ready to forgive.
We can always go back to God.
If I was a Baptist preacher, I would say that deserves an Amen!
Passion
Many of my friends are really involved in clubs and various extra curricular activities. Most of them are great causes, they feed the hungry, and help the poor.
I always ask myself what drives these people. Sure, there is an innate sense to do good and to make a difference and the friends they have made.
At the core of the issue, I think that these clubs and activities give them a taste of passion. They ignite a spark in their heart that hints at a need they never felt. It gives them a taste of that drive that is within them. That drive that wants to change the world, shake the planet, and save people.
Sure, guilt, and the awareness of people's needs can make you support a cause. But neither of those have the effect of unleashing that passion.
I think the only thing that satisfies that passion, hunger, and drive is Christ. I think that is the calling we all have within us.
Everyone wants to make a difference, we just spend most of our time finding out how.
I feel a burden when I talk to my friends and their causes, I know the causes are good, but Christ's call for our lives is much more.
I think of what these people could accomplish if their hearts were ignited for Christ.
If they were living for the King and armed with the knowledge and message that could truly change the world.
Imagine the difference that would make.
I guess that's my call, to show these kids that Christ is calling them.
To show them that passion that Christ gives.
To help that fire grow and make a Kingdom difference.
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need." -Luke 12:31
I always ask myself what drives these people. Sure, there is an innate sense to do good and to make a difference and the friends they have made.
At the core of the issue, I think that these clubs and activities give them a taste of passion. They ignite a spark in their heart that hints at a need they never felt. It gives them a taste of that drive that is within them. That drive that wants to change the world, shake the planet, and save people.
Sure, guilt, and the awareness of people's needs can make you support a cause. But neither of those have the effect of unleashing that passion.
I think the only thing that satisfies that passion, hunger, and drive is Christ. I think that is the calling we all have within us.
Everyone wants to make a difference, we just spend most of our time finding out how.
I feel a burden when I talk to my friends and their causes, I know the causes are good, but Christ's call for our lives is much more.
I think of what these people could accomplish if their hearts were ignited for Christ.
If they were living for the King and armed with the knowledge and message that could truly change the world.
Imagine the difference that would make.
I guess that's my call, to show these kids that Christ is calling them.
To show them that passion that Christ gives.
To help that fire grow and make a Kingdom difference.
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need." -Luke 12:31
Freshman Life
The end is in sight.
I'm almost done with my first year of college. It has gone by pretty fast, though moving up here seems like a long time ago. I feel like I have changed a lot and grown up as well. From little things to big things, I've learned how to semi successfully do loads of laundry and I've also learned a lot about real world financial operations(even less fun than laundry.)
I'm thankful that God led me to Gainesville, I love the city and am now a huge supporter of going away to school, I recommend it to everyone.
However, not everything is easy. You really have to stay disciplined to succeed when you are on your own. You're going to make mistakes, luckily I've been able to get through my first year without any major ones.
If I had to give people some tips about college I would say to get organized and plan a lot more.
Try to relax and not freak out about college, you can handle it if you work at it.
For us Christians, it is brave to avoid sin, and foolish to put yourself in bad situations and try and "stand up" to temptation. The flesh fails you.
Definitely stick to your beliefs. I've seen too many people compromise what they stand for, and end up losing themselves in the process. This has drastic effects.
All in all, it has been a great year so far, I just have to wrap up this last month and a half and finish strong. I look forward to being home soon, but won't mind coming back.
I'm almost done with my first year of college. It has gone by pretty fast, though moving up here seems like a long time ago. I feel like I have changed a lot and grown up as well. From little things to big things, I've learned how to semi successfully do loads of laundry and I've also learned a lot about real world financial operations(even less fun than laundry.)
I'm thankful that God led me to Gainesville, I love the city and am now a huge supporter of going away to school, I recommend it to everyone.
However, not everything is easy. You really have to stay disciplined to succeed when you are on your own. You're going to make mistakes, luckily I've been able to get through my first year without any major ones.
If I had to give people some tips about college I would say to get organized and plan a lot more.
