You are...

Another prayer and reflection that has been in my mind over the past few days reminding me of what my life is all about...


we bow down before You
because of who You are

and You are my Joy
You are my Love
You are my Life
You are my Peace

we bow down before You
because of who You are

and You are my Guide
You are the Way
You are the Truth
You are the ONE

we bow down before You
because of what You’ve done

Jesus you lived
Savior you died
oh, Lord you have risen
and now You live

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Predestination v. Free Will

I was asked to write an article dealing with the issue of predestination and free will. The following are my thoughts about this issue:

Predestination v. Free Will. The latter has been one of the biggest arguments and one of the reasons that churches will split. This article is written to merely present an opinion and challenge you, the reader, to take a deeper look at scripture and wrestle with it. There is evidence for both predestination and free will in scripture, therefore, neither one can simply be dismissed. There are many evidences of both of these in scripture and we must therefore wrestle with these scriptures and accept that both of these issues have scriptural credibility.
Comparing these issues is very similar to the comparison of the human and divine nature of Jesus. Both of these natures are found to be in Christ and there are evidences of both of these in scripture. The term that is used to describe the acceptance of the human and divine nature of Christ is “Hypostatic union,” which means that the two natures are united in one person. Similarly, both predestination and free will exist and have scriptural evidence.
These issues cause us so many problems mainly because we are incapable of wrapping our minds around the fact that both can exist in unison. In the book of Deuteronomy there is a discussion about the knowledge of God, and in the New Testament there is discussion about the mysteries of God that man will never know. The issue of predestination and free will is one of those things that is never going to make sense in our minds. Below is a diagram that can help to explain is. Basically, both predestination and free will go towards this line of knowledge and above that line is the knowledge of God that we will never know. Furthermore, above this line it is unknown to us what happens to these two views, do they intersect/overlap, or do the simply continue on their own? This again is something we will not know.
Both of these views fall under the title of systematic theology and should be treated as and discussed with care and with humility. The one thing about systematic theology is that it relies on a system and that scripture ‘fits’ into that and any scripture against it is explained away. I challenge anyone reading this to take the standpoint of what one might call a “Biblicist.” By this I simply mean that you would search the Bible and believe what the scriptures say about each point/issue.
Remember that in the discussion of any issue it is never good for either party to become frustrated or angry. Discussion is good but arguments can be harmful. Remain humble in everything that you do and in all that you do, do it with love.

"Just kidding..."

"Just kidding." We've all said it before. I'll even bet that many of us have said that phrase today even in the past hour or two. I know what you're asking, "what's so bad about saying that?" It seems so innocent doesn't it? We joke and just have a good time because it is fun and brings laughter and what seems like joy to others. But that's just it. It simply seems like joy. Think about the times that you have used that phrase or others like it. For me this has often been at times when others have been around and I or somebody else made a comment about another person or about a situation. It all seems like it's just fun, but have you ever thought about how that makes the other person feel? Whether or not you agree with me, you cannot ignore what the Bible says about situations like this and about our speech. "Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death. So is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, 'Was I not joking?'" Proverbs 26:18-19 Scripture says that the one who uses this phrase is like a madman throwing arrows and death around at people. The word that people like to throw out here is 'deceives.' That word means so much more than what we commonly think. It literally means to mislead, so yes even joking is to mislead or lie to someone. At this point it is common to think/say that it's just a joke, nothing big. The question you have to answer for yourself here is: 'what constitutes a sin in need of repentance?' Simply, to you, is a lie a sin at the same level of, say, murder? According to the scriptures this answer is resoundingly, YES, a sin is a sin and all sins are need of repentance and redemption. In our culture and in the way that we conduct our lives it is difficult to not joke or to cut down somebody but we must strive to make this cease. Could you imagine what could happen if we constantly lived our lives with love and encouragement that is portrayed in the Gospel? It would be amazing. "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word that is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give GRACE to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29 "But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him." Colossians 3: 8-10 Encourage one another in conduct and in speech and sacrifice yourself so that the name of Christ may become famous. Love in the way that you know that you have been loved, in a way that gave up life to take on the impurities of all to provide salvation for all. Great things can and will happen if we conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to God. Will you love?

