Stop, Drop and Roll

So, I haven't posted on this thing for a really long time but what can I say? I am apparently not much of a blogger. But I do have something that I want to share with the world (or the few that would happen to click on my blog). Recently I was reading through the Gospel According to Matthew and in chapter 4 we read how Jesus calls the first disciples. Matt. 4:18-22 reads like this, "While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.' Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Now there are a couple of things that I see from this passage. First, Jesus is very interesting. "I will make you fishers of men" now whatever that means it apparently was enough for Peter and Andrew to stop fishing, drop their nets and roll out with Jesus. The second thing that I see is that a lot of us still want to do our own thing and "follow" Jesus in the mean time. After the calling of Peter and Andrew we see that James and John get called. They were working with their father fishing (the way they provided for their family) and dropped everything they knew to follow this man. WOW, this just hits me over the head and begs the question "what am I hanging onto that is keeping me from walking in Jesus' footsteps?" That is the question that I want to pose to you. Are you willing to give up what you know for what you don't fully understand? I can give you one promise and that is if you do stop, drop and roll with Jesus you will NEVER be the same! That is my prayer for you today!

Acts to acts

Recently I have been reading the book of Acts. This book has made me rethink what it is to be a Christian. I see so many people, especially in America, that are just lukewarm. I see christians that dress immodestly in church. I hear christians making jokes that God would not ever laugh at (I am guilty of this for sure). I see christians disobeying their parents and rebelling against the authorities. I see christians hanging on to hurt and pain instead of forgiving the people that caused that pain. I see christians who never talk about God to their friends. There are so many things I see that are wrong with the way we are living. My prayer is simply that the Church of Christ will be people who strive for holiness and be people blameless before the King. I pray that we will be Christians that are willing to die for what we believe in. God thank you for being God. I love you!

Camp Week and a Thought

So I just got back from a great camp experience up at Rock Ridge camp! I would highly recommend it to any group that wants a camp experience that allows them to get away from the crazy life that we all live. With that I want to get to my real point.

I have been listening to a ton of music lately and most of it has been either worship or holy hip/hop. The thing that has been on my mind lately is the other music people are listening to. Hip hop is one of the biggest selling music genres here in the U.S. and most of it is full of language that is demeaning to women and idolizes nice cars with big rims. The problem is that the people that this music is meant for could never afford big cars and sometimes can't put food on their tables. It really pains me to see our nation drown in crime because kids are trying following these rappers. They want the big rims and sweet rides and because of that people are willing to do anything to get a buck. I thank God for rappers like (not limited to): Flame, Lecrae, Tedashii and Trip-Lee. These guys are out in the streets telling people about Jesus because he can make a real difference in their lives. If you are listening to the trash that our nation has embrassed then please check out some of these guys.

Been There, Done That

So, I have refrained from posting for a while because I haven't had much of anything thoughtful to write but also because time has been hard to come by lately. Anyway, one of my very favorite passages in Scripture is Hebrews 4:14-16 and it discusses Jesus has being our "High Priest." It also speaks to us coming before his throne with confidence. Sometimes I feel like such a wretch that coming before the throne of Christ seems like a task that is impossible. And sometimes I feel that even if it were possible that Jesus would deny me any access because of the thoughts and deeds that I let creep into my life. When this feeling strikes all I need to do is think of the words Hebrews 4 tells me. First is that Jesus sympathizes with our weakness. He felt pain and temptation and even though he went through that he was without sin. Second is that we should have confidence when approaching the throne. This can only come by grace which is what Jesus' sacrifice gave to his people. We are justified before God and thus can come to him anytime any place! Lastly he promises that we will receive mercy that will help us in our time of need. God gives his word that we will be comforted and equipped to handle anything that is thrown at us. God is good and I pray that this message from Hebrews 4 will be a small encouragement in your faith.

When I'm Gone

So my writing has gone down hill for a while because I have been busy and out of inspirational things to write about. Well, something occurred to me today and that is this. If I was on a reality show what would my life look like? If my life were a movie would my character be a good guy or a bad guy? If my life were in fact a novel would my life be a Times best seller or a boring autobiography? The point that I am getting at is this. We all are leaving a legacy of some sort. And we can leave a legacy that is pleasing to God or a legacy that makes a mockery of him. I am not sure if my story would be a top seller or that the reality show would be the most interesting thing on the tube but I know that I want my character to represent Christ. Sometimes that isn't very exciting but sometimes it is a life changer! So, the question is this. What legacy are you leaving behind? What are people going to say about you?