Try to relax and not freak out about college, you can handle it if you work at it.
For us Christians, it is brave to avoid sin, and foolish to put yourself in bad situations and try and "stand up" to temptation. The flesh fails you.
Definitely stick to your beliefs. I've seen too many people compromise what they stand for, and end up losing themselves in the process. This has drastic effects.
All in all, it has been a great year so far, I just have to wrap up this last month and a half and finish strong. I look forward to being home soon, but won't mind coming back.
Love
I think Christianity gets over complicated very often. People need things to talk about and they focus on rules and religion, while missing the simple truth.
I was reading 1 John, and the thought that comes through over and over is to love one another.
That's it.
Just how all sin comes from pride, all righteousness comes from love.
I'm not saying loving one another is always easy, but it is what we must do.
"But anyone who hates a brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness." - 1 John 2:11
With that scripture, I challenge you to love those around you, and I also challenge you to forgive.
It's not hard to love people, it's hard to forgive people that hurt you. Those are the people that are hard to love.
God says to let those grudges go.
Forgive those people of what they did to you.
Holding on to grudges and fantasies of revenge only strengthens that person's hold on you and your life. It only makes the hurt worse, and pulls you both farther away.
The scriptures say to put away your hate, to forgive one another, and love one another.
If you continue to hate, you're still walking in darkness.
If you have someone in your life that you need to forgive, that you need to love, I pray that you have the courage to walk in the light and start loving that person.
I was reading 1 John, and the thought that comes through over and over is to love one another.
That's it.
Just how all sin comes from pride, all righteousness comes from love.
I'm not saying loving one another is always easy, but it is what we must do.
"But anyone who hates a brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness." - 1 John 2:11
With that scripture, I challenge you to love those around you, and I also challenge you to forgive.
It's not hard to love people, it's hard to forgive people that hurt you. Those are the people that are hard to love.
God says to let those grudges go.
Forgive those people of what they did to you.
Holding on to grudges and fantasies of revenge only strengthens that person's hold on you and your life. It only makes the hurt worse, and pulls you both farther away.
The scriptures say to put away your hate, to forgive one another, and love one another.
If you continue to hate, you're still walking in darkness.
If you have someone in your life that you need to forgive, that you need to love, I pray that you have the courage to walk in the light and start loving that person.
Hurdles
Life hurts, it beats you down and wears you out.
There are times when I am exhausted.
I feel like I can't battle sin anymore.
I just don't understand why a loving God would make it so hard for me to follow Him.
I try and do what's right but still do what's wrong.
My flesh leads me to temptations I can't withstand.
I am weak.
It's times like this when this verse hits home.
"Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
-2 Corinthians 12:7-10
You see, Paul's been there.
He knows what I'm going through. He was a better Christian than me and even he still had sin he had to battle. It's not about being perfect, I just can't do that. I try my hardest, but I still screw up. But it is in my weaknesses, my failures, my defeats, my brokenness, when He is strong.
Maybe that's why I write at a time like this, fresh from battle with sin, in my moments of weakness is when God will use this.
But I tell you, in our defeats, we find victory in him.
When all is lost, He is there.
Through Him, we can overcome.
These sound like cliches until you've been there. God has lifted my spirits and delivered me from my shame and hurt.
He can do the same from you.
Only God can heal a broken home, stop an addiction, or simply give you the strength to go on.
Life is hard, I screw up.
All I know is life is better with Jesus than without.
It breaks my heart to see people going through pain without God. I firmly believe that is one reason why God puts hurdles in our paths. So we can experience them, and overcome. Once you've been there, you can reach out and help someone who is there now.
Only those who have been through divorce can truly understand the hurt of someone going through divorce.
Only those who have overcome addiction can relate to others trapped in the bondage of addiction.
God gives us the strength, when we are weak, to pull through problems, reach out to others, and in the end glorify Him.
There are other forces at work, causing pain and sorrow, we come across those people in our lives everyday, coworkers, classmates, spouses, family. God doesn't make us immune to these problems, God gives us the strength to deal with them, and come out on top, victorious.