Psalm from the heart

I was fortunate to have some time to myself today and spend some time with God. During this time I simply just reflected on life and blessings and just began to pour my heart out to God. I ended up writing down the main prayer of this time and it came to be somewhat of a poem/song/psalm if you will. So here it is...

i laid down at your throne
asking You to be my own
i have fallen, yet again
O, please Lord be my gain

take it all from me
so that i can see
take it all from me
so that i can see

i am now on my knees
asking You, "forgive me"
restore me, yet again
O, please Lord be my gain

take it all from me
so that i can see
take it all from me
so that i can see

i want to be with You
every moment with you
life is Christ, death is gain
O, please Lord be my gain

take it all from me
so that i can see
take it all from
so that i can see
here i am, here i am
here i am, before you

That was simply what my heart was crying out as I thought about where I am now and where I was before. What is your heart saying?

Sin's Round

Have you ever wondered when sin starts? Maybe you've phrased that question like this: How far is too far? For a long time I was under the impression that sin began with the actual physical process of sinning, in whatever fashion that was whether be gossip, etc. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Matthew 5 discusses this issue of sin and when it truly begins. In verses 21-22 Jesus tells us, "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell." Furthermore in verses 27-28 Jesus explains again, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This passage out of Matthew explains it very clearly, sin begins with your thoughts. For me that is troubling. I control what I am thinking and sometimes it is anger, hatred, gossip, lust, this list goes on and to think, those are all sins. My first objection, which I believe comes from Satan, is "wait, I only thought those things, I didn't actually say or do anything!" According to the Christ that died for my sins, the sins he suffered for began in my mind and unfortunately some I carried out through actions. It is important that we realize that sin begins with the mind and when we find ourselves thinking about sinful things that it is time to then confess and repent. The following poem was written by George Herbert and the title is Sin's Round and it portrays perfectly the beginning of and the execution of sin in our lives:

SORRY I am, my God, sorry I am,

That my offences course it in a ring.

My thoughts are working like a busy flame,

Until their cockatrice they hatch and bring:

And when they once have perfected their draughts,

My words take fire from my inflamed thoughts.

My words take fire from my inflamed thoughts,

Which spit it forth like the Sicilian hill.

They vent their wares, and pass them with their faults,

And by their breathing ventilate the ill.

But words suffice not, where are lewd intentions:

My hands do join to finish the inventions.

My hands do join to finish the inventions:

And so my sins ascend three stories high,

As Babel grew, before there were dissentions.

Let ill deeds loiter not: for they supply

New thoughts of sinning:

wherefore, to my shame,

Sorry I am, my God, sorry I am.

George Herbert

That poem portrays it perfectly, sin begins in the mind and before you know it your sin has grown threefold. My Lord sorry I am, that my sins function in this process. Once you think it, it has already been put into action and it is already sinful. Between these two passages in Matthew Jesus explains to us the importance of repentance and forgiveness. Matthew 23-24 tells us that if we are presenting an offering, wanting to grow in our relationship with God, taking communion, etc. we must "first be reconciled." If there is a personal grievance or bitterness then you have to take care of that before you come into the presence of God. It is important that we love in all facets of our lives including our thoughts, take care of that before it is too late and you are standing before God on judgment day. We are held accountable for our attitudes, our thoughts, and our actions. Are you aware of your thoughts?

"Love 'em..."

