John 3:30

I've Moved

2011-01-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

Thanks for checking out my blog! I have just moved to my new site, you can find it here:

http://lookingforpurpose.com/

Out-smarting Religion

2011-01-18T21:59:00.004-05:00

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
-Romans 1:18-20

One thing that amuses me about being a Philosophy and Religion major is the reason for why many people take religion courses. In my observation, over half of the students that take a religion course do so for the following reason: they think if they knew more about religion, or why people are religious, then they themselves would no longer have a reason to believe in God. In other words, they think that if they knew more, they would learn that God is not real.

I myself, like many others, do not like religion either. Religion, in our post-modern world, is synonymous for "a bunch of rules and a made up belief system to make people feel better about their existence." And as I have argued many times before, Christianity is unique in its beliefs and teachings, and not like the rest of the world's "religions." That being said, if Christianity is true, then it would only make sense that learning about God would actually make someone want to believe in Him, as opposed to not believe in Him. So in the case of my fellow students, learning about God and about Truth would lead them to believing in God, not rejecting God. This sometimes happens, as with the famous case of C.S. Lewis; he was out to prove that God did not exist, but instead became a Christian when he began to seek the truth.

I am extremely pro-science and pro-learning. For if God does exist, He created everything, and nothing in science or academia can prove otherwise, it would only enhance the case of Christ (for example, as we discover more and more about how vast and majestic our universe is, it makes us more in awe of God). So for the students who come believing that if they only knew more about religion, they would find that God is a make believe story, they typically end up leaving with even more questions than they had coming in. And as I have mentioned before, if you are searching for truth, you will find it. Unfortunately, many people in our world today also think that if you believe in God, it's because you just don't "know" enough. But if God is real, then learning the truth will only lead you to Him. You may be able to out-smart religion, but you can't out-smart God.

How To Find A Good Christian Source (Part 2)

2011-01-17T00:33:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I discussed some things that I avoid when looking for a good Christian source. So what are some things that I look for?

What are they saying? Many books will have comments from other well-known Pastors and Christian leaders on the back or in the first few pages about the book and what they thought of it. Of course, you may not know how legitimate many of these people are. But if you see one name you recognize and like, say Rick Warren, then you can be more comfortable in knowing that the author is a good source.

Did you hear about them? Along the same lines, many times I find a new author or speaker that I like through the recommendation of another. If your pastor or someone you know recommends someone, and you end up liking that person as well, look to who that author or speaker recommends. It's like a snowball that keeps getting bigger!

What does the internet say? I know in my last post I encouraged staying away from looking up negative things about a person online. But when trying to find out about someone new, I often look on Wikipedia (gasp!) or other sites online to see what this person believes and teaches. If something like "prosperity gospel," comes up, I lose my interest in them.

Pray. The simplest, and often most overlooked, answer to any question or decision. Ask God to point you in the right direction. If you are reading a book, do you feel convicted, encouraged, excited, or a desire to grow in your relationship with God? God wants you to grow in your relationship with Him more than you do, if you are seeking, you will find answers.

How To Find A Good Christian Source (Part 1)

2011-01-12T22:34:00.001-05:00

I often get asked by people looking to read or learn more about Christianity and its teachings, beliefs, doctrines, etc., where they should start, and how they can tell if the information they are receiving is legitimate. As with anything, you want to make sure you are learning from the right people, so what do I recommend? In this post I will name things that I automatically avoid. In another, I will name things that I look for.

First, I must be honest; I actually rarely get asked these questions, but if I were, this is what I would say:

When it comes to buying books, if their face is on the cover (especially if they are fancily dressed), don't buy it. I'm not saying that there is no good teaching in the book, but when it comes to Christian books, your face doesn't need to be on the cover because it is not about you. I have never read a solid, biblical book with such a cover, but more importantly, I have never been told by those that I respect to read one. Not because a face on the front of the book automatically makes it bad, but because those type of books just never seem doctrinally sound. Avoid it.

If a Christian leader names a ministry that they have founded after themselves, don't get involved. Pride is one of the biggest killers of successful Christian ministry. Naming a ministry after yourself not only makes it that much more difficult to fight pride, it also seems to place more importance on a single individual. It's important to remember that God doesn't need us or have to use us. When you name a ministry after yourself, you become more "valuable" to the ministry than you are, and God can keep the ministry running without you. And again, I've found that the best and most doctrinally sound ministries are not named after someone. Avoid it.

Just because there are negative things said about a person, it doesn't mean they are not legitimate Christian leaders and teachers. Remember that Jesus tells us that those who live out and proclaim the Truth will be ridiculed (Luke 6:26 among others). Google any prominent Christian leader's name and you will find something about them being a heretic, but that doesn't mean they are. Some may have more negative press than others (sometimes rightfully so), but that in itself is not a reason to keep away from somebody. Of course, talking to those who you may trust or know is a different story; but unfortunately for those who don't have much of a background in regards to knowing who is a good source, a quick look online won't really help. Avoid it.

*Please note, I am simply a person with my own opinions and ideas. Just because I do not like something, it doesn't automatically make it bad, and it absolutely doesn't mean that God is not using it and blessing it. These are just things that I personally avoid for my own reasons and what I tell to those that ask my advice.

What are some things that you avoid?

Going To Church On Sunday

2011-01-08T21:56:00.001-05:00

Most of us, if we grew up going to church, grew up going to church on Sunday's. This is to be expected, after all, that is when Christians have been gathering for corporate worship since the first century. Traditionally, the Jewish sabbath is on Saturday, but the early Christians chose Sunday as their day of worship since that was the day of Jesus' resurrection. But with larger churches and new technologies, that has changed a little. Now you have people going on a Saturday, or maybe a service for college students on a Tuesday. What if the Tuesday night service was the only service someone attended, is that bad? Well, it depends on who you ask.

Some people argue we should still be going to church on Saturday (7th Day Adventist), since that was the traditional sabbath. It's even one of the ten commandments.

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.
-Deuteronomy 5:12-14

Others will argue that Christians should attend church on Sunday in remembrance of Jesus' resurrection, and because that is what the early Christians did. And in either case, Tuesday nights certainly should be thrown out the window. Right?

Fortunately I'm not concerned, and you shouldn't be either, about what people think. Rather, only with what the Bible says. It is important to note that with the coming of Jesus, we are no longer bound by the Old Testament law. When you hear of people trying to discredit the Bible by saying we should stone homosexuals and not eat pork, they are referring to the old covenant. In other words, they are ignorant of Biblical doctrine. (Yes those part of the law, but I do not have time to discuss why God would command such things in this post). That is not to say some of the law should not be followed (no stoning please), but we are no longer bound by it (seriously, no stoning). But I must also point out that although we are free from the law, that doesn't mean we can do whatever we want, because sin is sin and the old law can help show us what is right and wrong.

What does that have to do with going to church? It means you don't have to go to church on Sunday. It's not about following a rule, it's about your heart and desire to worship Jesus. As the apostle Paul writes:

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
-Romans 14:5-9

And again,

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
-Colossians 2:16-17 (emphasis added)

So you can go to church on Saturday or Sunday or even Tuesday. The day is not important, Jesus is, and that is why you don't have to go to church on a Sunday (as long as you are going to church!).

***For those of you that may remember, back in July I wrote that I was going to write a book. Well, I am excited to say that the manuscript has just been completed! I will be giving more updates shortly on what the next steps will be, but I would love your prayers in the mean time.

Top blogs of 2010

2011-01-05T21:55:00.001-05:00

These were my most viewed blog posts of 2010.

#10 - I Disagree (Part 2)

#9 - It's Been A Year

#8 - The One Thing

#7 - Here It Goes

#6 - Lies

#5 - Why I Blog

#4 - The Fake Gospel

#3 - I Disagree

#2 - What To Do In A Time Of Crisis

#1 - A Letter To My Father

Top 5 of 2010

2011-01-01T11:24:00.001-05:00

To end the year, I decided to follow my last blog and post the top 5 books that were either the most beneficial, or had the greatest impact on me in 2010. And because I thought putting up pictures looked cool.

Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. This book is very easily understood, with not only great theology, but explains why it should be believed. Since it is easily understandable, and it also easy to remember certain parts that are of interest. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about the Bible, or anyone with serious questions, this book does not shy away from any of them.

Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy. I haven't read to many biography type books, but this one has made me much more interested in that Genre. Tony Dungy is a former super bowl winning NFL coach (first black coach to do so), and current NFL television analyst. Dungy is a strong Christian who is very open about his faith throughout the book. As a sports fan, it was very enjoyable to read about players and coaches that I hear about all the time. And it was nice to know that in sports, when they give thanks to God, that actually really do mean it.

Church History In Plain Language by Bruce Shelley. This book is on the history of the Church, from how it began to how it is today. It was very informative and interesting. It's truly amazing to see how the Church has grown and changed throughout history. Sometimes not so pleasant, and other times really inspiring. It really gives you an appreciation for the Church and how it has survived throughout the ages. It's no wonder that the Church is how God has chosen to reveal and continue is message of grace and truth.

Reinventing Jesus by Ed Kowozewski, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace. This book is about who actually wrote the Gospels and the New Testament, the myth that Christianity was taken from other religions around at the time, and what early Christians really believed about the Virgin birth and Jesus' resurrection. It was great, easy to read, and informative. Not only did it discuss what other people have to say on the Bible (like Dan Brown and the DaVinci Code), but it gave reasons as to why it comes to the conclusions that it does. And unlike those who oppose the Bible's authenticity, it actually gives you answers; and not just a bunch of unanswered speculation (like Dan Brown and the DaVinci Code).*

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. I read parts of this book for a class I took this year, but I read it in its entirety last year. This book, like many others in the similar topic, encourage me even more to seek out God. Dawkins, an atheist, writes about all the reasons why God doesn't exist. I do not doubt that he is an intelligent man, but this is simply a poorly written book. Not because he is an adamant atheist, but because the book is too emotional and degrading to those who do believe in God; not because I am offended by him, but when you spend your entire book calling me stupid, I lost interest (I would say the same for a book trying to prove God's existence). Besides, it's just too depressing for me to believe what he believes anyway.**

*Dan Brown is actually un-respected among both Christian and non-Christian Biblical scholars and historians alike.

**When trying to disprove the existence of God (Christianity), there is no need to discuss what Muslim’s, Hindu’s, etc. believe because I don’t believe in Allah or Krishna either.

Understanding The Opposite Sex

2010-12-28T21:06:00.002-05:00

I recently read a book entitled For Men Only: A straightforward guide to the inner lives of women by Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn. The book was written in response to For Women Only: What you should know about the inner lives of men, published in 2004. Both are great, and probably the most insightful resource you can use in understanding the opposite sex. Different from your standard book on relationships, these books are about why and how it is he/she functions, and what they mean by certain words and actions. Then using this information, it shows you how you can help make your relationship better. These two books are written by a Christian perspective, but it seems that the best books on this subject always are (it's like God knows what he is talking about).

Both are short and interesting. For Men Only was insightful and very helpful. I have read the majority of For Women Only, and it is very on point as well. Thousands of men and women were interviewed and questioned, and the results are displayed and discussed throughout. The results are pretty shocking at times, but that is simply how men and women were created. These are the first books I have ever endorsed on a blog, so take my word for it!

God's Testing And Our Consequences

2010-12-22T13:31:00.003-05:00

Life can be difficult, and God does test us (James 1:2-4), but is easy to inaccurately think of a consequence as a "test." Regardless of whether we say it to someone else, or think it to ourselves due to our own situation, difficult times do not always equal a testing period from God.

American culture tells us that nothing is our fault; we are born that way, we were taught that growing up, nothing is wrong it's just "different." Often times the way our specific society shapes us, shapes our theology and how we view scripture. This is sometimes seen in how we view God's testing versus the consequences of our actions.

God can absolutely test us regardless of the things we have done, as the story of Job so easily points out. Job was a righteous an upright man, of whom Satan claimed only loved and worshipped God because God had blessed him. So God gave Satan permission put Job through emotional, physical, and spiritual trial to see if Job would still believe and be faithful to God; and he was. This sort of thing can and does happen today, Satan does that to all of us; but sometimes it is our fault too.

Failing a test is not God's testing, it's the consequence of not working hard and not studying, but that seems too obvious. What about a broken relationship or someone else getting the promotion? We may not like those examples because they are a little too close to home. And while it certainly could be God allowing for trials to be in our life, it also certainly could be our fault. Who doesn't want a better job? But did we deserve it, or did we lose out because someone else was a more diligent worker? Or if we have wronged somebody and one day that relationship comes back to hurt us; it could be the consequence of our actions rather than God's testing.

Contrary to our American culture, sometimes things really are our fault. Sometimes we are flat out wrong in our actions and words, and sometimes we need to recognize that we have made decisions that may not go well for us. And in those times we can get upset and be mad at God, but it may be better to accept our situation and ask God to help us through it instead.

A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves.
-Proverbs 13:4-5

The Reason People Don't Believe

2010-12-20T23:20:00.000-05:00

I'm convinced everybody wants to believe in God. Of course, it really does not take much convincing. Who wouldn't want there to be a loving, merciful God who lets you live forever in a perfect and wonderful place? When it comes to someone who is either atheist or agnostic, the reason for the unbelief is not because they don’t want God to exist.

Many will argue the reason they do not believe is because of all of the problems in our world. The evil, hate, war, suffering; you name it. And while this could be considered a legitimate argument to a degree, for many (but certainly not all) the reasoning ends there. Yes there is evil, hate, war, and suffering, but why does that equate to God not existing. If God loves us, he wouldn't allow us to suffer; but why is that so? Evil in its own right does not mean God cannot exist; it is simply a shallow argument that looks good on the surface. Unfortunately, many do not make the effort to discover why things such as evil do not erase God's existence. So, why?

Because we don't want to believe in God.

This is strictly my educated opinion, but one that I find to carry much weight. I would be willing to argue that the majority of time, either consciously or unconsciously, people do not want to believe in God because they do not want to change their lifestyle. We so often think of God in terms of rules. No sex, alcohol, drugs; and do we really have to take the time to serve other people?

And this often comes from a skewed view of who God is. God is not out to ruin our fun and to make us live boring lives; in all actuality, it is quite the opposite! But we think that we know best, and we do not want to change our self-pleasing lifestyle, and that is why so many won't believe. It's not that they don't want to, they just don't want to change how they are living.

But it really goes back to our faulty view of God. When we think God, we think anti-sex, anti-alcohol, anti-fun, and anti-freedom. We forget that God actually created all of these things. Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding, and yes it was real wine. It isn't that God does not want us to enjoy these things, he just wants us to enjoy them in the proper context because that makes them even more enjoyable. We think we are free without God, when really we are slaves to our "freedoms" of porn, sex, and alcohol. When it comes to God, we like the whole heaven idea, but not the idea of believing in a God and putting others before ourselves. And we certainly do not believe in hell, because that just seems to be to "mean" and intolerant for our culture. So we simply dismiss the idea of God, not because we don't want to believe, but because we don’t want to change how we are living.

God's Plan For Your Life

2010-12-15T22:51:00.003-05:00

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15

God has a wonderful plan for your life, and a lot of people my age would do anything to know what it is. It seems to be this thing that will one day just happen and then we will know exactly what to do with our lives and know exactly where we are going.

The truth? That will never happen.

God's "plan" is simple; to glorify God the Father by believing in Jesus and living a life pleasing to him while sharing his love with others through the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Our purpose in life is to know God and make him known. It's not rocket science and it's not hard to figure out. God most certainly does give us specific gifts, talents, and desires. He absolutely can guide us and lead us in a certain direction. But we are not robots, a lack of effort or responsibility is no excuse because we don't yet "know" what God's plan for our life is yet.

God's plan for your life is to love and serve him, but it is up to you in how you chose to do that. I fully believe that God is leading me to do certain things with my life, but I still must chose to work towards those things. I cannot expect to one day wake up and have everything I have set out to do laid at my feet. It is up to me to pray and follow and work hard towards my goals. Ironically, it seems that the closer you are with Jesus, the less you will be able to predict what will happen.

Ultimately we are sinful people in need of a savior, it's a surprise that God would use any of us at all. But he does, and he uses all of us in different ways. There are times when our selfish and sinful desires can lead us of track, or change our life entirely. It is not God's desire to see any of us turn against him, and it is certainly not his "plan" when that happens. God can lead us and show us where to go, but we can't expect to one day have it all figured out. God's desire for all of us is to know him and make him known, and it is up to you to decide how you want that accomplished.

I Love Being A Christian

2010-12-12T09:04:00.000-05:00

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
-John 10:10

Being a Christian is great, and not just because of the whole living with Jesus forever thing. Christianity, unlike the rest of the world's religions, is not a list of do's and don'ts. It isn't about being good enough, or at least not being too bad. It isn't about not having any fun and being bored. It's about love, freedom, joy, and complete fulfillment. Here are a few reasons why:

There is no doubt! I know that I am going to heaven when I die. I don't have to earn it (and I couldn't if I tried), and I don't have to spend my days wondering about what is going to happen to me. Of course, my lack of faith leads me to doubt at times, but the Bible is explicitly clear that all who believe in Jesus will get to live with Jesus; as well as with everyone else who believes in Him (John 3:16).

My life has a purpose! No matter where I end up or what type of job I have, I know it is all for a reason. God can use everyone and every situation to bring Him glory and for Him to share His love with others. I am not defined by my career or my relationships, I'm defined by Jesus.

I live in freedom! Contrary to what many believe (typically by those who have never read the Bible), Christianity is about freedom in Christ. Think about it; if God created everything, and created life as we know it, He knows what is best for us and what brings us most joy- we don't. The Bible tells us to flee sin not because God doesn't want us to have a good time, but because that is the only way to enjoy life. Addictions to sex, pornography, alcohol, stealing, lying, drugs; they all began as a rebellion against either God or the law. What you thought was your gateway to freedom has now made you a slave.