American Idle

Oh man it has been a while since I have posted anything on here! My life has been busy lately with planning summer camp and getting BLAZE stuff all worked out. Anyway, I just wanted to post something that has been on my heart lately and it has to do with the Christians and our dependence on the American government. This probably seems like a political rant that says America stinks and we should not try and change anything! This post has very little to do with America's stinky-ness. It has to do with American Christians dependence on America to change the face of our communities, country and the world. For a long time I have listened to people that talk about politics in a way that somehow politics will change the face of our nation. I have nothing against people trying to change policy or laws in our land that represent the Kingdom but man-made law will only go so far. Let me give one example that is a hot button topic right now. The gay-marriage debate has been raging for a while now. It is important to understand that the Kingdom law will ALWAYS trump the American law. So, Christians should agree that gay-marriage is an oxymoron that is not endorsed by Scripture. With that point established what is the real debate? Is the debate really two homosexual people getting married or is it the fact that those people are disobeying Scripture by engaging in ANY homosexual act? I would argue that the real root of the issue is not the marriage but the homosexual acts themselves. If this is the case then maybe we (Christians) should stop picketing and start loving the people fighting for the right to marry. Not allowing gay-marriage is a cosmetic fix. It doesn't change the fact that homosexual behavior is still running rampant through America. Stopping people from getting married wont stop them from engaging in their sin. With this view we need to stop relying on our American system to change hearts because only God can do that! Let's be like Christ and stop trying to change laws that are only cosmetic fixes and let's live life with the people that are the lowest of the low! The people that are getting picketed against should be some that we consider the lowest. Jesus came for those who need a doctor he didn't come for the healthy. We need to be the vessel in which God uses to reach the hearts of the low! So, maybe instead of engaging in politics we should engage in a personal way to the ones that Jesus came for.

Emotion or Reality?

Sometimes I feel alone. I feel as though my struggle with life is a battle that I fight by myself with the help of no one. I feel as if I were a boy that can't swim stuck in the middle of an ocean like Jonah. The greatest thing though is that when I feel like this I know that it really isn't true. Emotion is not bad but it really messes with what is true. When our emotions get in the way of what we know to be true we need to stick to the Truth that we hold in our minds and hearts. When I feel alone I know that the truth is that Jesus promised to be with his people to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). If I rely on my feelings alone I am going to go crazy because I am an imperfect person trying to live a perfect life. It just doesn't add up. So, let's stop relying our emotions to determine Truth and look to the Bible and stick to the Bible to understand what reality is. So, when I feel alone I know that really I am not. I know that God is with me to the end of the age. And when I feel God isn't "close" I know the Spirit dwells in me. God is good!

America the Beautiful No More

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 1, 2009

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society....

Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.

My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security....

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

___________________________________________________________


June will be a great time for us to unite and pray for those caught in sexual sin! I understand how sexual sin is a trap that is easy to fall into but it makes it all too easy when America holds it in high regard. Mr. Obama is trying to create a culture that idealizes sin and that means trouble! America has been in a bad way for a long time but this will be known as the landmark when we "officially" turned our back on the statement "In God We Trust"

Sometimes We Gotta Fight

Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching in the Sunday morning service! It was encouraging to hear all the positive feedback. The title of the message was "Putting the Unity in Community" and it was awesome communicating the heart of God for His people (Philippians 2:1-2). However, today is a new day and God has laid something new on my heart. I have been struggling with my flesh (sinful desires) because I always feel like I am getting pulled by my self to do the wrong thing! It's a daily struggle that Paul seemed to have understood that struggle when he wrote Romans 7. As I was listening to a new album I just purchased I was blessed by a song that featured two rappers named Tedashii and Flame. The song's title is "Make War" and it deals with the fact that everyday is a battle between our redeemed selves and our sinful selves. This battle happens to everyone that walks in the faith so I thought I would try to communicate some ideas on how to fight! I don't have a step by step way of getting rid of sin but hopefully these three must-haves in the Christian's life will help. 1st: Read the Bible. This is the best way to hear God's heart. The Bible is truth wrapped up in words and it should be part of our lives everyday! 2nd: Be a prayer warrior. We need to stay connected with the Father. He loves hearing from his children and we all need someone to talk to and there is really no one better than him! 3rd: Stay in fellowship. Christ showed us the importance of reaching the low and sinful by being with them but he also spent most of his time with his disciples. We need to reach the world but we also need to have a group of people around us who love Christ and who are growing in their faith. Without them it is easy to slip!

What to Do with Ida?

