Why should I stay?

Taking a quick break from the current series. It takes a while to write each one of those and school has been really busy so I haven't had adequate time. But I wanted to just share something that I have been thinking about a lot recently.

Missions.

I used to think it wasn't for me. Then I thought that maybe short term missions was good and I could do that. Now that I've done that, I can see God working in me. Three weeks in South Africa was honestly easy. I wasn't homesick. Sure I missed family and friends but I didn't really miss the States. I loved learning about a new culture. Being in a new place. I saw the need firsthand. The harvest is plenty. The workers are few.

I've been reading Crazy Love and studying with my college group at home. Jesus showed us crazy love. It doesn't make sense. That he would do what he did. It was crazy. Why shouldn't I do something crazy? Why should I just live the normal life? A mediocre life? Missions is crazy. Especially if you are an American. We have EVERYTHING here. We are so freakin BLESSED. It is easy to live here. Why not leave and do something crazy?

Why should I stay here if I believe Jesus is who he said he was? Why should I stay here if I say I follow Christ? He went places that didn't make sense for him to go. He went places where harm was almost certain. Persecution a guarantee. If he did it, why shouldn't I?

If I believe that every word he spoke was true, why should I stay? He said that he offers eternal life. He said that he offers abundant life. He offers satisfaction that nothing on the earth can provide. He says that hell is real and that those who do not trust in Him will be there for eternity. If I believe these things, why should I stay when there are so many people who have NO IDEA about this Man and what he did for them?

How can I be so selfish? How can I be such a pansy and exchange the glory of Christ for a nice 9 to 5 and a two story house? Why should my comfort be more important than the needs of the world?

Why not do something crazy? He did. See I don't think it would make much sense for me to do something like that. I mean in the next year I'll have a college degree. I have pretty good grades so grad school is a reality. Down the road I'm sure I could find a nice job that pays well. Raise a nice family, in a nice neighborhood. But why not take a risk? My accomplishments and and future success does not compare to Christ. As Paul said, its trash.

If I believe God is my shield and my comfort. That he is ALWAYS with me, why should I be scared to do something like that. Why not take a risk that's not really a risk if the One I'm following has never let me or anyone else down?

I'm not saying that I will definitely be spending the rest of my time in a foreign country but unless I hear other wise I believe I will be spending some time overseas. Don't know the details but God is showing me how great the need is how much he cares about the nations.

So I could really use some prayers for guidance and courage. It's easy to say all this stuff. It's a lot harder to go out and do it.

Running from Blessings: Poor in Spirit

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."- Matthew 5:3

Last year I took a class about social problems. One of the many things we discussed was poverty. I learned about a term called absolute poverty. This term references the poorest of the poor. People who are living in absolute poverty live on less than a dollar a day. They are incapable of providing for themselves. In other words they lack self sufficiency. They can not afford food, housing, education, etc. They cannot afford their basic needs.

When I went to South Africa this summer I witnessed this kind of poverty. I don't know if it was officially "absolute poverty" but many of the people in Klipheuwel cannot help themselves, especially on the informal side. They can't afford food. They can't afford adequate housing. They can't afford their medicine for AIDS or TB. They can't afford to take the taxi to town to go see the doctor. That's why what Helen and Estelle do in Klipheuwel is so needed. Many of these people are so poor they cannot help themselves.

Many people have read this verse, including me, and said Jesus has a heart for the poor and we should take care of the poor. I believe this is bad interpretation. Jesus does care about the poor and we should take care of the poor. I am not denying that. But two mistakes are made when reading this verse that way. First, we don't look at ourselves but rather look at other people. Secondly, we misunderstand who the poor in spirit really are.

Notice that Jesus says poor in spirit not poor in possessions. Jesus is not just talking about the people who don't have enough money to live or all the people who are struggling to make ends meet. He is talking about a completely different type of poverty, spiritual poverty. People who cannot help themselves in a spiritual sense. People who are are over their heads in debt because of sin. People who cannot do anything to help the situation.

The hard to swallow truth about this verse is that Jesus isn't talking about a certain part of the population. He is talking about everyone. You and me. The truth is, while you are probably reading this while sitting in a nicely heated or air conditioned room and using a computer that cost hundreds of dollars and the same can be said for me as I write this, we are born into absolute spiritual poverty. We are all in this predicament. We are helpless. All of a sudden Jesus' words aren't so warm and fuzzy.

This concept was extremely hard for me to grasp. I used to think that I was a pretty good guy. I thought I could work my way to heaven. I used to tell myself that because I go to church, don't cuss that much, don't have sex, make good grades, and so on that I was worthy of heaven. I remember sitting in church one night and while we were praying I was looking around comparing myself to everyone. I completely rejected this idea that I was spiritually poor and that my good deeds could not pay my way in to God's Kingdom. I think a lot of people struggle with this. We don't want to look at ourselves and realize that we are helpless. That our sin has completely destroyed our spirit. We are by nature self righteous. I don't know of anyone who claims to be perfect but we deny that we are really that bad. We like to think that we are good. But throughout Scripture we see that this isn't the case. We see that all have sinned. (Romans 3:23) That no one is good except God alone. (Mark 10:18)

But after studying the Sermon on the Mount, I have to ask: why do we run from embracing our depravity, our spiritual poorness? Why do we think so highly of ourselves? The people that embrace and acknowledge this fact about themselves are labeled as blessed by Jesus. By embracing our spiritual poverty, I don't mean celebrate the fact that we are sinners. We shouldn't delight in the fact that we offend a holy God. But we should understand this truth about ourselves rather than deny it and lie to ourselves about how good we think we are. Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven belong to the poor in spirit. No we will not earn the Kingdom of Heaven but God gives it to us. Its a gift not a wage.

