On Squirrels in the Attic and the Holy Spirit

When was the last time you went in your attic?  (I know…that sounds like a pest-control commercial, but hang with me…).  If you’re like me, you hardly have a clue what’s up there.  Who knows?  You might even be housing a family of small, baby squirrels somewhere between your Christmas decorations and old tee-ball trophies.

I spent the day cleaning out my grandmother’s attic—something that obviously hasn’t been done in years.  I tried hard to get out of it, but to no avail.  You’d think after my brother and I broke four separate glass items that my mother would’ve just asked us to stop, but that didn’t work…

It’s amazing how much junk you can accumulate over time.  There was stuff in that attic from over 50 years ago, most of it completely useless, evidenced by the avalanche of trash out by the street. 

However, every once in awhile, we would open up a box and find a treasure.  We found a box of old “LIFE” magazines from the ‘60s.  We uncovered some of my grandfathers childhood pictures.  There was even an old Nazi Germany dagger in one of the boxes.

The treasures were there all along.  They were just covered up by years of neglect.  To get to these treasures, though, we had to dig.  We had to sort through piles of worthless old stuff to find what really mattered.

I think we’ve done the same thing with the Holy Spirit.  We’re told in 1 Peter 1 that upon our salvation, we are given “all things that pertain to life and godliness” through the Holy Spirit.  In other words, we are given a great treasure.  However, as time passes, we cover that treasure up with junk until we forget that it’s even there.  We don’t feel it anymore.  We don’t hear it anymore.  And we certainly don’t follow it anymore.

But what would happen if we uncovered it?  What would happen if we dug it out and starting using it again?

Where have you placed the Holy Spirit in your life?  What’s covering it up?

Maybe it’s time to move those “Christmas decorations” out of the way so that you can rediscover the treasure that’s inside of you.

 

[Note: I must thank Francis Chan for making me aware of this dilemma.  Please check out his latest book “Forgotten God” for more on this subject.]

On Haircuts

Imagine that you are a sheep.  Baaaaah.  As a little ewe lamb you wander around, munching on grass and clover until your plump little belly is satisfied.  You lie down on soft patches of moss, watching cute little bunny rabbits frolic around in the surrounding pasture.  You spend all year long growing a beautiful, plush coat of soft, fluffy wool.  All the other little ewe lambs are jealous of your fine follicles of soft goodness.

Then along comes an ugly, old shepherd dude with a rusty pair of shears and whacks it all off.  Gone is your outer garment of beauty, and you are left with nothing but naked shame.

That describes my life exactly.  OK, maybe not EXACTLY, but I had a similar experience.

I got my hair cut after going 3 months without a single trim (yes, I know most of you noticed that a long time ago…).  Now suddenly it looks like my grass does when I forget to put the lawnmower blade on level 4 instead of level 1.

Don’t get me wrong, the lady who cut it did a good job, and I really like her.  It’s just that I haven’t had short hair in a long time.  And in reality it’s not even that short.  It’s no shorter than it was the last time I got a haircut.  It’s just that it looks like a drastic change to me.  I’d gotten so used to my long hair, I’d forgotten what it was like to have short hair.

The same phenomenon tends to occur in my spiritual life.  I get into a pattern of holiness and spiritual discipline, being diligent in my walk with the Lord, and then I allow sin to start growing in my heart.  Before long, it’s grown so much that I don’t look anything like I did before it grew out.

But I don’t even realize it…because it happens so slowly.  I get so used to a lifestyle filled with sin, I forgot what holiness looks like.  On top of that, when I do realize my need to “cut” my sinfulness, I’m hesitant to do it because I’ve kind of gotten attached to the rugged, “good-looks” of my growing sin problem.

I’m pretty sure there are better ways to describe sin than by discussing the process of whacking off hair.  Nevertheless, it reminds me of my need to stay pure and the ease at which I allow sin to grow in my life.

In conclusion, I want to be spiritually bald for 2 reasons.  For one, I’d even more closely resemble the physique of Mr. Clean than I already do.  And secondly, I wouldn’t let sin grow in my life at all.

If only…

On Unfaithfulness

There are two things that I know for sure:

1. I can’t fly.  Tried that one before…

2. I am a terrible blogger.

It’s been awhile since my last post and even longer since I did a true post according to my usual blogging style.  Why the wait?

Laziness.  Plain and simple.

My blogging pattern closely resembles that of every other aspect of my life: a pattern of unfaithfulness.  I lack discipline.  I lack motivation.  And consequently, I lack faithfulness and the ability to see things through.

This is not a new development.  It hasn’t just sprung up in the last couple of years.  Looking back on my life, there are very few things that I’ve been faithful in seeing through to completion.  I always seemed to get my schoolwork done or finish projects at work, but if there was no immediate consequence for not seeing something through, then it often did not get done.

Examples: I stopped working out after about 3 months of doing it faithfully (I know, my bodily physique defies that fact).

I never did learn Spanish.

I quit swim team as a child because I looked too good in a Speedo and was a temptation to the girls around me…or because I just didn’t want to do it anymore.

Time after time I start something and don’t follow through.  This has never been more evident than in my spiritual life.  Lack of discipline has led to many a failed attempt at quiet time routines, Scripture memorization, or simply being holy when faced with temptations.

Praise the Lord that he is faithful.  His love never fails even when I fail miserably.  Great is his faithfulness.

So, what to do about my unfaithfulness?  Work at it, try harder, do better?  I guess those are all noble goals.  However, first I must understand and appreciate the grace that God shows me.  Then, I must seek him.  It is only by the grace of God that I can approach him, much less be faithful in following him.

May his grace sustain me, and may that grace help me to be faithful.

No promises for better blogging habits—just letting you know about my problem.

What are you unfaithful in?

On This and That

Sorry for the absence. I was on a missions trip with my youth the end of last week and couldn't blog.

While I was gone, I decided to do something different. I'm going to keep posting up journal entries from my China trip, but I'm also going to try to resume my regular blogging style of daily musings if I am able. I'm not going to make any promises, but I'm going to do my best.

Just thought I'd keep you guys that actually read this in the loop.

On Television (from John Piper)

I read an interesting article by John Piper this morning about television and its effects on our faith. Understand, I'm not hyper-critical of TV, but I think Piper raises some good questions.
If you want to go the actual page, here is the link.
However, for your viewing pleasure, I've copied the article and pasted it below.

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Why I Don’t Have a Television and Rarely Go to Movies

Download:

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By John Piper June 25, 2009

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Now that the video of the Q&A at Advance 09 is available, I can look at it and feel bad all over again. Here’s what I regret, indeed what I have apologized for to the person who asked the question.

The first question to me and Mark Driscoll was, “Piper says get rid of my TV, and Driscoll says buy extra DVRs. How do you reconcile this difference?”

I responded, “Get your sources right. . . . I never said that in my life.”

Almost as soon as it was out of my mouth, I felt: “What a jerk, Piper!” A jerk is a person who nitpicks about the way a question is worded rather than taking the opportunity to address the issue in a serious way. I blew it at multiple levels.

So I was very glad when the person who asked the question wrote to me. I wrote back,

Be totally relieved that YOU did not ask a bad question. I gave a useless and unhelpful, and I think snide, answer and missed a GOLDEN opportunity to make plain the dangers of the triviality you referred to. . . . I don’t know why I snapped about the wording of the question instead of using it for what it was intended for. It was foolish and I think sinful.

So let me see if I can do better now. I can’t give an answer for what Mark means by “buy extra DVRs,” but I can tell you why my advice sounds different. I suspect that Mark and I would not agree on the degree to which the average pastor needs to be movie-savvy in order to be relevant, and the degree to which we should expose ourselves to the world’s entertainment.

I think relevance in preaching hangs very little on watching movies, and I think that much exposure to sensuality, banality, and God-absent entertainment does more to deaden our capacities for joy in Jesus than it does to make us spiritually powerful in the lives of the living dead. Sources of spiritual power—which are what we desperately need—are not in the cinema. You will not want your biographer to write: Prick him and he bleeds movies.

If you want to be relevant, say, for prostitutes, don’t watch a movie with a lot of tumbles in a brothel. Immerse yourself in the gospel, which is tailor-made for prostitutes; then watch Jesus deal with them in the Bible; then go find a prostitute and talk to her. Listen to her, not the movie. Being entertained by sin does not increase compassion for sinners.

There are, perhaps, a few extraordinary men who can watch action-packed, suspenseful, sexually explicit films and come away more godly. But there are not many. And I am certainly not one of them.

I have a high tolerance for violence, high tolerance for bad language, and zero tolerance for nudity. There is a reason for these differences. The violence is make-believe. They don’t really mean those bad words. But that lady is really naked, and I am really watching. And somewhere she has a brokenhearted father.