That way we can go into a broken world and show them that there is a way out of the pain.
That way is Jesus.
There are times when I am exhausted.
I feel like I can't battle sin anymore.
I just don't understand why a loving God would make it so hard for me to follow Him.
I try and do what's right but still do what's wrong.
My flesh leads me to temptations I can't withstand.
I am weak.
It's times like this when this verse hits home.
"Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
-2 Corinthians 12:7-10
You see, Paul's been there.
He knows what I'm going through. He was a better Christian than me and even he still had sin he had to battle. It's not about being perfect, I just can't do that. I try my hardest, but I still screw up. But it is in my weaknesses, my failures, my defeats, my brokenness, when He is strong.
Maybe that's why I write at a time like this, fresh from battle with sin, in my moments of weakness is when God will use this.
But I tell you, in our defeats, we find victory in him.
When all is lost, He is there.
Through Him, we can overcome.
These sound like cliches until you've been there. God has lifted my spirits and delivered me from my shame and hurt.
He can do the same from you.
Only God can heal a broken home, stop an addiction, or simply give you the strength to go on.
Life is hard, I screw up.
All I know is life is better with Jesus than without.
It breaks my heart to see people going through pain without God. I firmly believe that is one reason why God puts hurdles in our paths. So we can experience them, and overcome. Once you've been there, you can reach out and help someone who is there now.
Only those who have been through divorce can truly understand the hurt of someone going through divorce.
Only those who have overcome addiction can relate to others trapped in the bondage of addiction.
God gives us the strength, when we are weak, to pull through problems, reach out to others, and in the end glorify Him.
There are other forces at work, causing pain and sorrow, we come across those people in our lives everyday, coworkers, classmates, spouses, family. God doesn't make us immune to these problems, God gives us the strength to deal with them, and come out on top, victorious.
That way we can go into a broken world and show them that there is a way out of the pain.
That way is Jesus.
Gifts
"To whom much is given, much is expected." -Luke 12:48
Spiderman says this in different words, "with great power, comes great responsibility."
It is all the same thing.
All of us are given gifts, things are bestowed upon us that we don't deserve.
We are born into privileged circumstances, or have certain skills and talents that come naturally.
In all cases it is our duty to use those gifts to give back to the world.
If you are wealthy, it is your duty to give monetarily to causes in need.
If you are famous, it is your duty to use your influence to do what is right.
I think that is one responsibility we all have. We all must use our influence to do what is right.
I know it is easy to say these things as a college kid with nothing to really sacrifice.
I am searching.
I am looking and learning for my gifts and how to use them.
I think that's something we should all try to attain.
We all have gifts, and though they are blessings, they come with burdens.
The burden is to use these gifts for the better of all people.
If we all used our gifts for more than ourselves, if we also used them for others, the world would be a better place.
It is a slow change, but changing the culture of the world is one person, one day, at a time.
So I encourage you to start today.
We all have special gifts.
What are yours?
How do you use them?
How can you use them for others?
I'll be exploring the same questions, and looking for the same answers as you.
It's a journey, but with a great goal in mind.
Spiderman says this in different words, "with great power, comes great responsibility."
It is all the same thing.
All of us are given gifts, things are bestowed upon us that we don't deserve.
We are born into privileged circumstances, or have certain skills and talents that come naturally.
In all cases it is our duty to use those gifts to give back to the world.
If you are wealthy, it is your duty to give monetarily to causes in need.
If you are famous, it is your duty to use your influence to do what is right.
I think that is one responsibility we all have. We all must use our influence to do what is right.
I know it is easy to say these things as a college kid with nothing to really sacrifice.
I am searching.
I am looking and learning for my gifts and how to use them.
I think that's something we should all try to attain.
We all have gifts, and though they are blessings, they come with burdens.
The burden is to use these gifts for the better of all people.
If we all used our gifts for more than ourselves, if we also used them for others, the world would be a better place.
It is a slow change, but changing the culture of the world is one person, one day, at a time.