I have nothing to prove! My life isn't about what happens in this life. Although unfortunately I often concern myself with temporal things, ultimately that is not what I am living for. I don't have to make a lot of money or please a lot of people. I'm not here achieve some unobtainable goal of unfulfilling happiness. I'm only here to tell other people about Jesus, and honor Him with the life He has given me. I am not here to please anyone. If people do not like me due to character issues or lack of love, then of course that is of concern to me. But if I am not liked simply because of what I believe or stand for, so be it. Although I often fail at this as well, I ultimately live for an audience of One.

You're Not A Failure

2010-12-07T10:59:00.001-05:00

Everybody hates to fail. We don't like to lose, to not accomplish our goals, to come up short. Because of this, we become fearful. We fear failure so much that many times our fear cripples us before we even begin. And we create the mindset when we begin a new project; we will either achieve success, or achieve failure. We believe that success, along with failure, is something we obtain, but that is where our logic is wrong.

Failure is not something you do, it's something you don't do. Ultimately, failure isn't even real, failure is just a mindset. You fail a test because you did not obtain a passing grade, most likely due to not enough studying or effort. Regardless, you didn't achieve failure, you just didn't achieve success. Failing to pay the bills on time, again, happens due to a lack of action. Failure is not something you do, it's something you don't do.

Not being "good enough" at something does not make you a failure, it simply makes you not “good enough” at whatever goal you were trying to achieve. And this is the problem: many of us try something, aren't "good enough," and think we have failed. Unlike success, which is the achievement or obtainment of something, failure simply means you have not obtained it, yet. But failure is not an ending destination like so many believe it to be. Once you have succeeded, you're done; you've made it, you've accomplished that particular goal. When you don't succeed, or when you "fail," you aren't done. You can still keep working toward the goal; you still have something you can do.

So what about losing, isn't that failure? If you set out to win a gold medal, but lose, doesn't that mean you failed? No, because failure is not something that you can be. You can be successful, but you cannot be "failure." You can lose and not accomplish your goal but a loser and a failure are not synonymous, based purely off the definition of each word, our culture just likes to pair the two together. Like being successful, you can be a "loser," but you cannot be a failure. Because like success, losing is an achievable destination; the game is over, and you've lost. But it is not failure because failure is not an ending, it means you haven't made it yet, and you can still try again.

Failure is not an ending destination, just a new route to possible to success.

Exams and Jesus

2010-12-02T19:54:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again! You know, where every college student complains on their Twitter or Facebook accounts about how they aren't going to survive and how much work they have to do (as if they are the only ones who have a lot to do). But in all seriousness, it can be pretty humorous to read what everyone has to say. And it reminds me many times of the Christian walk; where we set out to do something God has lead us to do, we know to expect difficulties along the way, the difficulties come, and then we complain and even turn back because of them.

As college students, we attend upper level schooling in the hopes of earning a degree of some kind. We know full well that it will take time, effort, and money (a lot of money!). We know that final exams will come every semester, and that they are never fun. Not only that, but we are essentially paying to take them. So it's funny, it is funny to see everyone complaining in such a way that would make you think that we were all surprised at the amount of work we have to do.

But this is what happens when we set out to accomplish any dream or desire that God may give us. We know to expect temptations and trials and hardships from Satan. And we become so upset, usually angered at God, and many times give up. We can't believe God would allow His desire for us to be interrupted. Often, our frustrations stem from our own ignorance, our failure to really understand that difficulties will come. So instead of working through and overcoming them, we tell the world that we can't do it anymore. The point of our trials is to mature us and build up our faith. You can't get an A without persevering through the work load, and you can't achieve your dream without persevering through the trials.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
-James 1:2-4

What I'm Thankful For

2010-11-28T19:35:00.000-05:00

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
-Pslams 136:1

I like Thanksgiving because it is positive. As much as we all complain, it's nice to hear everyone talk positively about what they are thankful for. And since I too took some time to be unusually (isn't that sad) thankful over the Thanksgiving break, I decided to make a list of eleven things I am thankful for as opposed to the "usual" ten.

-The Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The only reason I'm alive, literally. He created me, loves me, and gives me hope. I will never be able to fully comprehend how grateful I should be.

-My Mom: She is one of the strongest people I know; I don't know how she does it.

-UNC-Wilmington: The vast majority of people in the world don't have the opportunity or finances to attend a university.

-My Health: I have absolutely no health issues (at the moment). And even if I did, I live in a country where I am able to receive help.

-My Friends: Your friends determine the quality and direction of your life; if you are reading this, thank you.

-Duke Basketball: I love sports, and Duke makes it easy to enjoy college basketball!

-Christina Cramer: Inspirational, encouraging, and beautiful.

-Port City Community Church: For giving me the opportunity to grow in my faith and equipping and training me for my future.

-The Bible: The most complete and fulfilling book that will ever be written. Astounded that the God of the universe has given us just a small portion of His eternal wisdom.

-Laughter: Laughter has the ability to make every situation better.

-My Dad: You have made me who I am today, I am forever grateful. See you soon.

And now Christmas season can finally begin! For those of you who suppress all the joys of Christmas until after Thanksgiving, you can now quit pouting and join the rest of us!

It's The Action, Not The Intention

2010-11-21T23:01:00.000-05:00

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
-Proverbs 10:4

"I went to the gym, got to the front door, and just turned around."

I heard this statement the other day by a fellow college student, and then the reasons justifying the decision to turn around head back home. I was reminded of how unfortunate it is when we believe the elementary aged lie that "it's the thought that counts!" So often we all have great intentions; to send that encouraging e-mail, make that phone call, do something nice for a friend. Then we become lazy or forgetful, and hope that we will do it the next time.

Many times we consider those who are financially stable as "lucky," or even just that they have it easy. And we consider those who are generous or who take the time to serve others as "thoughtful." More times than not, both of those beliefs are false. Yes, some people come from financially easier backgrounds, but if they don't work hard and are not wise with their money, then end up losing it all anyway. So typically, those who are financially stable are diligent; they work hard and steward their money wisely. Even more so, those who do things for others are a lot of times not any more thoughtful than the rest, they just put to action their intentions.

So often, we all come up with some sort of excuse as to why we don't do something as well as we should, or why we aren't disciplined in some area. Making it sound like we are the victim of something, when really it usually amounts to us simply being lazy. I am horrible at following through with many of my intentions, but we must recognize it's the action that counts, not the intention. We all know it; your actions are what give you integrity, not what you say, and certainly not what you think. Go to the gym all you want, but don't expect to see a difference unless you go inside.

Know What You Believe

2010-11-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

Pastor Mike Ashcraft at Port City Community Church gave a great message last Sunday on knowing what you believe. I could not have agreed more with what he said and the idea behind it. We live in a society today where we are supposed to tolerate most beliefs, and we replace values and moral convictions with the fear of hurting someone's feelings. And so we are creating a culture (and I see this daily on campus) of people who have no idea what they believe, only what they don't believe. Instead of taking a stand a moral or spiritual issue, we choose rather to laugh at those who do by thinking that they should just be more tolerant and accepting.

This is the result that we get, people who only know what they don't believe. People who don't believe in God, or hell, or certain moral truths. Saying things like "evil exists so God can't," or "sending people to hell isn't fair or justifiable." And while everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, we need to know just that- our beliefs. We need to know why evil would erase the possibility of God, or why hell isn't fair; we need to know what we do believe. If you don't believe in God, what do you believe in?

As Pastor Mike put it: you have system of beliefs, you live according to that belief system, and you trust that system is profitable for you. Whatever we believe, whether we know it or not, we believe because we think it benefits us in some way. It is also important to realize that we can think wrongly. Believe it or not, we aren't always right; we all make dumb decisions on a daily basis. Most importantly though, as Pastor Mike said, don't define your life by what you don't believe. You don't believe in God? So be it, what do you believe in? Walking around criticizing everyone else that actually has a belief system (no matter if it's right or wrong) is what we do when we are in middle school. Know what you believe, understand why you believe it, and then you can begin having a discussion with those who believe differently.

You Don't Need The Pope

2010-11-14T23:14:00.001-05:00

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.
-2 Timothy 2:3-6

In the times before Jesus, the Israelites had a mediator between them and God, they were known as the priests. The priests were the ones who were allowed to enter into certain holy places, and offer the sacrifices of the people to God. The vast majority of people did not have direct access to God, they had to go through the priests. Clearly, there are many wonderful and amazing things that happened and were changed because of Jesus coming to earth, the abolition of the role of the priests is one of them.

We see in scripture that because of Jesus, we all have direct access to God. We don't need to (or have to) go to priests for confession and hope that are sins aren't bad enough not to be pardoned (or forgiven). Today you have Pastors, or Preachers, or Ministers; men who teach the Word of God and oversee the direction of the Church, but they are not any more holy than any other person. Contrary to the role of the pope: Pope Innocent III said, "The successor of Peter is the Vicar of Christ (the pope); he has been established as a mediator between God and man, below God but beyond man; less than god but more than man; who shall judge all and be judged by no one."

The are many theological and biblical problems that having a pope presents. And while I won't go into all of them here, one of the most alarming doctrines of the Catholic Church is Papal infallibility; which is the belief in Roman Catholic theology that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error. We see Biblically however that all have sinned (Romans 3:23), and we will continue to sin for as long as we live on this earth. It is very dangerous to think that someone can live "without error," especially when they make decisions that affect millions of people.

I am not here to offend anyone who holds the pope in high regard, and want to clearly state that your view of the pope does not affect your salvation. But rather to show Biblically that the only mediator between God and man is Jesus, therefore we do not need priests or the pope to speak to or hear from God. The Bible does not once speak of any man having the ability or authority to condemn someone to hell, forgive someone's sins, or to grant someone salvation other than Jesus, who is also God. And that is why you do not need a pope, you need Jesus.

They Don't Know

2010-11-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

Every year there are a few "preachers" who walk around the campus of UNCW and start speaking, or yelling, about Jesus. They typically gather a number of students who stop by to listen for a while. No one really knows where they come from, and most of us wish they would stop coming, but what makes them known all around campus is not so much that they do this, but for something else; that they tell everybody that they are going to hell.

All you have to do is walk by, and you may receive your condemnation. My problem though, is not so much that they may be turning some people off to the Christian message, or that they are causing students who don't know Jesus to laugh at Christians "who believe that stuff" that these "preachers" are unlovingly preaching. My problem is that they are wrong. I've been yelled at that I am going to hell, but I won't be. They have no idea who is going to heaven and hell, nor is it their place to make any such judgment. They not only have no scriptural authority to make such claims (only Jesus does), but they also have no knowledge as to where anyone's eternal destination lies (again, only Jesus does).

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
-Romans 10:9-10

While it is our responsibility as Christians to tell people about Jesus and salvation, we cannot force salvation upon anyone, nor do we have the power to make anyone believe or the ability to know if someone is saved or not. That is between the individual and God. It isn't our job to make people believe, it's only our job to tell them. God, though the Holy Spirit, saves people, not us. As the apostle Paul puts it:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.
-Romans 1:16

You Will Meet Jesus

2010-11-07T14:54:00.002-05:00

I have many thoughts and beliefs when it comes to spiritual things, as you can clearly see when reading my blog. There are some areas where I have strong beliefs that aren't likely to change, and other areas where I am not as sure and am more open to leaning one way or another. Lastly, I have a few convictions; things that I absolutely will not change my mind on and will always believe. And it is because of one of these convictions that I make absolutely no apologies as to what I believe and where I stand on religious and theological issues.

As I discussed in my last post, Christianity is revolutionary and unique. It is unparalleled by any other world religion in its fundamental beliefs. One of my convictions is this: anybody and everybody who truly searches for God, will, given enough time, become a Christian. I absolutely believe that if you are searching for Truth and for what you are supposed to believe, and if you are truly diligent and pure in your motives, you will come to know who God and who He is. You may think that I am being arrogant, but this is why I believe that:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
-Romans 1:18-20

If everyone is without excuse, that means everyone has the ability to believe in Jesus Christ. Whether that be first believing in Jesus as a little kid at a summer camp, or as an adult in a rehab clinic. Many people like to argue, "what about that guy in Africa who has never heard about Jesus?" First, I would like to point out that there are more Christians per capita in Africa than in the United States. Second, what about them? If Jesus is God he can do whatever He so desires to reach the guy in Africa. Be it through a missionary, a dream, a vision; however He sees fit. As long as there is a true desire to know God, God will allow you to know Him.

It may take some longer than others, but if anyone truly desires to know who God is, he or she will find Him. I know this because believing in anything else will ultimately let you down. Believing in sports, a relationship, or a religion where you have to save yourself. None of that will ever leave you satisfied because sooner or later it will let you down. And if you continue your search, you will one day find the only one who can sustain and the only one who cannot fail you. Jesus.

Christianity VS Religion

2010-11-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

Many people throw around the claim that all religions, at their core, are fundamentally the same. Growing up, this statement used to make me quite angry because I knew it wasn't true, but I couldn't really explain why it wasn't true. Being a Religion major has taught me a lot about the world's religions, and now I'm not so upset by that comment because I've learned that it actually is true, almost.

All religions are fundamentally the same, except Christianity. I hope you know that I do not think this because I am a Christian, but rather that this is one of the reasons that I am a Christian. If all religions were the same at their core, then it really would not matter what you or I believed. Contrary to popular beliefs, they are not all the same, and I hope to show you why. You don't have to believe in Christianity or in its teachings, but that doesn't change the fact that it is fundamentally different from the rest. Let me explain.

Christianity is the only "religion" that God becomes a man. Islam has Mohammad, Buddhism has Sddartha Guatama (Buddha), Judaism has Abraham. The difference is that in these later three religions all of these men are simply that, men. Also, these men were sent as messengers to teach the people how to better follow God or to teach some commands that God had so that man could become more "holy," and serve God better. Jesus' mission is vastly different. He came to serve mankind, and as a demonstration of how much God loves us through dying on a cross, because we will never be "holy" enough for God without Jesus.

Religion is selfish, Christianity is selfless. Hinduism and Buddhism teach that by doing good deeds, you can rid yourself of karma, or not pick up negative karma. You are "good" not because you want to be (although you certainly can do good for that reason), but because this good karma will lead you to enlightenment. Islam similarly teaches you to do good so that you can enter into a higher level of Heaven, so that you can better enjoy yourself in eternity. Christianity teaches to love others because God first loved us. That we are to serve and love others, not to better our chances or to make God love us more (because it won't), but simply because God loves people and cares for His children.

Religion says you can save yourselves, Christianity says God saves you. This is the most clear, and most important, difference. All of the world's religions teach this. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Jainism, Mormonism, Scientology, and I could go on. Whether it is through good works, meditation, ridding yourself of karma, whatever; it's all an attempt to somehow make yourself in better standing with God so that He will love you more and grant you eternal life or entrance to Heaven or enlightenment, etc. Christianity says that you are a sinner, and there is nothing you can do to change that. You will always fall short of God's standards, and you in your own power will never be good enough. Instead, God sent His own son, who was both fully human and fully God at the same time to die in your place. So that you can know (and Christianity is the only religion that you can know of your salvation) that you will spend eternity with your Creator by simply trusting in Jesus. It teaches that you're good works will never be good enough by themselves, and that they will not grant you eternal life in Heaven; it's only by accepting that Jesus is the Son of God.

I could go on for much longer, but I trust that you get the point. If you have any more curiosity into who exactly the Bible says Jesus is, I strongly recommend you watch the video below; it has the ability to change your life, and change your eternity.

Hating Sin

2010-11-01T22:33:00.000-04:00

As any Christian will tell you, a relationship with Jesus can be difficult and even frustrating. Typically because we are selfish and think we know it is best. I have heard it said that when we sin, it is because we don't believe everything about the Gospel at that particular time. For example, a Christian who is having sex outside of marriage isn't only destroying the current relationship, but also affects any future relationships as well. We may ultimately know what we are doing is wrong, but it doesn't seem to really make that much of a difference at the time.

I have discovered though, that our reaction to our sin says a lot about where we are in our relationship with Christ. The closer we are with Jesus, the more our sin will devastate us. When we fall into a pattern of sin, we rationalize it and are not as deeply affected by it. The more we desire God in our lives, the more we are disgusted by the things that hinder our relationship with Him. As Paul says in Romans:

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
-Romans 7:15

I strongly believe that Paul didn't just not like to sin, I believe he literally hated it. Hated the feeling of letting himself down, knowing that God doesn't give us a list of "do's" and "dont's," but knowing that God ultimately knows what is best for us, and following Him is better than anything that we can come up with. I think Paul hated sin not only because he knew it was wrong, but because it affected his relationship with Jesus. Not because God loves us any less or more based on how "good" of a person we are, but because by sinning we are saying we that our sin is important enough to commit knowing it can be destructive to us.

As people, we will never be perfect and will continue to sin as long as will live on this earth, but that should never be used as an excuse to sin. It is good to recognize that we will always fall short and not to continually get down on ourselves for that, but not to allow ourselves to be comfortable in our sin. And the closer we are to Jesus, the less comfortable we will in our sin.

Reaping What You Sow

2010-10-27T21:47:00.000-04:00

"You reap what you sow, you reap later than you sow, and you reap more than you sow." My dad used to tell this to my brothers and I all the time growing up, especially when he would put us to bed. The cool thing was that I always believed him, and thought that was true even as a little kid. Now being a little older, I've been able to see that play out. And we all know how this plays out with the obvious things. If you don't study for a test, you get a bad grade. Being addicted to alcohol can lead you to losing your job, destroying your marriage, etc.

But what about the less obvious things? The small details that actually influence our life and the shape direction that it goes. Like staying up that extra thirty minutes every night uselessly surfing the internet, watching T.V. when you could be reading or working on a project, sitting on the couch when you should be exercising. These are the things that I witness as a college student. Wasting our time doing nothing, when we should be doing something. Relaxing is one thing, laziness is another.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
-Galatians 6:7-8

A man reaps what he sows. Is it a sin to play video games? What about if you could be using that time to learn or build a relationship? I see a lot of poor decisions made by me and my fellow students at times in how we are reaping. As kids, we all have these big dreams for our lives; college is where you start to see most of those dreams die. I have come to believe though, it's not because our dreams were too big, but because we are not willing to put in the work. College is about fun, right? So we would rather sleep, or spend time with friends, or drink too much alcohol.