For the past year I have been very convicted about something. I have tried to seriously think about how I treat and even think about other people. Unfortunately, that is what I have been convicted about, not that I haven't treated people with love, but what do I really think about them? Have you ever heard or even said, "I love them, I don't like them/can't stand them, but I love them?" I found myself saying that a couple of times over this past year and it never really meant anything to me until I sat down and thought about what exactly I was saying (also by being in prayer and listening to God's word being preached I was able to recognize this). What I have come to realize is that to say that is to completely refute yourself. "Love 'em, don't like 'em, but I love 'em." Really? What does it mean to love? To love somebody is the greatest commandment according to Jesus, so it is nothing to take lightly. Again, 1 Corinthians says that the greatest thing is to love. So what does it mean to not like somebody, can you really love them if you don't like them? I think the answer to that question is no. Love is something so powerful that it should overcome any 'imperfections' that someone might have or even annoyances. Yes, people in my life annoy me and can get on my nerves and do things that I do not like, BUT love is something that overcomes those petty emotions and overrides my initial thoughts. 1 Corinthians 13 defines what Love is and what all Love overcomes; therefore, to say that you don't like somebody but you love them is incorrect. Everybody will do something that annoys you and that you don't like, but Love can and will overcome those feelings so embrace it, pray for patience, and learn to love as Christ Loved us! When we sin we directly disobey and even offend God, yet he looks upon the sacrifice of His SON and Loves us enough to forgive and accept us. When you experience the forgiveness, grace, mercy, and LOVE that was shown to us only then will you truly understand what it means to love. I can only love because HE first loved me. Patience will come, be in steadfast prayer, learn what love really is and surrender to it. Will you choose to Love as Christ loves?

Humility

What does it mean to be humble? Is it enough to just say that I am not proud or arrogant? Personally I think that it is not enough. Being humble means so much more than to simply state or think that you are not proud or arrogant, isn't that arrogance in and of itself? Humility is not simply just a statement, rather it is a state of being. It is knowing the truth but at the same time know that that Truth is greater than even you and your knowledge. We are working through a series in studentLIFE that is called "Jesus is Greater Than..." Through this series we are showing and teaching the students about other worldly religions and cults and showing them why Jesus is better/greater than all of these. I know what you're thinking, that is far from humility. But, we are teaching them that Jesus is greater than ourselves/them and that while yes Jesus is greater than all things, we are to deliver this message with love. 1 Corinthians says that faith and hope and love are very important, but that the greatest of these is LOVE. Through all of these teachings we are portraying that humility comes through love, and though Jesus is greater than all of these worldly religions the best thing that we can do is to LOVE each other and LOVE the world and know that Jesus is greater than we are! That is what humility is. Having a reason for the hope that we have and sharing that through love and gentleness (1 Peter 3:15) is what we are called to do. Humility can be such a tough thing especially when pride is something that we are taught to have in everything that we do. So how do even begin to have humility? I'm glad you asked. Humility is not only gained through love, but it is gained through prayer! Prayer should be the basis of everything that we do and prayer should lead us to humility. The reason this is so is because to be in prayer is to fall down on your face in complete reverence of the Almighty God and to SURRENDER to Him. To be in prayer is to say, Lord I can't do it, I need you. Prayer leads you to humility. I once heard it described in this way: the gate into heaven is a short gate and those who stand tall cannot enter, only those who are face down can enter the gate. To be in prayer is to surrender all that you are and to admit that you cannot do anything without Christ, and that my friends is humility. Pray boldly, pray consistently, pray specifically. Are you ready to pray?

Line in the sand

Since I have been working with youth there is one thing that I have begun to notice not only about youth ministry but about churches and other ministries as a whole and that is we have very low expectations of them. Simply put, we are not challenging people to rise above and make a difference. This is one thing that we noticed this past summer after talking to some of the youth ministers that came to camp. Many of them told us that they merely skimmed over scripture and didn't want to go too deep because they were afraid that the students wouldn't get it. Wow! The reason they aren't maturing already and deeply knowing the scriptures is because we have no confidence in them that they can do it. This is evident in college ministries and some churches as well. The reason Christians of all ages aren't growing and maturing in Christ is because those teaching them have set the bar so low and have left it there since the beginning not allowing them to grow further. What this causes is apathy and it causes many Christians to fall asleep.

Martin Luther described a dream he had about hell in this way: he envisioned Satan sitting on his throne and demons were coming to him and reporting back to him. The first one came to him and said, "some Christians were on this caravan through the desert and I caused some tigers to attack them and kill them." Satan said, "that does nothing for me because their souls are with Jesus." Another demon came up and said, "Satan there were some missionaries on a boat and I caused this great wind and these waves hit the ship and killed all the Christians." Satan said, "Again you don't get it, I'm after their souls!" This wise demon came to Satan and said, "For 10 years I've been trying to lull this guy to sleep, and finally he went to sleep." And with that hell began cheer and applaud because ONE person had fallen asleep.

