I have been realizing lately how depraved the world is, how really in trouble it is. The book Blue Like Jazz changed my perspective on this. Donald Miller describes the world as a gaping bleeding wound that I as a Christian should be holding my hands up against trying to bring hope to a hopelessly broken place. I feel like Christianity is too often misrepresented by Christians. Instead of loving the people who live different lifestyles, and embracing people who lead immoral lives, Christians discriminate, and judge those people. If a gay couple walked into my church, I think my church would be ashamed of them, would avoid them, and ultimately they would leave. I know I would not be the one to welcome them into our sanctuary… but I should be. Jesus would sit down next to them and tell them he cared for them and he would want to know them and for them to know him; holding his hands against the wound of the world in their lives. One of the oldest and most intense actions in the world, Love, is seen as a revolutionary idea, when it is the thing we were supposed to be doing from the very start. Donald Miller describes the central message of Christianity as this:
“The message is that man sinned against God and God gave the world over to man, and that if somebody wanted to be rescued out of that, if somebody for instance finds it all very empty, that Christ will rescue them if they want; that if they ask for forgiveness for being a part of that rebellion then God will forgive them.”
This is what God has taught me in the past few weeks:
The world is full of sin so “Do not love the world nor the things in this world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away and also it lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1John3:15)
But love the people who are afflicted by the world; “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep yourself unstained by the world.” (James1:26)
Basically God wants me to Love more, and represent him better, and that he wants me to bring the message of Christ to the wounded.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Whats Next
I've been trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. The beginning of this school year had good hopes for me, but not being in school has proven to be harder than being there ever was. I'm afraid of getting older, Really I have everything I ever wanted right now, except time. I just want to stop here and enjoy everything and everyone that God has put in my life. I love my friends and being able to hang out with them, but if God points my life in a different direction will I still be able to hold on to those friendships? When I eventually move away I know I'll make new friends and have relationships that I cant compare to anything else, but I'm happy with the friends that I have. I'm scared of leaving them and/or not being able to hang out with them.
Another big issue that I've been struggling with is that I want to make a difference in the lives of people who don't have the freedoms and privileges I enjoy, and I know God has put that desire in me for a reason, and I try to be like him and treat everyone like he would want me too, but I want to make more of a difference than being a "good friend". Sometimes I feel like I should be doing something about RIGHT NOW but with so much else going on in life there's no way I could go off to another country to do something about it. God has also given me a passion for music, and I would rather sit and listen to music all day than do anything else. What I struggle with is how I can use my passion for music with my desire to help the needy, and on top of that moving away from my friendships to do it.
Another big issue that I've been struggling with is that I want to make a difference in the lives of people who don't have the freedoms and privileges I enjoy, and I know God has put that desire in me for a reason, and I try to be like him and treat everyone like he would want me too, but I want to make more of a difference than being a "good friend". Sometimes I feel like I should be doing something about RIGHT NOW but with so much else going on in life there's no way I could go off to another country to do something about it. God has also given me a passion for music, and I would rather sit and listen to music all day than do anything else. What I struggle with is how I can use my passion for music with my desire to help the needy, and on top of that moving away from my friendships to do it.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
2007/ Clarity/ Lately -- Pain, Joy, Faith
i guess lots of people write "end of the year blogs" so I'll write one and try to squeeze a year of memories into a couple sentences.
2007- was one of the best years I can remember, and probably the most eventful. Spring break I did lighting for vacation bible school and spent some time with Emily (my cousin) which was really fun cause i don't get to see her much, then went to Nashville to visit Belmont and got to see one of my best friends,Elizabeth, while I was there. I found a new hobby. (along with Brad Brubaker) we started biking a lot, and even looked into biking to the keys over the summer. well summer came and me and brad were riding around a camp ground late at night and i didn't see the turn in the road and found myself slamming on my hand brakes but i have two brakes on my front tire and none on my bike so i went headfirst into a ditch and dislocated my shoulder. the doctor told me a dislocated shoulder hurts worse then a broken bone, and i wouldn't doubt it, although i've never broken a bone... So the bike trip was canceled and i was stuck in a sling for 2 months. I went to Vancouver with Jubilation with my sling. did some soul searching and tried to find focus on my walk with christ. I saw some stupid whales swimming around (OOO...) although i did have some good laughs with Brittney, Elyse Laura nad a couple other girls that went, so it wasn't all bad. the main reason i didn't want to go wahle watching really comes down to i wanted to go eat lunch at the market with Courtney ...2007 also brought the most meaningful relationship of my life so far, along with my first kiss with someone I'll never forget. I got to go to Georgia for a couple days after Christmas and spent some time with my cousins, and got introduced to some awesome music that I'm listening too right now.