Like I said, there is nothing wrong with taking time to relax and have fun. It's biblical to rest and take time for yourself. Many of the students I see daily will end up doing ok in life I am sure, but "ok" is far from what many of these students could achieve if they (and me) would be intentional with their lives. But those who work hard in their efforts not only reap more than they sow, later than the sow, they also are worshiping Jesus by thanking Him for what He has blessed them with through their hard work.

People

2010-10-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

One of everyone's biggest struggles in life is people. People hurt us, offend us, frustrate us, make us angry. We think of how much easier life would be if we didn't have to deal with that person, when in reality, there is always going to be at least one person we wish we could get rid of. I usually find it a little humorous too, because we all will complain about how someone is acting or how they treating us poorly as if they are the ones who need to change. And it may very well be true that the person you are thinking of as you read this may need to fix some things, but in order for all of us to have problems with each other, we must all (yes you too) be the ones causing the problems.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
-1 john 4:9-11

As a Christian, there is a very clear call to love people. If anyone has a right to be upset with people, it would be God. His response? To humiliate Himself through public torture and death to give us a second chance. I am not saying we should do that for one another and in our cases that wouldn't solve anything or be of any actual benefit to us. Instead, we are called to love. Even though we may not want to and would rather just avoid the person, we need to forgive them; especially if someone does not know Jesus because there is no better way to share Christ than through love and forgiveness and acts of kindness. John goes on to say this:

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
-1 John 4:19-21

So we really have no choice. To say we love Jesus and then wish we didn't have to deal with His people is to say we might not be really loving Jesus. For many of us, those people in our lives we wish weren't there could be a good starting point to gauge our willingness to follow Christ. We often may think that certain people just bring out the worst in us, but maybe they are just bringing out the true in us. One of the few practical things I learned in high school was that people are never as bad as they seem once you get to know them. So whatever the case may be, if Christ died for us, we can surely love those certain few a little bit better.

Lies

2010-10-20T22:15:00.000-04:00

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
-1 Peter 5:8-9

One of the many traps Christians fall into is the belief that we are the only one struggling with, whatever. If we loved Jesus more, we wouldn't be having this problem. And we definitely shouldn't tell anyone about it because then they will judge us for being a poor Christian. So we should probably keep it to ourselves and fix it on our own. Well, actually I'll start working on it the next time I mess up...Sound familiar?

These are the lies we allow Satan to tell us. We think, although we know it is not true, that we are the only one dealing with this. So with that in mind, here are the top 10 lies Satan tells me, in no particular order:

1) Sexual purity is way overrated. And you’re a guy, no one will judge you.

2) You will never live up to your potential.

3) You really don’t have what it takes.

4) You know God judges the preachers and teachers more harshly; what if you teach the wrong things about God?

5) Jesus who? You’re a Religion major, you know it’s all made up. Listen to your professors; they have been studying this stuff a lot longer than you!

6) You seemed to have been blessed with a lot. You know that those who have much, much is expected, right?

7) If you really had enough faith in Jesus, you would give all of your money away and just trust that He will provide.

8) You certainly don’t deserve a good wife. And let’s be real, she would be way better off with someone else.

9) You better not waste any time having fun, that’s selfish of you.

10) You don’t need to talk to that person, someone else will. What would you say anyway?

I know everyone is different, but I would be willing to bet that in some form or another, you share at least one of my top lies. So let's resist the devil and stand firm together, because to think that you are alone is a lie.

The Fake Gospel

2010-10-17T22:34:00.000-04:00

I hate the prosperity gospel. The idea that if you have enough faith in God, you'll never have another financial need. If you love God enough then you'll always be healthy. And if you ever find yourself depressed or sad, you obviously just don't care enough about Jesus.

I hate it because it isn't biblical. All of the apostles were killed (except for John who was tortured but survived) for believing in Jesus; and I'm sure they had more faith than many of us because they actually saw Jesus resurrected! Jesus was even crucified for believing in Himself, and you're going to tell me if He had more faith than he wouldn't have died?

That sounds a little extreme, sure, but that is fundamentally what the prosperity gospel teaches. It isn't about Jesus, it's about using Jesus. To make it personal, that 'gospel' says that my entire family does not believe in or love Jesus enough, because if we did, my father would still be alive. The prosperity gospel undermines the entire biblical truth of grace; that God blesses us though we do not deserve it with the idea that we can somehow earn it. It's a horrible teaching that ends up turning people away from Jesus because they aren't getting as much "stuff" as they think they deserve.

For me (as you can tell), this 'gospel' idea gets me going pretty easily. Luckily, I'm far from alone. Here is what John Piper has to say:

John 3:30

2010-10-12T18:33:00.004-04:00

You have probably always been dying to know why this verse is on my blog. Possibly losing sleep, your appetite, or your ability to focus. And since your well-being is of utmost importance to me, I figured I would tell you!

John the Baptist is one of my heroes of the Bible, the biggest reason being what he says in John 3:30. Long story short, John the Baptist was a prophet. He was only 6 months older than Jesus, and spent his life telling and preparing people for Jesus' ministry. He gained followers who listened to him teach about the Messiah, and also baptized many (hence the name). When Jesus comes onto the scene, many of John's followers start following and listening to Jesus. Then, John the Baptist is confronted with a question:

They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
-John 3:26 (emphasis added)

John had a dilemma, would he get angry? Jealous? Humiliated? Was he really going to let Jesus take over his "job?" I look up to John the Baptist in a lot of ways. I will be pursuing the same work as John in my future; pastoring and telling people about Jesus. And how will I respond one day if Jesus decides to show up and do something big in my life, how much of the credit will I be willing to take? Will I ever think that I am a good teacher, or that I deserve to be well-liked, or that I deserve to be recognized? Or will I be like John the Baptist? Who responded to the "threat" of losing his followers by simply stating, 'He (Jesus) must become greater, I must become less.'

So I want to be like John the Baptist; I want to be able to honestly say that it's all about Jesus. It's not about Dylan Dodson and how many people read my blog, or follow me on Twitter, or think I know a lot about the Bible, or think I'm a great speaker. It's about Jesus. And that is why John 3:30 is written on my blog; it's a verse I hope to live out (though I fail at it daily) through whatever opportunities God may give me. Because it's not about me, it's a about Jesus. He must become greater, I must become less.

It's not up to us

2010-10-10T20:57:00.002-04:00

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.
-Proverbs 21:31

I had this verse (and still do) posted on a wall in my room last semester when some friends and I were putting on the Revival 2010 event (you can read my posts from February if you don't know what that is!). Reason being, we could try and try and try to make sure everything for the event went great, but the only way it could be considered successful was if God would allow it to be.

It was a relief for me to come across this verse during that time, and it is still a great reminder today. But like everything else in the Bible, it isn't enough to just read it, you have to believe it as well. It's not enough to just hear about Jesus, you need to believe in Him too. Isn't it great to think that we can put our best effort forth in whatever we are trying to accomplish, and know that it ultimately isn't up to us? If you say no, it's probably because you think you are just fine at whatever you try to do. And that's fine, if you think that "just fine" is good enough.

This verse is not about us being incompetent; it's about knowing that it's not about us. It's not about how much time you spend putting something together at work, or how hard you try to become a more spiritual person; if you are successful, it's because God allowed it, not because you earned it. Victory rests in the Lord, not in you or me. There is no amount of money you can give, or no amount of faith that you might think you have that will make you successful or make Jesus love you more.

It's a tremendous blessing to know that God leads us into victory. Even if we feel we have horribly blown it, Jesus still uses our imperfect efforts to advance His perfect kingdom. I think this concept applies most appropriately when it comes to Christians sharing the gospel with others. We can, and should, do our best to share our faith with those far from Jesus, but it isn't up to us to make others believe. So, do whatever you are trying to do to the best of your ability, and pray that God will bring it to successful completion.

Learning About Grace

2010-10-05T14:07:00.000-04:00

One of my greatest struggles, especially recently, is the teaching of grace. For me, it's not so much the struggle of trying to make God love me, but thinking I can somehow earn His blessings. And I know I am not alone in this, in fact it is what the majority of the world believes. Christianity is so unique in its theology and teachings that I wouldn't and don't consider it a "religion." Because religion (all religions besides Christianity) says you must earn God's love, or do "good" things to obtain His blessing.

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are the most well-known examples. Although theologically different, they are fundamentally the same. In essence, you have to earn your own salvation or obtain your own enlightenment through the decisions you make and how you live your life. Basically, you somehow save yourself, but no one really knows how to do it or if they have done "enough."

As a Christian, I know God loves unconditionally, and there is nothing I can do to earn it. I also know that God gives His grace to whomever he chooses, but that isn't always easy to accept. And that is what I have struggled with, having to realize that God may or may not choose to bless me in a certain area, and that I cannot be a "good enough Christian" in order to change His mind and give me what I want. Isaiah says this:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
-Isaiah 64:6

The Israelite's had fallen so far away from God, that even their good deeds were detestable (and if you have ever heard a teaching on this passage, you know what "filthy rags" is really referring too, it's not pretty). And this is what we must come to realize: we cannot earn God's blessing. If God has blessed you financially and you are a Christian, it's not because you are any better of a Christian than anyone else, God simply just chose to bless you! My selfish and sinful self will look at other people and allow me to get upset because someone has something I think I deserve, but it is simply not up to me. It's a difficult teaching to accept at times, but quite humbling to think about.

In the same light, if I chose to look at what God has given me, I realize I don't really deserve that either. I don't deserve Christ's salvation, and I definitely didn't earn it. When it comes down to God's grace in terms of His love, the Bible says this:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
-Romans 5:6-8

Not only can I not earn His blessing, but I cannot earn His love either. But by His astounding Grace, He has given it to all of us anyway. We don't deserve, we cannot earn it, but we should all take it!

Why I Blog

2010-09-29T17:19:00.000-04:00

People blog for different reasons. Some blog about a particular subject or hobby, others about what is going on in their life, and others for teaching purposes. More than a few blog because they think they are smart and need to be listened to. Some treat their blog like they do their Twitter account; they just want as many people to read it or follow them so they can feel good about themselves. So why do I do it? For a few reasons.

I enjoy it. I enjoy looking up scripture and sharing what God is teaching me. I don't claim to be more wise than anyone else; my goal is not for people to think I'm any smarter or more spiritual than they. Nor do I think I should be listened to, I find it a privilege that you would even take your time to read this. I don't always feel like writing a blog, but I find that it helps me better articulate what I'm thinking.

I also blog in the attempt to encourage others, particularly other Christians. Again, not because I am any wiser or more spiritually mature than anyone else, I just like talking about Jesus. You never know what people may be struggling with, so my hope is simply that this blog can provide some sort of encouragement. I don't care much whether or not people agree with what I say/what I believe, but if you are a follower of Christ, hopefully we share some similar view points.

To be honest though, my biggest reason for blogging is not because I enjoy it, or to encourage others. I don't blog so people will think I am smart, or so that tons of people will read what I have to say. I don't blog to necessarily make people happy or to get them to agree with me, I have very strong beliefs that will probably never change. And that is my main reason for blogging. I blog for those of you who don't believe in Jesus. Whether you are searching for who God is, or you despise even the thought of God, I blog for you. Why?

Because I believe in the Bible. That Jesus is God and salvation comes through faith in Him alone. Why does that matter? Because according to the Bible there is a God, and that God has a plan and purpose for your life. More importantly, the Bible also teaches that life isn't over when you die. And contrary to the belief of many in our society today, you don't just "end" if you aren't "religious" enough to get into heaven (being religious won't get you into heaven either). Because when you die, you will spend eternity somewhere, and I don't want it to be spent in Hell.

I have been told that I am only a Christian to make myself feel better about dying, and that eternal life is a very "cute" thing to believe in. Last time I checked, Hell wasn't cute, and neither is the reality that those who deny Christ as Lord will end up there. Is that very nice of me to say? No, but it would be a lot worse to say nothing if I actually believe that to be Truth. So, the main reason I blog is for those who do not believe. Not to try and convince anyone that I am right, but for the hope that my blogs may at the least make those who do not believe want to ask some questions. God is good, you should get to know Him!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
-John 3:16-17

I Disagree (Part 2)

2010-09-26T18:14:00.000-04:00

As I began in my last post, I disagree with the quote, "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." Here is the second reason why.

2) It's not biblical

I don't just mean in the sense of, "it's against what the Bible teaches," but also because it really isn't in the Bible! Like I said last time, I would be willing to bet that many people think that saying really is in the Bible somewhere. So I want to start out by saying; it literally isn't biblical, it isn't in the Bible.

But besides it not being literally written in the Bible, it also is not a biblical concept that can be drawn from reading the scriptures. In fact, it is the exact opposite; we are called to use words all the time! The Bible is full of passages about this topic, so I will only be using a few to prove my point. I am not by any means selecting only the scriptures that I believe back up my view point, so if that is your thought process, I suggest you read the Bible for yourself. Here they are:

And he (Jesus) said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
-Mark 16:15

The life (Jesus) was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life
-1 John 1:2 (read 1 john 1:1-4 for full context)

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel.
-1 Corinthians 1:17

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
2 Timothy 1-2

Again, the Bible is full of this, these are only a few examples. But perhaps the greatest fault that arises when we say "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary," is Jesus Himself. Jesus wasn't killed because of what He did, He was killed because of what He said. Yes, we see in the Gospels times where Jesus was endangered because of His actions (for performing miracles), but that isn't what killed Him. Instead, He was crucified because He claimed to be God. He was tortured because He found it necessary to use words to teach Truth. As a Christian, you aren't called to be a good person, you are called to share Jesus with others. A lot of sharing Christ's love does come from our actions, but what good are our actions if no one knows why we do what we do?

I Disagree

2010-09-24T14:06:00.000-04:00

I have a problem, and it has to do with a quote nearly all Christians have undoubtedly heard at one point or another. And my goal is not to offend, but rather explain my disagreement. I will post my first problem with the quote today, and my second issue in my next post (so don't get to upset with me until you read both!). The quote is typically accredited to Saint Francis of Assisi, although history doesn't necessarily show that. Anyway, here is the quote:

"Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary."

I would be willing to bet that many Christians actually think this saying is in the Bible somewhere, I think I did at one point. And while I understand the heart behind the statement, I have to be honest and say I don't agree with it. Let me begin by saying I understand, it may not be appropriate to talk about Jesus in every situation. I spent 6 weeks in Lebanon this summer, I get that. But, this quote is not even speaking about those select situations. So here is the first reason why I don't like it.

1) It's lazy

If there is one thing I have found God to be showing me over the past few months, it's how often our desire to run from God is not because we have an issue on whether He really exists, but because we are lazy. We would rather sit on the couch and watch T.V. than take care of our bodies because we are lazy, not because we think eating junk food is healthier than exercise. We don't chase after sexual purity because we think it is a bad thing, rather we don't pursue sexual purity because it's easier (and we are lazy) to have sex than to be a man or woman of Christ and commit to and believe that God's ways are better than our ways, and that sex is a great and wonderful thing only in the confines of marriage.

In the same way, "use words if necessary" is, to me, just another reason to be lazy. Let's face it, it is easier to buy someone a $5 coffee than to have a conversation about Jesus with someone who doesn't know Him. I don't think many Christians have the problem of sharing the gospel too much (if at all). That being said, I would quite hesitantly give anyone any more reason to be lazy in that regard. As believers, we need to not only live lives glorifying to Jesus, we need to be telling people about Him also! In "The Great Commission" (Matthew 28:16-20), Jesus tells us to go out and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all the commands He has for us. You can't teach someone with your mouth shut.

Again, I realize some of you may think I am being a bit to critical. My goal though is only to get you thinking. I'm not concerned with whether you agree with me or not, only that we don't allow our laziness (we are all lazy in some aspects) for Christ to be hindered any more than it already is.

Weekend at Camp

2010-09-21T11:04:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent this past weekend as one of the speakers Port City Community Church's high school ministry's (Ripple Effect) retreat! Here is how it went:

-I was sick last week and lost my voice, it still wasn't fully back this weekend but it made it through!

-I gave the same talk three times to different groups of students, it was really cool to see how the Spirit changed it up a bit each time.

-One of the girl small group leaders had her group come to my talk because she was at Revival 2010 and said she loved it!

-The only real difference I could tell between giving my message three times was that my mouth wasn't as dry by the last one!

-The cool thing about getting away and going to something like this is the conversations you are able to have with people, I had some great conversations!

-I got picked first for an indoor soccer game! Yes, it made me feel really cool!

-Some of the leaders and I got to race the go-karts they had three times in a row, and by race I mean wreck. We definitely left with a few bruises, it was awesome!

-It was one of those times for me where I really felt like God does know what He is doing.

-It was a blessing and a privilege to be able to do this!

After my last talk on Sunday morning. One of the high school girls came up to me with tears coming down her face. She told me her father too had taken his own life this month last year. She said it was so encouraging to actually see someone who has been through it and actually has made it through. I pointed to my Bible and told her this is the only way I've made it this far. We only had a brief moment to talk, I wish I could have talked to her more. But that was all God gave us at the time, and God knows what he is doing.

I can't wait to do something like this again! I really did have a great time, and I'm excited to see what happens next!

Sharing Your Faith

2010-09-15T19:16:00.000-04:00

This weekend I have the privilege of being a speaker at Port City Community Church's high school retreat. I will be speaking on "sharing your faith." Here are my main points:

SHARING YOU FAITH IS NOT:
-A step by step process. There is no perfect way to go about doing it.
-Something that becomes easy. We will always fear how it may turn out.

BUT: You are more prepared to share your faith right now than you think you are!