I’ll put it bluntly. The only nude female body a guy should ever lay his eyes on is his wife’s. The few exceptions include doctors, morticians, and fathers changing diapers. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?” (Job 31:1). What the eyes see really matters. “Everyone who looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Better to gouge your eye than go to hell (verse 29).

Brothers, that is serious. Really serious. Jesus is violent about this. What we do with our eyes can damn us. One reason is that it is virtually impossible to transition from being entertained by nudity to an act of “beholding the glory of the Lord.” But this means the entire Christian life is threatened by the deadening effects of sexual titillation.

All Christ-exalting transformation comes from “beholding the glory of Christ.” “Beholding the glory of the Lord, [we] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Whatever dulls the eyes of our mind from seeing Christ powerfully and purely is destroying us. There is not one man in a thousand whose spiritual eyes are more readily moved by the beauty of Christ because he has just seen a bare breast with his buddies.

But leave sex aside (as if that were possible for fifteen minutes on TV). It’s the unremitting triviality that makes television so deadly. What we desperately need is help to enlarge our capacities to be moved by the immeasurable glories of Christ. Television takes us almost constantly in the opposite direction, lowering, shrinking, and deadening our capacities for worshiping Christ.

One more smaller concern with TV (besides its addictive tendencies, trivialization of life, and deadening effects): It takes time. I have so many things I want to accomplish in this one short life. Don’t waste your life is not a catchphrase for me; it’s a cliff I walk beside every day with trembling.

TV consumes more and more time for those who get used to watching it. You start to feel like it belongs. You wonder how you could get along without it. I am jealous for my evenings. There are so many things in life I want to accomplish. I simply could not do what I do if I watched television. So we have never had a TV in 40 years of marriage (except in Germany, to help learn the language). I don’t regret it.

Sorry again, for the bad answer. I hope this helps.

Pastor John

On (Dead) Animal Crossings

About a week ago, I was driving down the road, headed into town from my house. All of a sudden I see this fox squirrel run out in the middle of the road. He kind of sits there in the road, as I approach him. Then, another care comes around the curve, headed towards us. So there sits the squirrel in the middle of the road as both cars bear down on him. He turns left, no right, no left again, hesitates for a second, then darts left--only to get hit by the other car.

Fast-forward a couple of days.

I'm driving down the same stretch of road, when I see a buzzard in the distance, sitting right on the yellow line in the middle of the road. As I approach, he doesn't move. There's another care coming towards him from the other direction. He still doesn't move. Then right before the other car got to him, he finally flew off to the left--right into the bumper of the oncoming car.

Weird, huh? I'm thinking that if I were that buzzard, I'd see that squirrel sitting there and think to myself, "You know, that squirrel is pretty fast, and it got its brains splattered on the road because it was too stupid to move. Perhaps I shouldn't go out there on that dangerous road." The buzzard obviously was thinking differently. Whatever he was eating in the middle of the road was just too good to pass up.

How similar are we? We stand by and watch our family, friends, peers, and mentors fall into traps of sin and get crushed by it. However, instead of getting away, we find ourselves standing at the same intersections in life, trying to get as close as we can to sinful things without getting hit. After all, that temptation may affect them, but it surely won't affect us.

Pride is a dangerous thing.

We are reminded by Paul in 1 Corinthians that we should be careful: "Let him who stands take heed before he falls."

We ought to take a lesson from the people around us. We are too weak to stand that close to sin and not get burned. We ought to run as far away from temptation as we can. Don't stand near it. Flee.

Otherwise, you'll just end up as spiritual roadkill.

On Pumping Too Much Gas

The other day I was at the gas station filling up my truck. I went about the routine process, starting to pump the gas and clicking on the automatic holder that keeps the gas flowing while you walk away. I then went up to the front of my truck and leaned inside for something (I think it was to clean out some trash---which should be a surprise because my truck never gets trashy......ahem.....).

Suddenly, I started hearing this splashing noise, and my feet started feeling sprinkles. Could it be raining? Nope....blue skies. Perhaps someone had emptied a bucket of water. No, because no water smelled like this, not to mention there was no one around me. Then, I poked my head back out of the truck to see a dismal sight.

To my shock and horror, gas was spouting out of my gas tank like Old Faithful. A river of unleaded fuel was pouring down the pavement onto my feet. I was just waiting on the serial killer to light the match that would send me up in smoke, when I realized that it was just the handle's automatic shut-off obviously not working. I quickly shut off the pump and assessed the damage.

Other than gasoline all over my feet, a dollar of wasted money, and a little bit of embarrassment, everything was OK. I started to curse the pump like Jesus cursed the barren fig tree, but I figured that the people next to me would probably find that a little awkward. So, I just drove off.

How many times had I pumped gas before and had it stop exactly when it needed to? Several hundred at least. I'd done it so many times before, I thought I knew what I was getting.

I was wrong. I got more than I expected. Then it hit me.....

What if God wants to do the same thing?

How many times do we go to church or spend time in prayer, expecting a set amount of God. OK, God, we want 15 gallons of you this week, and that should fill me up. Or, God, I'm pretty full this week, so why don't you just give me about 3 gallons?

Imagine this, though. What if God doesn't just want to fill up the spot you've offered him? What if he wants you to have so much of him that you overflow, drowning in the goodness of his presence?

I know. It's not what we expect. Most of the time it's not convenient. It will cost more than we're used to paying. It will cause us to have a certain "odor" about us that might be a little different. And it could even mean that you're in danger of catching on fire....

David said in Psalm 23 that God had given him so much that his "cup overflows." That's what I want.

Not so much for my gas tank as for my heart, but still. Whatever it takes to get the point, right?

On Fixing Leaks with Band-Aids

Yesterday I took my youth group to Wild Adventures. As we were heading back to the bus that evening, it started pouring down rain, so much so that one of the windows on our church bus started leaking around the top seal. Being that our bus is pretty old, I wasn't too surprised, however my seventh graders sitting in the seat next to the window weren't too excited about having water drip on them.

So, what to do? How do you fix a leaky window on a giant bus with no tools, no tape, and no mechanical skills?

That's when I kicked into MacGyver mode.

I looked around the bus until I found the only adhesive available--a box of band-aids that looked to be 20 years old. No worries. They were still sticky. Then I snatched an empty cup from one of my youth.

Time was ticking. We could all die at any minute. The lives of these little seventh graders was in my hands, along with an empty Coke cup and some band-aids. So I hurriedly taped together about 15 band-aids, forming a strip of "tape" slapped that cup against the window to catch the dripping, and tacked on a couple of extra band-aids to the top to help hold the cup up.

Just in time. Because it stopped raining about 5 seconds after I taped up my makeshift contraption.

As I looked at my device, I was pretty proud of what I had accomplished (if you know my mechanical skills, you'll understand why...). After all, I had stopped a damaging leak without having the "proper" tools.

Sometimes you might feel that way when faced with many of the situations you encounter throughout life. You feel like you just don't have what it takes to accomplish the task that God has put in front of you. You may feel inadequate or ill-equipped.

Never fear. God never puts you in a situation without giving you exactly what you need to bring him glory in that situation. In simple terms, God calls you to do what you can with what you have for his glory, nothing less and nothing more.

Gideon defeated an army with 300 men. David felled a giant with a rock. Jesus fed 5000 people with 2 fish and some bread. None of these men sat there and questioned God about his supplies for the job at hand. They didn't wait until more came along. They used what God provided them to accomplish his will.

Stop saying you'll serve God when you have more money, more time, more education, more experience, or more stuff. God has put you exactly where he wants you, right now, with exactly what you need to accomplish your task.

Go put MacGyver to shame.

On Swimming

I went swimming this evening for the first time in awhile. We had a youth event at one of my student's house, and they happened to have a pool, so most of us went swimming after dinner and Bible study.

I'm not that big a fan of swimming, honestly. It's not that I'm not a good swimmer. I was on swim team for several years and even lifeguarded for 3 years during high school and college. It's just that now that I've gotten a little older, swimming doesn't appeal to me that much.

I took my swimming stuff tonight just in case I decided to hop in, which I ended up doing after several of the youth got in. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time. It's just that if none of the youth wanted to swim, I definitely wouldn't have been the first person in the pool.

I think it's rooted in laziness honestly. I know that if I get in the pool, it will require me first of all to change clothes. Then, after I swim, I'll have to dry off from getting wet. Then I'll have to put on some dry clothes after I get out so that I don't soak my truck on the way home. Then when I get home, I'll want to shower to get the feel of the pool water off of me. Aahhh, it's just not worth it to me.....

But whenever I actually do go swimming, I realize that it's fun, and that it really is worth the trouble. I have a great time hanging out with friends, and it's definitely good exercise.