So I encourage you to start today.
We all have special gifts.
What are yours?
How do you use them?
How can you use them for others?
I'll be exploring the same questions, and looking for the same answers as you.
It's a journey, but with a great goal in mind.
Quick Note
I'm coming up on a rough few weeks. I just took a test, have a quiz in my next class, and a test in the following class. And a paper over the weekend. This is a long day, and I will be glad when its over.
So I'm busy, but I'm sure you are too.
These next three weeks are going to be tough, but then I have spring break, and then it is only a month until summer. And things should be a little more spaced out during that time.
So I can't quite see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I do know that I've been driving through the tunnel for a while and it should be ending soon. Does that make sense?
Later.
P.S.- Check out this scary quote I came across:
“Owners of capital will stimulate working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, houses and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until their debt becomes unbearable. The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks, which will have to be nationalized, and State will have to take the road which will eventually lead to communism”
Karl Marx from “Das Kapital”
1867
So I'm busy, but I'm sure you are too.
These next three weeks are going to be tough, but then I have spring break, and then it is only a month until summer. And things should be a little more spaced out during that time.
So I can't quite see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I do know that I've been driving through the tunnel for a while and it should be ending soon. Does that make sense?
Later.
P.S.- Check out this scary quote I came across:
“Owners of capital will stimulate working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, houses and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until their debt becomes unbearable. The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks, which will have to be nationalized, and State will have to take the road which will eventually lead to communism”
Karl Marx from “Das Kapital”
1867
Untitled
Hey.
I don't know how to start this blog really. I feel a little boastful to talk about this. And it is a little emotional, but I hope it helps someone.
I love this time of night. My room mate is out, I have the dorm to myself. Having this time has really made it easy for me to have a better quiet time.
Tonight is just one of those nights. Where God is drawing me close to Him. I have no idea why.
I know I don't deserve it.
It is one of those nights when I can physically feel His presence. It is a chilling yet comforting sensation. I just feel happy. I guess the biblical word would be joyful.
He is reminding me of other times when I felt close to Him, friends that were there with me, and great times of worship.
There are many nights when I feel alone and like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. But it's great to have a night like this where I feel close to Him.
These times really intrigue me. I have no idea why some nights I feel like this, and other nights I don't. I don't really understand how it works. There is no formula, or ritual to invoke this. I just appreciate them when they come along.
I don't know if you guys ever physically feel something when you're praying, worshiping, reading your bible, or anything. Whatever it is, I want to know what it's like for you. How does it feel?
I don't know how to start this blog really. I feel a little boastful to talk about this. And it is a little emotional, but I hope it helps someone.
I love this time of night. My room mate is out, I have the dorm to myself. Having this time has really made it easy for me to have a better quiet time.
Tonight is just one of those nights. Where God is drawing me close to Him. I have no idea why.
I know I don't deserve it.
It is one of those nights when I can physically feel His presence. It is a chilling yet comforting sensation. I just feel happy. I guess the biblical word would be joyful.
He is reminding me of other times when I felt close to Him, friends that were there with me, and great times of worship.
There are many nights when I feel alone and like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. But it's great to have a night like this where I feel close to Him.
These times really intrigue me. I have no idea why some nights I feel like this, and other nights I don't. I don't really understand how it works. There is no formula, or ritual to invoke this. I just appreciate them when they come along.
I don't know if you guys ever physically feel something when you're praying, worshiping, reading your bible, or anything. Whatever it is, I want to know what it's like for you. How does it feel?
Happy Valentine's Day
Guys, remember to get your gifts. You only have one day left. It's bad news, if you think that Valentine's Day isn't a big deal and you're partner will understand if you don't get her anything. BAD MOVE! Go get something. I'll wait...
Back?
Good.
Well for V-Day, Shannon came up to Gainesville. We are going to have a picnic on the lake and rent a canoe, and go out on the water for a bit. Then we're going to check out this nature trail because Shannon thinks we will see a bison.
We'll go out to dinner tonight to miss the crowds, and it should be a great weekend.