LEBANON: My experience there and what I learned.
-In order to share your faith with others, you must share it with yourself first

FOOTBALL & SURFING: Using these sports to explain the difference between knowing enough and knowing everything. (We really don't need to know all that much!)

SHARING YOUR FAITH IS IMPORTANT
*Matthew 28:16-20 (The Great Commission)
-Jesus' last words were for us to go out and share our faith!
-We aren't alone! (verse 20)

You are more prepared to share your faith right now than you think you are
*Romans 1:16
- HESITATION: Thinking it is our responsibility to make someone accept Christ.
- Gospel is powerful enough on its own

How can you share your faith?
-Share your story and share the Gospel

MY STORY:
-This is what the gospel did for me during my darkest time
-I Preached gospel to myself first
-How has the gospel impacted your story?
-How has the Gospel preserved you through (whatever).

I'll be speaking three times, twice on Saturday and once on Sunday. I appreciate any prayers! Looking forward to see what God does both to me and the students!

True Heroes

2010-09-12T19:22:00.000-04:00

The other day I did an assignment for my P.E. class where I had to list 5 positive things in my life right now and then had to explain them for my "emotional well-being." Although the assignment was something out of middle school, I decided to take it quite seriously so that I could truly be thankful for what God has blessed me with. So here was my list:

1) Jesus
2) Freedom to worship Jesus without fear of suffering or death
3) People in my life, both great friends and great mentors
4) Being in a learning environment to positively affect my future
5) My health

As I wrote this list, I thought to myself how my professor might view the second point on my list. As much as America's prosperity can negatively effect many people's desire for Jesus in their own life, we do have the wonderful advantage of having all the access we could want to learn about the Bible and the Gospel. No one is outcast from society for being a Christian. And many believers, myself included, look to our pastor's or a great theologian or worship leader and we think "I want to be like them." And many times we look up to the godly men and women in our lives as people who are heroes to us.

But what really makes a hero? Does being a gifted communicator really make someone worth wanting to be like? What about the people who suffer and die around the world for their belief and profession of Jesus Christ, what do we call them? Typically a hero is a hero because other people want to be like them, but do we really want to be a martyr? Paul says this in Philippians:

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
-Philippians 3:10 (emphasis added)

We all know how Jesus was killed, but many of us want to be more like Him. But how often in our pursuit to live lives pleasing to the Lord, do we forget the cost it may bring? We claim that we want more of Jesus in our lives, but do we really? As Francis Chan has said, "When we look at these martyrs, at these people who really have died for the Gospel. If we lift them up to be heroes, we have to constantly ask ourselves the question, 'do I want to be that?'" Would I (Dylan), really be willing to suffer how Jesus suffered, even to death in a tortureous manner? I would hope so, but I really don't know.

There are many "heroes" in my life that I look up to and would like to be like one day, and it is great to have people like that in your life. But there are also people all around the world dying literally everyday because of their faith, and that is a true hero.

What All Men Need

2010-09-08T19:31:00.000-04:00

Every man's greatest struggle is knowing whether or not he has what it takes, fearing the he will fail. Resulting in men who don't reach their full potential because we don't want to fail, and failure means we don't have what it takes. And if we don't have what it takes, we don't feel like true men. And it is easier for us, we think, to dream of what could be, than to humiliate ourselves by what we think may happen. But in order for a man to reach his potential two things must happen.

1) He must, well, be a man!

Before any steps are taken or dream accomplished, a man must not be a coward. Things like responsibility, integrity, honesty, and hard working come to mind. He must be willing to put forth the effort. The Bible gives the example of an ant to demonstrate this point:

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
-Proverbs 6:6-8

All men understand the first part (whether they live it or not) and realize a man needs to be willing to take action and move forward into the unknown. As the ant works for its harvest, so we must work for ours. But I have seen many men in my life who do strive for these standards, but their potential is still not being reached. Many times, I believe, it has to do with the second point.

2) He must be affirmed

Now I do not want to confuse or mesh affirmation and encouragement together, because they are different things. Anyone can encourage, but for a man, not just anyone can affirm. Anyone can tell a man how great he is at something or how bright his future is. And while this can be and is a great thing, encouragement alone will not push a man into action. But affirmation can. Affirmation for a man, is when an older man is willing to take a younger man aside, watch that younger man, and tell that younger man he has what it takes. When a younger man sees that older man who has lived life, accomplished what the younger wishes to accomplish, and has made it through to tell about it; that is when the younger man's dreams actually come alive. No longer is it a fantasy of "I would really like to accomplish (whatever)," but it becomes reality when a man who has been through it, and knows what it is like, looks at the younger and affirms that he can do it too. Friends, mothers, and people in general all can be great encouragers, but it takes a unique man to affirm. And that can make all the difference in the world

As quoted from Pastor Mike Ashcraft, "When older men stop investing, younger men stop caring." And as a younger man, I couldn't agree more.

Nietzsche's Problem

2010-09-05T15:39:00.001-04:00

The world renowned German philosopher and atheist Frederick Nietzsche (1844-1900) famously proclaimed many times throughout his life that "God is dead." He would even go as far as to say "God is dead, and we have killed him." Claiming God to be dead though, is not even the biggest problem this statement presents. The trouble comes from how Nietzshe sets his claim up. Because to say "God is dead," is to first say that "God is," and if "God is," then God must be something, and if God is something, than God must exist.

This statement must not be confused with the phrase "God does not exist," because this claim never assumes a God to begin with. But to say something "is" assumes that something to be present. Therefore to say "God is dead," assumes that there is in fact a God, but somehow that God has died. By continuing the claim to include "we have killed him" is also very interesting to note. For Nietzsche, it does not seem that he (to me) was completely sold on his atheistic views. For not only does he begin his claim with "God is," but also states that we as humans have killed him.. Again, it doesn't seem as though Nietzsche won't accept the idea of God. Rather, it appears that God just doesn't work how Nietzsche believes He should. But here is what Nietzsche failed to realize; God doesn't work the way any of us expect Him to. Why? Because God is God, and we aren't. And just because God doesn't operate by our finite and selfish minds does not in itself discredit God's existence. For if we as His creation could figure our Creator out, He wouldn't be God.

But Nietzsche doesn't even stop there, as quoted by apologist Ravi Zacharis:

"The fact of the matter is, we have spilled more blood in the 20th century than the previous 19 put together. And ironically, it was the German philosopher Nietzsche who reminded us that since God had died in the 19th century, the 20th would become the bloodiest century in history."

This though is not because God Himself is actually "dead," but rather we are seeing world that is deciding God is not needed because we can do it better ourselves. It has been estimated that over 200,000,000 (that's 200 million) people have died as a result of war alone in the 20th century. We have not killed God, we have only killed each other. For God does not need us, we need Him. And that is what makes the Gospel of Jesus so beautiful.

The Beauty of Pain

2010-08-29T12:05:00.000-04:00

We see from many of the New Testament books and writers the idea of being joyful or rejoicing in pain. And no matter how often we may read or hear that, it can still not make a whole lot of sense. There is nothing exciting about suffering, and why would God tell us to rejoice in it? Unfortunately this idea of being joyful is talked about a lot, and it is scriptural, but the majority of the time it isn't explained. In which case, you have people going telling other people to be joyful in their circumstance, but no one knows why or the reason for it.

One of my favorite Pastors, Mark Driscoll, writes in his book Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe:

"As Christians we should neither run to suffering as the early Christian ascetics did, nor run from it as some modern Christians do. Instead, we receive suffering when it comes as an opportunity for God to do something good in us and through us. We rejoice not in the pain but rather in what it can accomplish for the gospel so that something as costly as suffering is not wasted but used for God's glory, our joy, and others' good."

The idea of being joyful in pain is not to make other people think that since you are a Christian you are emotionless and invincible to any sort of pain, because you aren't. But rather, so that you can suffer through circumstance or persecution and still know that God is good, and that Jesus is choosing to use you to share His glory with others. As Driscoll states, "In order to suffer well - that is, in a way that is purposeful for the progress of the gospel both in and through us - we must continually remember Jesus' cross."

As the apostle Peter says:

But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
-1 Peter 2:20-24

So while it hurts and is difficult and is hard, do not forget to rejoice. God has been doing His thing for a long time (forever). He can get you through it, and who knows, someone else may meet Jesus because of it.

Salvation for the Jews

2010-08-21T13:41:00.002-04:00

Being Religion major at UNC-Wilmington, I obviously learn (and sometimes just get the professor's opinion) about different religions. A misconception that is so often taught, and believed, is that the Jews who lived before the time of Jesus where saved by their works. Did they offer enough sacrifices, follow all of the laws, not break any commandments, etc. As a Christian, this teaching is very problematic. For if one was to ascribe to this teaching, you would be believing that God, for some reason, must have changed his mind. What do I mean?

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

We learn here (and many other places in the Bible) that we are saved through our belief in Jesus Christ, not by how good of a person we may think we are. Therefore, to say that the Jews were saved by their works would be contradictory. We also know from the Bible, from the Old and New Testament alike, that God does not change:

He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.
-1 Samuel 15:29 (O.T.)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
-James 1:17 (N.T.)

So we must conclude that either we are saved through faith, or saved through works. For if we are saved through either/or, God would be contradicting Himself; And if God were to contradict Himself, He would be liar; And if He were to be liar, He would not be all-good; And if He is not all-good, than He cannot be God. So how do we find out how we are saved? We simply read what the Bible says, which is that we are saved through faith alone. No where in the Bible does it ever say one can be saved through works, Old and New Testament alike. This argument only arises when those ignorant of the scriptures read the laws of the Jews and assume that is how they reached salvation. The apostle Paul comments on this very assumption:

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." As it is written:
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
-Romans 9:30-33

For the Jews, it wasn't about following the "rules" to attain salvation. It was about believing in the God who gave them these laws so that may become more like Him. Just as modern day believers in Jesus follow His teachings; not that following His commands get us into Heaven, but for us to be more like Him here on this earth. Because again:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

A letter to my father

2010-08-12T20:36:00.000-04:00

Dear dad,

I miss you. I wonder what it is like in heaven. Do you ever think about us, your family? Is that even possible to do when you're with Jesus? I know we all think about you, mom probably the most. She's doing great by the way, you would be so proud of her, I know I am.

I've learned a lot about Jesus since you died. I've also learned a lot about you. I still remember all the stories people told me of how you impacted their lives. I used to wonder why you never told me that you did so much for so many people, but I do remember you always mentioning how important it was to love people because that's what Jesus would do. I'm not nearly as good at that as you were.

I went to Lebanon this summer for 6 weeks. Remember when I was a freshmen and I told you and mom that I wanted to go? You weren't very fond of the idea, and I didn't end up going that summer, but I went this year. School starts a week from today and I'll be a junior this year. I switched my major last year from music to religion.

I drive your old CRV now. Sometimes I pretend for a few seconds that everything is normal and that you are still here. I don't know why, maybe it just helps me feel better sometimes. I will always be grateful for the 18 years that I was able to learn from you, but now I'm starting to realize how much I wish you were still here. I'm going through a lot right now, and I have so many questions to ask you. From finances to my future, what do you think I should do? Maybe it is times like these that I miss you the most because of how much I knew you believed in me. You would tell me all the time how proud you were of me, but you really didn't have to. I just knew that you knew that I would be a great man of God someday. Well I have a long way to go to reach that point, but I wish you could tell me what you think of me now.

I'm not mad at you. I do get mad at you from time to time, but if saw you right now I wouldn't be mad at you. You made a bad choice, as we all do, but yours happened to carry larger consequences. If I had the chance to see you right now I would give you a hug and tell you that I love you. I didn't tell you that enough when you were alive.

I'll never fully understand why you ended you're life, but I want to tell you something I've never told you before. I want you to know that I forgive you. I forgive you for all the pain you have caused to me and mom and Jordan and Logan. I forgive you for not being here for me now when I need you. I forgive you for the depression that I went through after you died, and for the pain that I still feel now. I forgive you for leaving mom, and for making Logan go through high school without his dad. I forgive you for all of it.

But I want to thank you. Thank you for teaching me about Jesus so that one day I'll be able to join you in his presence, and be able to see you again. Thank you for showing me what a man of integrity is supposed to look like, and how to be a true man.

I don't know if you know that I'm writing any of this. If God can somehow tell you that your family still loves you, then I pray he will do it. If not, we will all tell you when we get there. I miss you dad.

The Heresy of Noah

2010-08-10T17:26:00.000-04:00

The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
-Genesis 6:5-9

The story of Noah. One of the Bible's most amazing stories that many of us have heard countless times. Unfortunately, this story is often (if not most often) taught incorrectly. Let me explain.

We usually hear the story told like this; "In the days of Noah, everyone was wicked and evil except for Noah, who was a righteous man who earned God's favor. Therefore, God saved Noah and his family from the flood." What we learn from this story is that are good people and bad people, and that God kept Noah alive because he was a good guy and work hard to merit God's favor. Because God loves and saves the good guys, while punishing all the bad ones. This teaching however, directly opposes everything else taught in scripture.

Genesis 6:5-7 tells us that God saw all humans as evil (Noah included). Genesis 6:8 also does not say that Noah earned God's favor, but rather God graciously gave Noah His favor. Noah was only a "righteous and blameless man" because God's grace empowered him to be so. In fact, any Christian today is simply a modern day Noah; we were wicked sinners whom God chose to grant His grace to, but not because we were any better than anybody else. As the Bible points out:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
-Romans 5:6

The hope is that with this grace God has given us, we continue to remain faithful to Him. Lucky for us, we don't have to spend 120 years building anything. But we must not think that either us or Noah are the "good guys," but rather bad guys given grace.

The One Thing

2010-08-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

What's the one thing that you really want? The one thing that if you had, nothing else would matter because with that one thing you could get through anything (or so you think). The one thing that you pray about everyday thinking "if I could just have this!" What's funny though, is that there will always be that one thing. It was probably different five years ago than it was today, and may change again in two months.

Like the story of Joseph in the Bible. A man who was hated by his brothers and sold into slavery (Genesis 37). Then after working his way up to a high position was, lied about by one of the Pharaoh's top official's wives (Genesis 39). He was then thrown in jail for something he did not do, but while there was basically put in charge of the prison by the warden (Genesis 39). While Joseph was in prison, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker of the Pharaoh were also thrown in jail. Both of these men had dreams while in prison that Joseph correctly interpreted (Genesis 40). The cup bearer would be restored to his position, and the baker would be hanged. Joseph's only request of the cupbearer was to remember him when we got out of prison. Then we read:

Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand, but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
-Genesis 40:20-23 (emphasis added)

The one thing that Joseph wanted more than anything. After everything he had been through in his life, while remaining faithful to God, and all Joseph wanted was for the cupbearer to remember him when he was freed. But Joseph was not granted that one thing he wanted, and he was left in prison.

We learn as the story continues that two years go by before the cupbearer remembers Joseph. Only because the Pharaoh had two troubling dreams that no one could interpret was the cupbearer reminded of Joseph and how Joseph had interpreted his own dream. Joseph had to wait two (more) years, until God took him out of the jail that he probably so desperately prayed to leave.

So what does that have to do with us? Well, what is that one thing that you think is what you "need." Who knows, God may grant you your desire, or he may have you wait a while. But, there is also a good chance you will never get it at all. So we must choose how we respond. Do we decide that God must not love us because he won't give us what we want, or do we remind ourselves that we are not God, and really don't know what it is we really want? Because the chances are pretty high (like 100%) that God knows what we need more than we do. That does not mean we cannot pray for what that one thing we would like above all else, it just means that we should always end that prayer with "your will be done."

Just Grieve

2010-08-03T13:08:00.002-04:00

Excerpt from the chapter "Just Grieve," from my book (or whatever it ends up being).

It devastates me to hear people claim that with Christ we can experience a great and happy life. That we can be protected from strife and extreme suffering. If only you would have a little more faith, then you would not be in the situation you are in they say. Then I think of all the people who actually believe that, that because they are not “good enough,” they are experiencing deep hurt. If only you were a “better” Christian, then you would not be going through what you are going through. If that is something you are struggling with, I beg you to realize you have been told a lie. God does not love you any less, and you are certainly not any worse of a person because of your pain. I say this with the utmost confidence, not to try and make you feel better, but because it is true. The beauty of it though, is that you don’t have believe me, or them, you can open your Bible and find out for yourself.

But in case you are not running to your Bible at this very moment, you may not even know where to look, so let me give you a brief description as to what you will find. First, we can start with our Savior. Our heavenly Father who sent his son down to this earth to pay a penalty he did not deserve so that you and I may have hope and eternal life. As we look at the life of Jesus, we see a man who lived without sin. A man who was the definition of love, and the greatest servant this world had ever seen. A greater person than anyone of us will ever be, and what happened to him?

Well, he was rejected in his own town. He was mocked by all the religious leaders of his day. He was called a liar, a hypocrite, and a blasphemer of God’s name. He was rejected by most, hated by his own people, and betrayed by one of his most loyal followers. He was then arrested, tortured, and murdered on a cross. Dying a humiliating death that he did not deserve, so that we may have a chance at life. Jesus, God in human form, and the greatest man this earth will ever know. Died one of the most excruciating deaths known to man. This is the single greatest example as to completely annihilate the theory that suffering does not come to those who have faith in Christ. Clearly Jesus knew who Jesus was, for he himself was Jesus! And although further examples are not needed after this one, I will continue with a few more so that you can’t excuse this very clear argument with the thought that because Jesus was himself God, this example somehow shouldn’t “count.”

Next we will look at the twelve disciples. The men who followed Jesus during his time of ministry, were the closest men to him, and who spread the news of Christ after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Let me reiterate here again, these men loved Jesus, served him faithfully, and where men of great faith. Yet we see here also that these men suffered great pain and agony, even to the point of death. Here is what happened to the twelve disciples:

Andrew, crucified; Bartholomew, beaten then crucified; James, son of Alphaeus, stoned to death; James, son of Zebedee, beheaded (as well as his accuser who was converted by James’ courage); John, exiled to the island of Patmos for his faith, died of old age; Judas (not Iscariot), stoned to death; Matthew, speared to death; Peter, crucified upside down; Philip, crucified; Simon, crucified; Thomas, speared to death; Matthias, stoned to death (Foxe's Book of Martyrs).