It's just so hard to get myself to see the benefits instead of the consequences.

I do the same thing with prayer (which we just happened to discuss tonight in Bible study). I get lazy and don't want to do it. I know that I'll have to put aside time, then I'll probably get convicted of some stuff in my life that I'll have to change, not to mention I really don't like to hear the sound of my voice when I pray outside by myself....

But then I spend time in prayer, and it's great. The fellowship and communion with God is wonderful--totally worth any consequence of "lost" time or uncomfortable feelings.

If you're like me, sometimes it's hard convincing yourself to spend concentrated time in prayer. Sometimes, though, you just have to ignore those voices and jump in anyway.

Come on in. The water's perfect.

On Automatic Bathroom Air Fresheners

They hate me. I've decided that.

Every time I walk in the bathroom at church, as soon as I walk around the corner, I get blasted by one of those automatic air fresheners. It's infuriating.

Today, I even tried to fake it out. I thought that maybe it was the lights that caused the thing to shoot super-concentrated-smell-good-scentiness into the air. So I flipped on the lights, waited a second, then walked around the corner, only to be shot in the side of the head by the air freshener (whoever put it right at ear-level is beyond me....).

So, if not light activated, maybe it's motion activated. So, I went back outside, came back in, and stuck my arm around the corner, waving it like crazy. Nothing. So I figured I was safe. Bad assumption. I rounded the corner and got my second dose of "essence of springtime" or whatever the scent is called.

Air fresheners are stupid. OK, I'm biased because of this vendetta that a certain air freshener has taken out on me. However, I still think they're a waste of money, energy, and space.

Why? They're nothing but a cover up. They're shady. It's not like they truly get rid of odor. They just disguise it. They cover it up with overly powerful not-so-terrible smells and fool you into thinking the foul odors are gone. They trick you. The odor of Billy-Bob's handiwork is still in the air, you just have been duped by this air freshener into believing that it's gone.

Crafty little devils.

However, they're a lot like us. When we sin, we often try to simply cover it up rather than addressing the sin itself. How? We often cover up our sin by trying to replace it with good deeds. For instance, if I slipped up and cussed this morning, I would give a few extra encouraging words throughout the day to try and make up for it. Or if I was extra sinful today, I'd pray an extra-long blessing to counteract my disobedience.

But it's just a mask. My sin is still there. Good deeds, hard work, extra prayer time, or super-spiritual experiences can never truly rid our hearts of sin. It's still there, just shrouded in a nice-smelling mist of spirituality.

The only thing that can rid our hearts of sin is repentance through Jesus Christ. Jesus forgives us of our sins and offers us freedom from them. This freedom is not a cover up. Romans 8 says that the Spirit of Christ "puts to death the misdeeds of the body" so that we can live in freedom (Rom. 8:13). Our sins are no longer there. They're not just scented over by good feelings. They're truly gone. Praise be to God!

So next time you get sprayed by an air freshener (grrr........), think about your heart. Have you truly been freed from your sin, or are you still holding on, refusing to repent and truly get rid of the root of your problem?

Don't mask your sin. It'll still be there, and it will eventually continue to reek, no matter how much you try to cover it up. Not to mention, God says your good deeds appear like Billy-Bob's 'handiwork" to him anyway.

When I stand before God, I don't want him to be holding his nose. Do you?

On Vaccinations

I got all my vaccinations last week in preparation for my upcoming East Asia trip. The shots included Typhoid, Hepatitis A & B, and some pills for preventing malaria (which I started taking this morning--the pill was the size of a small mammal).

Getting shots is never fun, but it's a necessary evil if you're going to go overseas, particularly to a part of the world which is very prone to diseases. So I paid $300 to sit in a doctor's office for 4 hours so that they could stick me in the arms with needles and inject me with diseases. Fun, fun. But enough ranting. There is a point to this discussion.

If you're unfamiliar with how vaccines work, here's a short synopsis of the process: You get a shot of some sort which contains a small amount of a weakened form of the disease that you want to be defended against. Once you are injected with the disease, your body reacts, forming antibodies against that disease so that when you encounter the real form of the disease, your body is already prepared to fight against it. Got it? Good.

Vaccines are good for our bodies, but exposing our spirits to small, weakened forms of spiritual "diseases" doesn't work out too well for us. You see, small doses of sin don't protect us against the "larger" sins. Unlike a vaccination, they weaken our defenses, leaving us vulnerable to a full attack.

The process of temptation starts out very similar to the process of vaccination. The Enemy often works in the following manner: we are exposed to some sort of temptation which seems very trivial, i.e. looking at a scantily-clad woman on a shampoo commercial. Soon, we don't see anything wrong with the trivial temptation. We're not affected by it anymore. So, he tempts us with the next level of temptation, such as viewing a sex-scene in a movie. After all, it's not "true" pornography, so it can't be that bad. And so the process continues until before very long, we have gotten so used to sin we longer see it as being that bad.

Satan very rarely tempts us with the full, ugly form of sin in the very beginning. Most of the time, he works us up to it with things that we deem as being "not that bad." However, every small temptation that we give in to leads on a slippery slope to sin.

James describes the process of sin this way: "Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." (James 1:14-15)

Get your shots for school and trips. We don't want you getting sick if you can help it! However, don't expose yourself to "weakened" forms of temptation. Sin is sin, and it all leads to death.

On Getting Updates

As you start your computer up, you notice that it's running a little slower than usual. It creeps along in the loading process, taking so long you think that your desktop background is going to change seasons. You mutter under your breath, waiting on the thing to finish loading so that you can get done what you intended to do. Then you notice this little shield thing in your toolbar. It is yellow and obnoxious. And it's slowing your computer down.

Your computer is getting updates. And it's ruining your day.

At this point, you fall into one of two camps. Camp #1 includes the people who encourage the updates. Your thoughts might include the following: "This update is a good thing. It helps my computer. It keeps things secure from hackers, spyware, and viruses. Sure, it might be inconvenient, but it's helpful. I might actually get some more updates....."

If you're in Camp #2, you don't even get this far. You've already turned off the computer and restarted it, bypassing the whole updating process.

This whole update thing is oddly similar to our spiritual walk. Just like our computers, we need updates, too. We must get the information and strength we need to function correctly. And like our computers, we need these updates very often.

Our reactions to our spiritual "updates" are often pretty similar to our computer-based reactions. We often view our time with the Lord as a "necessary inconvenience" so that we can get on with the rest of our day. Or we might even just forsake these updates altogether in exchange for moving ahead with our other business.

If you fail to update your computer, you may not immediately notice much difference. However, over time, your computer will slow down, it will become unsafe, and it could ultimately crash and fail.

Our spirits have the same outlook. Without daily time spent with the Lord, we are destined to become ineffective and on the brink of crashing.

Sure, it takes time. But the benefits far outweigh the cost.

It's time to get excited about updating your spirit. I can't say that much about your computer, but you get the idea...

On Going to IMPACT

I'm headed out of town today for an entire week to take my youth to a camp called IMPACT, put on by the good folks at the Ga. Baptist Convention.

Hence, I probably won't be updating my blog next week. I might throw on some quick blurbs just to keep you guys posted on what's happening, but we'll see. To say it will be a busy week is quite the understatement.

Just wanted to keep you guys up to speed (since I get several remarks that my last blogging hiatus was unappreciated).

Thanks for reading.

On Crashing

No not that kind of crashing--don't worry. There was no wreck. I'm talking about being really tired and going to sleep.

Yesterday, I just didn't feel like I had much energy. I felt tired all day. I'm not really sure why. It's not like I do anything at work.....(just kidding). Maybe it was because it was my first full week at my new job. Perhaps I was getting sick. Who knows. Anyway, I left the office, drove home, threw my bag down on my bed, and instantly proceeded to fall asleep. I don't think I'd done that so quickly in my life.

The nap didn't last for very long. I had a meeting last night at 6:30, so I only slept for about 45 minutes or so. Still, it was very nice.

Sometimes I just get that way. Things pile up, I get busy, I don't get enough rest at night, and I find myself feeling very overwhelmed and tired. Then at some point, my body just says, "enough," I'm going to go to sleep now.

I feel our spirits are very similar. So many times we don't allow our spirits to rest with the Lord. We overwork ourselves with worry, business, and sin. This stretches out our spirit to the point that we feel tired inside, almost depressed even.

That's when we have to find rest in the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

This doesn't mean that Jesus will make life a cakewalk for us. He said many times that life would be difficult. However, he reminds us in these verses that we don't have to do this on our own strength. We need the peace that only the Lord can provide to get us through our difficult times.

So trade that tired sigh for a shout of joy. Turn that frown into a smile. Go find rest in God and in his Word. He'll rejuvenate you so you can get going again.