Right now we are celebrating by doing laundry!
Well, I'm doing laundry and she's taking a nap.
Fair enough, they are my clothes.
But anyways, I digress.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Back?
Good.
Well for V-Day, Shannon came up to Gainesville. We are going to have a picnic on the lake and rent a canoe, and go out on the water for a bit. Then we're going to check out this nature trail because Shannon thinks we will see a bison.
We'll go out to dinner tonight to miss the crowds, and it should be a great weekend.
Right now we are celebrating by doing laundry!
Well, I'm doing laundry and she's taking a nap.
Fair enough, they are my clothes.
But anyways, I digress.
Happy Valentine's Day.
My Favorite Verse
So I've been thinking about the future a lot lately.
I've been thinking about what I am going to do.
I feel like I was called into the ministry about last summer. I prayed hard for a purpose, for what God had in mind for me. After months of pleading with Him, He finally gave me the nudge that I was going to be a pastor.
So that's what I took. I am really excited about this calling, but with it comes a lot of nerves. The bible says that teachers will be judged more harshly. It is a lot of responsibility, speaking on behalf of God to people, one I don't take lightly. I also feel that if I'm going to be a spiritual leader, I have to get my spiritual game tight. This can sometimes intensify my guilt when I stumble over certain sins that I find hard to overcome. But these are thoughts for another blog.
This blog, like this country, is about money.
I've always been blessed that school comes easy to me, and with a lot of schooling comes a lot of opportunities. Sometimes these can be tempting. Not in a bad way, but a way that takes my focus from God.
For instance, I should get my degree, go fully into ministry, do His work, and be satisfied. But the human flesh is greedy. So instead, I could change my major, do something like law school, get out and make bank.
This doesn't pull on me from a pure greed stand point. I've never been about making the most money. This pulls on me because of all the things that having money opens up. I could buy a house, start a family, create a comfortable situation for those around me. It would also set up my family for the next generation. To take the opportunities my parents sacrificed for and make something, to see the Stephens' family go from lower class to upper class in two generations would be a something to be proud of.
None of that is bad, but I don't feel that is God's plan for me.
I've been tempted, thought about giving in. I thought of pursuing the big bucks so I could live the good life.
But God keeps steering me back to the verse He laid on my heart years ago.
Matthew 16:26
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? And what can one man gain in exchange for his soul?"
To me, that sums it up.
I want God over the world.
He thankfully keeps reminding me of that.
I want to fill my soul instead of chasing riches.
I've reaffirmed that I'm going to go down the path of ministry. I feel led there right now, things might change, but that is not up to me. I've decided to keep going down this path as long as God is leading me there.
Sure, there is money I'm missing out on, and it isn't a surefire corporate ladder. But I will be feeding my soul. If people don't think that is a smart choice, then that is a small sacrifice I'll have to make for Him. But if God takes care of the birds in the trees, won't He look after us that much more?
I've been thinking about what I am going to do.
I feel like I was called into the ministry about last summer. I prayed hard for a purpose, for what God had in mind for me. After months of pleading with Him, He finally gave me the nudge that I was going to be a pastor.
So that's what I took. I am really excited about this calling, but with it comes a lot of nerves. The bible says that teachers will be judged more harshly. It is a lot of responsibility, speaking on behalf of God to people, one I don't take lightly. I also feel that if I'm going to be a spiritual leader, I have to get my spiritual game tight. This can sometimes intensify my guilt when I stumble over certain sins that I find hard to overcome. But these are thoughts for another blog.
This blog, like this country, is about money.
I've always been blessed that school comes easy to me, and with a lot of schooling comes a lot of opportunities. Sometimes these can be tempting. Not in a bad way, but a way that takes my focus from God.
For instance, I should get my degree, go fully into ministry, do His work, and be satisfied. But the human flesh is greedy. So instead, I could change my major, do something like law school, get out and make bank.