The only man who was not murdered for his faith was John. Who was boiled in oil, somehow survived, and then exiled to an island where he later wrote the book of Revelation and died, alone, of old age. Finally, we will look at the apostle Paul. A man who wrote thirteen books of the New Testament. A man who used to murder Christians until his conversion, turned his life completely around and wrote books of the Bible and started churches. Paul was beaten, tortured, imprisoned, starved, and was put on trial to die many times before he ultimately was killed for spreading the Gospel. We see in 2 Corinthians some of what Paul went through, he writes:

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
-2 Corinthians 11:23-29

It Starts

2010-07-21T23:04:00.002-04:00

As I said in my last post, I am attempting to write a book. I don't know what I am doing, I have no special training in writing, and I don't even know the necessary steps to take in order to have anyone read it. I could wait ten years until I attempt this, to learn how to properly write and publish a book. But if I did that I would lose something very important, something that cannot be taken back. I would lose the raw emotion I had/have while dealing with my deepest pain, the death of my father. So I am writing about how I have felt and what God has taught me. Hoping that my experience might be useful to someone. Below is a short excerpt of the second chapter "Life isn't Over."

I want to take a moment to discount an unfortunate lie we always hear, and also tell ourselves. Undoubtedly you have heard it by many well-meaning people, but they are mistaken. But before you call me crazy, let me explain. Here is the myth:

Time is the greatest healer.

I am here to tell you that it is not. Time does not heal anything. Time tricks us into thinking we are better when we are not. Time makes us think we have overcome something that we have not. Time does nothing but makes us forget how much it hurt, but it doesn’t heal. And then time sends us into a depression when years later we are still hurt, still in pain. We think that if time is supposed to heal, then why do we still hurt so much so long after the fact? Sure we may not be in the constant pain that we once were in, but we sure don’t feel any better when the rough days come. So if time is the great healer, and I am far from healed, what do I do? If I talk to someone, won’t they think I should be doing better by now? Maybe there is something wrong with me then?

This is what happens when we buy into the lie that time heals all. As was mentioned, time does not heal, time forgets. All time does is make us forget. You may argue that if you forget your pain, then you are no longer feeling it. So let me ask you. How long has it been for you since you received your life altering news? Maybe you lost a child in a car accident, your spouse left you have years of marriage, or a family member committed suicide. And when you think back to that day, and the journey you have been on since, how do you feel? I would bet you aren’t thinking your all better now because it has been five years. Maybe you even find yourself daydreaming of what life would be like if that day had never occurred. We have good days and we have bad days, and maybe you are going through a period of doing well. But if time healed, you wouldn’t fall back into those rough times. But you do, we all do. We all have those days where the pain is just as real as the actual day itself. So if we can’t wait out our pain, what do we do?

So there you go, a small piece of my writing so far. As you can probably tell, I have a lot to learn. Grammar, sentence structure, paragraph formation, I know none of that. All I know is what the Lord has revealed to me (I'll let someone else edit it to make me sound pretty). So over my next few posts, I will post other small excerpts of other chapters. Not for people to tell me that they are "proud of me," but with the prayer that they may benefit someone. I would love to know what you think, criticism and advice alike. Looking forward to sharing more with you soon!

Here it goes

2010-07-19T18:05:00.003-04:00

I remember when I was younger hearing adults always talk about how God was asking them to do something, but they didn't want to do it. Finally though, they eventually listened to God and everything turned out better than they could have expected. I remember always thinking after hearing those stories, "why didn't they just listen to God in the first place?" Of course being older, I have learned it can be really tough to fully put our trust in God. We want to be in control of our lives, and what happens if we fail?

It's tough, but as I have learned in my own life, why not? Why not step out in faith? If we fail, so what? If you are a believer in Christ, you know that you live for an audience of one (Jesus) anyway, so it really shouldn't matter what others may think. Yet as many people read that and really do agree with that statement, there are things in there life (your life) that aren't being done because we don't think it could actually happen. We don't have enough faith that God will move the mountain in our life.

For about three months I've been dealing with my own mountain. Putting it off because I didn't think I could do it. Because no one will take me seriously, and because I really don't know how to do it. The truth is I can't do it, but God can. People won't take me seriously, but I am reminded of what the apostle Paul has to say in Galatians:

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
-Galatians 1:10

And finally, I really don't know how to do it. How in the world does one go about writing a book? Even more, who cares what I have to say? But I shouldn't worry about that. If God is telling me to do something, I want to try my best to do it. It gives me an opportunity to trust in Him. I have no idea how this is going to work, but He does. I don't want to have to think about pain and what I have been through. What do I do if I spend hours and days and weeks and months writing and it fails? Simple. I do the same thing that I am doing now. I still praise God because He is good. My situation doesn't change who He is. Because right now, I don't feel like praising Jesus for who He is. I feel like life isn't fair and God isn't doing what He told me He would do. And then I realize that I am not God, and that I really don't know what is best for me.

So I will write. I will write about what I have been learning the most about over this past year. I will spend hours and days and weeks and months doing something I don't want to do, because God is good and he deserves it.

I am going to write a book about pain. And while people may outwardly encourage me while inwardly not taking me seriously, I am going to do it. Knowing full well I could be wasting a whole lot of time, I am going to do it. Because life is not about me, it is about Jesus, and I want to do whatever I can to give Him the glory. So here it goes...

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
-Proverbs 16:3

What I believe

2010-07-15T10:27:00.003-04:00

I believe that we live in a corrupt and fallen world. That evil is not something God "created," but rather what happens when we separate ourselves from God. That we are all sinful and deserve eternal separation from a perfect and holy God in order that we may not blemish his righteousness. And that because of our wickedness no "good" we can do will ever allow us to be worthy of being with the Lord. We can not erase our offenses of the past, nor can we prevent all of them from happening in the future. So you and I and everyone else deserves to spend eternity in hell because of our sinfulness, for a perfect God can not surrounded himself with imperfect beings.

I believe in the Bible. That it is the inerrant and perfect and without fault Word of God. That it was not merely written by men, but by the power of the Spirit of God guiding them as the wrote. That the Bible is the ultimate authority on life itself. That there is none more elegant literature ever compiled. That in a time span of over 1500 years, over 40 men wrote 66 books, without contradiction, all pointing to Jesus and the glory of God.

I believe that Jesus is the son of God, who came down to this earth as both fully human and fully divine, to take the sins of this world upon His shoulders. That as the Bible says and Jesus teaches:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
-John 14:6

That because of the death of Jesus on the cross, we can become holy and righteous and blameless before God. That we can enter God's presence and spend eternity with Him. Not because of anything we have done or could do, but purely and only because of what Jesus did. That the gospel, the story of Jesus, is the most beautiful story that there is and could ever be told. That our good and evil deeds carry no weight with Christ. That no one can earn their way into heaven. That the only way to heaven is by accepting and believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. That without Christ you and I and everyone will else spend eternity in hell. That Jesus' claim to eternal life is the true and only way:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
-John 3:16-17

I believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only hope in the world, and as Paul writes in Romans:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
-Romans 1:16

That's what I believe.

Happiness

2010-07-09T10:59:00.000-04:00

As a believer in Christ, you will never hear me say that the point of life is to be happy, nor that we should strive for happiness on this side of eternity. The "preachers" and speakers who proclaim the prosperity gospel need to read their Bibles again. Our lifetime on this earth isn't meant for us to get rich or die trying. We are meant to know Jesus and make him known, not to accumulate toys to play with while the rest of the world has no place to even sleep at night. As one of my favorite Pastors Tom Nelson puts it, "God didn't put us on this earth to be wealthy. In case you haven't noticed, gold in Heaven is called asphalt."

But I'm not saying it is bad to be happy, and that is what I am learning. As many of you know I just returned from Lebanon. After being away for six weeks, I came back with not a whole lot to do for the time being. I am trying to get readjusted to being with friends and in America again. A lot of the things I was busy with during the school year are not going on during the summer, and so I've come back to a much stripped down lifestyle. Through this, the Lord has really been showing me; what do I put my happiness in? As I said, my goal in life isn't to be happy, but I do enjoy it. Does the fact that I have eternal salvation through Jesus Christ alone enough to satisfy me? Honestly, lately it hasn't been, and isn't that scary? As the apostle Paul put it:

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
-2 Corinthians 4:8-11

To know Jesus and make Him known, that is the point. If I put my happiness in that, then how much money I have makes no difference to me. Having a big house or the new iPhone makes no difference to me. My happiness isn't tied to my health and wealth, it's tied to Jesus. So if life is going hard, if something happens where I get hurt and therefore I am unhappy, it's ok. If I lose out on a neat opportunity because I follow Jesus, it will be ok. I'll have more than I ever could have imagined in heaven, so for now, I would rather focus my time on making sure others will be able to experience Jesus as well. Whether I am "happy," or not.

It's Been a Year

2010-06-29T21:31:00.002-04:00

A year since my father ended his life. A year that has taught me more than I ever wanted to know, and more than I ever thought I could know. A year that taught me the joy of pain. As I share my story with others, I do my best to wear out the following passage:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
-James 1:2-4

A year later, and what have I learned? The pure joy of pain. The beauty of knowing I have absolutely no control. The understanding that all I could do was pursue the Lord, and at times that is literally all I could do. There were times when I couldn’t sleep at night, so I got up and wrote out chapters of the Bible. Times that I listened to worship music and wept until no more tears would come. Times where I was so grieved that I threw up. So through these circumstances, I had a choice to make. Do I sit or lie here and become angry at life and just give up, or do I allow God to use this trial in my life to understand Him more clearly? Somehow making it through the day solely based on the realization that God is in control, and that He can use this for His ultimate glory.

So long story short, here I am a year later. Begging you to realize how beautiful Christ really is. Knowing that to live is Christ, but to die is gain. Knowing that one day I will see my father again. Not because he was a “good” person, but because he believed in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the entire world. Telling you that Jesus Christ really is the hope of the world. Telling you that in a way I could never understand, I really am ok. I really am at peace, and I still have a future I look forward to everyday. As the apostle Paul writes in Philippians:

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4:4-7

I don’t sit here today under my own power. I didn’t make it through this year by myself, and I wouldn’t have if I were. It is through Christ alone that I am able to be joyful on this very challenging day, and it is through the grace of God that I will continue. I am more than blessed to have spent 19 years with the greatest man of God I will ever know. His earthly body may be dead, but his life will never end thanks to the Cross. I love you dad.

Roger Dodson
03/18/1962 - Eternity

Lebanon!

2010-05-10T17:31:00.019-04:00

It's finally time to go to Lebanon! I will leave for a three day briefing/training on Tuesday, and fly out on Friday the 14th! There is a team of ten of us going, eight college students and two directors. I still don't know much in terms of details on the trip until our briefing starts, but we will be flying into Beirut (the capital) to work on some of the universities there. It is hard to believe it is finally time to go.

I want to thank all of you who financially supported me to go on this project. I honestly don't know how I was able to raise all of the support; God is faithful to say the least. I won't be able to bring my laptop, but I think I will still be able to update the blog while I'm gone (I think!). Regardless, I will be sending letters at to all who supported me when I return from the trip. If you would like to pray for me while I'm away, here is what I am asking:

1) To build long lasting relationships with Lebanese students, that friendships will be established that continue long after I leave.

2) Safety!

I'm excited to learn whatever the Lord has for me over in Lebanon. Our plane leaves on May 14th, my birthday, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than to have the opportunity to share Jesus in another country.

Below is a basketball video that my little brother and I made. I think coach Krzyzewski at Duke will be giving me a call when I return to the States!

DISCLAIMER: No shots were missed in the making of this video...

Lessons learned

2010-05-06T14:17:00.000-04:00

Second year of college is over! I have learned quite a lot this past year through different struggles, difficulties, and blessings. As I have had to face difficult and surprising situations alike, many lessons have been learned. The Lord stretched me and allowed me to be apart some really amazing things; he has really shown me a lot. Here are the top three things I have learned, and am still learning, my sophomore year:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.     -James 1:2-4

Wisdom. This passage has taken a whole new light to me. Specifically with my father's death, what I have learned is that it is through trials that we gain true understanding. That is where the pure joy comes from. Through difficulties we realize who Christ is and what it means to follow Christ, or to show the love of Jesus to those in need. Through the testing of our faith, we better understand the gospel.

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.     -James 5:7

Patience. Growing up I had all these desires to do different things with my life, but being young, I could never really do them. As I get a little older, I now have the opportunity to do some of these things. I used to get so frustrated thinking the Lord has given me certain desires, but then wouldn't give me an opportunity to carry those desires out. What I am slowly learning now is that the Lord really does give us aspirations, and just because they don't transpire right away doesn't mean they won't in the future. Instead of getting upset about the lack of opportunity, it is better to realize we have been given our desires for a reason, and should start preparing ourselves for when the time does finally arrive.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.       -John 13:34

Love. That's it. The single most important attribute to any follower of Christ should be love. Through different situations I have been through this year, I have found both scripturally and applicably that love is how all believers are called to live. No theological debate, no material possession, no amount of knowledge comes anywhere close to the power of love. I love this verse because not only does it command us to love, but it explains that this is how you will be recognized as a disciple of Christ. Your actions show what you truly believe, and you don't need a college education to understand that.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

2010-04-26T14:42:00.001-04:00

Answer: They don't.

This type of question is brought up a lot in religious conversations, and being a Religion major, I hear it pretty frequently among students. My question though, is what makes a "good" person? If lying, cheating, stealing, lusting, gossiping, and jealousy are "bad," I think I just marked every single person alive off the "good" list. But obviously no one is perfect, and if that is the case, what then is your standard of "goodness?"

Personally, I think sex before marriage is a bad thing. You on the other hand, may not. No two people have the exact same standard of what is right and what is wrong. As a believer in Christ, I take what I believe to be good and bad from the Bible, but even then, my bias and human desire sway what I ultimately consider to be sexual immorality, as does yours. With this in mind, who is to judge what makes a good person "good?" We simply cannot. What is agreeable is this:

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
-Romans 3:23

No matter how good or nice or sweet a person may be, they are still a sinner, and they are still ultimately "bad." This is what makes the gospel so unique, and Christianity so different. As a believer in Christ, you and I can freely admit we are screwed up people. We don't have to sit and meditate and beat ourselves up to try and rid ourselves of our sinful nature, but rather accept the free gift of grace and strive to avoid sin for our own good.. We can admit that we can do nothing and are nothing without Christ, who chose to save us despite our shortcomings. This is why I believe we are asking the wrong question. The question is not "why do bad things happen to good people?" Because of the blessing of Christ, I think the better is question is this:

Why do good things happen to bad people?

Surprise!

2010-04-18T16:13:00.002-04:00

It's my birthday! Actually it was two days ago. But really it's next month...

This past Friday night I had my first ever surprise party! I thought I was just going on a date with my girlfriend, Christina. We were going to Outback for dinner, little did I know about 20 other people would be joining us! Now I had been quite confused this past Thursday and Friday as multiple people either told me ‘Happy Birthday’ or asked if I was excited that my birthday was coming up. Since my birthday isn't until May 14th, this seemed a little strange. I honestly figured Christina and I would go to dinner and then possibly go somewhere after where people would try to surprise me or something, so everyone being there at dinner really did surprise me.

Dinner was great! Christina and I left a few minutes before everyone else to go wherever else she was taking me on ‘our date.’ We went by Starbucks, and then back to campus. She gave me a little envelope and told me we were going on a scavenger hunt. The first place we were to go is the big conference room that we hold a prayer meeting in every Tuesday night. She made me walk in with my eyes closed, and I really had no idea what was going to be in there. So, of course, I was very surprised again to see everyone that was at dinner, plus even more people, ready to surprise me again! This time for a dessert party.

I had a great time, and was a little overwhelmed that all these people would do this for me. It really meant a lot, especially considering my birthday isn't for a month! The reason it was so early is because school ends in early May, and I'll be on a plane to Lebanon on my actual birthday! I had never had a surprise party before, thank you to everyone that made it happen!

For those of you who know me and how I like cats, here is a card I received!

A true feel good story

2010-04-12T13:46:00.001-04:00

Continuing with my previous blog, I would like to share a story about a family I had a conversation with after one of the Easter services.

After each service, those of us involved in the cardboard testimonials stood outside the auditorium so that people could come up and speak to us if they would like. After the last service, one family approached me. Now I don't remember their names, but it was the husband who was with his wife and two kids. I don't remember his name, so I will call him Rick...

Rick: You are one of Roger's son's aren't you?

Me: Yes sir

Rick: We took one of his Budget Sense courses that he taught, he helped us out so much, he was such a great teacher.

Me: Oh yeah, he was.

Rick: You were there one night weren't you? You shared with us what you had learned and how you dealt with money right?

Me: (Surprised they remembered me because this took place about 4 years ago). I was! I came to one of his classes once.

Rick: Well, we just wanted to let you know this. We were pretty well known in our class for having the most amount of consumer debt, when we took your father's class, we were $104,000 in debt.

Me: (Thinking to myself, ‘I can't believe he just told me that’) Yeah, that's a lot.

Rick: Yeah, I saved all of the e-mails of correspondence with your father, and we just wanted to let you know, that your dad told us to tell him when we had paid off 50% of our debt.

Me: (I just smiled and nodded.)

Rick: Well, we just wanted to tell you that we just got there, we just got down to about $48,000. We just thought we should let you know that. Your dad really changed our lives...

I then thanked the husband for sharing his story with me. They told me to share their story with my mom, and then walked away. The neat thing is, although my dad taught dozens "semester" long classes, only once did I ever come to share to a class to share what I had learned.

