But before we will serve, we stop to ponder our personal and financial concerns— “What if God wants me to go over there? And what about my salary? What is the climate like there? Who will take care of me? A person must consider all these things.” All that is an indication that we have reservations about serving God. But the apostle Paul had no conditions or reservations. Paul focused his life on Jesus Christ’s idea of a New Testament saint; that is, not one who merely proclaims the gospel, but one who becomes broken bread and poured-out wine in the hands of Jesus Christ for the sake of others.
incredibly beautiful. I so desire to see this video go viral all over the internet. share it.
From God’s other known attributes we may learn much about his love. We can know, for instance, that because God is self-existent, his love had no beginning; because he is eternal, his love can have no end; because he is infinite, it has no limit; because he is holy, it is the quintessence of all spotless purity; because he is immense, his love is an incomprehensibly vast, bottomless, shoreless sea before which we kneel in joyful silence and from which the loftiest eloquence retreats confused and abashed.
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.“ [Galatians 1:10]
economy
but what jesus is telling us is once you understand the centrality of relationships, you’ve begun to understand the economy of the kingdom of god the closer you move to a value of relationships having the highest value, the closer you move to the kingdom of god. so it shouldn’t surprise us that the sum total of our lives will be measured in the relationships that we have and the way we treat them and the way we value them and the way that they play out in terms of health or brokenness. Erwin McManus, Mark 12:28-34
I don’t know why our words are so proud, yet their promise so thin
with tiny wrinkles and cries, he entered the world and, wrapped in strips of cloth, took his first nap on a bed of straw. subject to time and to parents, he grew to manhood in Roman-occupied Judea, his gentle hands becoming strong and calloused in Joseph’s woodworking shop. as a man, he walked through the countryside and city, touching individuals, preaching to crowds, and training 12 men to carry on his work. at every step he was hounded by those seeking to rid the world of his influence. finally, falsely accused and tried, he was condemned to a disgraceful execution by foreign hands. and he died-spat upon, cursed, pierced by nails, and hung heavenward for all to deride. Jesus, the God-man, gave his life completely so that all might live.
how beautiful?
About two months ago I honestly started to become bitter towards typical, American Christians. Myself included. This happened to me around the same time last year. I began to feel a staleness about it all. Last time, after this happened, I went to Passion 2010 and started to develop a bit of a heart for the entire world. I started to sort of see the world the way God does, except I hadn’t experienced it for myself yet. So I had this newly found and adopted fire inside of me but I was still here. In May I went to Central Asia. I got to help spread the fire of the Gospel. And the fire in me grew, as well. Being in Central Asia made me rely on God for things I didn’t need to rely on Him for here. Things that I had always said I wanted to really depend on God for but because of our society and everything being a hand’s reach away, never had to. Well, there I did have to depend on Him for things like daily comfort, self-worthiness, and belonging. America hands these things to me on a silver platter. Comfort comes in many shapes: 32+ inch T.V. with any type of entertainment you can imagine, portable lap-top, free wi-fi at every corner, any family member just ten digits on a cell-phone and there they are, a puppy wagging it’s tail for you everyday you walk in the door, or being able to get in a car and drive wherever you please. Self-worthiness, for me, can be felt in an array of areas: dating relationships, talents, helping others, good grades, eating well, and exercising. Belonging may not seem like an easy feat anywhere to some, but here in America the possibilities to feel “at home” are endless: an insane amount of clubs/extracurricular activities, church, sports teams, biological family & extended family, or friends. These were the types of things that I found myself missing and having to replace them with God while in Central Asia. And I can’t fully describe how seriously none of these things I have mentioned were offered to me in Central Asia to the extent that they are offered to me here in the states. Well with the exception of friends. The people were so welcoming and ready to be my friend right away. But for the most part, I was lacking the things I listed. Our society wants to numb our needs with these answers that are pumped with steroids. Overrated/fake/temporary enjoyment and satisfaction is the result. When I was stripped of these comforts our society offers, I was able to rely on God for all types of comfort. And it was awesome because I could literally see God working and moving in my life daily. I think that if we push all those distracting things aside, a person in their inner most being has a craving for a certain type of comfort, worthiness, and belonging that I believe only God can offer. So, I guess what I want to get at here is, can I live with that sort of abandonment here in America? If I can’t, I will always want to “run away” from this country in order to be stripped of the temporary satisfaction. And if I can, I will experience God in an amazing, new way. I think what it will take is me challenging myself to get away from the bright and tantalizing things that this world offers and be real with God about my desires. I know that He is my comfort but I am simply blinded by other things all too often. I have never been a routine type of person and I like that about myself, but sometimes its hard to be consistent on a day to day basis when it comes to the time I spend with God. What I mean by time spent with God is reading about Him, learning new things about Him, talking with Him, singing to Him, or being quiet in front of Him and listening. That’s another thing that was “easier” to do while in Central Asia. Since I was forced to rely on Him, I was always running to Him and in a way that I don’t do as often here. I began everyday with God. Because I needed Him everyday. Do I need Him everyday no matter where I am? It’s easy to say yes to that question because I do, but I don’t always live that way. Lately, I have been wanting another tattoo and I have an idea in mind that can sort of go along with this. Romans 10:15 says, “And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” In this scripture, even though the last sentence starts with “how”, it is not asking a question. This scripture is an exclamation. Me and my team read this verse and prayed over ourselves with this verse before we left the states to go to Central Asia. I want to get a tattoo on my foot that says “how beautiful?” I want the question mark as a reminder to myself, am I bringing the good news to those around me? Am I learning more and more about God so that I can share Him with others? Am I living the way He has called me to live? Or am I stuck in some sort of stale, American culture that my faith gets lost in? I really want to take on this challenge.
watch this video if you like new music, exploring creativity, reckless curiosity, experimenting with ideas, or Andrew Bird.
Psalm 32
[[ We are weak
We are tired
Walking through each day with heavy feet
Why are we still sleeping?
Our strength slowly evaporating into the filthy air
Inhaling nothing but recycled groans
Continuing to refuse cleansing
Lord, restore my strength
I am nothing without You
Build me up, surround me with unfailing love
Look into my heart
Wake me up
Splash water on my soul ]]
-This is something I wrote in December of 2008 after seeing Phil Wickham, Shane&Shane, and Bethany Dillon in Raleigh. It is based on Psalm 32. I am still rolling around ideas in my head for my next blog. I just have all these thoughts and I’m waiting for them to be connected. So this poem is to tie you people over until I get my head straight with all that has been collected in my brains lately.