On Bugs and Prayer

I love to ride with my windows down in my truck. I don't have a nice car with a convertible top, so to "ride with the wind in my hair" I have to do the best I can with the windows.

If you join me in the open-air-driving club, then you've probably experienced what I'm about to describe: You're riding down the road, enjoying the breeze on your skin and in your hair, singing your cares away with the radio turned up to Celine Dion (ahem....or some other appropriate musician....). Perhaps you've even got your hand out the window going up and down on a virtual wind-ridden roller coaster.....

Then out of nowhere.....THWAP! A giant bug hits your hand. It does not feel pleasant. It stings your skin. It spills guts on you and leaves behind a funny odor. It angers you. It ruined your Celine Dion moment. It might just have done this to you on purpose. It makes you want to purchase more stock in fly swatters. It causes you to curse the posterity of all flying insects and swear to wipe out their kind to the ends of the earth.

Sound familiar? Ok, does the premise at least sound familiar? Good. Now why in the world would I describe this horrible scene?

Because prayer is just like this. What? No, I'm not crazy. I promise. Here's why:

When we pray, it is very refreshing. We enjoy the feeling of the presence of God surrounding us. It is a comforting feeling, a feeling of security. It is our source of peace, as we dwell in God's mercy and grace. We share our needs with him and spread out our hands in worship of his glory, praising his name and majesty....

Then out of nowhere....THWAP! We git hit with something, and quite often, that "something" is the truth about our hearts. Whether it be a sinful habit, an unrighteous thought, or a missed opportunity, God often convicts us when we're praying.

You see, prayer isn't just our chance to rest in the presence of God. It's a chance for God to tell us what we need to hear, and that isn't always sweet words of comfort. A lot of times it stings. Does that mean we shouldn't pray? Of course not; however, we need to understand that prayer is not a one-way street. God wants to speak to us, too, and God is a God of truth. He convicts us when we need to draw closer to him.

I still love riding with the windows down. It's refreshing. Prayer is the same way. Just be prepared to get hit every once in awhile. It'll do you some good.

On Getting Rusty

Have you ever gone to use something that you haven't used in awhile and then it doesn't work correctly anymore?

Yeah, me too.

As I continue to get situated in my office at my new church, I have been met with a few small challenges. Today, I went to print something from my office printer (which is conveniently stuck UNDER my desk--perhaps it would be wise to move it to a more convenient location....hmmm.....). Anyway, as I looked at my printed sheet of paper, I was greeted by a hideous arrangement of random blotches and lines instead of my nice, clean printout.

What to do? Well, over the next 30 minutes I commenced a major cleaning project of the heads of my ink cartridges in an attempt to restore the functionality of the printer. Lest I fool you into thinking that I'm Mr. Handyman, all it took was calibrating the device electronically (ok, I just pressed OK a few times in the self-cleaning tutorial).

I don't know exactly why my printer was so jacked up, but I'm guessing it's because it hadn't been used in awhile (either that, or it had some sort of internal ink explosion due to a hacking attempt--but I'm still going with my lack-of-use theory). If so, then this printer is not much different from everything else that we have, be it those rusty old pliers, that old car on blocks in your backyard, or that old fishing rod & reel combo in the corner of your garage.

It's also not much different from your faith. If you don't use it, it gets rusty and doesn't work correctly.

When was the last time you spent time in prayer? When was the last time you meditated on God's Word? When was the last time you truly worshiped God in spirit and truth? When was the last time you actually shared your faith with someone?

It's kind of hard to work with rusty tools. They just can't perform at their full potential. Likewise, it's hard for God to use us effectively if we're spiritually rusty. We just can't perform at our full potential.

How do we fix that? Well, we clean up the condition of the tool. In the case of our hearts, we ask for forgiveness and seek the cleansing spirit of God's mercy. As we are cleansed, we are restored to a right fellowship with the Lord, and we become useful in his hands, capable of doing great and mighty things for the glory of the Lord. There is no person beyond the cleansing power of God's grace.

What's holding you back? What's forming rust in your heart?

Get clean, and stay sharp. You'll be surprised at how well you can perform in God's hands.

On Being Back

You thought I was done.

You thought I probably wasn't going to post again, that I had gone the way of many people before me, falling off the blogging bandwagon after a few weeks of typing my thoughts. Admit it: you had given up on me.

Well here I am again, sharing my musings on your computer screen. I understand that it's been 20 days since my last post, and for that I'm sorry to anyone who actually cares that I wasn't updating you during that time. Not to make excuses, but taking a new job and moving has caused me to be a little busy lately. I'll admit that I may not have made this a priority, but now that I'm settled in at FBC Moultrie, it'll be a lot easier to get back on some sort of blogging schedule.

I'm not making any promises, though. There will be a lot going on this summer that will force me to be away. Nevertheless, I'm going to do my best.

There is someone who did make a promise to be back, though: Jesus. He promised he would return to earth.

Unfortunately, there are many who respond to Jesus' return like they would my blog--with doubt. Whether we intend to or not, there are many of us who really don't think that Jesus is going to return anytime soon. We think that he's done, for now anyway. Regardless of whether or not our thoughts actually echo that statement, our actions definitely don't portray any confidence in his promised return.

I don't intend to be one of these impending doom prophets or someone pins dates and times on Christ's return; however, Jesus instructed us to be ready. He told us to live as though each day would be our last. We can't become complacent. We can't be slack. We must be ready.

What does that mean? It means we seek the Lord. It means we love people. It means we share the Gospel with urgency. It means we don't seek earthly riches. It means we don't indulge in worldly pleasures.

It means we should live like the kingdom of God is imminent.

Because it is.

On Being Safe

If I asked you to list the top 5 things that you most often pray for, I wonder what the response would be. Blessings for food would be up there probably. I mean, most people reading this blog at least ask the blessing for the food. Other than that, you would probably list praying for sick friends/relatives. I guarantee you, though, on just about everybody's top 5 prayer requests is a plea for God to keep you safe during _________.

Keep me safe while I travel. Keep me safe while I play this softball game. Keep me safe tonight while I sleep ("watch and guard me through the night," if you will...). Keep me safe on this mission trip. Etc., etc.

Just about all of us pray for safety. That's not a bad thing. Many times in the Bible people prayed for safety, and God delivered. Many times in history people prayed for safety, and God provided. If you look at all the times David prayed for protection, they are quite numerous.

Praying for safety is not wrong, but it is not always good.

What!?! Am I crazy? Am I off my rocker? Why would we not want to pray for safety? After all, if David, "a man after God's own heart," prayed for safety, why can't we?

I want to pose a question to you. What do you desire more: safety and protection or bringing glory to God?

At first thought, most of us would say bringing glory to God, of course. However, what does your prayer life say? If I recorded all of my prayers, I would probably find that I tend to pray for what I want (i.e. blessings and safety) more than what God wants (i.e. glory).

Instead of praying, "God keep me safe," what if we started praying, "God use me regardless of the cost"? What if our prayers were not focused on our health and wants but on the glorification of the name of God?

What if the cost of bringing God more glory was that you were not safe? Are you willing to pay that price?

Don't get me wrong, I think it's biblical to pray for safety. However, every time you see someone pray for safety, it is not for selfish reasons. It is so that they can glorify God more (I refer you to Ezra 8:21-23).

Our ultimate aim should be God's glory, not our comfort. Jesus said that if we were to be his disciples it would come at the cost of carrying our crosses, or in other words, being willing to die. Have you counted that cost? Are you willing to suffer or even die if it means bringing God glory?

Jesus was. We should be too.

On Sitting in Traffic

I went up to Atlanta yesterday to attend a meeting to plan for a summer camp called IMPACT. It was a good meeting, but the trip up took FOREVER....(flash back to "The Sandlot": Fooorreeevvveeerrrr.....).

Yeah, that's about how I felt. If you've driven on I-85 between LaGrange and Atlanta within the past year, you've noticed that there is a lot of road construction going on. I'm not talking about just a few miles. For about 30 miles or so, there is road construction. And wherever there's road construction (especially if it shuts down lanes), you know what that means: traffic.

I hate traffic. I'm going to be honest. It frustrates me more than probably anything else in the world. Sitting there on a stretch of interstate, going absolutely nowhere when you should be traveling 55mph+ (ahem...or a lot faster)---it grates me to no end.

The traffic had it's benefits, though. Although it almost made me late and wasted a bunch of my gas, it did give me some time to make some phone calls to some friends with whom I hadn't talked in awhile. Overall, it provided me some good time to catch up with people and spend some time in good conversation without worrying about cars driving around me at 75 mph.