Ephesians talks several times about the riches of God's grace. Revelation is full of imagery of golden items in heaven, even golden streets. People who acknowledge their spiritual poverty are blessed with the riches of God. No I am not adopting Joel Osteen's theology and saying that if you acknowledge your brokenness that you will magically become rich. However, having a relationship with Christ is the most valuable and precious treasure anyone can have. With that relationship comes so many blessings, including eternal life spent in heaven, where we will see the Throne of God. The life of a follower of Jesus is truly a rags to riches story.

Acknowledging that we are poor in spirit is the first step to entering into the Kingdom of God. Seeing and accepting our brokenness shows us our need for a Savior and there is no amount of money, no house big enough, no car nice enough to surpass the riches and blessing of knowing Jesus.

So why run from the label of poor in spirit? Accept it and allow Christ to change you and give you His righteousness because we certainly can't create our own. Only He has the power to lift us out of the absolute spiritual poverty that we are born into and push ourselves further into.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. Lets stop running from God's blessing and put aside our false sense of righteousness and embrace the Righteous One, Jesus Christ.

Running from Blessings: Introduction

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:1-12 (ESV)

Over the last few weeks, I have become pretty familiar with this passage. We have been looking over it in the Bible study I am involved in and the church I have been attending has been going through this same scripture.

I have read and heard this scripture a lot. I have always just taken it at surface level and thought that it was pretty straight forward. Some of it is straight forward but some of it is so much deeper than surface level and God has been teaching me the deeper levels of His words.

This summer I went to Student Life Camp with the youth and the theme for the week was "Flip." We talked about how following Jesus goes against everything the world teaches us. The Sermon on the Mount is no different. Every characteristic that Jesus labels as "blessed" is a characteristic that goes against our very nature. We want to be blessed but it is so hard for us to put aside our natural tendencies so that we can actually be blessed. To be honest, I think we “panzify” Jesus’ sermon. This is one of those passages that make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside but I believe if we look deeper, this is a very convicting and challenging sermon. I believe that it is hard to be “blessed” and more often than not, we run from these blessings.

The next several blog posts will break down each point of the Sermon on the Mount so that we can be challenged to deny ourselves and become the blessed ones that Christ wants us to become.

"Preacher tellin the truth and it hurts"

Shocking, embarrassing, and heartbreaking statistics about The Church.

Three Pictures for Three Years

Happy Three Years Erin. Just in case you need a reminder about why I think you are so awesome click here. I love you.

Breaking the habit

So I'm trying to break the habit of being a horrible blogger. Its a hard thing to get back into once you slack off a little bit. I have some great ideas that should be coming up soon, its just a matter of taking the time to sit down and type them out. But in the mean time I thought I would give you some great advice......go buy David Crowder Band's new CD "Church Music." It is unbelievable. Their last album was a bit of a disappointment but this one makes up for it. Go get it. Now. Stop reading this and go buy it.
One more thing for you, in case you need a good laugh......

Words can't describe how bad this is......

Klipheuwel and a Call to Action

Helen, Estelle, and Inside Out

Ministering to the Elderly

We had an amazing opportunity to go spend time with the Elderly people of Klipheuwel. Our team went twice but because I was sick I had to miss the second time. We helped them practice for some type of senior citizens' games that were going to be held in the coming months. It was so much fun to see how full of life and energy these people were. You could tell they were so excited to be out of the house and have something to do that was just for them. It made them feel special. I hate I missed this but on the last day the team was with them, they expressed how grateful they were because they feel so forgotten in their community. It meant a lot to them that we were there and they asked that we would never forget them.

When we were done with the field games with them we had the chance to share a meal with them which eventually turned into this.....

South Africa Pictures

Here are links to see my pictures from South Africa:

Pictures from Klipheuwel

The team and other people I was with in South Africa

Sights of South Africa

Nkupane

*Nkupane's nickname means "My Brother"

Break from South Africa posts, Student Life, Target and MJ, and the Lake

I am really sorry that I have been inconsistent with blogging this summer. Working with 100 kids every day has been extremely exhausting. When I get home I have no desire to use my brain therefore I have been slacking on the blog. My apologies to my audience of very few. But don't worry more is to come about South Africa, just not this week.

This week I will be venturing to Liberty University with Grey Stone's youth group for Student Life Camp. I went last year and had a blast so I expect to have a great time this year too. Hopefully there will be no seizures and strep throat this year.

Have a great week with out me and I'll see you kids later.