Don't fall asleep! God is drawing a line in the sand and saying "WAKE UP!!!" It's time for us to wake up to the power and grace of God or else we are going to miss out on it all and miss out on the amazing things that God is doing in our churches and in our cities. If you fall asleep then there is no use for you. Continue to grow and do this, not by joining another Bible study, but do it by serving. Serve in your local church, become committed to it, become a member of their family, and dedicate yourself in every way. Furthermore, serve your community show them the love of Christ that they have been missing because the church has been sleeping. "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." ~Ephesians 5:14~ Wake up, don't be left behind, raise the bar and offer all that you are. Are you falling asleep?

Something Unanticipated

The summer has come to an end and the only thing that I can say it that God has truly blessed my life simply by allowing me to witness His glory and amazing grace every week of this summer. There were hundreds of first time decisions to follow Christ made by youth and even some adults this summer and to be able to watch people finally surrender and understand what it means to truly believe has been absolutely amazing! I have been able to learn from many great people including some amazing men after God's own heart, simply put this has been another amazing summer.

Now that the summer is over, that means that it is time for us to return home and to school. With that in mind, all that has occurred over the summer is not meant to be taken with you wherever you go. By this I simply mean that, for me, Caswell will only happen at Caswell. Things that I have experienced at Caswell are meant for that place only. But what will happen is that the experiences I had have taught me and have equipped me so that I can tell others of God's glory. I cannot expect that things at school will be just like camp, because they simply won't be. The reason this is entitled "Something Unanticipated" is because of a couple of reasons. First, this slogan has been taken on by our BCM and is on our t-shirts for this year. The other reason is because we as Christians need to become something that our world has not anticipated. What I mean by this is that we have become content within our clicks and our Christian groups and we do the same things every year and our world knows exactly how to react to our routine-like events. My proposition is that Christians will become so passionate for Christ that they begin to truly desire to see lives changed. Once this happens they will begin to get away from their comfortable groups and will go out into the mission field that God has given them and will do anything to see Christ impact others. It is time that we pursue Christ will all that we have and truly come to know what it means to believe (believing means that you will do anything and will give up everything), engage our campus and its many cultures by sacrificing all that we have so that Christ can become famous through our lives, and impact nations by teaching and discipling/mentoring others so that they can go out and show the love of Christ to the world. Simply put, it is time that our ministries stop doing what we are doing (it's not working) and become something that our campus doesn't anticipate! How do we do this? Sacrifice our comfort, give up our lives, and stop at nothing to make the name of Christ famous. It is time for a revolution, it is time for a change, it is time for a revival. Stop allowing what we do to be anticipated. It is time for something new, something unanticipated. Are you ready? Even better, Are you willing?

Comfort

After some observations over the past couple of weeks and even the past couple of years, I have come to the conclusion that Christians are just simply too comfortable. Yea I know, we hear that all the time, "it's time to get out of your comfort zone...etc..." but seriously it is that time. We see so many people in need of something and we know exactly what they need, yet all we have for them is pity. Instead of offering them the love of Christ, we sit there and say that we are sad and sorry for their situation. If you had some life threatening disease that was curable would you want somebody to give you the cure or simply feel sorry for your situation? People DO NOT NEED OUR PITY!!! If we claim to know Christ then we need to stop talking about how sorry we are for their situation and get off of our butts and get out of our comfort zones and make a difference. It's the same thing as if you have a problem with somebody. It is time for you to stop talking about the person or their situation and go to them directly! 1 Peter 3:15 says that we are to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have with gentleness and reverence. It is time for us to be out there in the world telling others about the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord! As Romans 8:38-39 says, nothing absolutely NOTHING will separate from the love of God, and yet we sit back and watch the people around us and all we have is pity. Revivals will happen when Christians stop having pity and share the love of Christ with others! Are you still sitting back with pity?