Easter was difficult, as all holidays are, without my dad. It's tough going to church, especially back home, because I have so many memories of my father there. It's like I keep expecting him to walk out of the offices or from some room and ask me if I'm ready to drive home. Of course, that doesn't happen. It will never happen. But I can't wait for the day I get to tell my father of all the lives he changed through my story. Satan thought that Saturday morning almost 10 months ago was a win for him. News flash:

It wasn't.

Life on a box

2010-04-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

The Easter weekend services at Hope Community Church in Raleigh this weekend were powerful. The music was great, the message was awesome, but the most moving 5 minutes that literally changed peoples lives happened at the end: the cardboard testimonials. Some of you may be familiar with what that is, if not, it's pretty simple. We had around 20 people share their story/struggle in just a few words on one side of a piece of cardboard (about 2' by 2'). On the back of the piece of cardboard was how, through Jesus, addictions and problems have been over come. A person would walk up showing their struggle, and then flip the cardboard around to show what Jesus had done in their lives. I think every single person at Hope this weekend could relate to at least one person on the stage. Everything was represented, from a former stripper, to broken marriages due to adultery, to people who were abused and depressed. All of their stories, now fixed and restored because of Jesus.

Many people commented on our bravery and courage to share our stories in front of thousands of people. And trust me, it took a lot of it. But not for me, even though I did have the opportunity to be one of the ones involved in the cardboard testimonials this weekend. And at first I couldn't figure out why everyone kept thanking us and complimenting us on our "bravery." I soon realized that statement was true, even though I kept feeling like it didn't take much for me to do it. The reason being is that these people were sharing their personal struggles and mess ups. Things that they weren’t proud of, but they were willing to humble themselves for the sake of giving others hope. You see for me, I didn't share anything that I had done wrong. My cardboard simply said this (Front/Back):

I lost my dad in 2009 / I have a heavenly Father

I was not "brave" like the others, because I did not expose myself like they did. I didn't have to show something that I had messed up on. But I did realize this; Jesus doesn't just fix our problems, He doesn't just come after we have broken something to clean it up. Jesus is, right now, already a solution to all of our future problems. He doesn't have to change how He is doing things after we screwed up. I had a heavenly Father before my dad died, and I have the same heavenly Father today.

Nothing has changed. He hasn't changed. Jesus is still my savior, and no matter what I do, He isn't going to change that.

Selfishly ever after

2010-03-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

What is going to make me happy? What do I want in a spouse? They should be able to do this, that, oh and that too.

These are commonly what we hear in our society in dealing with dating and marriage, especially from the crowd my age as we begin to get serious about our future. The average age to get married is rising, the divorce rate audaciously high, and there are more books and resources on love than ever before. Some argue the divorce rate is higher because we live longer, or that we take longer to mature today, so we get married later. But I would argue there is a bigger issue, you.

You, me, everyone. We are selfish, and is affecting how we view our relationships. In our society, we are trained to live for us, what we want, we makes us happy. Slowly but surely, this idea has crept it's way into how many view their relationships. Now there are reasons for the higher marriage age, and clearly there is nothing wrong with getting married later. But I witness very clearly at college everyone's desire to chase after their own dreams and desires. We go to school to get good jobs, and people many times are unwilling to compromise any part of that dream for a relationship. Now this is ok as long as we don't sit and wonder why we can never find "the one." But relationships take time and compromise, we have to realize it's not all about us. Another reason is sex. Our society gives it the green light, and when it isn't being saved for marriage, people go ahead and move in together without the commitment needed to fulfill a healthy relationship.

What's my point? It isn't about you, or me, or us. It is about them.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
-Galatians 5:22-23

It doesn't say love is about making me happy; it's not about fulfilling my desires. As far as I can tell, it's about being a support and servant. It's about trust and selflessness. It's about them. I don't know much about anything when it comes to love. But even as a 19 year old college student, I do know this;

Love is not something you make, love is something you do.

I'm not your problem

2010-03-22T13:22:00.001-04:00

A reporter called to ask about the growing interest in spirituality around the country. We had a pleasant conversation for a while – until I said it was my hope that everyone experimenting with various beliefs would eventually meet Jesus. Instantly the conversation turned cold. “Are you telling me that two-thirds of the world is going to hell because they don’t believe in Jesus?”…Ultimately, though, his problem isn’t with me. It’s with Jesus. Because one of Jesus’ most outrageous claims is this: “I am the way and the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)
-A Case for Faith (Lee Strobel)

I am currently writing on the life of Jesus for my English 201 class this semester at UNC-Wilmington, and I believe this excerpt to be one of the most accurate explanations for the resentment to Christ I have read. Many Christians have (hopefully) had conversations where they talked about Christ or their beliefs, but the other person was ultimately turned off, no matter how convincing the exchange. The realization that there is something way bigger than you, and that you were not created to live for yourself, is what most people have a problem with.

Being a religion major, one thing I have found in studying multiple religions is the lack of ultimate claim that the Bible makes. In many Asian religions, you have the belief in reincarnation; in this belief, you have a lot of "chances" to get it right. In Islam, you have "People of the Book" (Jews and Christians), who don't quite have the whole God thing figured out, but aren't completely wrong either. Many Catholics hold to purgatory, which is the place where some of those who have died are in a state of grace where they undergo limited torment to make up for their sins. What we see through all of this a desire to give people a "second chance" as many would like to call it. We see in the Bible that God has made His qualities clearly visible, so that man is without excuse (Romans 1:20).

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. -Ephesians 2:8

I love that Jesus claims to be the only way to Heaven. Why? Because it means that you are no better than anyone else. Nothing you can do will grant you salvation. The man in China is held to the same standard as the woman in America. You either believe in Christ and what he did, or you don't. There is no question of what is "good enough," and there is a clear and universal example of what is (the Bible).

My thought has always been this: if you don't want to live for and spend time with the Lord here on this earth, what makes you think you would want to do that for eternity?

Giving up Lent for Lent

2010-03-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

*I realize that this is a touchy subject for some. I do not think Lent is "bad," and I am not saying it should or should not be observed. I am just looking at the motives behind it.

In case you are unfamiliar with what Lent is (no it is not fuzzy fluff that accumulates on various fabrics, that is lint, *wikipedia), it is the 40 days (some practice 44 or 46 days, but that is not important) leading up to Easter where some Christians practice “fasting” (or abstaining from certain foods or physical pleasures) for 40 days. This is done to supposedly imitate Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). The way to practice Lent has changed over time, and is not nearly as "severe" or "strict" these days, but the point is still the same, to make a sacrifice.

This is my problem with Lent; it is supposed to be a fast or sacrifice of pleasure, not a self-help project. There is a difference between giving up Coke for 40 days because it is something that you enjoy, than because you have been trying to cut down on how much soda you have been drinking for months now and you think this will finally give you enough motivation do to it. Again, I am not saying giving up Coke is a "bad thing," it is just the motive behind it.

Lent for many (not for everyone!) is another one of those things that you do because you think you are supposed to, but ultimately means nothing because Jesus doesn't care because the individual doesn't have the right motives (kind of like only going to church twice a year; at Christmas and Easter).

Here are two quick examples of what I am talking about. When you "fast" from hugs, or picking at your split ends for Lent, there may be a problem there. Yes those are quite odd examples (but true examples!), but that is the point, what is your motive, why are you doing what you are doing? Do you seriously want to fast for the Lord, or are you doing it to make up for the fact that you don't really do all the "other Christian things" you think you are supposed to do, so you go and give up something that really doesn't bring you any closer to Jesus but that you can tell all your friends you are doing so that they think you are holy?

Like I said, I am not against the practice of Lent, I am just against they way a lot of people observe it. If you can sacrifice for 40 days certain foods or pleasures because you love Jesus and you want to show Him that He is ultimately number one in your life, that is awesome and encouraging. But if your heart isn't in the right place, it may be time to reconsider why you are doing what you are doing.

All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
-Proverbs 16:2

I didn't ask

2010-03-03T22:58:00.000-05:00

I learned a lot last week in preparation for and during Revival 2010. Strangely though, something happened that I didn't expect. I have mentioned before about how people (I) feel when they go through a tragedy. One of the things I talked about is the need for friends to do something, anything. A lot of people want to help out people who are hurting, but they spend so much time asking what to do, that they never actually do anything.

So what does this have to do with Revival 2010?

I received over 10 letters of encouragement before the event, candy and food, and not only was I told I was being prayed for, but I was told specifically what I was being prayed for. The thing is- I didn't ask anybody to do any of that. It hit me after the event was over, that's what I wished had happened when I lost my father. A lot of people told my they were praying for me, and asked me what they could do, but not a lot was really ever done. My hope for anyone reading this is that you realize the question is not "what do you want me to do," but "what shouldn't I do?" What I mean is that you should do anything you can, and if the person in pain doesn't want it done, they will tell you.

Like I said, people wrote me letters, gave me food, and didn't just say they were praying for me, but told me how they were praying for me, and I didn't "ask" them to do any of it! The point I'm getting at is this; if you think of something to do that you think may be of encouragement but not sure if you should do it, you should.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
-1 John 3:18

Just the Beginning

2010-02-28T16:08:00.001-05:00

Revival 2010 is over! Or maybe it has just begun...

Over 375 students at UNC-Wilmington got to hear about Jesus in a relevant way this past Friday, and the event I don't think could have gone much better. I learned a lot during this whole process, but I couldn't be more excited to see how God is going to move on this campus. There were so many neat things that went on in putting this event together. I think the coolest thing though, was just seeing students doing everything they could to make Revival 2010 a success. We had students from advertising to prayer, everyone had one common goal; to create an environment where people could meet Jesus. I obviously haven't been around since 1947 when UNC-Wilmington began, but I think Friday night was one of the best events this campus has seen.

Why? Wasn't there only around 375 people? There clearly has been many events that have been much larger hasn't there? Absolutely, but this event actually mattered. This event was put on by only students. No one came in from outside to help out, and no one was paid a cent. Everyone involved had one desire, to bring Jesus to our campus. There was so much excitement, joy, and hope in many of the students I talked to afterwards. People that want to see God do big things on this campus; people who can't wait to see God to big things on this campus.

At this point I don't want to say too much, but I will say this; there is a lot more to come. Our prayer meetings have been full of life change, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Praise Jesus

"He must become greater, I must become less."
-John 3:30

Revival 2010

2010-02-20T16:50:00.003-05:00

Is happening THIS Friday at 7 PM! What is it?

This past December a group of about 20 students from UNC-Wilmington got together to talk about what it would be like if we came together as a group of believers and prayed for a revival on this campus. What would it look like if we called on God to do huge things at UNC-Wilmington? Since the first week of this semester, we have been meeting every week to corporately pray for our campus. We started with an 8 AM prayer meeting every Thursday, and now we have two prayer meetings each week; one at 10 PM on Tuesdays, and the one on Thursdays (yes there are college students who are crazy enough about Jesus to get up that early!). It has been so neat to see different students come out each week to call on the name of Jesus, knowing the Lord is going to do BIG things, and that's where this Friday comes in.

What our heart has been from the beginning is to see God use this movement to transform this campus. Our prayer meetings are the focus, but this Friday we are holding an event to share our heart with our campus. This Friday at 7 PM we are having what we are calling "Revival 2010." It is basically a worship service with music, a message, and a time for corporate prayer. Our prayer meetings will be continuing after the event is over, because what we are doing at the event is asking our fellow believers to join us in this movement. We have rented out a space on campus that seats 1,000 people. How many people will come? Only the Lord knows. We have been advertising and pushing this event to the best of our abilities. We have meet with different church leaders, Christian organizations on campus, and students. All I know is this, if you are a student at UNCW, you are not going to want to miss this, and if you're not, PLEASE shoot us up some prayer! It's going to be a life changing day for many people, mine included.

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.

-Proverbs 21:31

Lessons through the pain

2010-02-08T14:16:00.001-05:00

*This blog is in no way directed toward any person. My point in writing this is to show what someone who is hurting is going through. I know a lot of people don't know how to react to different tragedies, but pain is pain, and this can be applied to any situation.

Why don't I ever honestly answer the question "how are you doing?" For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why I don't tell most people how I am really doing when they ask. It's not because I don't want to talk about it, it helps me to talk about it, but for some reason when people ask I don't always feel like telling them. Then I figured it out. It takes no effort to ask how someone is doing. Yes, the person could be genuinely interested, but people who go through something tragic hear that question all the time. What makes one person more worthy of opening up to than another (let's face it, you can sit down and tell everyone how you are doing all the time)? And then I realized it.

You have to earn it.

I don't mean to sound pompous, but at the heart of it all, you have to deserve the right to know. I'm not going to tell any random person what I am going through, like I said, I hear that question from numerous people. As I was just trying to figure out why most people don't really know how I am doing, I discovered that the ones that do know how I am doing, deserve the right to know. Why?

The showed me that they really, really cared.

I'm not talking about asking me from time to time how I am doing. I'm not talking about being told from time to time that I am being prayed for. I'm talking about people who, for some reason, decided to sacrifice their time, or money, or whatever, to show me that they care. Like the saying goes, "actions speak louder than words." Asking someone how they are doing (even when someone really does care and wants to know), is not the same as showing someone that you care how they are doing. When was the last time you decided to encourage someone who is hurting (and we all know people who are)? If you really want to know how someone is doing, you have to earn it first.

Like I said, I pray you don't find this to be arrogant. I'm not asking people to go and change how they are acting towards me because they read this. I'm just being extremely honest about how to reach someone in need. After talking to multiple people in tough positions, I always found these statements to be true, people just need to know you care. I want to sincerely thank those of you who have reached out to me in my biggest time of need. If you know how I am doing, then you know who you are.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
-1 John 3:18

Praise Jesus.

Cleaning Lady!

2010-01-29T15:21:00.000-05:00

Every Thursday morning at 8 AM a few of us college students here at UNCW get together for a prayer meeting (Wrighstville Beachroom in Fisher if you would like to join!) to pray for our campus. It's early, it's usually pretty cold to walk to that early, and can be pretty hard to wake up to, but it's always such an encouraging time! Anyway, I usually arrive around 7:45 to get ready for the meeting, and this morning there was a cleaning lady just leaving our room as a friend and I entered. We said good morning as we passed by and then entered the room. The cleaning lady came back in about 30 seconds later to wipe down a counter top and must have seen me pull out my Bible when she asked if we were going to have a Bible study this morning. We said yes and she got really excited and started saying how God is so good and that she had better get going because she could stay and preach about how great God is all day, and then she left again. My friend and I smiled and thought that was pretty neat, when the cleaning lady came back in again to share a story about how good God is.

Now the story itself wasn't the neat thing. It was basically something about how she locked her keys in her car but was in walking distance to the fire department where she knocked on the window and asked if they could help her open the car. Then she went on to say how instead of walking over to her car, they drive a big fire truck with three firemen inside to come and assist her. Smiling the whole time as she explained this story, I have to admit I thought her to be a little odd, but then she finished with something special. "I just know God was looking out for me, I know I'm the apple of His eye!" And that was the neat part.

The prayer meeting itself went well, and the day continued on as usual, but I have not been able to let that statement go. This lady says she is the apple of God's eye, and she is absolutely right! How easy is it for us to feel insignificant, like we don't really matter that much, and yet here is a woman that works as a janitor for UNCW saying she matters to God. This woman will probably never be famous, she will probably never make lots of money, she will probably never be CEO of a company or have influence over a lot of people, yet she realizes that she matters. It's not about the fame, the money, being the boss; all those things are only achieved by the Lord allowing it to happen anyway. It's about realizing wherever we are, and more importantly, whoever we are, that we all matter to God. We are all important, and we are all "the apple of God's eye." Amen.

The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
-Zephaniah 3:17 (emphasis added)

I'm Mature!

2010-01-19T13:05:00.002-05:00

Ok, maybe not that mature. I mean, I'm only 19 years old, don't really have that much life experience, I really can't be that wise, and I probably still have a lot "growing up" to do. I should probably wait until I'm a little older before I pretend to know what it takes to truly be a follower of Christ, after all, no young person really knows how to make the best choices. I'm in college, these are the years I can "get away with" doing whatever I want because I'm young and don't know any better! Am I right?

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

-1 Timothy 4:12 (emphasis added)

I have spent some time lately really letting this verse sink in. It is not just commanding me as a young person to live a good life in speech, love, faith, and purity, and it's not just saying to not to let anyone look down on me because of my age. I'm 19 years old, I want to be a Pastor, but I realize a lot of people don't care what I have to say because I'm too young to know what I'm talking about. But this verse is telling young people (me) to set an example in speech, life, love, faith, and purity. Not only am I called to live these things, I'm called as a young person to be an example. People older than I should be able to look down at me and say, "that's the way it should be done." I don't have to know everything there is to know to exemplify what a walk with the Lord looks like.

No it's not easy, but it is possible and it does happen. I see it at my church, I see it in my friends, I see college students who love and serve God in a way that would and does put older folks to shame. I see a desire to learn and grow and to live lives we are called to live by "young" people all around me. 1 Timothy 4:12 is not there by accident. Young people are called to not only live lives of Biblical truths, but to be examples as well.

A year in the life

2010-01-02T09:13:00.001-05:00

I will try to keep this short.

Back in December of 2008, I had a conversation with a close friend about how I wanted to know what it truly means to have faith. Seeing so many Christians all the time talking about how God is always good, or that he is always in control, well I didn't want to be another one of those people who just said those things, I wanted to believe them. The question I wanted to answer was not whether I had faith that God existed, but rather that I had faith in God no matter what. Now trust me, I'm not saying what I went through last year was a direct result of that prayer, but I did get what I asked for; learning what it means to have faith.

In January of 2009 my dad was told he would be laid off in April. Although we knew it was a possibility that it would happen, the chances seemed to be very slim. After all, he had worked for IBM/Lenovo for over 25 years and was constantly rated one of their top employees. Continuing on, the next four months provided me with the most stress that I have ever had to deal with due to the fact that I was overcommitted and way too involved at school. Additionally, my grandmother (my father's mom) passed away in April. And although it wasn't much of a surprise as her health was pretty bad, death is still never fun.