P.S.- Just got Michael Jackson's greatest hits CD for 10 bucks at Target. Steal. Don't judge me for liking his music.

P.P.S.- I come back from camp Friday and then turn around and head to the lake for the day with the college peeps from G-Stone. I'm on a boat. Well not yet but I will be.

All things to all people

"I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (ESV)

This is one of my favorite verses when it comes to ministry. I have always believed that the best way to minister to people is through relationships and most of the time relationships are started because of a common bond. But what happens when we have no common ground with someone? When they are from a culture completely different than ours? A different background? A different race? A different social class? Instead of just walking away, we must become.

Many times we fail to become. I know I have failed at this many many times. Usually, when we can't relate to someone we just move on and just say someone else will come along and befriend that person. But when we do that we are neglecting God's word. When we come across someone we can't relate to we must get on their level and create the common bond.

I put this verse in practice for the first time, that I can remember, in South Africa. Before going to South Africa, I was nervous about being able to relate to this young men. We are from different countries and completely different environments. We have a language barrier and a race barrier. However, it wasn't hard to relate because of one simple thing.....a soccer ball.

Growing up I have always made fun of soccer. I always said it was a girls' sport. It was for boys who couldn't play football. I hated it. Mainly because I never played it. But here I was in South Africa standing in front of the boys who I came to share God's love with and the main opportunity I had to relate with these guys was the game of soccer. Needless to say, I didn't stand there and make fun of the game or make fun of them for playing what I used to call a wimpy sport. Instead, I became a soccer player for them. Because of this sport doors were opened for us to find more common bonds with the boys.

We could have gone in to the town and made all of the kids sit down for an hour while we preached to them but it wouldn't have been effective. Instead, we came to them and participated in their favorite past time. We showed them that we were here for them. That it wasn't about the rich, white, Americans. It was about them. About how much God loves them and how much we love them.

Jesus took the same approach. Instead of just sitting up in heaven and snapping his fingers to save us, which he has all the power and authority to do, he became like us. He came to us and related with us to show us how much he loves us.

Paul did the same thing when he became a minister to the Gentiles. A people who he once hated and looked down upon. He became like them. He lived with them. I'm sure he even broke his Kosher diet and ate some pork so that he could relate to them.

So the next time you encounter someone that you have a hard time relating to, become something to them. Find a way to build a bridge to that person. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new. Who knows you might actually enjoy whatever it is. I still suck at soccer and I was schooled by kids almost half my age but because of my time in South Africa, I have a new found appreciation and interest in soccer. My eyes have been glued to the t.v. the last couple of weeks whenever there has been a Confederation Cup soccer game on. Plus the fact that the games are being played in South Africa adds a little extra interest for me.

The Soccer Boys sporting their new soccer jerseys that they made.

Thandi's Story

Meet Thandi. Thandi was a big part of our trip. We saw this beautiful baby grow up right in front of our eyes. At such a young age she already has such an amazing life story. The cool thing though is that there are many more pages in her life story to be written. Thandi is in the process of being adopted by Helen, one of the missionaries we worked with.

Thandi is from Klipheuwel which is the town that we worked in. One night, Estelle (one of the other missionaries) got a call about a baby that was found abandoned in the town. Since she was out of town she called the police to go out to the town to investigate. They began to search for the Thandi's parents and in the mean time the Thandi was sent to an orphanage. Being at the orphanage did not work out too well for Thandi. She is an extremely quiet and passive baby. Since she didn't cry very much, she didn't get much attention. Helen and Estelle stayed involved with her and visited her often. They saw that Thandi's social skills were slipping since she was not getting attention. Helen felt responsible for her so she decided to bring Thandi home. The search continued for the parents but while the wait was going on Helen began to imagine the possibility of adopting Thandi. At this point, Thandi's name was still unknown. Helen began to throw around some ideas, one of which was Thandi.

After some time the mother of the child was found. Helen and Estelle were able to find out that the baby's name was Nolunthando which means girl of love. Thandi is the short version of the name. Helen couldn't believe that a name that she was throwing around to call this anonymous baby was actually her real name.

When Thandi's mother was found, Thandi's story became less of a mystery. Her mother was found in the hospital, dying from Tuberculosis. She was pencil thin. Accompanied by a social worker, Helen and Estelle took Thandi to see her mother. They placed her on her mother's lap and tears began to fall from her frail mother's eyes. The big muscular social worker had to excuse himself from the room, it was just too much for him. Because of her mother's illness, Thandi was left in the care of her father who kept her for a few weeks and then ditched her on the side of the road. Niether he or his family wanted anything to do with her. Partly because they thought she might be sick too.

To God's glory, Thandi is a healthy and beautiful baby. Helen is currently going through the adoption process. The only thing that could potentially rain on this parade is family members, who have shown no interest in Thandi so far, coming forward to claim her just so they can get a check from the government.

Helen joked and said that her only goal for Thandi was to make her smile and then she could take her back to the orphanage. But it didn't work out like that and now Helen is a mom and Thandi is a loved daughter.

Guess who's back....