Excuse/Justification

Something I have been thinking about lately is why people, especially myself, are always making excuses and trying to justify themselves and others. Unfortunately, so often instead of doing my quiet times and spending time in the Word or in prayer I make excuses and then find other things to do and try to justify the other things that I am doing. The other day I went to a couple of our youth's baseball game and while I was there myself and one of the mom's got to talking to another couple of families about the Summit church and all I continued to hear were excuses to why they could not go to church and how they really wanted to go to church there but that they just couldn't do but it was ok because they had baseball tournaments and they would sometimes listen to the sermons online. Trust me, I am far from perfect but when we begin to make excuses and begin to justify our actions or the actions of others then that right there is a key sign that we are in the wrong already. Think about it, when you begin to justify why you are doing something you are usually already doing something wrong! Honestly take a moment and think about a time where you were justifying the things you were doing and the actions of others. I can almost guarantee that each time you were already sinning before you tried to justify it. We have to stop making excuses and stop trying to justify ourselves and realize that we are sinners and allow for Christ to be our justification to the Father, for he substituted His life and died the death I deserve so that I can be in relationship with God. Confess your sins, trust in Christ, and spread His name throughout the ends of the earth. Are you still making excuses?

How?

Let me just preface this whole thing by saying that I love the Summit church and am glad to call that my church family. For the past couple of years I have been attending this church and to be honest it has changed my life. There are many college students that attend our church and when people ask where you go to church and you tell them "The Summit," some get this weird look on their face and remark, "Oh, 'The Summit.'" For some reason people do not like the Summit church at first glance because it is what some would call a 'megachurch.' The fact that we have two campuses, many partner and planted churches, and a large congregation people are turned away automatically. But, I challenge everyone to think about how churches like the Summit have gotten to be the way they are. These churches are not putting on a show and performing so that there is a large audience. There is one reason alone that the churches have gotten to be this way. That reason is that they preach the gospel and bless the city. Some people think that they've gotten so big because it's just entertainment, on the contrary, it's because of Jesus. Every day, every week, everywhere they go Jesus is presented and that is how these churches have become successful! The reason we have thousands of members and are able to send missionaries around the world (including the youth which is awesome) is because of Jesus alone! You can ask anybody at these churches and the one thing that will be common among the answers as to how, is Jesus. The gospel is preached, a burden for those around in the city is placed on the members, and salvation by grace alone is offered. This and this alone accounts for the success of the church. With that in mind, how are to be successful in our individual lives?

Live it

It has been a month and praise God that exams are over! Since then I have been taking it easy and went on vacation to Florida (to Disney World) which was amazing as it always is! It scares me to think that I am now a senior in college and will soon graduate. What exactly does that mean though? It means my time in Chapel Hill as a student that can impact the lives of other students is coming to an end very quickly. Now that the end is coming, so often one will look back to the time before and for me the question is have I truly lived my life or have I simply been complacent and apathetic? I fear that it may be the latter but I hope that throughout my years I have allowed God to work in my life and impact the lives of those around me. This can only happen if I give up everything I have to God and allow him to use me in every single way. Yes, this also means sacrifice, which can come in many ways but when it comes down to it you only have one life to live and you only have that one life to give; therefore, you better starting living in Christ and giving your life as an act of spiritual worship. Going over these things makes me think about my dreams. More often than not our dreams are about what we want our life to be. For me, my dream is that I can be a godly man that has sacrificed his life so that Christ may be glorified. Is that possible? You better believe it is! Other dreams that I have for my life is that I will have a godly family as a result of following the will of God, and to witness the majestic works of Christ all around me. These dreams will become a reality. The reason I can boldly make that statement is because I know of the plans that God has for me and as I continue to seek Him with all my heart He will keep his promises. Furthermore, as I continue to sacrifice my life for Christ those around me will benefit from His love and when that happens their lives will be impacted by Him, not by me. My dream is that I will not be remembered, but that when people think about me they immediately think about Christ. Our dreams become a reality only when we remove our selfishness and seek after and live out the will of God. Are you ready to let your dreams come true?