So, yesterday during Student Ministries we focused on the new "missing link" fossil known as Ida. This fossil is amazing for many different reasons but because of what the pro-evolution scientists say. This is just a small sample of what we went over last night but there are 5 reasons given by Answers in Genesis as to what this fossil is and is not:

1.Nothing about this fossil suggests it is anything other than an extinct,lemur-like creature. (This creature is similar to the lemurs we see today)

2.A single fossil can never show evolution.(Need to be consecutive "transitional" fossils to prove evolution)

3.Similarities can never show evolution.(Similarities only show similarities)

4.The remarkable preservation is a hallmark of rapid burial.(Can anyone say world-wide flood?)

5.If evolution were true, there would be real transitional forms.(Half monkey men would be walking around maybe?)

With these 5 points its clear that these "scientists" are either money-hungry or disillusioned by their presuppositional stance that evolution has to be true. So, don't let the hype of this tiny God-created creature fool you. Ida is another extincted lemur like animal that God created on day 6 (Answers in Genesis).

Critique the Critics

There is a lot of hoop la about this new missing link discovery called Ida. It is a creature that has a few features similar to that of humans. Some of these features include opposable thumbs and space for fingernails. Now this find has been the big talk on the internet. However, this post is not about this new "missing link" but rather being critical of what people say. I don't care if it is a scientist, teacher or preacher we all need to be critical of what everyone is saying. For myself I took what people around me were saying and never thought twice about it being true or false. Unfortunately, this does not work especially in today's media run era. People are saying this and that. But this and that both can't be true. So, let me encourage you to be critical of what people around you are saying. If a preacher teaches you about a specific passage of Scripture then go look it up yourself and learn as much as you can about it. If someone says hey we have found the "missing link" then go and see what all scientist say about it and not only the ones you find jumping for joy about the fossil. At the heart of this post is one thing that all people need to come to terms with and that is owning what they believe. For the longest time I didn't know what I believed because I didn't want to take the time to investigate the truth. So, if you have been coasting through life without owning your faith or ideas you need to get out and do it!

Throwback the Throwback

OK so this post is a critique on the new "old school" Pepsi and Mountain Dew products that just came out. I purchased these products thinking that they were only changes to the cans and labels because the throwback look is pretty jazzy. I, however, was in for a very rude surprise when I cracked a can open. It could have been the most disgusting this I have tasted in a long time! It was a poor excuse for Mountain Dew! Anyway, I found some people enjoyed the taste because they said it is smooth. The natural sugar is what gives the taste of the throwback Pepsi and MD products. I will stick to the corn syrup version! For those who enjoy a nice "new school" Pepsi or Dew I suggest you stay away from the throwback variety because giving your money to me would be a better investment. I give these products two thumbs way way way down!

Coffey (with the song of the day)

I have posted some other stuff from this guy. His name is Coffey and he has a style that is pretty cool. I really enjoy this song because it shows us a little about why God gives us laws or guidelines to live by. One example is that we shouldn't sleep around cause of STD's (and many other reasons). I hope you enjoy the song and look at some more of his stuff cause its pretty neat.

What Picture Will I Paint?

Sometimes I need to look at myself and think about what other people think of me. I hear all the time, "Who cares what others think about you?" Well, I guess I do care. There is a balance that needs to be maintained with this thinking. If I care about what others think about me too much then I become a person who is only there to please man. If I don't care what others think of me at all I could become insensitive to their needs. We are to portray Christ in a way that makes people investigate Truth (so we need to care how others view us). However, we need to make sure that Truth is what we are representing because people will hate the Truth. People's lives are like portraits. What we decide to put on them are our action, thoughts and beliefs. Like a painter cares what he/she is communicating we also need to be aware of what we are communicating with our lives. Hopefully that will painting with portray Christ! So, let me challenge you and encourage you to be like Christ be wrapped in love and in truth. I pray that I will be the same!

Just Follow Your Heart.....Or Not

One of the biggest lies that has ever been told is "follow your heart." This comes up often in chick-flicks when the main character needs to decide if they should dive into a relationship with the person standing right in front of them. This phrase also comes up when someone is questioning what type of career they want and the school counselor says, "just look in your heart for the answer." (My answer would be a Pro baseball player). There are a couple of problems with following your heart. The first one is that it is all about you. When one tries to follow their heart they tend to only look out for their own best interest. It becomes a choice that only involves one's self and that can create a limited view of the whole situation. The second problem with following the heart is that we are fallible people. We do not have all the answers and we make mistakes (lots of mistakes) and how can we rely on a heart that is so full of mistakes? This post is short but I hope that it encourages you and helps you. Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things,and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