This doesn't pull on me from a pure greed stand point. I've never been about making the most money. This pulls on me because of all the things that having money opens up. I could buy a house, start a family, create a comfortable situation for those around me. It would also set up my family for the next generation. To take the opportunities my parents sacrificed for and make something, to see the Stephens' family go from lower class to upper class in two generations would be a something to be proud of.
None of that is bad, but I don't feel that is God's plan for me.
I've been tempted, thought about giving in. I thought of pursuing the big bucks so I could live the good life.
But God keeps steering me back to the verse He laid on my heart years ago.
Matthew 16:26
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? And what can one man gain in exchange for his soul?"
To me, that sums it up.
I want God over the world.
He thankfully keeps reminding me of that.
I want to fill my soul instead of chasing riches.
I've reaffirmed that I'm going to go down the path of ministry. I feel led there right now, things might change, but that is not up to me. I've decided to keep going down this path as long as God is leading me there.
Sure, there is money I'm missing out on, and it isn't a surefire corporate ladder. But I will be feeding my soul. If people don't think that is a smart choice, then that is a small sacrifice I'll have to make for Him. But if God takes care of the birds in the trees, won't He look after us that much more?
My Previous Blog
My last blog generated some feedback with a difference of opinion.
Check out the comment section.
I'd like to hear from you too.
Check out the comment section.
I'd like to hear from you too.
The Benefits of Atheism?
Simply put, what are the benefits of atheism?
You live your life with no one watching out for you, no one caring about you, no one making you part of their plan.
Then you die, and that's it?
That's all there is?
Can someone explain to me why anyone would be an atheist?
I understand some people have hang ups about the church, or about certain things that have been done under the banner of "religion," but what does atheism have to offer?
If you look at your life on a singular, personal level, I just don't see the benefit.
I know many atheists that say they are too rational to believe in God, too logical to believe in the hocus pocus of religion.
You are too rational to avoid universal evidence that puts doubts in all of our beliefs?
So you stick to your atheist guns?
Why?
Why would you turn away from a loving, caring God that wants the best for you, that accepts everyone, that is the definition of love?
What is so alluring about atheism, and why would you try to convince me to change my ways?
Why would you try to make me give up my faith in a better world and loving God and join the ranks of an atheist and believe in nothing?
If this is it, and there is nothing more to live for, why would I want to be a part of that?
I just don't see the upside of atheism or the downside of believing in God.
Maybe I just don't have enough faith to be an atheist.
You live your life with no one watching out for you, no one caring about you, no one making you part of their plan.
Then you die, and that's it?
That's all there is?
Can someone explain to me why anyone would be an atheist?
I understand some people have hang ups about the church, or about certain things that have been done under the banner of "religion," but what does atheism have to offer?
If you look at your life on a singular, personal level, I just don't see the benefit.
I know many atheists that say they are too rational to believe in God, too logical to believe in the hocus pocus of religion.
You are too rational to avoid universal evidence that puts doubts in all of our beliefs?
So you stick to your atheist guns?
Why?
Why would you turn away from a loving, caring God that wants the best for you, that accepts everyone, that is the definition of love?
What is so alluring about atheism, and why would you try to convince me to change my ways?
Why would you try to make me give up my faith in a better world and loving God and join the ranks of an atheist and believe in nothing?
If this is it, and there is nothing more to live for, why would I want to be a part of that?
I just don't see the upside of atheism or the downside of believing in God.
Maybe I just don't have enough faith to be an atheist.
The Cry of the Oppressed
I've been reading this book by Rob Bell called Jesus Came to Save Christians, and it talks a lot about how when people are desperate and cry out, God hears them. He hears the cry of the oppressed. The book looks at Israel, when they were in slavery in Egypt and cried out to God, he sent Moses and delivered them. When they reached the promised land, and set up shop they got fat and happy. They were prosperous as God said, but the people and Solomon got, as my dad says, "too big for their britches." They forgot God, they began building a vast military, enslaving people to build temples to God. They had it all wrong, so God sent Babylon in to take them over. When were they delivered from Babylon? When they were oppressed and cried out.