It's not enough

Knowing that God has a plan for you, simply is not enough. God loves you and He has a plan for you and He has not forgotten about you and He maybe working that plan out in your life, but simply knowing that God has a plan is not enough. God's plan for you is that you will seek Him with all of your heart, that even if you don't find all of the answers to your questions or solutions to your situations, that you would find Him. He simply wants you to stop playing games, quit playing the church game (stop dating the church) and commit yourself and become a person that will say, "from now on I am going to seek God with all of my heart. I am going to prioritize prayer and scripture and devotion to God through the good, the bad, and the ugly and I will seek Him." Knowledge of something is great, but until you decide to do something about it, it will remain as knowledge and nothing will change. We have to quit being Jeremiah 29:11 people saying that we know God has a plan for us and we have to become Jeremiah 29:13 people saying that while we know God has a plan for us, we want to be on board with that plan, and we want to seek Him with all of our heart. Until you submit to the Lord and say yes to His plan, simply knowing that He has a plan is not enough. "You will seek me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." Are you searching?

Questions

Do you ever find yourself just continually asking questions and never knowing the answers? Maybe you continue to ask why, or how long, or what will happen. The simple answer (without sounding too spiritual) is Jesus. I know what you're thinking, "yea I hear that all the time, Jesus is the answer to my questions, if I just trust in Him then He will lead me." I know it's hard to completely turn your life over and trust and have faith in somebody you have never physically met and expect them to take care of you and answer your questions. It is normal to ask questions, it is normal to not know what exactly is going to happen or why something has just happened, but you must find the comfort of forgiveness in Jesus and know that if you are living according to His will then He will take care of you in every aspect of your life. As I was thinking about this today, a song came on my ipod that took the words out of my mouth and explains this better than I can. That song is "Questions" by Jon McLaughlin and the lyrics are:

Katy stands at the top of the stairs
As she’s leaving her father stares
What has she come to? Another boy she runs to tonight
Powerless he just shakes his head
Disappointed and off to bed
But he won’t be sleeping cause the hours she’s keeping are not right

She’s asking a question, how will I be
After this next one eventually leaves me
How can a man be all that they say when all that I know
Is men run away?
I think I lose just a little bit of me in every man that I see

Danny’s been out now for 7 days
Funny how he thought the price had been paid on a past he hates to talk about
Its everything wrong about him
He goes back home to a battle field and starts to drink as some kind of a shield
For the anger instilled in him and their looks are killing him now

He’s asking a question
How will I be when It comes down to the end and memories still haunt me
How can He have forgiveness that flows when no one forgives me
Yet its Jesus they know
I think I lose just a little bit of me in this family that won’t see

A crowd of confusion gathers round watching the light as he slowly goes out
After all they've talked about everything’s coming out now
Their anger turns to dead and gone
Hearts start to feel what feels so wrong and as the time starts passing by and hours turn to days in their heads they can still hear Him say

I came for your questions of what you don’t know
But you cant see the answers unless I go
So give me your hatred and give your diseased
Give me your tired and Ill take them with me
Cause I’m hanging here losing every part of me
Just to open your eyes to what you would never see
And to answer your questions there’s no place that I’d rather be

That song spoke volumes to me as I continued to listen to it and it portrays how Jesus answers our questions. Simply Jesus came for our questions and we must turn over everything to Him in order to truly find peace and comfort and rest! Do you trust that He can overcome your doubts and questions?

I dare you to move

In the past I have written a couple things discussing the intentions and motives behind what we do, and this is going to somewhat play off of that. We have begun a Bible study for college guys that go to Summit and we have named it Recovering Biblical Manhood. We are doing this study in hopes that we, boys, will grow closer to God and become the men and the leaders that he has made us to be, because let's face it, men today have been sitting around playing video games, watching ESPN, or just sleeping while the women are off doing what God has called. That's my little rant about that. Anyways, the heading on each one of our handouts, which has become our motto/theme, is :We don't just study how to be a man God uses just to say we're Godly men, rather we must apply it in our lives. Basically we are not just waking up at 7am on a Monday morning to boast to people and say hey look at me I'm being a godly man, rather we are making a sacrifice so that we can better understand what it means to be a godly man and be able to provide for our future wives! What this brings me to is the warning that I was given and in turn gave to the other guys that thought about coming: do not come if this is just going to be another thing on your 'checklist.' By this we simply mean don't bother showing up if you are just doing this to mark it off of your list of things to do because what this will lead to is a false understanding of salvation. If you are going to a Bible study, church service, BCM service, or what have you, just to 'mark it off your list' then you have the understanding that one these things are really not important to your life and that by doing all of these things you can mark them off your list and God will "love you more." Reality check: these things are provided so that you are able to grow together with a community that can hold you accountable, they are not present so that they can spoon feed you the Word and provide you with salvation. Salvation is from grace through faith and that alone! Therefore, do not let these other activities, that can be very beneficial, become just another thing to do. You must devote yourself to your own study of the Word and spend time with God so that you can gain an understanding of salvation and what living a Christ-like life truly means, and dedicate yourself to a community that can and will hold you accountable to those things and help you to grow even more! Could you imagine what would happen if we all did these things, especially on a college campus? One word: revival. If guys actually got some guts, confessed and repented of being a bunch of wimps and became the leaders of the church that we are supposed to be then our campus would be revolutionized! Imagine if we were actually training each other and building each other up in the word so that we could go out into our community (dorm, apartment, class, etc.) and gather those around us, being unashamed of the Gospel and actually living out the faith that we have. I am ready to see thousands of young people finally devote themselves to the God they say they believe in and get off their butts and make an impact for His kingdom! Are you ready? I dare you to move...