I have been a little lazy getting posts out recently so for those that actually take time to read my posts I am sorry for that. Now that I have apologized I will tell you what's on my mind. I have always been a bigger kid. Even when I was a little tyke I was chubby and most of the time my clothes didn't really fit me well. Needless to say the clothes still don't fit me that well but I view myself how God views me. A child of His! But this wasn't always the case. Just like many young people today I struggled with "self-esteem" issues. I would get picked on in school and come home feeling worthless because I felt others viewed me that way. When I tried to boost my self confidence it would always come through sports. I wanted to be the best in whatever sport I was playing because that gave me worth. Even if it were for fun I would play with extreme competitiveness in order to win and that was supposed to make me feel better about myself. Well, that didn't work! I realized that I was never going to be the best at sports and that realization dragged me down again. For me, sports gave me a false sense of worth. That is the problem with "self-esteem" when we rely on ourselves to give us worth we see we are worthless. When we look into ourselves we see a person who is dirty, dark and disgusting. My endeavor to gain "self-esteem" just made me dirtier, darker and more disgusting! I knew I needed change and I looked for it. Wanna know what I found? I discovered that "self-esteem" is a counterfeit for God-esteem. It sounds like a bad cliche but it is true! The only way one has worth is with the Lord. So, if you are struggling with how you view yourself just ask yourself this question...How does God view me? That answer is really the only answer that matters!

Prune Not Prunes

It is another awesome Wednesday! I love Wednesdays because I get a chance to share some of my heart with my students and get to have them all together and hang out. Tonight is sure to be a fun night! On another note I went to the doctor yesterday to get my shoulder checked out (I had surgery in December) and the doctor cleared me to start throwing a baseball again! I am so excited about this because my shoulder had been giving me a ton of trouble before my surgery and after the surgery I needed to be extremely careful with it. Now I can do everything with it and that is good news. This process of rehab and relaxation of the shoulder has taught me a little about spiritual life. Sometimes in our spiritual lives we have things that need to be pruned by God. When that happens we need to take that spiritual surgery and allow that to heal. We need to allow God to do His work and sometimes that means we need to take a break from being a spiritual leader in order to be a better leader. When I had surgery I wouldn't go out and try to pitch in a baseball game because it would injure my shoulder. Sometimes when we have things in our lives that need pruning and God prunes them we need to allow them to heal. So, allow God to prune you to make you a better follower of Jesus and don't be afraid to let that heal. This is a little bit of a rant but thanks for reading and I pray that this encourages you and makes sense!

VICTORY

There are some things that I have learned about life and ministry. One of those things are celebrating little victories when they come. The reason for this is because sometimes life is tough. It throws Barry Zito like curveballs at you (if you dont know this reference that's OK just Youtube Barry Zito curveball). When life throws a curveball and you nail it out of the park it makes you feel good and so don't be afraid to enjoy that when it happens. It can make all the difference in the world when you are having a bad day or week or month and you get excited about something little that goes well it pumps you up. Especially when we give God the proper glory for things that go right we not only pump up ourselves but we see that in the scheme of life God has a plan that goes beyond little problems that crop up. So, now that I have said that I have a small victory to share. This is going to seem extremely small but I do give glory to God for allowing me to figure out how to get Youtube and Tangle videos to play full screen on my computer. Last week in Student Ministry Group I played a couple videos on my laptop that couldn't play full-screen. But today I have fiddled around with some flash player settings and now they play full screen just fine! Anyway I just wanted to encourage the readers of this blog to enjoy the small little victories and know that God's got you!

I AM SECOND

"I am second" is a ministry that seems to be devoted to posting videos of people's testimonies. I have been very encouraged by these videos and I am throwing out a minor promotion for people to go to youtube and search out these videos because they are mind blowing! Here is one of my favorites from the baseball player Josh Hamilton. He went from being banned from Major League Baseball to being one of the most feared hitters in 2008! God is good!

When in Rome

So Romans is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Tonight I am planning on going through the first half of Romans 5 in Student Ministries. There are 3 points I want to communicate to my students about God's goodness given by this passage. The first is that God gives us peace. We are given a peace that stands no matter what happens to us on this earth. God is faithful to fulfill His promise to raise us from the dead and allow us to come into His presence in Heaven and that is awesome. Second, we can rejoice in the promise that God makes! We rejoice because we have hope and we rejoice in suffering. It is crazy to think that we can rejoice in suffering but when one is filled with the hope of God then we can rejoice in any circumstance. The last point is that God loves His children dearly. One of my favorite verses in the whole Bible occurs here. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The fact that God would come down and die for us when we were still playing around in the mud of sin shows how deeply God loves us. If we were doing good then it wouldn't be a big deal but God died for the ones that were spitting in the face of Truth and slandering His name. God is so good and when we view His death in the midst of us sinning I cant help but be humbled! I pray that you also will be humbled and filled with the love that God showed us on the cross.