Well I'm back in the States and in the grind of things. Sorry for the month long blogging break. Obviously, there was not much time for me to keep up with my blogging while in South Africa and then I have just been lazy for the last eleven days. But I wanted to thank all of you for the much love, support, prayers, and videos that have been sent my way. It has all been greatly needed and appreciated.

My next few blogs will focus on my time in South Africa. I just want to encourage you to remember that these are not just stories but reality. I had heard the stories and seen the pictures but some things did not become real to me until I saw them for myself, to me some of the stuff was just stories and pictures nothing more. So my prayer for you is not that you would read this and say "that's nice" or "sounds like Stephen had a great time" but my prayer is that you would be moved to action. That you would be decide to make a difference. That you would realize that there is a world full of people who need people like you and me to forsake the comfort of our air conditioned houses, soft beds, and full refrigerators and go. They need us to go and share the love of Christ with them. The love that changes. The love that renews. The love that brings hope. The love that brings light into the darkness.

Thanks again for the love and support and I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences in South Africa.

Happy Mom Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's out there.

Do something nice for you mom today. She deserves it. Mom's are awesome, especially mine. Over the lats 10 years I have discovered that my mom is one of the strongest people in the world. Chuck Norris and Tim Tebow have nothing on her. But I'm not talking about physical strength. I'm talking about that kind of strength that comes from within. Ever since my dad died 10 years ago, it has just been my mom raising my brother and me. My mom has a really gentle and quiet spirit about her which could be taken as weakness but over the last 1o years I can honestly say there is nothing weak about her. She has done an amazing job raising us and she has loved us with a love that can only be God given.


Go hug your mom and tell her you love her and thank God for her every day. Not just Mother's Day.

conGRADulations

Congratulations Erin. I'm so proud of you. You are the greatest middle school teacher I know. Wait, I really only know two so that's not saying much. But if I did know more, I know you would still be the best. You have done such an amazing job over the last 4 years and the future is looking even better for you. You are going to impact so many kids' lives. I'm glad you understand the meaning of grace because that's the only reason you agreed to date me and I'm glad I have been able to be part of the the journey for the last 3 years. Good job E.


P.S.- Just to prove that I am not just saying Erin is a great teacher just because she is my girlfriend, here is the video that was played during graduation that featured a top student from each College of Education department. I'm probably embarrassing her but she deserves the credit.

P.P.S.- I'm dating a college graduate. Erin, you really are a cougar.

DONE....South Africa Here I come

My first year at Appalachian State is completely over and now its time for me to find a new school to transfer to. Not really but I'd love to see where you think I should go next. Leave a comment with you school suggestion. Anyways, summer vacation is officially here. Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while but you can't expect me to do much of anything during exams. As sorry as I am about not posting anything lately, you will have to get used to it because on Monday I will be boarding a plane to South Africa and will be gone for 3 weeks. I'll try to get a post or two in before then. Actually I guarantee that I will.

But while I'm on the subject, I might as well share a little bit about South Africa. I am going with a group from CCF to Capetown. We will be working with two full time missionaries in a slum area. Most of our work will be with the children of the area, with a special concentration on the teenagers. We will have the opportunity to hang out with these kids, play some games, do some crafts, show some love, and we will get to tell them about Jesus and His love for them. We will also spend some time with the elderly of the community and we will be visiting an orphanage.

This area that we will be in is desperately in need of love and hope. These people are surround by despair. In these communities, poverty, alcoholism, sexual abuse, and violence are the norm. There is also a serious AIDS problem in South Africa. Erin went a year and a half ago and her stories about a couple of the kids are heart breaking. There was a three or four year old girl who had already been raped TWICE in her lifetime. You can understand why she wouldn't go near the two guys that were on the team when Erin went. There is also a teenage boy who is pretty much taking care of his younger siblings on his own and he witnessed his aunt being burnt to death.

Though we are going into a depressing situation, I am excited. I am excited because I believe there is always hope. I am excited because I get to show love to some kids who really, really need it. I am excited to see what God is doing there because the last time CCF was there, the two full time missionaries were just starting to see fruit from their ministry.

So over the next three weeks the team and I could really use your prayers. Even though I am excited to go, I know I'll be excited to get back home after three weeks. Stay tuned for reflections on the trip and there will definitely be pictures making there way to the blog. Thanks for the support.

Cats and Dogs

*Analogies are not perfect. They break down at some point. So just follow me for a minute and don't be too critical.
Are you a dog person or a cat person? No, I'm not talking about pet preference. Which animal are you most like? I believe all of us should be dogs, well at least when it comes to our relationship with God. Sorry cat people. I'm not saying this simply because I'm a dog person. I am saying this because most dogs have the right relationship with their master.

Dogs always want to play. They always want to be around their owner. For example, Erin's dog Coconut always wants to be with the family. Whenever they leave the room he whines. He would follow them but he is afraid of the hardwood floors so he never leaves the couch. Anyways, he is always looking for something to do with his owners. He always wants to be around them, no matter what. Whether it is cuddling on the couch, being rubbed while everyone is watching television, going for a ride in the car, or just rough housing with Doug and I when we come over. He loves being with his so called "masters." Also, dogs are more like to come when called. I've never seen a cat respond to "here boy" or "here girl." They are obedient. When it comes to our relationships with Jesus, dogs give us a good example to follow. We should desire to be around our Master. He desires to be with us. We should also have obedience like dogs.