Going into the summer, I decided to stay in Wilmington to take summer classes. In April I started looking for a job so that I could sustain living away from home for the summer. By June and over fifty (literally) applications later, I still had no job and very little money. Now at this time, I figured God was really testing me like I wanted, but I now see that was more of just a quiz.

I received a phone call on June 27th from an old friend saying something had happened to my Dad and I needed to come home. I was surprised by this, but I figured everything would turn out ok, I was wrong. I was picked up in Fayetteville by another close friend because I didn't have a car where I was at. As we drove back, he shared with me what I never thought possible: my dad had been pronounced dead at the hospital that morning. As we arrived at the house I could barely walk in the door, and the people at my house went outside so I could be with my Mom and one of our pastors from our church. It was then that I found out the inconceivable, my dad had taken his own life. I can remember every minute of that day like it happened five minutes ago.

About a month later, July, my grandfather (my father's dad), passed away. Now this was more of a shock to our family, and what made it even harder is that it seemed like we were losing another part of my Dad. I headed back to school in August thinking things would finally be back to normal, again I was wrong. I had a few personal and relational difficulties, but beyond that I could not get above a C on anything in any of my classes, I guess I just didn't care. Come November we received more news: my uncle (my mom’s brother) had died of a heart attack. I can’t imagine what my Mom must have gone through. A few weeks later I received word that a friend of mine who lived in my neighborhood and who I had known since I was six had taken his own life. Again, really God?

Thanksgiving was difficult without my Dad, as was Christmas, but we made it through. I don't share this with you to make you feel sorry for me. But I share this with you to say that there is a God, and that He is always good, and that He is always in control. As I write this, the pain is still real. I still deal with it every day. I'm nowhere near perfect- there are days when I don't read my Bible, when I don't pray. And not because I was too busy or forgot, but because I just honestly don't want to. Have I dealt with this in a manner that has always been glorifying to God? Have I been as faithful to Him as He deserves? Absolutely not. If I had to do this all over again, would I do things differently? You bet. But for someone that has been through it, for someone that now knows pain- I can proclaim the love of Jesus in a way I couldn't before.

I have a beautiful testimony. I'm still being healed of the wounds, so I can't honestly tell you that I know everything will work out for good, and for the glory of God. But I have faith that it will, I have faith that He is good, and I now truly believe it.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
-Hebrews 11:1

Can I Drink?

2009-12-29T20:41:00.001-05:00

I get asked from time to time from friends and people I know under 21 what I think about drinking (alcohol), is it ok, what if I don't get drunk, etc. Although I am aware of the lower drinking ages in practically every other country, in the United States the law states you must be 21. And while I have nothing against alcohol and in no way claim to be a "better person" then my college peers who do drink, I always point back to the passage in the Bible which comes from Romans:

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." -Romans 13:1-2 (this subject continues through verse 7)

So what is my view on drinking? If you're not 21, it is unbiblical to consume alcohol if you live in America. Do I think the drinking age is too high? Let's be real, you can drive a car and die for your country before you’re 21, but that's not the point. The point is as a follower of Christ I am commanded to obey the authority put in place above me. What does it look like to the Lord when he allows me to live in the most blessed nation in the world, and as a thank you I get to decide which laws I want to follow and which ones I do not? If anything, abstaining from alcohol can be viewed as a way of giving thanks, of thanking the Lord for putting me in a place where I have the opportunity to live, to have dreams, and to be able to be successful. I know there are a lot of people (college students) who do drink responsibly, who aren't doing it to "be cool," but I can't argue against the Bible.

As always, I'm not judging those who drink. I don't consider myself to be more morally correct than anyone else. I only write this to show that this issue is more black and white then some realize. God places authority in our lives (in our case the U.S. government) and commands us to follow that authority. Our authority says you must be 21 to drink, so you must be 21 to drink. I realize this, like many other things, is a lot easier said than done. It isn't my place to "condemn" anyone, and I'm not trying to, but as Christians we must not only speak truth, but live it.

Game Day

2009-12-15T10:29:00.001-05:00

So this past weekend was Hope Community Church's Christmas production "A Christmas Tale" (directed by one of the best creative arts directors, my Mom). It was a great success and they had six performances in front of roughly 9,000 people. The show itself is not just what made it great, it was everything together: there were parking attendants dressed up with Christmas hats and gear, buses shuttling people to their cars decked with lights as well as a "tour guide" explaining what you could expect from the evening, the greeters were all dressed up in Renaissance gear, and finally there were just a whole bunch of people. All these people coming to this event to hear about Jesus, and it got me thinking...

What if this sort of thing happened on a regular Sunday at church? What if people not only arrived on time (gasp!) but early? Here comes a frank reality check. We have "Christians" who claim Jesus is #1 in their life, who go to sporting events and other activities early so as not to miss any of the game, but think it is merely ok to make it to church right as it starts so that they can feel good about only missing part of the opening worship song and not the whole thing? (I said it was frank) I just don't get where this idea comes from where we claim to worship God, yet get decked out in body paint for a game that has absolutely no eternal impact while telling others that we really live for Jesus. I'm not saying getting excited about something other than church is a bad thing at all, but what would it look like if we applied that same enthusiasm to church? What would it look like if instead of five minutes late, everyone arrived five minutes early so that they wouldn't miss even a second of celebrating the Lord and how much he has done for us?

I was standing on a balcony looking over the lobby slam packed with people waiting for the auditorium doors to let them in. All of these people smiling and anticipating the show to come. I just couldn't help but wonder: what if Christians were this excited about church. Can you imagine the impact a church like that would have? Can you imagine if what I saw was something someone completely new to church saw? You can bet they would want whatever it is that all these people seemed to have. Talk about sending a powerful message, and I'm only talking about going to church...

Happy People

2009-12-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

Christmas is my favorite time of year because everyone is (or at least acts) happier than usual. People are friendly, they host Christmas parties and get togethers with all their friends, and there is a lot of compassion for the less fortunate during this season as well. I know the holidays bring stress as well- worrying about buying gifts and hosting friends and family, but the general mood overall is typically positive. You get a lot of happy people around this time of year.

This is why I love Christmas, and this is why I don't know how what to make of it this year. As many of you know, these last six months have been the hardest of my life. It is nothing but the love of God that has gotten me here today. But something I have struggled with because of my difficult times has been happy people. I'm not upset with individual people, I'm not upset when people are happy, I actually love it. It just can be hard to deal with sometimes, because I'm not. This season of my life has been trial after difficult trial, staying positive and happy is extremely difficult sometimes. I have even been described as having "moods" or told I don't always act the same. Yes it hurts when those who know my situation say that, but I know they probably just aren’t thinking. The thing is, there are times when life seems almost normal, but there are also days that are as hard as the day my father died. During those hard days is when Satan attacks me the most. I have thoughts like "of course they are happy, they have never dealt with a difficult thing in their life." I become jealous; I wonder how they would do in my situation. And then I remember...

Just because I can't see it, doesn't mean they aren't hurting to. One of the biggest things the Lord has shown me in all of this is the pain so many are going through. I have heard countless stories of difficulties that would have blew my mind, before I went through one myself. Yet through the strength of God these people have managed to get through. It is so easy to think that you are the only one dealing with something, never have I seen that been farther from the truth then through my situation.

"You will be stronger because of this." Can I just say, I hated when people told me that when my father first died. To be honest, some of that was because some of those who told me only said it because they didn't know what else to say, and knowing some of those people I knew they hadn't gone through something like this, so I didn't find their words credible. But then I found others whose Christian walks with the Lord I respected and who had been through real tough stuff telling me that. And at first I didn't care, I didn't care how strong I was going to be, I just wanted my father back and I didn't want any good to come of this. Well score one for the Lord, because I have seen the love of God like never before. And I can tell you that I'm becoming stronger because of what I have gone through. I can face things I never thought I could before, and "difficult" situations aren't so difficult anymore because God was worked out my spiritual "muscles." And God is still God no matter what, and He is good.

I would like to thank those of you who have gone beyond your calling to show your love to me during my difficult time. No, life is not normal for me. It's a little better, but still a long way from normal. Who knows how long it will take, a year? Two years? But the Lord has been here for me through it all, even when I didn't want Him, or more importantly deserved him.

"Consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." -James 1:2-4

Angry People

2009-12-06T15:35:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I went to a basketball game here at UNCW against George Mason. We lost (what's new), but I had the wonderful opportunity to stand next to a guy who felt it was his duty to yell and complain about everything during the game. Now if you’re a sports fan, you know what I am talking about- the obnoxious fan who yells at the refs (who clearly cannot hear them) every play, cusses like they are getting paid to do it, etc. What doesn't make much sense to me though is why in the world he would even come to the game when he seemed miserable the whole time (he even found something to complain about when we scored)! I have to admit, he was even putting me in a bad mood at times. This guy was messed up! Or was he?

I myself am a complainer, it is something I constantly have to work on. But what does it look like when we let everything get to us? They guy at the game was complaining even when things were going our way! In the words of the American poet Randall Jarrel, "The people who live in a golden age usually go around complaining how yellow everything looks. As a Christian, what excuse do we have to become so consumed by the world that we fail to see what is really important? Now I'm not condemning the guy next to me at the game, because I don't know what he believes, but I'm not so sure he would call himself a Christian. So for him, that would be his excuse, he doesn't know about the redemptive love of Christ and the hope we have in Him.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:27 "Who by worrying can add a single hour to his life." And also in verse 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life..." The everlasting love and life given to us by the Lord is, when it comes down to it, the only thing that matters. When we lose sight of that, when we become wrapped up in us and not in him, we will even complain about the good, complain about how yellow everything looks. In the book of Revelation of the Bible, God describes the New Jerusalem of the new earth He will create after the end times, "The great street of the city was of pure gold" (Revelation 21:21). This leaves us with two options, praise the Lord for what he has given us, or complain about the yellow.

Make a Decision

2009-11-08T23:14:00.001-05:00

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
-Proverbs 19:20-21

As a Christian, I find one of the most challenging things to do is to make decisions, particularly ones with long term effects. How does being a Christian make this tough? Because we desire for God's will to be done in our lives, and because of that, a lot of times we paralyze ourselves from taking action. We can become so focused on what "God wants us to do," that many times we don't do anything at all. Here's the deal: God isn't going to descend on a cloud from Heaven and tell you "yes" or "no" when you find yourself stuck at a crossroad, so let's think more practically, what should we do?

Pray - Now there are two sad things about this. First, and most importantly, people just flat out don't do it. If you're not in prayer, absolutely nothing will be revealed to you. I don't care how righteous you claim to be, if you aren't praying about it, you can be confident that the Lord won't be guiding your decision. Not because he doesn't care, but because you don't care to ask him. If you're serious in discerning his will, you'll ask. Secondly, when a lot of people hear the word prayer, they automatically tune out because they either think they already know all about it, or because it bores them. Either way, prayer is fundamental in a Christian's walk and I would argue the most important part.
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him."
-1 John 5:14-15

Seek wise counsel - This can be another unpopular step. A big reason for us not going to others is because we may not like what they have to tell us. That alone should ring a bell, if we don't want to ask others about what to do in a situation, it's probably because they are going to tell us the opposite of what we want to hear. Personally, one of the things I pray for most is for God to speak through others. If I have a decision to make, I have confidence that God will speak through the godly men in my life to lead me in a better direction. With that said, you need to make sure you're going to the right people. For example, if you're marriage is a complete wreck, asking all your friends who are divorced what to do clearly is not a wise option.
"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord."
-Proverbs 16:20

Spend time - You can't know the will of God if you don't know the word of God. The closer we are to the will of God, the better decision we can make. If you're not spending time with him daily, you aren't going to be as close to him as you could be. Praying at the last second for wisdom is not the same as seeking after him every day. I'll say it again, you can't know the will of God if you don't know the word of God. If you want to show the Lord that you really want to please him in your decisions, make the decision to please him with your time.
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
-Proverbs 16:3

Real People

2009-11-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to go and feed the homeless through and organization called First Fruits Ministries with the high school bible study group I co-lead at Lifepoint. The neat thing about this group is that they literally stock the food in the back of a small bus, drive to the poor parts of town, unload and feed the people right where they are at. The night my group went, we made two stops, one at a church parking lot, and one right outside a shelter for homeless men. We unload the food, and fixed the people plates as the lined up next to the bus.

The neat thing about this experience is that we were able to meet these people and to see that they were just as ordinary as you and I. There were guys at the men’s shelter that were my age! I was also surprised to see a pregnant woman and another woman who had too young daughters. These people weren't out to steal anything nor were they out to scare anyone; they were just looking for a meal. It's so easy to categorize the homeless as anything but what they actually are, people.

When we think of "homeless people," we tend to emphasize the wrong part of that phrase. The fact is that homeless people are real people! Not "things" to make fun of, or look down upon, or to just feel sorry for. Jesus didn't tell us to "love homeless," He told us to love people, and you can't love a "thing" the same as you can love a human being.

The night was great, and an awesome reminder of what it is that Jesus' heart really beats for. I don't think one of us there from Lifepoint actually had a real conversation about Jesus during the whole experience, and that is perfectly ok because we weren't there for that. We were there to love the "least of these," and to give them a hope in something, the same something that gives me and so many others hope on a daily basis, Jesus Christ.

Do Not Resuscitate

2009-10-22T01:12:00.002-04:00

Since my decision this summer to follow the Lord regarding what He has planned for my future, I have been able to focus and spend more time on what it is I believe he is calling me to do, Pastor a church. Now this is exciting for me because I have always loved studying different religions, theology, spirituality, etc, and now that I have decided that I will one day be doing this full time, I can began to devote my time and energy into these topics more often and with more passion. This entails watching more sermons, reading more books, talking with more people, etc. That being said, this blog will most likely become less about me personally, and more of what I am learning at the moment. So here it goes!

"The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen on of his sons to be king."
-1 Samuel 16:1

Long story short, Samuel (a prophet) has gone into a deep depression and despair over the fact that the Lord had lost favor with Saul (the first king of Israel) and God through Samuel, was going to elect Saul's eventual successor. Samuel was also afraid for his life that Saul would kill him upon hearing the news. Anyway, the point of that passage is this; God was ready to go a different direction, but Samuel wasn't willing to let go.

How long will you mourn for what God has rejected? This is a big step in the process of moving forward in God's will for your life. Holding on to something slows down, or even make you miss, what it is God has planned next. In the words of Pastor Steven Furtick "In order for God to give you this, you have to let go of that." What this are you going to miss while holding on to that?

Here's another point; Your destiny is never connected to anybody who leaves your life. When we center our lives around God's will for us, He literally, in His perfect holiness and love, is unable to let us down. God takes full responsibility for the life fully devoted to him. I bring this up because we as humans are relational people. Whether the Lord is challenging us to better surround ourselves with more positive people to better influence our lives, or possibly changing jobs and moving to a whole new city. God's will is God's will, and you will be given everything you need to succeed. Our responsibility as Christians is to obey God. Clearly it can be extremely difficult at times. Great thing is, Jesus knows exactly what it's like to go through a difficult situation for the will of God, he did it on the cross.

Forever Holy

2009-10-20T08:51:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday at Lifepoint we played a song called "Forever Holy" by The Glorious Unseen (who will be playing at Lifepoint this Sunday!). I first heard this song last week during band practice and it really has got me thinking. The chorus of the song goes like this:

This is what makes my head spin
You're forever Holy
God of all creation
Pour Your life into me
This is so overwhelming
You're forever Holy
God of my Salvation
Clothe me in Your Glory

As a follower of Christ, the God of the universe chose me. If you are a follower of Christ, God chose you! Think about it- that should blow your mind.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and MANY enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a FEW find it."
-Matthew 7:13-14

God does not need me, and he does not need you. Yet he chooses to bestow His grace (giving us something we do not deserve in His son Jesus Christ) and His mercy (NOT giving us something we do deserve, eternal condemnation and separation from Christ). Nothing you and I can ever do can make us worthy of receiving this mind blowing gift of eternal life. The sad thing is, those of us who are followers of Christ will never fully understand this gift on this side of Heaven. And when we aren't careful, we allow our own issues and problems to distract us from leading others to Christ. The reality is this; only half of one percent, that is 0.5%, of Americans truly believe they are going to Hell when they die. The Bible says this: “many enter through the gate of destruction, only few find the road that leads to life.” You can believe what you want, but I beg you not to sugar coat this reality. If you have been blessed by the amazing grace of God to be a follower of Christ then I pray you take the time to really think about what this means, how much God loves you, how significant you are to Him, and what you can do to help share Christ's love with others.

Major Change!

2009-10-15T14:38:00.003-04:00

As you pretty much know by now, I have switched majors from Music to Religion. Since I switched my major a lot of people ask, "so what are you going to do now?" I almost always answer this question one of two ways: either by saying I'm not sure yet, or by saying I will probably go to seminary and we'll see from there. But the truth is- I know exactly what I'm going to do I just haven’t told very many people yet. The reason? Well there are a few.

-Accountability
Once you tell someone something, they will most likely follow up and ask you how you're doing. If I told everyone what I plan on doing, what happens if I fail? Am I willing to put myself out there in front of people and allow them to see what kind of progress I'm making, if I'm progressing at all?

-It hasn't happened yet!
People tend to get excited about the future and forget the journey it takes to get there. I don't want to become inflated into thinking I have accomplished something before I actually have. I feel called to do something, but I have to get there first. It's ok to dream, but it's important that the heart is in the right place at all times.

-Yeah right
Of the few people I have spoken to about this, I have received nothing but encouragement. But that's because they know me. They know my desires, they know my life, they know what I am and am not capable of. Once everyone knows, I'm sure there will be many that think, "Well that's a good little dream you have, but chances are you won't be very successful." And while I'm sure many people wouldn't actually say that to me, there will be some that think it.