One World Under God

OK so the title is based off of Americas "Pledge of Allegiance". I want to make a quick note about how we, Christian Americans, perceive the world at large and specifically the nations that America decides to fight in combat. Now I am not trying to propose that those reading this should become a pacifist or anything like that, even though that would be nice, I am just bringing up that sometimes we view America as always in the right and other countries in the wrong. America is not a Christian nation and does not represent Christ to the world. In God's Kingdom their are no national lines or mandatory cultural norms that need to be followed in order to be a child of God. The only prerequisite is that one believes in Jesus. The video that is posted below this blog post is highlighting the fact that a terrorist is just as much a human being as you or I. A person who is an American and doesn't believe that Jesus came to earth, lived, died and rose from the grave is no different in the eyes of God than the terrorist that is planning to crash his car into the tanks of the US soldiers. I pray that God will open our hearts and give us eyes that view people as God's creation and nothing less than that!

So its been a while since I last posted anything on this thing and so I thought I should make an appearance. However I actually do have something to say so this is a little more than just an appearance. I am sure that many of you have heard the Brian 'Head' Welch testimony before but this hit me really hard today. The thing about Christ is that he changes!




The day that I forget that God changes lives is the day I should pack my things up and leave the Church because without life change what does God have to offer? Salvation goes way beyond just going to heaven but it is about a better life now! The better life doesn't mean that you will have all the money in the world or everything will line up and make sense. What God does offer though is freedom! For Head it was freedom from drugs and the freedom to finally love his daughter the way he needed to. What do you need to be freed from?

I Got Friends in High Places

Good friends are hard to find! One thing that I have learned throughout my short life (22 years) is that the people I surround myself with are the people I will become more like. I have found that I pick up words that other people say and use them in my sentences. I doubt I use the words correctly but I like them so I pick them up. One word I do use often is the word deuce. A sentence can go like this, "I can't go with you tonight. It is deuce tight on me." (courtesy of J. Kidd). So in that way I became more like my friend in that manner. But more than just words when I would spend enough time with someone I would pick up their mannerisms. The little things they do with their body language I would start to pick up on. Eventually their mannerisms become mine. I think the implications here are pretty easy to figure out. But I will spell it out anyway. See when I spend time with good friends then I become like them. This is why it is super important to choose your friends wisely and make sure their influence is positive. Also we need to spend time with Jesus. If the same rule about becoming like other people we are around stands then it must stand with Jesus as well! So keep your friends close and keep Jesus closer!

Life Lessons from Golf

I haven't posted anything for a while but that happens sometimes. So I have been able to play a few rounds of golf lately and I am feeling great playing! I had shoulder surgery in December and I am glad it is healing well. But golf is a very interesting game that teaches me how to be patient. I am a club thrower! Sometimes when I make a terrible shot I will throw a club towards my bag and it is really not a big deal but sometimes it blows up. The other day I made a shot that was absolutely repulsive and I threw my club across the fairway. Now that is not the way to play the game and I had to take a second and pray for a better attitude and I am glad to say that I didn't throw anymore clubs. Golf can get the best you me and life does the same thing from time to time. Sometimes I need to stop letting life get the best of me and stop and pray. This is a lesson that I need to re-learn everyday.

Get a Bowl Full

I am sometimes a lazy guy. Especially when it comes to cleaning and keeping things clean. I am just not very good at that. My messiness taught me an important lesson in my spiritual life. I like to eat food, those of you who know me well know this, but I don't like to always clean up after myself after I eat. This can cause quite the nasty mess. And so do you know what happens to ice cream after it is eaten and left out by the sink for a few days? It gets super sticky and is a beast to clean off. I have to scrub and scrub to get it clean. This is sometimes the way it is with us and sin. Unconfessed sin is like a sticky ice cream covered bowl. God can forgive us and make us clean in an instant but we need to go through the daily struggle of taking care of that sin and working towards keeping that part of our lives clean. James 5:16 a says, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." So may we stop holding on to our sin and instead confess our weakness to others so the Father can restore us to what He wants us to be!

Today is just one of those days that seem to drag on and on! I am excited for student ministry tonight cause the students are awesome but I am sick and not feeling very energetic. These days remind me how in need I am for a savior! I am a weak and fragile man who is like a cloud in the sky. I am there one moment then soon enough I will be gone. I thank God that He reached down to pull me out of the clay and I love that He gives His children strength to face the day. I am believing that God will answer my prayers to give me strength and allow me to be a servant for His Kingdom!

This is a funny video!

Ha this dude cracks me up!

I'm Not Smarter than a Fifth Grader!