Cats are the opposite. They only come to the owner when they feel like it. Mainly, when they need something. I have never seen a cat that constantly desires to be around its master. The cat controls things, the cat is in charge. This is the wrong relationship to have with Christ. We should always desire to be around Him. Every day. Not just Sundays, Easter, and Christmas. When we have a cat mentality we control when God comes in and out of our lives but we forget that he is every where. We can't escape our Master and go lay on top of the couch or go mouse hunting. Our Master is always there. He wants to spend time with us and wants us to desire spending time with Him. Sadly, too many churches are filled with cats. They show up on Sunday morning for some petting and then leave and do their own thing the rest of the week.

I know the concept of being like a dog is somewhat crazy. We are prideful and don't want to refer to anyone as our Master or Owner. But God is the greatest Master and Owner any "dog" could have. He's not like Michael Vick or Clark Griswald (National Lampoon's Vacation). He loves us and takes care of us. He is the kind of Master that you can't help but love and run to whenever you get the chance. The beauty of it is that we always have the chance. God, unlike most dog owners, doesn't leave for a 9 to 5 job everyday while we are stuck in a crate. He is always with us. Ready to love on us and receive our love.

I can't imagine what the church and what the world would look like if we all became like dogs to our gracious Master and Savior Jesus. I can almost see Satan screaming "Who let the dogs out?" (Cue one of the worst songs ever created.)

I feel your pain Tyler

So I was on my way to class this morning when I realized that I was missing one of my contacts. Since mine are the kind that you wear for three months at a time, I wasn't going to let it sit on the floor and dry out for a couple of hours while I was in class. I began the frantic search only to come up empty handed. I have no clue where it went. The only scenario I can come up with is that it fell out while I was still standing over the sink and then I washed it down the drain when I washed my hands. Good job Stephen. To make things worse, my other set of contacts is in Durham and I had no intentions of leaving Boone this weekend. Now, I have to go meet my mom halfway between Boone and Durham tonight. Maybe God is punishing me for all those times I made fun of Tyler Hansbrough for losing millions of contacts during the course of a game.

Lessons learned from my stupidity:

1. Don't put contacts in while you are half asleep.
2. Keep your other sets of contacts with you. Don't leave them two and half hours away.
   

Ignorance Award

There should be an award given out to people who display great amounts of ignorance. If such an award existed it would go to the bright students at UNC-Chapel Hill who protested a speech given by former republican presidential candidate and former Colorado congressman, Tom Tancredo. If you are asking who Tom Tancredo is, that's one of my points. He isn't that big of a deal so don't throw such a fit when he comes to your school.

Anyway, Tancredo has been criticized for his anti-immigration views. From what I know about his views, I do not agree with him. However, whether you agree with someone or not, they deserve the chance to express their ideas. That didn't happen. Apparently freedom of speech doesn't apply to everyone. Tancredo was invited by a student organization to talk about his opposition to granting in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants. While he was speaking, two protesters jumped up and unraveled a large banner in front of Tancredo. Later, a rock was thrown through the window and many other protesters got involved. The event was shut down and police had to use pepper spray and threaten the use of tasers to get things under control. An investigation is currently underway.

I'm sure these protesters would consider themselves tolerant people. However, with their immature display on Tuesday, they showed they are quite intolerant. I guarantee their protest and rude actions did nothing to change Tancredo's mind about immigration. Instead, they showed that they are ignorant and intolerant people who are only open to ideas from people who agree with them. That is not tolerance or open mindedness.

Congratulations kids, you have just won the first ever Ignorance Award. Do UNC a favor and don't hang it next to your diploma.

Elevation Church Video

Amazing video made by Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. This was used as their opening for their Easter services.


Elevation Church Easter Opener from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

Better is One Day?

The other week at CCF, we were singing that song "Better is One Day." It goes on to say, "better is one day in Your courts than thousands else where." That phrase stuck out to me. Sometimes, I don't think about the words that I sing...I just sing. Bad habit. But I started thinking about those words.

One day, in the presence of God is better than a thousands days else where. I asked myself, "Is this true with anything else?" I came up with some good scenarios:

Is one day at Busch Gardens better than thousands at Kings Dominion?

Is one meal at Chick-Fil-A better than thousands at Burger King?

Is one day at the beach better than thousands in the mountains?

Is one day on vacation better than thousands spent at school?

Is one day with my dad better than thousands with my mom?

The answer: NO.

Although, that one day of what ever may be amazing, there are going to be more amazing times in those thousands of days.

In the presence of God. That is the only place where one day will be greater than thousands. That's how great God is and although the song is true, it does not come close to capturing all of His greatness.

He must have eaten Mexican

A statue of Vladimir Lenin was bombed today in St. Petersburg. Bombings are serious matter but when no one gets hurt and when the results look like this....

you can't help but laugh. Looks like a bad case of diarrhea.

Funny Commercial

Take this Michael Wilson. Here's a challenge to your commercial.

The most wonderful time of the year except for Christmas.