Confessions

I have recently finished a couple of Mark Driscoll's books and the latest one that I read was Confessions of a Reformission Reverend. Throughout this book he goes through many of the mistakes that he and inevitably his church made during their first several years in Seattle. After reading through this book I began to think about my own journey to where I am in my life right now and realize that there have been many many huge mistakes that I have made over the past several years. Some of these mistakes have ruined friendships and relationships and others have been so bad that those effected have never spoken or listened to me since. After going through many of these events that have led to where I am in my life right now I can narrow down the major factor of most of these things as a problem with my source. By source, I simply mean where/what I rely on to provide my joy and to feed me spiritually. Over the years I have relied on my friendships and relationships to provide the joy, happiness, and fulfillment that only comes from Christ, and inevitably this has led to heartbreak, broken friendships, sadness, anger, bitterness, lust, etc. I relied so much on those other things, that I completely forgot about the joy and the fulfillment of my soul that only Christ provides. The problem with relying on these things is that they will let you down. No matter what promises are made, your friendships and relationships will always disappoint you, but you have to look beyond those and find the true source which is God. By completely devoting myself to my friendships and relationships I left God out of the picture and thought that other people would suffice for something that only God can fulfill, and these things became idols to me.

In terms of being fed spiritually I have realized that I relied on other people again to provide this for me. For instance, recently I have relied on the church and my discipleship to feed me. While these things are great and definitely help to provide for part of that, they cannot be the sole thing that is feeding you spiritually. If you are going into the church or into discipleship hoping that you are going to "get something out of it" then you are relying too much on those things to feed you. You must look beyond them and find the ultimate Source. You should be mature in your faith enough to be able to feed yourself. Stop looking to the church and to discipleship to spoon feed you spiritually! Grow up and realize that you are going to have to do some work on your own in order to grow closer to God. Nobody else can strengthen your relationship other than YOU! You are going to have to get your hands dirty, get on your knees and pray to God to provide for all of your needs and to instill in you a passion for His word and a desire to grow in Him so that others may also find Him, read the Bible so that you will be able to rely on His word in times of struggle, and simply spend time with Him.

The previous two things have been a couple of the biggest struggles of mine over the past couple years and even over the past months and weeks. My confessions are simple, I am a sinner, I have relied on other things/idols to provide for things that only God can provide and I have relied on other people to build up my spiritual life when in reality that has to begin with me. The words that I have written are written to myself, they are things that I have been convicted of. Hopefully others will be able to avoid the traps of Satan that I fell into and will be able to grow up take their lives (physically, spiritually, and eternally) and give it to God and rely on Him to be the one and only Source of all things. Do you need to confess?

Are you serious?

Watch the video above and then continue to read what I have to say, the video is a commercial that I saw the other night.