I am on an internship for the Youth Ministry Program at Crown College. I am very blessed to work with a church plant in Waconia and it has been awesome thus far! One of my tasks in my internship/job description is to work in Good News Club. This is a ministry that meets in the elementary school after classes on Tuesdays. There are about 10 kids in it ranging from 1st to 4th grade. We sing songs, play games and learn about Bible stories. It is a really fun time and as cliche as it sounds I want to teach the kids but they have been teaching me as well. I thank God for allowing me to spend time interacting with these kids and also for teaching me through that interaction. Let me now communicate what I have learned. There is a young boy, who will go unnamed, and he is a little crazy! He is super funny and he shows love in a great way but his focus is minimal. He also can quote a Bible verse better than any other boy I have ever met! He is an interesting and impressive young boy! The thing that I have learned from him and other kids in Good News Club is to not care what others think about you when you are pleasing God. This young boy will dance, sing and shout for God and doesn't care what others think! Oh man, if I only had that kind of God-pleasing spirit instead of a man-pleasing spirit. I am looking into the things that hold me back from being a child of God and by God's wonderful working grace He will bring me to a place of child like faith! I pray that we, as believers, can wrestle with this and stop allowing social correctness to rule. I have found that as we get older we learn what is 'right' and 'wrong' according to social preference. I found that when songs are playing in Good News Club some kids dance and sing and others kinda just stand and mumble. The older ones tend to just stand and hardly sing. I believe that we have taught that it is not appropriate or not cool to dance and be goofy. Yet, the younger ones have not been taught or just disregard society's view on being goofy for the Lord and I love it! God, may I not worry about being too cool as long as I am pleasing in your sight!

Love is RED

So I decided to give my new blog a title change. I have found out that black white and red are hit in the fashion world and the interior design world. These two things are not what I would like my blog to convey. So, I have decided to change the title to love is RED. The RED is the blood of Christ who is a sacrifice for the one's he saves and I want to convey the love that was shown by the act of sacrifice. So that is the title change.

Give and Take Away

One of my favorite songs sung by a dude I just ran into today. Check it out and blessed be the name of the Lord!

Really?

Sometimes the world slaps you in the face and sometimes the world just shows you how much power it has over people. The later is what happened today. Seeing reality and hearing other people converse with each other showed me something very disturbing! I walked into Mocha Monkey and past by these two younger middle-aged women. They were chatting and then something caught my ear. One of them asked, "When is Easter? This weekend or next?" I don't know why that caught my attention but I was engaged from there. The other lady proceeds to say, "I wanna go out and party for Easter! But of course I cant. I HATE having kids." My jaw dropped when I heard those words! HATE having kids? I just could not wrap my head around the idea that this lady just implied that she would rather not have her children so she could freely go out and drink! I cannot believe the control that "partying" has on our culture. I pray that these kids of her find true love from the One that can love them endlessly! Oh, God what are we doing?

LOVE146

This video was put up by a friend of mine (thanks Ash). And I recognized it from somewhere before...I couldn't place my finger on where I had seen it then I remembered. It was shown at an all night gathering that I help out with in the middle of the winter. How quickly I forget! I cant believe I did forget this because it is crazy to think of the evil things that are being done to these little girls. To think that these girls are some one's daughter and/or some one's sister! I am thankful that ministries like Love146 exist. Check it out and see how you can get involved! Social injustice is a huge deal and we can help!

So Immature

So, I am sitting in this coffee shop thinking about what life would be like if I had faith like a child. I have the pleasure of staying with a great family in Waconia (shout out to B and T!) and they have a little 4 and a HALF year old daughter. I enjoy being around children because they show me more about the Kingdom of God than a lot of stuff around me does. The greatest things about little children are their amazing imagination and their utter dependence on others! Imagination, some of the things that children come up with are out of this world crazy. Yet, there is a spiritual aspect to it that adults tend to not to see. What if our imagination isn't that far from reality? What if I did just sit and have a conversation with Jesus (he was Middle-Eastern in appearance by the way)? The imagination is something that we cant lose because it keeps us from getting dull and boring. It also allows us to connect with Jesus in an intimate way. So, run, sing and dance with Jesus! The second aspect I see in children that I need more of is their utter dependence on their parents. How could a 2 year old child care for themselves without the care of a guardian? This is something that I myself forget. Without the help of God how can we really be taken care of? We cant! Christ offers us more than just salvation. He says that the Father takes care of His children like better than the flowers of the fields and the birds of the sky. Whether we believe that or not is a completely different issue. Along with the care that a young child needs they have an appreciation for the care which is amazing. When I see a child climb on the lap of his/her father and say "I love you" it is the perfect representation of what the character of the believer should be. We should crawl on the lap of out Heavenly Father and just whisper "I love you." Our utter dependence on God is no different than a babies dependence on a guardian! Without the parent caring for the child he/she would die. Without the provision of our Father we would undoubtedly die (physically and spiritually). So, become like a child as Jesus tells us to do (Matt. 18:3)! Show the love to the Father that he deserves and climb up on his lap. Hug Him and talk to Him. (Of course this takes imagination). He is waiting and ready to listen.......