For those of you who know me, you know that one of my biggest interests is sports. Especially college basketball. This being said, I love the NCAA Tournament. No more boring half time shows. When one game goes to half time they start showing another game. To make things even better, when one game ends another begins. Its like opening one present on Christmas morning and then finding another one to open. Amazing.

Speaking of amazing, did anyone see Jon Scheyer's ridiculous behind the back save against Texas. That white boy can ball. Here you go in case you missed it.



P.S.- I hate to say it but Ty Lawson's performance the other day against LSU was nasty. Any one who sucks that bad in the first half, comes out after half time takes one warm up shot, makes it, then goes and sits down, and then proceeds to dominate gets a pat on the back from me. Even if they wear that ugly blue.

Things That Contain Crack, part 3

Sorry for the blogging drought. I've been extremely busy with school and then last week I had spring break so I did a whole lot of nothing. I have come up with more addictive foods that I am pretty sure have traces of crack in them and that is why you have to eat a lot of whatever it is.

• I know I already said Cheerwine but I am going to add anything that contains Cheerwine. Especially Cheerwine Sherbet. I downed two things of it over break.
• Sunflower seeds. Try eating just one.
• Chocolate pudding. The kind you mix yourself not the snack pack kind.
• What ever Tyler Hansbrough is drinking. It makes him bug out. Click here to see what I mean.
• Chick-Fil-A Ice Cream.

That's all I have for now. Fill free to add suggestions except yours Jeremiah. That is not the kind of crack I am talking about.

I need your help!

For those who don't know, I am going to South Africa at the beginning of the Summer with CCF. We will be spending three weeks working with two full time missionaries in an extremely poor area of Capetown. The total cost of the trip is right around $3000. I need $1750 by March 20th and unfortunately I am a little under $1000 at the moment. So, next week is my spring break and I am planning on putting on a yard sale Saturday, March 14th. This is where you come in. I don't have a ton of stuff to sale so if you have anything, I mean anything, that you would be willing to donate for me to sale, it would be greatly appreciated. Even if you don't have anything to sale, maybe some of you could bake something tasty so it will be one half yard sale and one half bake sale. Anything you can do would be amazing. So let me know what you think and if you can help. Thanks a million!

spring break you are so close.......

I have one paper (5 pages) and one test separating me from Spring Break. I am seriously in need of some time in Durham. The weather is going to be warm but they are calling for rain but maybe I can get a couple of sunny days in there. I can't wait to wear my rainbows. I've missed them greatly. Also, I might be having a yard sale to raise money for South Africa.

Well time to get to work.

490 Times

The other night Ed (one of our ministers with CCF) spoke about forgiveness. We have a CCF blog which you can read by clicking on the link under "Blogs I Read." I was asked to write the post for this week and I thought I would share my thoughts on here too.

I love Peter. He reminds me of myself in so many ways. It seems that his intentions are good but he always ends up doing the opposite of what Jesus wants him to do. For instance, in the Garden of Gethsemane when the mob came to arrest Jesus, Peter took out a sword and cut off a guy's ear. His intentions were good, he wanted to protect his Lord but he was interfering in what was supposed to happen. There are numerous times when Peter just doesn't get it. Just like me.

In Matthew 18, Peter comes to Jesus with a question. "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Knowing Peter's history you can see that he is probably asking this question not to learn about forgiveness but to find out when he can cut someone out of his life. However, Jesus gave him the answer that I doubt Peter was looking for. He told Peter, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." We might look at this and say, "OK I can forgive someone 490 times but after that I'm done with that person." I get this picture of someone walking around with a tally sheet, marking off each time they have to forgive someone. I'm sure Peter would have loved to get that answer but Peter understood what Jesus was saying. Jesus was using an exaggeration. Seventy times seven was basically like saying to infinity and beyond. We should always forgive. There is no limit on forgiveness like Peter and the Rabbis of the time were trying to rationalize.

God is always willing to forgive us when we are sorry. He forgives because He loves. There is no greater picture of this than the parable of The Prodigal Son. This spoiled brat was so greedy that he basically told his father that he wished he was dead. That way he could have all the money that was going to be left to him so he could do whatever he wanted. I can't imagine telling my mom that I wish she was dead just to get more money. That's what this son did. He went off, wasted the money and was to the point that he wanted to eat what the pigs ate. A Jewish boy wanting to eat with unclean pigs was just an absurd picture. He came to his senses and went home. While he was a long way off his father RAN to him. Not walked, power walked, or jogged. He ran to him like Armanti Edwards to the end zone. God runs to us when we want forgiveness. He knows our hearts and before we can even mutter the words "I'm sorry," He has His arms wrapped around us like the father in the parable.

God has forgiven us of so much, I know I am guilty of over 490 things against God but His forgiveness is still there. His mercies are new everyday. We should do the same. I know its not easy. When it comes to following Christ nothing is.

Disappointed with The Office and Prayer Requests

I was excited tonight because I thought the season finale of The Office, which I'm assuming is going to be amazing, was coming on but instead it was a repeat. I cried a little. Oh well, at least I get to enjoy this season a little longer.