As I looked back at my time in traffic, I realized that life treats us the same way. We often run around like crazy people, constantly trying to get stuff done, staying so busy that we barely even notice what's going on around us. Then...BAM. We get stuck. Something happens and forces us to slow down. Most of the time our reaction is much like mine was yesterday. We start muttering about how frustrating it is, and we sit there all antsy, waiting to get going again.

Sometimes, though, I think God wants us just to stop for a little while, to quit scurrying around trying to do things so that we can actually spend some time with him. Unfortunately for us, this often takes God intervening in our lives to the point that he has to throw some sort of road block completely in front of us to slow us down.

So next time you get stuck in traffic, think of the good that can come out of it. Spend some time calling old friends. Take time to look around you and notice the beauty of creation (as best you can in the midst of the concrete). Or spend some time in prayer. And next time you get a "traffic jam" in your life that stops you dead in your tracks, enjoy the pause in the business of life to seek the Lord.

Perhaps that's the whole reason you're stopped in the first place.

On Watching Baseball

I went to a local high school baseball game last night to see one of my youth guys. I took my friend Robby along with me so that I didn't have to go sit in the stands and watch the game by myself. After all, I didn't want to look like that creepy 23 year old college guy who likes to hang out at high school events for one reason or another....

As soon as we got to the field and sat down to watch the game, we immediately did what I'm sure thousands of other people do when they attend such games: reminisce. Oh yeah. We sat down and immediate I said, "I actually played on this field once.....," and the conversation went from there. We proceeded to talk about the "glory days" of when we played baseball for several minutes, not even really paying attention to the game at hand.

It was a pretty sloppy game. There were a lot of errors, and it just wasn't very pretty. I enjoyed watching the game, but I found myself evaluating everything and almost judging the plays to see what the players were doing wrong rather than simply watching the game for pleasure.

I then realized that I committed a fault that many Christians run into in their spiritual lives: the sin of judging. Watching the game, criticizing plays and errors, thinking I could do things better than the kids that were out there....Haha. It's so foolish, I laugh at myself right now. There I was, Old Man Peek up in the stands, harkening back to the glory days of when we used to play baseball the right way, thinking that I could do it better than the kids on the field.

We do the same thing with our faith. We look back at the way we did things and judge the way that our contemporaries do them. But here's the thing: at least they're doing something. As I was sitting in the stands, I wasn't on the field. I wasn't fielding those balls or swinging at those pitches. Who was I to think I could do it better then them? Yet we do the same thing to our brothers and sisters in Christ, judging them for doing things "wrong" in church or in their spiritual lives. At least they're doing something! Too many times we sit there and judge the way our fellow Christians operate while we are doing nothing except glorying in the past.

We cannot continue to do this. The Lord does not call us to hold up our trophies of our past accomplishments and judge those who are living out their faith right now. He wants us to continue working hard for him, growing in our relationship with him, and encouraging the people around us to do the same thing.

And we can't do that when we're just sitting there criticizing people.

On Taking a New Job

It is now official: I have accepted a job as the Youth Minister at First Baptist Church in Moultrie, Ga.

Boy, is it good to finally say that publicly.

Let me start by saying that I'm really excited about this opportunity. God has really been moving in that local church throughout this past year, and it's an exciting time to hop on board with them. I'm really looking forward to what God is going to do.

It's really neat how he's worked this out. When I first got a phone call asking for my resume for the open position, I was very hesitant (to put it mildly). I wasn't looking for a new church. I was very content at East Vernon in LaGrange, working at a smaller church for pretty small pay. These things were not an issue. God was working at EVBC, and I really felt like he wanted me there. For those of you who know my whole story, you know that I stepped out on faith a year ago to stay at East Vernon another year, even though I didn't know how in the world I was going to do it (thanks Nate and Katie for giving me a place to stay, and thanks to the church for giving me a raise to enable me to stay).

God, however, would not let my heart rest in regards to this position at Moultrie. Consequently, I put in my resume.

I remained very apprehensive early in the process. I had a lot of questions: How could God be calling me away from a youth group in which he had been moving so obviously? How could he call me away from students who had such need (most of you know that I 90% of my students are in broken homes and have little-to-no parent involvement in their lives, much less the church)? How could he call me away from such a loving and supportive church?

Then I realized something very important: it's not about me. God never needed me in the first place. I am just an instrument in his hands, and he can do whatever he wants with me. I just need to be willing to follow him wherever he wants, regardless of the cost (Matt. 16:24-27).

Over the several months that this whole process took, God slowly worked things out, both on my end and on the part of the search committee at FBC Moultrie. He opened doors for me there and shut doors on the other applicants for the position until I was the only one left.

It's quite humbling, honestly. I never thought that at the age of 23, with no seminary experience yet, and having never had a full-time job at a church that I would even be considered for the job at FBC. However, God never calls us where he doesn't equip us. I'm just glad that FBC had the faith to follow the direction that God led them in: toward me.

To an outside observer, it would be very easy to assume that I took this position for several reasons: It's where my parents live. It's a bigger church with better monetary benefits. It's a "step up the ladder" as one of my church members told me. But please understand that NONE of these reasons had ANY influence on this decision. I can say that with 100% honesty. You can ask my parents and close friends in whom I confided for wisdom during this process. The only reason I am going to Moultrie is because that's where the Lord is leading me.

Sure, it'll be nice being with my family. And sure, being taken care of financially is definitely a blessing. However, these are just additional blessings on top of the fact that I get the opportunity to serve the Lord in youth ministry. Hands down. If this job was on the other side of the planet and paid diddly squat, I would still take it. I can say that with all honesty. I have come to the point in my life where I will follow the Lord wherever he leads, trying my best to live out what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

Yes, it's going to be hard stepping away from my place at East Vernon. I've grown to love that church dearly, and I would give my life for any of the students under my watch. I told the church last night, and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to say to anyone. It's not going to be easy, but I know that it's necessary.

I don't know how everything's going to turn out. I don't know what's going to happen at East Vernon, but I know the Lord will provide. I don't know how God's going to use me at FBC Moultrie, but I'm sure he's going to and that he'll provide me with everything I need to effectively serve him there as long as I remain humble enough to seek him faithfully. I do know, however, that God is sovereign and that his ways are higher than our ways.

My last day in LaGrange is May 17. Then, I'll be heading down to Moultrie that week so that I can start at FBC Moultrie on Sunday, May 24.

It's an exciting time. It's going to be a big change, but I'm highly enthusiastic about what God has in store. Please continue to pray for me, East Vernon, and FBC Moultrie as we all make this transition together.

To God be the glory, honor, and praise for all that he has done and all that he is going to do.

All praise to God.

On Wearing Prom Clothes to Worship

No, I did not go to the prom this weekend, do not worry. I am not the 23 year old weirdo that hangs out at the local high school prom....

However, my sister did go to her senior prom this weekend. At her high school, they do this thing called the "Grand March" where every single person that goes to prom lines up at the football field and walkes through this little archway with their dates while everyone oohs and aahs and takes pictures.

Well, I went to the Grand March this year with my parents to watch my sister. I'll be honest: it took foroever. She goes to a really big high school. After waiting about 45 minutes, my sister finally came through the arch for her 15 seconds of fame.

As I sat there watching everybody going through the archway, decked out in their prom best (or worst--depending on the outfit), I thought it was pretty representative of how we treat worship. No, I'm not talking about the way we dress--not at all. Instead, I'm referring to the condition of our hearts.

Let me explain.

Before prom, everyone goes and spends tons of money on these expensive outfits so that they can dress up really nice for the big event. Some families drop over $1000 on this thing. I just don't get it, but that's beside the point. All this money goes into the outfits and everything, and what's the result? Most of the kids don't wear the thing for more than a few hours. Why? Because it's not really them.

I remember when I went to prom, most of the guys took their coats, ties, and vests off immediately after they got their picture taken. They could care less about the tux. They just wore it because they felt like they had to. Most of the girls take their shoes and fancy jewelry off after awhile for the same reason. Then, as soon as they leave the dance, they change into something more comfortable.

How does that relate to worship? In worship, we put on this show of everything being nice and in order, and then a few hours later, we turn into different people. We want everyone to see us looking good while we "walk throught the arch" of publich worship, so to speak, but then as soon as the main event is finished, we drop the facade and we go back to living a completely unholy life.

Sure, some people take worship seriously. But most of us just put on the front while we're in front of people.

God hates that. He doesn't care what we look like on the outside. He doesn't care about the presentation that we put on for the people around us. He's concerned with our hearts, with the innermost parts of our being. Our glam and flashiness don't impress him. He just wants us to be genuine.

And I'd much rather have God's approval than anyone else's.

On Playing with Kittens

We've got a couple of cats at the house, one of which is about half a year old. His name is Corporal Nobby Nobbs (I call him Nobster). Don't ask about the name--I didn't name him. My housemates did.