Beautiful Ugliness

Reconciliation is something that isn't talked about much in Christian circles, at least the circles I have been a part of, and it is a shame because reconciliation is one of the greatest things in the Christian life. Let's start off by giving a definition for reconciliation. Reconciliation is asking forgiveness for a wrong that has been done to another person in order to restore a right relationship with that person. I have learned the power of this act in a mighty way when I was baptized. I had the pleasure of being baptized in Colorado on a school trip in the pool of a hotel. Before I got "dunked" I looked around the pool area at many of my friends and peers and had to make an announcement. For anyone that has known me for any amount of time I am sure you know how badly my tongue can get out of line. I say many things that I regret and thankfully God has been restoring that aspect of my life slowly but surely! So, I looked around the room and asked everyone that I hurt by my words to forgive me for my wrongdoing. I didn't know the effect that this had at that moment but the next day I found out in an awesome way! A female peer of mine came up to me the next day and asked to speak to me alone. I thought I was in trouble for something because that is normally how it works with me. As we walked outside her eyes started to turn for dry to damp. She told me that she had been hurt deeply by some words that I had said in the past and she wanted to be friends but she found it impossible with this burden on her heart. She said that when I asked for forgiveness the night in the pool she was able to finally forgive me and restore a relationship. She started to break down at this point and we shared a hug and I told her thanks for forgiving me and she said thanks for asking for it. At that moment I couldn't help but praise God! Without his ultimate forgiveness how can we forgive? We are called to forgive and to ask for forgiveness (Matt. 5: 23-24, Luke 6:37). So if you have wrongs that need to be righted go and do it! Do not sit and hold those feelings inside. Allow those wrongs to come out because the nasty things we do can be restored into love and the ugly things can become beautiful!

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

So I used to be afraid of the dark. OK, so maybe I am still a little afraid of the dark. But let me tell you a story about being afraid of the dark. I was about 13 or 14, yes a teenager, and I was laying in my bed. It must have been fairly late because my eyes were so heavy they were shutting on their own. I am about to fall asleep when the feeling struck! I needed to pee and BAD. I looked around my room and thought about all the things that could be ready to jump out at me, of course these "things" would only jump out at me when I walked by them not while I was laying in bed but anyway, they would probably try and hurt me if I did go to the bathroom. What did I do? I laid in my bed hoping for morning to come faster than it ever had before. My insides were hurting so badly it felt like a mini war was raging inside of me. I finally had enough with waiting that I got up and ran to the bathroom. And no monsters, goblins or witches tried to grab me. I was relieved and ready to shut my eyes once my heart stopped racing. Now I have just spent a good chunk of time reliving this now funny memory but there is a point behind it. The point is that fear can cause us to freeze up. It can cause us to not live our lives to the fullest and even keep us from doing things we know are right. For me it was the fear of the unknown. I didn't know what was in the darkness and honestly I didn't want to know. For a lot of people fear of the unknown is common. For myself I don't know where I am going to be within the next few years and that can be a little overwhelming. The question is so what if I have fear? Does that really matter? Fear that is counter productive does matter and should be looked at very carefully. We see Paul writing in 2 Corinthians 7:5 about fear. "For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within." He had fear when going to Macedonia and he knew how this could hinder his ministry. I have for sure felt fear when I am about to chat with someone about Jesus and that is not very good for the preaching business. Fear does matter and can make a huge difference in someones life! The person who can turn their fear over to God is the person who will be able to step out in faith and allow God to work in their life. The person who holds onto fear will not have the same freedom to step out. What fears are you holding onto? Examine them and see if they are counter productive to living. If they are just hand them over to God. Allow Him to take those fearfull spots in your heart and fill them with hope. Fear freezes people dead in their tracks and when that fear is broken the frozenness thaws and God is then the only one who is feared!