Clarity- (student life) brought some things into perspective for me. I enjoyed David Platt more than any pastor I've ever listened to. His philosophy on life is exactly what I needed to hear. I loved his list illustration: make a two colom chart on one side list all of the things that you have, good or bad. your family your money idols school possessions, everything good or bad that you have. at the top write worthless. wasted. nothing. On the other side at the top write Priceless, everything and put God under it. because everything on this earth is wasted wether your a Christian or not it all goes to waste. God is everything, he is all that matters.
Not that everything else cant be good and/or right, just that it isn't what your living for.
Lately- since clarity I've been trying to break some of my bad habits and trying to bring into focus for myself how powerful and important God is. We serve a God who when he steps upon the earth at the end of Armageddon an entire mountain range will split in two and the entire earth will shake so violently that every mountain will fall and every valley will fill and every island will vanish. He is so terrifying and magnificent that if we were to look at him we would die. My favorite thing and what i look forward to most is God's voice. It is described as the sound of a piercing trumpet and of many rushing waters. I love music but all of the music in the world could never match up to it. So here is this powerful being that I serve and yet I turn from him constantly and focus on other things. giving humans or things the worship and attention that I should reserve for God.
2007- was one of the best years I can remember, and probably the most eventful. Spring break I did lighting for vacation bible school and spent some time with Emily (my cousin) which was really fun cause i don't get to see her much, then went to Nashville to visit Belmont and got to see one of my best friends,Elizabeth, while I was there. I found a new hobby. (along with Brad Brubaker) we started biking a lot, and even looked into biking to the keys over the summer. well summer came and me and brad were riding around a camp ground late at night and i didn't see the turn in the road and found myself slamming on my hand brakes but i have two brakes on my front tire and none on my bike so i went headfirst into a ditch and dislocated my shoulder. the doctor told me a dislocated shoulder hurts worse then a broken bone, and i wouldn't doubt it, although i've never broken a bone... So the bike trip was canceled and i was stuck in a sling for 2 months. I went to Vancouver with Jubilation with my sling. did some soul searching and tried to find focus on my walk with christ. I saw some stupid whales swimming around (OOO...) although i did have some good laughs with Brittney, Elyse Laura nad a couple other girls that went, so it wasn't all bad. the main reason i didn't want to go wahle watching really comes down to i wanted to go eat lunch at the market with Courtney ...2007 also brought the most meaningful relationship of my life so far, along with my first kiss with someone I'll never forget. I got to go to Georgia for a couple days after Christmas and spent some time with my cousins, and got introduced to some awesome music that I'm listening too right now.
Clarity- (student life) brought some things into perspective for me. I enjoyed David Platt more than any pastor I've ever listened to. His philosophy on life is exactly what I needed to hear. I loved his list illustration: make a two colom chart on one side list all of the things that you have, good or bad. your family your money idols school possessions, everything good or bad that you have. at the top write worthless. wasted. nothing. On the other side at the top write Priceless, everything and put God under it. because everything on this earth is wasted wether your a Christian or not it all goes to waste. God is everything, he is all that matters.
Not that everything else cant be good and/or right, just that it isn't what your living for.
Lately- since clarity I've been trying to break some of my bad habits and trying to bring into focus for myself how powerful and important God is. We serve a God who when he steps upon the earth at the end of Armageddon an entire mountain range will split in two and the entire earth will shake so violently that every mountain will fall and every valley will fill and every island will vanish. He is so terrifying and magnificent that if we were to look at him we would die. My favorite thing and what i look forward to most is God's voice. It is described as the sound of a piercing trumpet and of many rushing waters. I love music but all of the music in the world could never match up to it. So here is this powerful being that I serve and yet I turn from him constantly and focus on other things. giving humans or things the worship and attention that I should reserve for God.
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