Anyway, ole' Nobster is pretty cool. He's a rambunctious little fellow, always running around biting stuff. I was laying in the floor earlier this evening, playing around with him using a little keychain clip that I have. It's one of those things that has the little cord that extends and retracts. Nobster likes to chomp down on the clasp and pull it out until he lets go, so that it shoots back up into the coil. Then he grabs it again, and the cycle continues.

Watching Nobster, I'm amazed at how enamored he can get with the simplest of things. His eyes get big and black (almost like a great white shark's), and he focuses so intently on whatever toy he has decided to play with--be it a rubber band, a toy mouse, a sock (boy does he love socks...)a piece of string, or just a scrap of paper. It doesn't matter to him. Once he finds his toy, he's sticking with it.

I wish I was the same way with God.

I want to be infatuated with him, desiring him above all things, not letting go no matter how hard something tries to pull me away. Yet so many times, as I attempt to seek God, I get distracted by other things and immediately lose interest. There is no passion in my attempt to seek him. I do not become fixated on the Lord and his Word. I prefer to have my God in small doses whenever I want him, and when something "better" comes along, I go that direction.

How fickle I am! How unfaithful!

I'm reminded of the third verse of one of my favorite hymns, which always encourages me in my times of infidelity:

Oh to grace, how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be.
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above.

I want to be enamored with God, like a kitten with a toy. I want to desire God above all things. I don't want to wander around aimlessly, flitting with various worldly things.

Here's my heart, Lord. Take it, seal it, make it yours.

May I always be captivated by you.

On Being Prodded

It's been awhile since my last post. Between orientation weekend for my East Asia mission trip (woohoo!), a mission trip to New Orleans, going to Secret Church at Brook Hills (7 hours with David Platt teaching--it was phenomenal), and Easter, I've been spread a little thin. But I'm back now, trying to get back into blogging. I got my computer fixed, I'm back into a somewhat normal schedule, and I'm ready to rejoin the blogging world.

It's kind of weird getting back into something from which you've taken a break. For instance, a friend of mine and I started working out just over a month ago. Because of spring break and all that, we weren't able to work out during last week. Today, we're going to start back up, and I'll be honest---I'm dreading it. I guess it's laziness. I just cannot get myself psyched back up to work out today.

That's why I have a work out partner. If I had tried to work out on my own for the past month, I probably wouldn't have made it a week before stopping. Thankfully, though, Robby has helped push me. It's nice having a work out buddy. Not only do we keep each other accountable for showing up to work out, we push each other in the gym. It's very beneficial.

How many times do we try to work out on our own spiritually and fail? How many times do we attempt to start reading our Bible more, or begin a journal, or schedule a regular quiet time only to stop doing it after about a week?

There are a variety of reasons why we cannot fulfill our spiritual commitments, primarily stemming from laziness, apathy, selfishness, and lack of discipline. However, I've found that one of the best ways to persevere in spiritual disciplines is with the help of a spiritual partner. We all need accountability and encouragement. We were never meant to walk this spiritual journey on our own.

We each have our own responsibilities and relationships with the Lord. Sometimes, though, we just need a little prodding to keep us moving in the right direction.

Encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ to faithfully continue their spiritual journey, and be willing to be prodded when they call you out on something, too.

Keeping up an effective spiritual discipline "work out" isn't always easy or comfortable, but it is necessary, and we need to do whatever it takes to maintain it, even if that requires a kick in the pants every now and then.

On Spring Cleaning

I started cleaning out my closet the other day (no, not in the Eminem sense....). You know--going through clothes, getting rid of junk, trying to clean out stuff that you don't really need or use.

As I started going through clothing and random items, I realized that I've got a lot of stuff that I don't need. I mean seriuosly--how many pairs of khaki pants do I actually need? So, I started putting stuff in a box to give to Goodwill. My giveaway pile has grown quite large over the past day or two.

I accumulate a lot of junk. I do tend to save things that I'll never need. I don't know why. Perhaps it's the human condition. It's just hard for me to let go of things, I guess.

My heart is often the same way. I keep a lot of things inside that shouldn't be there: grudges, pride, sinful habits, etc. For some reason, I just have a hard time letting go of these things. I know that they're just cluttering up my spirit and dragging me down, but I just can't seem to part ways with it.

It's kind of my like my Frodo complex. You remember in Lord of the Rings when Frodo stands at Mount Doom, ready to cast the ring of power into the fiery lava and destroy Sauron's strength forever? Remember how he just couldn't let go of it because it just had too much of a hold on his life? Yeah, I have a lot of those things in my life as well.

We are not called to live a life that is cluttered by the things of this world. We are not called to have a spirit that is choked out by sinful things. We are called to a life of freedom. Jesus wanted for us to be free indeed--free from everything in this world. Free to live, free to love, free to grow, free to be joyful, free to serve, and free to glorify him without anything else dragging us down.

To get that freedom, though, we've got to do some cleaning, even if it means throwing something away that we really want to hold on to.

Kind of like that Hawaiian shirt in my closet....

On Nightmares

The other night I had a bad dream. It was probably the worst dream I've had in a long time. Why, you might ask?

I had a dream that I was getting chased by Michael Jackson.

No kidding. It was terrible. For some reason, I was in my old neighborhood in Thomaston (where I grew up), and I remember running down the street because Michael Jackson was chasing me.

I don't remember too much else about the dream (unfortunately). As I woke up, though, I was petrified. Who wouldn't be if Michael Jackson was chasing them down the street?

I really wish I had Joseph's abilities to interpret dreams. Perhaps God was telling me that I'm in danger. Or maybe I am running away from my problems. Perhaps I'm having an identity crisis....Who knows.

This I do know, however: I have no reason to be afraid in this world. My identity does not rest here. My faith does not rest here. My hope does not rest here. My security does not rest here. My joy does not rest here. My future does not rest here.

Why? My identity is in Christ. My faith, hope, security, joy, and future are in Christ. And last time I read Scripture, I remember Jesus saying that though we might have trouble in this world, we can have the peace of Christ because "neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39).

It doesn't matter what happens here. I could lose my health, my wealth (or lack of it...), my home, my family, my friends, my job, or even my life, but these things cannot separate me from Christ. I am secure in him.

I don't even have to worry about deranged psychopaths chasing me down the street, no matter how ugly they might be....

P.S. I'd love to hear your dream interpretations for this one.

On God's Provision

As many of you know, we had a BBQ fundraiser on Saturday to raise money for our youth to go to IMPACT this summer. If you read last week's posts, you might remember that I was struggling with having the faith that God was in control and would give us what we needed.

Well, he did.

We sold all 350 plates and even had to turn people away at the end. With donations and some extra dessert sales, we ended up making over $1600 for our youth ministry. Praise the Lord! Now our kids will be able to afford to go to camp this summer. I'm super excited.

The funny thing about all this is that before the BBQ officially started that day, I knew it was going to be a good day. We needed to sell about 150 plates from people just stopping by the church and buying--not including pre-sold tickets. Before 11 a.m. (when we started), we had already sold over 20 plates. Go figure.

As the day unfolded and we had a successful day, I praised the Lord for his provision. He knew our needs all along. As much as I thought I was in control, God truly was in charge. I was not, and he showed me that very quickly.

I still hate doing fundraisers. I'll be honest. However, I know that through a variety of means, God gives us what we need when we need it. We have to keep in mind, though, that just because we want something, it doesn't necessarily mean that God wants it for us too. His ways are higher than our own, and we must trust his will.

As one of my friends reminded me the other day, whether God gives us what we think we need or not, it is our responsibility to praise him nevertheless. After all, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

May I never again doubt his provision.

Psalm Saturday: Psalm 17

Psalm 17

Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!

You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who surround me.

They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
They have now surrounded our steps;
they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion lurking in ambush.

Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O LORD,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
____________________

What a beautiful picture of love.

Earlier in this Psalm, David describes how the Lord views him as the apple of his eye. David is God's prized possession, the thing for which God's heart beats and longs for. God comforts him and hides him in his presence as a mother does with her young.

But the men around David are trying to pry him from that place. They tempt him with things and an earthly lifestyle.

So many people in this world get wooed away from the Lord by earthly things. We get distracted by stuff. We fill our "wombs with treasure." We are satisfied with friends and family. We long to be successful and well-off enough to leave a nice inheritance for our posterity. While none of these things are inherently evil, I believe they rob us of the complete satisfaction that can be found in Christ.

David exhibits this satisfaction in the last line of this Psalm. Nothing else matters to David except seeing the face of God. He longs for this moment. Every time he opens his eyes he longs to see the face of the Lord, and every day makes him want that more.