On a more serious note, I could really use some prayer. Over the next two weekends I am helping lead small groups at two Disciple Now events. I love doing these weekends but I usually don't sleep much during the weekend and during the week I have to balance school and preparing Bible studies. Again, I love doing D-Nows and everything involved with them but I could use some prayer. Also, I have been a bit concerned with the funds for my South Africa trip coming up this summer. The money isn't coming in as fast as I would like but I know God will provide. I just like being in control and this is something that I do not have much control over. So if you could pray that I would just stop worrying and completely trust God to provide, I would really appreciate it.

Coached by Criticism

I recently saw an interview with a pastor who was being asked about criticism. He turned to a quote from Billy Graham which went something like this, "Turn your critics into coaches."

Coaches are people we listen to. Most of the time we respect them and their opinions. So how does that compare to critics? Aren't critics the opposite of what a coach should be? Well that just shows you how prideful we are, myself included. We get so offended every time someone says something negative to us that we don't take the time to consider if that critique is true. Lets look at it from the coach side of things, if a coach sees a player doing something wrong that could hurt the team, the coach is going to correct that. He isn't just going to say, "Good job Billy, keep it up." He's going to correct what ever we are doing wrong.

So whenever we face criticism, turn it into a coaching opportunity. Yes, I know there are people that are too critical out there and are always going to say negative things even if they are false. But we should take what these people say and search them for truth so that we can learn from our mistakes and move on.

Sex

So this week in my Appalnet account there were three advertisements regarding sex. One was Condom Bingo. I guess instead of the little see through plastic things, they use condoms to mark their boards. The prize for winning? More condoms and sex stuff. There was also another sex event but I forgot the name. But just to show you that I'm not making this stuff up here is the last headline I saw: Sex Talk And Blow Pops - 02/12. Here is the description of the event: "Come find out all your sexual health questions! FREE PIZZA AND BLOW POPS! Submit anonymous questions by boxes in health services & SRC or find us on face book."

Are you serious? I wonder why people have so many sexual health questions? Maybe its because we are handing out condoms like tic tacs and people are being bribed in with pizza and blow pops. I know this is a wild idea but maybe if people kept it in their pants STDs would not be so rampant. I guess it's rocket science when it comes to figuring out how not to get STDs.

A lot of people give Mark Driscoll a hard time because he talks about sex a lot. The Baptist Press stupidly and legalistically ripped him this week with an article saying that he is too vulgar. But with events like this on college campuses, I say keep talking about it! For so long the church has been silent about sex. The only words that are ever said about sex are: "Save it for marriage." That's it. If you can't talk about sex and learn about it the right way at church then we are going to learn about it from society.

I don't know if I agree with Driscoll, in saying that sex is another type of religion. I do believe, however, that it is a type of worship to the god of self. Sex is held in such high esteem to the world, like some denominations hold the gift of tongues. I've heard some people say that they don't feel like a true Christian because they have yet to speak in tongues. Which is not true. But in the worship of self, sex is like tongues. The world says you have not truly worshipped yourself and brought the most pleasure to yourself unless you have sex. That is the "gospel" the world is preaching at us and they are using condoms as "gospel tracts."

So my request to the Church is this: "Let's talk about sex, baby."

Why Does God Love Me?

This post is taken from Clayton King's Blog. The direct link to this post on his blog was not working so I copied and pasted it here. Read it. I think it hits on something that every one has dealt with and should deal with.

Why Does God Love Me?

"This simple question posed to me by my oldest son recently has left an impression on me. Even at the young age of 5 or 6, his brain and heart are wrestling with the same hard questions that grown-ups like you and I wrestle with.

Inspired by that question, I did some soul searching and some scripture searching. And I preached a message on my conclusion at Prestonwood this weekend in Dallas. Here is what I told them, and here is what I want tell you.

GOD DOES NOT LOVE ME BECAUSE I AM GOOD. HE LOVES ME BECAUSE HE IS GOD.

Everyone I have ever met who struggles with the love of God, particularly that God could ever love them, struggles with it precisely because they can’t understand how God could ever love them with all of their sins and wickedness, mistakes and regrets. And it is this thinking that cripples so many of us into depression and hopelessness.

If God’s love for any of us is based on how good we are, then we are eternally and forever doomed. And we do indeed feel this ominous sense of doom in our souls because each and every one of us knows, deep in our hearts, that we can never be good enough. It is no small wonder our nation, and the church, is filled with people who have no joy, no peace, and no hope. If we base these on our ability to be good, then we might as well quit trying.

God loves us because HE IS GOD. It is His nature to love, to care for, to show compassion toward, and to shower grace on His creation. He loves us out of His own goodness, not because of ours. And boy, am I glad.

The book of First John is the classic Christian text on the love of God. Over and over again, John tells us what love is, how we know when it happens, and how to recognize love. We love Him because He first loved us. He initiated the whole thing and all we can do is respond in worship and faith, saying, “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU JESUS. I LOVE YOU!”

It is the love of God that makes me good. So the paradox is fantastic. If I try to make God love me by being good, then I frustrate myself and I never succeed, then I ultimately nosedive into self-pity or harsh legalism. But if I receive His love in Christ as an act of His character and goodness toward me, then and only then will I become good, because His love will transform me into a new man.