After I saw that commercial the only response I had was “are you serious?” Don’t get me wrong I love pets, especially dogs as we have had one forever, but seriously do people need to donate their money to improve the health of a dog or cat? People in the United States have idolized pets and have held them higher than God in their lives. What about the kids in poor countries that die everyday because they don’t have enough food or clean water? That reason alone is why I cannot stand celebrities and other rich people. They always talk about donating money and try to guilt other people into giving, but what are they doing? They’re living in their several million dollar mansions, in which they have a couple of them, and they might give very little money to help other people. That is ridiculous!!! They would rather help an animal (which yes they are cute), but let’s face it when that animal dies, it dies; there is not eternal life with or without God. On the other hand, those children that are dying because they don’t have the basic necessities of life, will find their eternity in either heaven or hell and let’s hope that those of us who say we truly care, cared enough to share our resources and the Gospel with these people because the reality is, their death and their eternal life, that’s on us (‘Christians’). Here’s a heart check for you, do you care enough to sacrifice a night out in order to give somebody else a chance for life, and are you willing to let go of yourself and your pride and go tell these people that they don’t have to spend their eternity separated from God? I hope that you will truly consider the latter questions. I am not trying to guilt anybody into anything but I hope that God convicts you and burdens your heart for lost people around the world (and in your own backyard) so that you will go and show them the love that Christ provided all of us. Stop holding it in and being selfish. Get outside of your comfort, sacrifice what you have, Christ sacrificed his life for you!!!! Will you continue to sit there and be passive?

Argentina

Well what can I honestly say about our trip to Argentina other than the fact that it was the greatest and most amazing trip I have ever been on!!! The main reason that this trip was so memorable is because I have never been on a trip where everything that was done was done with the intentions of showing and sharing the Gospel with every person that we came in contact with. All week we would start out by having breakfast and doing a morning devotion and prayer time and then we would go to the towns (either Clarinda, Laguna Blanca or Espinillo) and we did some door-to-door ministry. This experience was awesome because people are so receptive and inviting and most people would invite you into their homes or shops and sit down with you and listen to what you had to say and talk with you about it. It was great seeing God work through us and in the response of the everybody we talked to. The best thing about us sharing the Gospel with these people is that we started a relationship with them which was followed up that night with events for their kids and time for the parents to talk with us more and watch a film. Also, in doing this the local church got their names and contact info in order to keep up with and make visits with them in order to follow up on the seeds that were planted. After door-to-door we would have lunch and 'siesta,' which meant that the entire town went to sleep and was basically a ghost town! Then we would get ready to do some VBS and kids/sports ministry which was really fun! As most know, I love to work with kids and I love to play sports, and I love telling people about the love of Christ and being able to put all these things together was great. Towards the end of the week my Spanish was getting pretty good and I was able to talk with the locals and just share with them how Christ changed my life. This was seriously one of the greatest experiences of my life! I thank God for allowing me to go on this mission trip to Argentina/Paraguay, but it also taught me several things. I continue to learn how to become a follower and to remain humble, but the main thing that continued to burden my heart all week was the fact that we are so eager, willing, and quick to share Christ to those who don't speak our own language, but to those who speak our language and share our cultural experiences we are reluctant and afraid. Why is this? I am not sure, but in looking back to our week it all boils down to intentions. Everything we did was intentional and was done for the sole purpose of sharing and showing the love and saving name of Jesus. So in coming back to our comfortable culture and language I continue to ask myself in everything I have done, what are my intentions? It's great that we go to the nations to share Christ, but let us not forget about those who are around us crying out and who desperately need to hear the name of Christ! Going to class, riding the bus, buying food, whatever I do, I do with the intentions of showing the love of Christ so that others will be able to see Jesus through me! The main question that we have to continue to ask ourselves is: what are your intentions?

Like A Child

The following was written on the plane ride from New York to Sao Paulo, Brazil:

I often think about my faith and how much I truly rely on and trust in it. Today I was sitting on a plane for what seemed like forever, but right beside of me was a mother with her two young sons on either side of her. Both boys were laid out and sleeping in the comfort of their mother's arms. So peacefully and securely they rest in knowing that they are in the arms of one who loves them and will do absolutely anything for them. I reminisce and think back to my childhood when I so often rested in the arms of my parents. The reality is that our heavenly Father calls us to His arms to find that same rest, comfort, and security. He has done everything already for us, including dying on a cross so that I don't have to experience the death and punishment I deserve, due to my sin. All we have to do is completely trust in the faith that we say we have in the saving name of Jesus! Do you have faith like a child?