When was the last time you desired God that much? When was the last time you sought him to that degree? If you're like me, you've lost a little of that love. You do not reciprocate the feeling of being the apple of God's eye.

Let us return to our first love and desire him above all things. He alone can satisfy.

On Students and No Faith (Vol. 2 of me having no faith)

First of all, thank you all for the encouragement with the BBQ. I am trusting that the Lord will provide all that we need tomorrow. He is the Lord, and he is sovereign (even if we don't sell all of our tickets). With that being said, please stop by East Vernon and get a BBQ plate if you're in town!

But of enough of that.

Wednesday night at church was phenomenal. Absolutely wonderful. One of my youth accepted Christ as Lord and Savior during our youth discipleship time! I'm so excited for her. Let's just say that she was not very receptive to things when she first starting coming to church a few weeks ago. She could care less about worship, Bible study, or anything else. The only reason she came was because some of my students kept inviting her. But the Holy Spirit has truly been working in her heart lately, and she surrendered to Christ Wednesday night. Praise the Lord for his unfailing love!

On top of that, we had several breakthrough conversations with some of our students. Some guys that haven't really talked much have started talking. Our small groups are really clicking and getting along well. Relationships are being formed between students and leaders alike. It's truly been awesome. There is no other explanation than the work of the Holy Spirit.

As we celebrated the moving of the Lord Wednesday night after church, the Lord really floored me, a couple of my students, and my leaders with this thought: why don't we expect the same results every week?

I am ashamed to tell you that there are many weeks when I don't expect the Spirit to move in the hearts of my students like it did Wednesday night. Although I would tell you that I wanted God to move and would pray those exact words, I had no faith. There were many students who would walk in the door to youth that night, and I lacked the faith to believe that God could break through their hardened hearts. And now that that has happened, I act surprised that God actually did what we wanted him to do all along.

I was once just like the worst of my kids--lost, hopeless, careless about what the Lord wanted for me, disobedient, wicked in my ways, arrogant, selfish, full of lust, and full of malice. But when the kindness of my Lord and Savior appeared to me, he broke my heart and gave me a new one and gave me an inheritance as his son through Jesus Christ.

Woe be me if I ever deny that same grace to anyone else. Woe be me if I ever fail to believe that the Holy Spirit is not capable of working in the hardest of hearts. Woe be me if I ever cease to preach the Gospel of Jesus faithfully and effectively to the people under my charge. Woe be me if I do not lift up my students in prayer, asking that the Spirit break their hearts. Woe be me if I consider any student a lost cause, a person beyond redemption, because I was once that person too.

Thank you, Lord, for what you do. Thank you for being much bigger than my puny faith. Help me to continue to trust in you. May you alone be glorified for what is done in the hearts of my students.

On BBQ Tickets and No Faith

**I know this post is quite lengthy, but I'm making up for not posting the last few days. :) Please read the whole thing. I'd love to know what you think.**

We're having a BBQ fundraiser this Saturday at the church to raise money for our youth to go to camp this summer (and this is free advertisement!....not really. It's more of me spilling my heart).

Let me begin by saying that, like most youth ministers, I really hate fundraisers! However, we have a lot of low-income students whom we're trying to send to IMPACT in June, and we just don't have the money to provide all of their ways. Our church is small, and while they can provide a few scholarships for some of our poorest kids, they just don't have the money to fund all of our students.

So, we're selling BBQ.

It's a lot of work trying to sell a bunch of BBQ tickets, particularly the way the economy is now. Businesses just aren't as willing to let go of a few dollars to give away this year. We're still getting some individual sales, but overall, we're having a lot more difficulty selling tickets this year than we did last year. For instance, last year we sold about 60 tickets at a couple of car dealerships. This year, we've sold 1. 1 ticket. Talk about frustrating!

I've been doing a lot of wrestling with God on several issues throughout this whole fundraiser deal. First of all, should we even do a fundraiser? I hate going around begging people for money. Part of me feels like we're not trusting God to provide for our needs. I don't know. I don't necessarily think that fundraisers are wrong. I've seen God bless fundraisers immensely and provide for them in ways that only he could receive the glory. I just don't know if we should have done one right now.

I was reading a story the other day about a man who had been doing ministry for over 60 years, and every time they needed money, all he did was post a note on their bulletin board about it, and their staff would pray about it until the need was met. Part of me thinks that's foolish, but most of me thinks that's true faith. Why don't I believe like that?

Aside from wrestling with that question, I've been doubting a lot that we will sell the 350 plates that we've committed to buying from the BBQ company. Without the car dealerships and big businesses buying, we're losing a lot of our big-ticket places. Things are really going to have to step up this week, or we're going to be stuck with a whole lot of BBQ and very little money raised.

As I think about all of this, I realize that my faith is very week. First of all, I doubted that God would provide for our needs and felt compelled to do a fundraiser (although you might disagree with me here....I'd love your feedback). Secondly, and more importantly, I have a hard time believing that we're going to sell 350 plates of BBQ. Right now, I've only got cash-in-hand for less than half of that, and the BBQ is this Saturday!

I admit that I'm struggling with trusting in God to provide for us.

I'll finish with this thought: I was reading yesterday about Gideon. If you're familiar with the story (Judges 6-8), you'll note that from a worldly standpoint, Gideon had no chance of defeating a vast army with only 300 men. God had taken away the majority of his numerical strength, and there was NO WAY Gideon could win the battle. It was too big of a task for him and his men.

But God provided, so that the LORD could be glorified.

I'm not saying this BBQ fundraiser is our battle against the Midianites, but we sure are in a similar situation. Our numbers aren't adding up to be successful right now, and for this thing to work, we're going to need the LORD to step in and provide for us, not so we can boast, but so that the LORD may be glorified and our students be brought closer to him.

May we have faith to trust in his provision.

Day of Thanks, 03.15.09

This week, I am thankful for:

1. Family: My family came into town this weekend. Amy had to play the piano for a scholarship audition at the college, so they all came up to visit. It was great seeing them all. Plus, we got to hang out with my brother and his wife the whole weekend, so for the first time in a very long time, the whole family was together for a few days. Plus, Mama's birthday is tomorrow, so that made it all the more fun. Thank you, God, for my family. Thanks for allowing them to come up and visit this weekend. Thanks for giving them safe travel here and back home. Thank you for their love and for the encouragement that they bring me.

2. Small group leaders: I'm very thankful for my volunteers that help me out at church. Without Robby, Krystle, and Mrs. Nancy, I'd really have a hard time effectively discipling my students. They all do a wonderful job and are always there to lend a helping hand. My volunteers always give me their time and full support in all that we do. I couldn't do my job without them. Thank you, God, for all the people that help me out in the youth group. Thank you for my small group leaders. Thank you for their willingness to serve and the hard work that they put in for the kingdom.

3. Working out: I started working out this week with Robby. It's the first time I've ever really gotten into the whole weights thing, but I'm giving it a shot. I've been ridiculously sore the past few days, but it's felt kind of good to be sore. I hope that we're able to keep it up. I enjoy the activity, but I also enjoy the fellowship. Thank you, God, for letting me be able to work out. Thanks for giving me the physical capacity to do so. Thank you for Robby, our friendship, and his accountability. I pray that you help us to keep this commitment.

4. East Asia itinerary: I got some details regarding our East Asia trip the other day. We got our plane tickets. I got my passport. I'm ready to go! The trip is 2 1/2 months away, but I'm still excited. I'm ready to see what God has in store for us over there, and I can't wait to serve him overseas. At the same time, certain anxieties are already starting to creep inside my head....Thank you, God, for the East Asia mission trip. Thank you again for the opportunity to go. May you continue to pave the way and provide for us to go. Please ease my fears about the trip, and help me to trust in you and your sovereignty.

5. Rain: The rain has been very peaceful these past couple of days. Not to mention the fact that it waters the earth (and knocks all the pollen off the trees...). I always have enjoyed rainy weather. Thank you, God, for the rain. Thank you for giving us what we truly need. Thank you for your grace, which falls down on us like the rain outside. Thank you for your mercy toward us.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.

On Being Worth It

If you have kept up with my blogging life at all, then you've heard me discuss my computer woes. It seems as though my computer is slowly dying. First it was the LCD, then it was the fan, then it was the LCD again, then it was my adapters, and now it's my power jack.

The power jack on the back of the computer is broken, and I cannot power my computer. As of right now, I have about an hour left of juice in my battery--just enough to go and save all my stuff and transfer it to my work computer before I can't get to it.

Now you're probably sitting there (especially if you are computer savvy) saying, "Just get it repaired." I've considered it. I've looked around for pricing, and most people charge $100 to $150 to repair the power jack. It doesn't sound like a lot of money, but when you're computer is 4 1/2 years old, you just get tired of putting money into it.