A Glass Can Only Spill What it Contains

So I am sitting in a coffee shop, surprise surprise, and I am listening to a great song by mewithoutYou. The title is "A Glass can only Spill what it Contains" and it could be one of my favorite songs ever (Ice Ice Baby #1). The point of the the song seems to be based on the simple and upside truths of Christ. However, the title is something that has been on my mind for a long long time and that is what is in me with come out of me. A friend of mine told me that he wants to radiate Christ to the point that when people see him they can't help but notice Christ. I must say that this is a great goal to have because showing Christ to a Christless world is important. In order to radiate Christ however don't we need to be filled with Him? I would answer yes and I am sure my friend agrees. Now back to the song. A glass can only spill what it contains is so simple yet profound because many of us, Christians, try to act like Christ followers and so often we fall short. I know that I fall short of that many times and the thing I have noticed is that when life bumps into you the essence of who you are gets spilled out and people take notice. If I am filled with myself, and that is ugly, and life shakes me what is going to come out? Ugliness! However, the opposite is true. If I am filled with Christ and constantly being in communication with Him and following in his footsteps and life smacks me in the mouth He is going to be what spills out. And that my friends is BEAUTIFUL! So the question that we must ask ourselves is what are we being filled with? Is Christ spilling out of us or are the things of this world spilling out of us? A glass can only spill what it contains.

Travis

Christ Changes Lives!

I came across this video in a coffee shop and watched it. As the people came forward with their cardboard signs I was touched very deeply! I actually started crying in the coffee shop and I haven't let out a cry like that in a long long long time. God loves changing people's lives and restoring His children to wholeness. So let this be just a glimpse of what Christ can do in your life. I give praise to God that he changed me from a lustful lukewarm Christian into a lit up follower of Christ! Praise be to God!

Why Cant We be Friends?

Last night I had a conversation with a friend that turned into a borderline word brawl. For some reason we got to discussing some theological differences and our views of God. I said things that really seemed to make my friend a tiny bit uncomfortable. We started to challenge each others thoughts and reasons for our beliefs and that made the conversation turn into a heated discussion. I would throw out the occasional sarcastic comment to cover up my inability to use my words wisely. I thank God for what came out of that conversation because I wound up learning a huge biblical truth that seems to have been lost in our time and that truth is unity. I have always been a person who loves to stir the pot of people's thinking and when I would do this it would cause me to become disconnected from the person I was discussing with and look down upon them. I would end up not being unified with that person any longer because of our theological differences. What I re-learned last night was that even those who disagree need to still be unified and love the other person that they disagree with. The Church is every person who stands under the banner of Christ and that is the essential to unity. Biblical interpretation and theological understanding are secondary aspects to understanding God better but if those start to separate us then maybe they just need to be thrown to the wayside until we are mature enough to discuss those topics. My prayer is that the Church will understand that unity is God's own will for His children and may we work toward that goal!

BINGO

So today was BINGO day for Promise Student Ministries. I had a great time helping and hanging out with the elderly ladies at my table. I think I can say that I have finally gotten over my fear of the elderly but that is a story for another time. What I want to write about is my drive home. I was cruising down highway 7 and behind me came this speedy little Mazda. I politely moved over to the right side of the road to let the guy pass. He gets past me then I proceed to move back over. After driving for a short while the Mazda hits some slow traffic that is taking up both the lanes. So the Mazda makes a move to get around. Well it didn't work the Mazda was stuck in the right lane. All of a sudden this brown rusted out car comes blazing past me in the right lane and takes off in the left lane. The Mazda pulled over to the left hand lane and cut off the brown vehicle. None of these two people were going to be able to go anyway until the crowd of cars cleared. However, I could tell that the brown car's driver was not very excited about the Mazda's maneuver. The space cleared and the brown car takes the right lane cruises past the Mazda all the while giving the man the bird! That was a crazy incident out on the road and pretty funny! It did get me thinking though about God and the role Jesus took on. Now you may be thinking what kind of postmodern babble is this going to be? But hang with me! It is crazy to see people fight so hard to be first among others on a highway like some kind of NASCAR race. And when I read about Jesus I see a man who is worthy of being out in front of everybody. A man who was completely sinless, a man who is God! Yet, Jesus put on the flesh of a man and lowered himself to washing his disciples feet. He told them that he came to serve not to be served. And he suffered the death of a criminal on the cross! So, for all of the believers that may read this blog let me encourage you to lower yourselves and have an attitude of Christ! And may we all pursue that goal.

Thanks,

Travis

Black, White and Red

So I thought starting up a blog would be a great way of communicating some things that have been running through my head and I have found that all cool people blog. I want to be cool so blogging is my next step in achieving cool status! My first post is centered around the title of my blog, "Black, White and Red." I have heard people say that in life things are not always black and white. And I must say that I fully agree with this statement. I have found that many people view the world through the eyes of their own created "world-view" or their own agenda. This creates complex situations in life. The point of this blog is to give a different answer to life's questions and situations. The answer isn't black or white. It is Red. The blood of Christ is the answer to all of life's questions. So before one goes viewing the world in black and white put some color in it by looking at it through the eyes of Christ. And that is the color of Red. I pray that this blog will be a blessing to those that read it and a blessing to the One that it centers around which is Jesus!

With Thanks,

Travis