It is easy to make the analogy to crying out in our everyday life. When we have God and have nothing else, we cry out to Him out of pure desperation. He delivers. It is not that we have to be desperate it's just that we have to know we need Him, and a lot of times we don't realize that until we are desperate.
I'm going to take another step and saying that our churches need to cry out. When church leaders aren't disturbed about the pain in the world. When people forget about the oppressed, when they don't think of helping the sick and needy, I argue they lose passion and drive. Being a pastor just becomes a job. I pray church leaders remember God's original call to them. They remember when He drew them to the ministry. They remember the people they wanted to help, the difference they wanted to make in the world. When a church is desperate to breakthrough, make an impact, and change the world you can tell. When it is about more than self help, balancing your check book, losing weight, and making life easier, it works. When the church is about helping the poor, needy, oppressed, hungry, and spiritually forsaken it is at its best. When a church collectively cries out for God to use them, He will deliver.
It is easy to make the analogy to crying out in our everyday life. When we have God and have nothing else, we cry out to Him out of pure desperation. He delivers. It is not that we have to be desperate it's just that we have to know we need Him, and a lot of times we don't realize that until we are desperate.
I'm going to take another step and saying that our churches need to cry out. When church leaders aren't disturbed about the pain in the world. When people forget about the oppressed, when they don't think of helping the sick and needy, I argue they lose passion and drive. Being a pastor just becomes a job. I pray church leaders remember God's original call to them. They remember when He drew them to the ministry. They remember the people they wanted to help, the difference they wanted to make in the world. When a church is desperate to breakthrough, make an impact, and change the world you can tell. When it is about more than self help, balancing your check book, losing weight, and making life easier, it works. When the church is about helping the poor, needy, oppressed, hungry, and spiritually forsaken it is at its best. When a church collectively cries out for God to use them, He will deliver.
Spring Semester
Last week, I made it back up to Gainesville for the Spring Semester. By the end of my two week break I was actually missing school a little. Not for the classwork but for the atmosphere, the people, being out on my own, and the sleep. After two weeks of constant visiting and just busyness, I missed all the sleep I get here. At this point, I couldn't imagine going to school anywhere else, and really like it. If Shannon was up here with me, and I found an awesome church, there would be nothing keeping me away from this town.
Plus, the Gators just won the National Championship in football, so I feel privileged to be going to the only school that could have that celebration this year. It was insanity up here, celebrations in the streets just turned into huge mosh pits, but it was a lot of fun. It's good for my degree, because admission standards keep getting higher with every National Championship. Sad, but true.
I went to church today and was not impressed by anything it really had to offer and decided that I'm not going to settle just because I'm worried people will think I'm picky. I hope to find a place where I can get something out of going to that church, even if that something is that the church is reaching a lot of people. I wasn't even getting that today. So, I'm still on the hunt for a place where God is visibly at work and I can join in. It is hard moving from a church where I was actively involved and made a lot of close friendships to a new place with new people. But I haven't lost hope.
I guess that's all that is going on. My classes are okay. As good as they can be, and don't look to be too rough. My schedule is great, with a lot of down time. That is awesome.
I'm about to have a floor meeting, so I'm out. I have something else to post on afterwards.
Plus, the Gators just won the National Championship in football, so I feel privileged to be going to the only school that could have that celebration this year. It was insanity up here, celebrations in the streets just turned into huge mosh pits, but it was a lot of fun. It's good for my degree, because admission standards keep getting higher with every National Championship. Sad, but true.
I went to church today and was not impressed by anything it really had to offer and decided that I'm not going to settle just because I'm worried people will think I'm picky. I hope to find a place where I can get something out of going to that church, even if that something is that the church is reaching a lot of people. I wasn't even getting that today. So, I'm still on the hunt for a place where God is visibly at work and I can join in. It is hard moving from a church where I was actively involved and made a lot of close friendships to a new place with new people. But I haven't lost hope.
I guess that's all that is going on. My classes are okay. As good as they can be, and don't look to be too rough. My schedule is great, with a lot of down time. That is awesome.
I'm about to have a floor meeting, so I'm out. I have something else to post on afterwards.