So here's my dilemma. Do I just man up and pay the money to fix a computer on which something else will probably break in the near future? Or do I forsake the computer, sell it for parts, and go without a laptop for awhile until I can afford a new computer? Decisions, decisions.

Sitting here in this position makes me think about how God views us. He invests a lot in us, pouring love and compassion into our lives, ultimately sacrificing his Son for our sakes. Instead of faithfully serving him though, we fail time and time again. We just keep on breaking. But God, in his faithfulness, keeps fixing us. He keeps forgiving and keeps on loving.

If I was God, I would stop investing in people. We just aren't faithful. We're not dependable. We're destined to break. However, God counts us as being completely worth it. He never gives up on us. He sees us with compassion and unyielding love and wants us to love him in return. He is truly good.

Too bad I don't see my computer that way.

On the Changing of Clocks

Yesterday marked the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, and consequently, everyone turned their clocks ahead as we all spring forward one hour.

As cheery as this sounds, usually everyone is a little grumpy about the time change. Ever since yesterday morning, all I seem to hear are complaints about how people aren't adapting well to the time change. They can't go to bed at night. They can't get up in the morning. They don't like how it's so dark early in the morning now.

As it turns out, the biological clock doesn't change as easily as the clock hanging from the wall. Our bodies just don't adapt well to change.

Unfortunately, our spirits are often the same way. We get settled into daily or weekly routines, and we just don't like to break them. Whenever we think about change or hear the dreaded words "We've never done this before, but...." we automatically start freaking out.

Change is very healthy, though, I think. We are reminded that the Apostle Paul became "all things to all people, so that by all means he might save some." I don't think Paul fulfilled this description by refusing to change. On the contrary, it appears that Paul did a lot of changing in an effort to better reach people.

I don't necessarily think we should change just for the sake of change; however, change for the sake of better following the two greatest commandments of loving the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and loving our neighbors as our selves is very warranted.

One thing does not change, though, and that is the Gospel. We should never water it down, try to spruce it up, or twist it so that it is more palatteable. The Gospel never changes. It is always sharp, always humbling, always free, always relevant, and always true. We, however, are none of those things, and as such, we must change sometimes to better present the Gospel.

Refusing to turn your clocks ahead one hour would be a really foolish thing to do. The rest of the world would just move on without you, and you'd be an hour behind.

Likewise, if we refuse to change spiritually, we become just as disconnected.

Day of Thanks, 03.08.09

This week, I am thankful for:

1. Travis preaching: Travis preached tonight at church. It was his first sermon, and he did a great job. I was really proud of him and am glad that he had the opportunity. I'm hoping that he'll continue to get some experience and continue preaching the Word. It was really encouraging. Thank you, God, for Travis being able to preach tonight. Thanks for giving him a message, and thanks for giving him peace. Thanks for an encouraging congregation for him during his first sermon.

2. BCM: BCM was really good Thursday night. We spent the evening discussing prayer, and at the end, we spent a good deal of time praying for each other and for the school. It was a really encouraging night for everyone. Thank you, God, for BCM. Thanks for Cory and his leadership. Thanks for hearing our prayers when we don't even deserve to talk to you. Thank you for encouraging brothers with which to pray.

3. Snow day: We got the day off from work Monday because of all the snow that we had last Sunday. So, I got to sleep in for a little while, and I got to take the day and catch up on a few things. It was really nice. Thank you, God, for the day off. Thank you for the opportunity to take a small rest. Thanks for letting me catch up on some things.

4. East Asia details: I found out the other day that we're going to be going to an UNREACHED AREA in East Asia! I'm so excited. We're going to be teaching English at a local elementary school for a couple of weeks, then we're going to be doing some ministry in the city. I'm really, really excited. Thank you, God, for the opportunity to go to East Asia. Thank you for continuing to work out the details for the trip. I can't wait to go.

5. Forgiveness: God's love is so amazing. I truly do not deserve it. I was reminded of that a lot this week. God reached out to us when we weren't even interested in him. We did not merit salvation. It is a free gift, a gift I did not deserve. Yet, God still loves me, even when I stray. Even when I am a prodigal son, he welcomes me with open arms. Thank you, God, for that. Thank you for your unfailing love.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.

Psalm Saturday: Psalm 16

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you."

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
____________________

One thing comes to mind when reading this Psalm: peace.

If anyone had reason to fear or be shaken, it was David. He was a king who faced many problems throughout his tenure as the leader of Israel. In addition to the usual warfare, economic strife, and political turmoil that most rulers faced, David was victim to several personal attacks against his life and an attempted usurpation of power by his own son. He had every reason in the world to fear and to doubt, but he didn't.

David found assurance in the Lord. Indeed, David said that through the Lord, things had fallen into place wonderfully, and he was confident of a "beautiful inheritance." Things may not be the easiest at the moment, but David's trust in the Lord never faltered.

I think there is an important lesson here for us. Although we may not face the easiest circumstances in life, we can have eternal hope in the Lord. There is security there that cannot be found anywhere else. Althought it might be tempting to go and live a life of sin and temporary pleasure, David reminds us here that those things do not last. While that lifestyle might be temporarily gratifying, the sorrows of that lifestyle will quickly multiply.

Instead, we need to keep the Lord always before us. This serves a dual purpose: the Lord guides us and he encourages us. Paul reminds us of this fact as he exhorts the church in the book of Philippians to "keep your eyes of Christ Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." In the same book, Paul tells us that when we do this, our present troubles will fade away, and we will be given a "peace that passes all understanding."

That is complete joy, not temporary pleasure. That is eternal good.

That is a satisfied and abundant life that God offers to each of us.

On the Pursuit

Last night I was talking with a couple of my friends/fellow youth workers, reminiscing a little bit about past relationships. As we discussed former girlfriends/boyfriends (one of these people was a girl), we exchanged a lot of stories and a lot of laughs.

As I thought about some of those things, it got me thinking about how we act toward people in whom we are interested. If you're like me, whenever you find someone that you're attracted to, you do everything you can to be with or around that person. You try to associate with them as much as possible in an effort to further your relationship.

It is a pursuit. You are chasing the person that you adore.

Our relationship with God is much the same way. It should be a pursuit, a constant longing for God which results in following hard after him.


I was talking to a new friend today about one of my favorite books, A.W. Tozer's "Pursuit of God." I love the image that Tozer describes in this book of desperately longing for the Lord, not just wandering aimlessly in your faith.

When you pursue something, you chase after it relentlessly, almost like a hunter chasing its prey, or a police officer chasing after a fugitive. It is non-stop. When a cop chases the fugitive, he doesn't spend five minutes chasing him and then wait for the next day to roll around so he can spend five more minutes chasing him again.

So why do we do this with God?

Yes, the pursuit can get wearisome. Yes, we can feel tired or unsure of what is going on. But if we are truly pursuing God, we will do whatever it takes to get as close to him as possible. We don't seek glory, we don't seek riches, we don't seek popularity.

We seek God.

And when we drop everything we have to chase after the God that gave up everything for us, we begin to better know and understand him.

That is the pursuit.

On Being Willing

I love how the Lord speaks to us through music. I don't usually write a lot about songs or lyrics, but I experienced the Lord through a song today, and I'd like to share the experience with you.

I've been wrestling a lot lately with being willing to go wherever God wants me to go, doing whatever he wants me to do, and not only going and doing it, but being joyful in it.

I was driving down the road thinking about such things, when this song by Ross King came on my iPod. It was truly a message from God.

Like many times, whenever a song comes on that I know fairly well, I start singing. I am unashamed of the fact that I sing in the car. However, I often sing without really understanding what I'm saying (sound familiar?). Then I started listening to these words:

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

I was singing this, but was I really praying it? Was this what I meant?

And I realized that my answer, unlike the song says, was "No." I wasn't willing to go wherever God wanted or do whatever he asked of me. I'm too busy preparing things the way that I want. I'm unwilling to drop what I'm currently doing to seek the will of the Lord elsewhere.

I don't want to be like that anymore. I want my answer to be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord." I want to go wherever he calls me. I want to be willing, and I want to be joyful, even in the midst of giving up my current circumstances.

I'll leave you with the lyrics to "Whatever You Ask" by Ross King. May they encourage you like they encouraged me today.
____________________

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

The fields are ripe for harvest
Few workers can be found
But you're worth more than this life is
So I'll gladly lay mine down

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

Your glory, Lord, compels me
And causes me to rise
I'll follow where you lead me
Even if it costs my life

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.

It's your life
It's your life
It's not my life anymore

Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Whatever you desire, I won't say "No"
Whatever you ask of me, my answer will be "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord."
Wherever you call me, I'll gladly go.