Quit trying to be good and be loved by God. Just say thanks, and worship Him for loving you. Then you will notice that goodness comes naturally, from the inside out, from a heart touched by The Lord."

The Michael Phelps Diet or should I say a bad case of the munchies

Remember the news reports about Michael Phelps' 12,000 calorie diet? It's ridiculous. Homeboy can put down some food. I had no clue how he did it. Until now.

Rejected Super Bowl Ad

I know I've been on an abortion trip lately but there has just been a lot going on lately concerning the issue. I found the following video on J.D. Greear's blog and thought it was worth sharing. This was a Super Bowl ad that was originally approved but was later rejected in fear of making some people mad.

John Piper's Prayer for President Obama

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?

Yesterday, January 22, 2009, marked the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade which legalized abortion in all 50 states. This day is one of the darkest days in American history. Abortion is one of the most evil and most disgusting things this world has ever seen. Our new President has made it clear that he is pro-choice. He is planning on overturning one of former President Bush's abortion policies which will allow our tax money to support groups that promote abortion in other countries like Mexico. President Obama has also said that he intends to sign the Freedom of Choice Act which will pretty much eliminate all restrictions on abortion.

I just don't understand. This country was founded on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But ALL three of these fundamental rights are denied to the unborn. Where is the liberty and justice for all that we were told this country stood for? This is injustice and we can not sit back and watch this happen.

Please join me in praying for President Obama. Pray that his stance on this dark issue would be changed. We must not be silent. We must be the voice for the millions of children who are killed in the name of choice.

Here are a couple of Pro-Life websites that will give you more information.

www.fightfoca.org (please sign this petition)
www.neversilencelife.com
www.abort73.com

What if......

Last night I took part in a long, challenging, and thought provoking conversation about our new President, Barack Obama. Some one asked me about my Facebook status which said "Romans 13:1. Whether you like him or not he is our President. Respect him and pray for him." In case you were wondering Romans 13:1 says, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." Which means that President Obama was appointed by God to be our President.

The conversation started out with this question, "What if he (President Obama) is the anti-Christ?" All during the election I have heard these accusations and brushed them aside. No one knows for sure who the anti-Christ is so it does no good to go around throwing around these accusations. But lets be honest and open minded about this, he could be. The anti-Christ could be any one of several individuals living today. But, again no one knows for sure. The main point my friend was getting to was, should we still respect and pray for him IF he was the anti-Christ. Then the answer would be no. That individual would be some one we should resist, if we are around for his reign depending on if you hold to pre or post Tribulation theology.

More hypothetical questions began to arise. Mainly about the control of government and a Christian's response to this. These are good and challenging things to think about but things we should not worry about. God is in control. The truth is we should follow the laws of the land until they conflict with God's laws. These laws would be unjust and we are to oppose all injustice. Martin Luther King Jr. said that the way you know a law is unjust is if it contradicts a higher law, i.e. God's laws. Christians must remember that our allegiance is not with America, not with republicans or democrats, but with King Jesus. We are citizens of heaven not this world. (Philippians 3:20) We are to respect and submit to our government while understanding that we are to submit to God above all.

The scariest hypothetical question of the night was this, "what if the government tries to destroy faith in God and the government tries to become god (lower case "g" on purpose). The truth is this attempt has been made before. We have seen kings and leaders demanding the worship of their people and killed all those that opposed them. So this predicament is not as far fetched as it sounds. However, we choose who and what we worship. The government can try to become god, can try to destroy faith in God but it will only happen if individuals submit to this evil.

As bad as these hypothetical situations sound, I say this...so what. The government can take what ever they want. My money. My possessions. Whatever. I came into this life with nothing and will leave with nothing. But they will never take my faith. My soul. And most certainly they will never destroy my GOD. They tried to tell Peter what to do when it came to Jesus, he said no and was crucified upside down. Stephen was told to stop preaching Christ. He said no and was stoned. Through out history we see countless numbers of martyrs have their lives taken by their government. And IF our government comes to that. Well then they can go ahead and load up the firing squad.

To live is Christ, to die is gain.

Coolest Thing Ever

Forget Furbies, the game Operation, and the 20 Questions ball. I have found the coolest thing ever. Its a sleeping bag you wear. I want one and if I had one I would wear it all the time. Even to class.

Happy New Year Kids

Wow it has been a while. I've had several great ideas to write about but I have lacked the motivation to write. So look for several posts in the near or not so near future. One of which will include my thoughts on the holiday season which was forever ago.

My new favorite thing is my "Latest Headlines" tab on my browser which gives me some great news headlines. There have been two over the last couple of days that have really caught my eye. One of these you will have to ask me about later because I don't know who reads this. But it was extremely funny. Here's a hint: it had to do with a certain part of the male anatomy being set on fire. The second news story had a headline which read "Chairlift mishap strips US skier." Before clicking be warned that you will see butt. Old man butt. But it is funny. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7816336.stm

That's all for now folks. I'll be back soon. Probably when I am putting off homework next week.