So now what? You're probably wondering what the heck I plan to do with my life that makes me want to write this blog. Here's the thing: a big emphasis made at Lifepoint Church and many churches around the world is put on raising up kids that will change the world. How come once we become adults, our emphasis always becomes on the "future," and raising kids to change the world? What about now, what about you and me? Don't get me wrong, raising a strong generation is vitally important, but we cannot afford to allow ourselves to subconsciously think once we hit 25 that we can no longer make a difference, or even change the world. I'm not a little kid anymore, but I still want to change the world. And how do I plan on doing that?

I'm going to start a church.

There you have it, I plan on leading a major movement of God that CAN change the world. I'm not naive; I know it won't be easy. I don't even know where, when, or how this is going to happen, and the great thing is I don't have to. It could be in 5 years, it could be in 20 years, God only knows. All I know is this...

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
-Jeremiah 29:11

Do you mean what you sing?

2009-09-21T23:36:00.003-04:00

There are many different ways to worship: through the giving of our money, the giving of our time, the way we treat others, etc. But the first thing that usually comes to mind when you hear the word "worship," is singing songs or hymns. Being a music guy, I love worshiping in the musical sense; singing and making music for the Lord. But one question that always gets me is this: to what degree do I really mean the words that I am singing? How often do we just sing the words that are up on the screen just because they are up there, and how often do we mean what we are saying? Here are some phrases from a few popular songs being played around contemporary churches today to give you an example of what I mean.

-Break my heart for what breaks yours.
-All my hope is in you.
-Your grace is enough.
-Your name is glorious, your love is changing us.
-God be my solution.
-My God is mighty to save.

The list could go on and on, and I'm sure that you yourself are thinking of others. The point is this: what would it look like if we lived out what we sang, what if we desired what God desired? If our hearts really broke for what the Lord's heart breaks for- would we really be listening to that music, watching that movie, tearing down others to make ourselves feel good? It seems so cliché, but it's true. We can sing "Your grace is enough" as much as we want but at the end of the day when we get upset because our life isn't as good as our friends', or because we can't afford to buy that something new, how is that a sign that we believe God's grace is enough? That our eternal salvation rests in Christ alone, yet somehow that isn't enough?

Like I said, I believe this is something to be conscious of, and something that as believers we will deal with at different times. A favorite quote of mine goes like this: "When you live a life of worship, what you do on Sunday (or whenever you sing praises to our Lord) has integrity."

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord."
-Ephesians 5:19

Ignite!

2009-09-17T00:12:00.003-04:00

Tonight was the launch of our new student ministry (high school and middle school) at Lifepoint called Ignite! It was a great time, and pastor Jeff brought it like always. One of the neatest things about working with young people is the energy they bring. I don't know when it happens, but somewhere along the line to adulthood it seems that a lot of people decide that getting excited for things is something only young people can do. We don't just worship at Ignite, the kids come up to the front of the stage and form a huge blob and get pumped about Jesus. Now obviously a lot of teens don't fully grasp what it means to walk with the Lord, and some are just too "cool," but it is so encouraging to see those who are fully engulfed in worshiping our Lord. There was one girl that looked about 15 in the front row singing away to Jesus, not paying attention to anyone around here but just focusing on Christ. It was awesome.

I personally had had a long day before the youth service, and playing music for a bunch of youth is tiring! After our first set of songs and while Pastor Jeff was preaching, I couldn't help but feel tired and not really wanting to get back up on stage and play the remaining songs after the message. Funny thing, I was more moved by the last two songs then the whole service. Five teens gave their life to Christ tonight, and I noticed quite a difference in one of the high schoolers that made that decision (he was like the tallest person there). He was praising Jesus in a different way during our last set. And come to find out, after the service he asked how many business cards (for the next event Lifepoint Midtown is hosting) he could pass out at his high school because he wanted to share the good news! Can't wait for the next Ignite service, it's going to be awesome!

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
-1 Timothy 4:12

Great Weekend!

2009-09-14T22:33:00.002-04:00

This weekend was Fall Getaway with Campus Crusade, and also the opening of Lifepoint's second campus, Lifepoint Midtown! I'm exhausted, but had an awesome time.

Fall Getaway was a lot of fun. I had the privilege of playing in the praise band and meeting a lot of new awesome people! I wish it could have lasted longer, as it was really nice to get away from things. One of the songs we played a few times this weekend was "There is Nothing Like." I absolutely love this song, and there are two parts that really stick out to me. The first is the phrase, "there is nothing like you're love." As I come back from this weekend full of praising and spending time with the Lord, I find these words to be so true. As great as certain things in life can be, there is just something completely different about being with fellow believers and spending time with the Lord. The other part of the song has spoken to me ever since the first time I heard it over a year ago. "I love you forever, I'll love you forever, I'll love you forever Lord." I think of the word forever. How we as believers have to opportunity to praise Jesus for all eternity. What will the be like, look like, feel like? Who knows, but it jacks me up!

We also launched Lifepoint Midtown this Sunday, and the Lord showed up big time. For our first service we had 188 people, 115 of which were first time guests! I also again have the privilege of playing in the band at Midtown, which is something I had been looking forward to for a while. The worship at Lifepoint is always incredible, and being able to look out and see people passionately praising our Lord is amazing.

I was able to spend the weekend doing two things I love, playing music and praising Jesus.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
-2 Corinthians 5:17

What to do in a time of crisis

2009-08-26T17:07:00.002-04:00

I am writing this blog to share my experiences this summer (mainly concerning my father's death) and hopefully give people a better understanding of what works and what doesn't in a time of need. This post in no way, shape, or form is targeted to anybody individually. In fact I am forever grateful for every individual who offered my any help during my time of need. My goal here is to hopefully show others who have not dealt with extreme tragedy, how to help others based on my personal experience.

-Encouragement: This keeps one going more than anything else. Loneliness is a huge struggle, especially in dealing with a death. Not only knowing that people are there for you, but having people actually showing up, spending time with you, loving on you, means a lot. There is a difference between saying you are thinking/praying for someone, and actually spending time with them and lifting them up in person.

-Don't ask, just do: This is HUGE. I know everyone has the best intentions when they offer to do something (whether cook a meal, help clean, going to do something fun). But the mistake here is that often times the individual wanting to help (person A) will wait until the individual who is hurting (person B) is ready to go and do something. And I know there is the thought of wanting to give person B there space, but the thing is, person B is tired, depressed, and just has a lot to deal with as it is. Having person A actually show up and say "Hey, let's go and do (whatever it is)" without person B having to think of something to do, and then call person A, is really stress relieving. In a time of need, person B already has enough to deal with, and having someone come and already have something planned is just a great way to take your mind off things.

-Prayer: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6
I know that sounds obvious, and it is easy to question at times if this really matters when times get tough. But if we truly believe in the Word of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we would literally present all of our struggles before the Lord. Prayer is the most important weapon for someone in need. So believe in its power, and don't underestimate it.

-Don't forget: In the midst of tragedy, everyone wants to help. As time progresses, people (unintentionally) move on to other things. It is important to remember that as time moves forward, the pain will never completely go away, and you can never bring back what has been lost. So for those of you who know someone who has been hit hard, know that it is never to late to encourage, it's never too late to just go and do, and it is never too late to pray.

I hope that you find this helpful, thanks for reading.

Happy New (school) Year!

2009-08-20T00:06:00.002-04:00

Today was the first day of classes here at UNCW! Ok, now to the important stuff (that has nothing to do with the title).

I'm sure most of you who are reading have at least a little knowledge of what I have gone through this summer, so here is a little update...

My father's passing back in June clearly has been the most difficult by far of anything I have gone through this summer. With it being almost two months since the day, the shock has started to go, and is being replaced by the finality of it all. This second realization of it all has in a way kind of been like a second blow. Obviously I miss him, but even the little things like simple questions I would call home and ask, clearly don't happen anymore. The single motivating factor that keeps me going above all else in this situation, is the calming knowledge of knowing my dad suffers no more. That he is in a place of eternal rejoicing. And this peace doesn't come from the fact that "my dad lived a good life." Or that he "did more good things than bad things." But because he put his faith in Christ. As the Bible puts it "...No one comes to the Father except through me (Jesus)."

This summer for me obviously has been life altering, and this past week more so than I have ever experienced. This past Friday morning I hit the lowest point (hopefully ever) of my entire life. The experience I had that morning is one I will never forget. Maybe one day in the future I will write about what happened that morning, but for now all I can say is it was truly a beautiful moment for me. Now I have definitely had some rough days since then, but things will never be the same for me. The Lord has revealed more to me in the past five days than quite possibly my entire life up until this point. And here is just one of many things!

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." -1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Friday night some of the guys from the High School guys group that I co-lead stayed the night at Pastor Kevin McGeorge's house because the next morning we were helping with the freshmen move in at UNCW. That night Pastor Kevin (the new campus pastor at Lifepoint Midtown and new student ministries pastor) was talking about a discussion he and Pastor Jeff had had a couple nights before. They were talking about how physically we are called to honor our bodies, as our bodies are a temple for the Lord. And Pastor Jeff wondered what it would look like to rise up a generation of young men who fit for the Lord. Our health should not be a prohibiting factor (that of which we can control) in our ability to glorify the Lord and reach out to others. And this isn't just a suggestion, it is something we are called to do. So make a New Year's resolution, don't be lazy. Get off your butt (literally) and serve the One Most High.

Do work!

Father's Memorial Speech

2009-08-03T20:52:00.002-04:00

This is the speech I gave at my father's memorial service...

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17)

How easy is it for us to question if God is really there, does he really love us? If God loved my then why did he allow this to happen? God knew that my family needed my dad, and God knew how hard this was going to be for us.

We have all done it, questioned if God really loves us. If you didn't get that promotion at work, having to end a relationship, even losing your job. I ask you if our really look at things, how much do these things really matter, is your problem really so significant that you have to question the God who created you, the God that knows your heart, the God that gave you the passions that you have. The God that gave His son to die for you.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 6-8)

When you really look at it, how big is your problem, is it really worth questioning who God is because you didn't get what you wanted? Because I'll tell you this I lost my dad on Saturday, and God still loves me.

I'll never forget when I was about 8 or 9 years old. My dad and I were in our backyard standing next to the porch and he told me that if we could actually know how awesome heaven would be, we would kill ourselves to go there. I bet it's awesome dad, and I can't wait for you to show me around when I get there.

That was the speech I gave three days after he passed away. Here are some closing thoughts.

One thing people always seem to say when someone dies is Rest In Peace. Well, I can assure you my dad isn't "resting in peace," nor would I want him to. Heaven is an uncomprehending place, more magnificent and astounding than all of our dreams combined could ever imagine. My dad's in heaven Praising Jesus, and I think "resting" is the furthest thing from his mind.

Small group and life!

2009-07-27T23:21:00.003-04:00

So this coming school year I have to privilege to lead an amazing group of high school men every Monday night with my brother Wes Rose (http://wesrose.wordpress.com/) into a study of God's word. It's a unique group in that the guys are awesome and crazy, but are serious to deepen their walk with the Lord. Wes's former co-leader Kevin McGeorge is now moving onto lead the new student ministry Ignite, and is the new campus pastor at the Lifepoint Midtown campus. Of course I don't feel qualified to lead these future leaders, but I thank the Lord for the opprotunity.

Small group isn't the only big change for me, my major is also. I have been majoring in music with a concentration in jazz piano. But after two weeks of wrestling with the Lord, I feel he is leading me on a new path. I am dropping music to a minor, and will be pursuing a major in philosophy or religion, and may continue into Seminary upon graduation at UNCW. It's an exciting and scary move for me. I go from music, of which I have been playing piano for 13 years, to something where I have an unpredicatable future. It's been a tough decision, but at the same time an easy one. I'm ready to see how this semester plays out, God's moving!

Now to the scripture our small group is memorizing this week!

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all saints."

-Ephesians 6:14-18

Do work!

The Bible

2009-07-21T21:32:00.003-04:00

First post in a long time, but that's ok! Earlier this evening I completed my five month journey and completed reading the entire Bible beginning to end, I thought this day would never come!

I started back in February, and I can't really remember now why I decided to do it, but it has been something I have wanted to do, so I did it! I have tried once before a few years back but didn't get too far. I printed off a "Bible in a year" guide so I could track my progress. The schedule I followed had me reading the Old and New testament parallel to each other so as to finish them both at the same time. My original goal was to read at least two "days" worth of Bible per day. When I first started reading, I read a lot and often, and was amazed at how much of the early Bible stories I remembered from Sunday School as a child.

It was also neat to read the books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy) at the same time as reading the Gospels (Mathew through John). To see all the Levitical laws of Moses and how the Pharisee's and teachers of the law during Jesus' time had twisted the original laws to an almost unattainable level. Now the laws in their original state are tough on their own (which point to our need of a savior) and it is interesting to see the struggles of the people in those times. Another thing that was neat was to actually read the Old Testament. So many times we go and camp out in the New Testament, as it is difficult to open to Habakkuk (yes that's a book in the Bible) and try to grow in the Lord. I also realized how much wisdom is loaded in those short books at the end of the New Testament (1st Peter through Jude).

I'm grateful the Lord kept me motivated to finish His book (as he should, the thing his HUGE!). Of course I'm kidding, but it is something I'm proud yet humbled to have accomplished. As for what the Lord has doing personally in my life, I will be updating you on that shortly, and let me tell you, it's some crazy stuff!

Nashville

2009-06-11T23:43:00.000-04:00

Awesome day!

Woke up at 6:30 AM, thanks Bryon... Arrived at the studio about 10:30 AM. It was amazing. I have never been in a studio before in my life, so I'm sure anything would have impressed me, but it was still pretty sweet. We recorded 4 songs, just instruments first. Then recorded lead vocals, followed by harmonies, then a few group things. I had a few harmonies that weren't put in/taken out, but that's just what happens. We recorded from 11-5 PM, and then an hour was spent mixing and editing. I had a great time throughout the whole process, and the vocal box/room was insane. It was a little room with a head set and a microphone, and you could almost hear your own heartbeat with the headphones on. The sound was so condensed and pure sounding in there. I really don't know how to explain it, but I would just spend all day singing in that thing if I could.

It's a four song demo, and these next two nights we are playing here in the surrounding Nashville area, then driving back home Sunday morning. It was an awesome experience. I've been dealing with a lot personally lately, and today was just a great day to forget about all of that and just have fun playing some music. 7th Day For Rest, we are now doing work. Easily one of the best days of my life.

Lifepoint delivers!

2009-05-31T22:34:00.000-04:00

Wow. If I didn't go to church, or if I used to but had stopped and I went to a service at Lifepoint, I'm sure my mind would be blown. It's just crazy how alive that place is every single week. I have never seen so many hands in the air worshiping the Lord in a single Sunday morning church service as I saw today. The pastor was even on his knees praising God in the middle of the stage during the last song to close the service. It's a sad world that so many churches are judgmental to those who don't dress fancy enough, or don't look the part. Or that ask young woman that is pregnant to sit in the back because she'll make the church look bad, can you believe that?! Unfortunatley, you can. I don't have much to say, but if you want to see what a church putting the Lord first in every aspect looks like, you should probably check out Lifepoint.

And another thing. We currently ended a series entitled "Beautiful: women and the men who pursue them." Now I know a lot of that series had to do with relationships. But Pastor Jeff challenge's and encourages marriend couples every single week, relationship series or not. I love that. Marraige's shouldn't be boring, they shouldn't be angry, they shouldn't be lonely. Frankly, they shouldn't suck. I know this because I know a God who created marriage, who created life to be shared between a man and a woman, to be exciting, to be challenge, and to be fufilling and rewarding. If you happen to be married and read my blog and think that I'm naive and have no idea what I'm talking about, maybe your marriage needs to be looked at. I'm only 19 years old, but I want to be excited to get married one day. Society may tell the youth that marraige doesn't last, and our love will die, and that when things get hard I can just give up, as long as I do whatever makes me happy. But I'm not too into that, so I'll prefer to do it God's way, and I can't wait.

Blowin' my mind!

2009-05-27T16:35:00.000-04:00

Today in my philosophy class, things finally started to get interesting. Up until this point we haven't been talking about anything interesting really, but today began the discussion about God and does he exist, and more so, how could he exist if there is evil in the world. Now when you have a professor that has spent his whole adult life studying philosophy, and you have students that have spent all of two weeks studying philosophy, obviously his knowledge and arguments defending what he believes will be well thought out. My professor is an atheist (although I'm sure who wouldn't call himself that), and for the first time in my life I heard some well thought out arguments against God. Usually you get people who just say there isn't a God based on what other people have told them, or because they think it is easier just not believe, but this is the first time I've been able to discuss the subject of God with an atheist who really knows what they are talking about.

I wouldn't say my faith was tested today, but if things continue in the direction we went today, I'm sure it will be. There is probably about 5 of us out of the 20ish people that really talk (unless he specifically asks someone something), so I do get to engage in the conversation and have him answer questions I have. But like I said, he has had years to defend what he believes, and I was completely stumped at two points today. Now there really isn't a point in going into what those two points were becaues you would really have to be there to get the full effect, but man how I wish there was someone there who was a Christian philosopher who could argue what he was saying. All that said, unlike probably most of the Christians or believers in God that are in the class, I enjoyed hearing my professors arguments.

One thing that was unexpected though, was how every student in the class was trying to find a way to defend how there could be a God. Partially because someone probably wanted to stump the professor, but also and more interestingly, it seems to be because they don't want to believe there isn't a God. And thankfully the discussion about God Vs. Not God is really a argument between Atheism and Christianity. Too many times people try to disprove religion as a whole using different religions and displaying there fualts. So it's nice to see the class seems to be using the Christian God instead of other god's and religions that have easily dissprovable attributes.

It was an intense class. In fact, one girl said at one point she didn't like what the professor was saying, but overall I enjoyed it, even if I couldn't completly defend my faith. Hopefully one day, I will be able too...

Selfishly ever after

2009-05-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

I am currently taking Philosophical Thinking and we briefly touched on a subject that I have been given a lot of thought lately, and it completely blows my mind how people can believe this. Now you can say this many different ways, but basically the thought that "you should live your life in whatever way makes you happy." Seriously?! People, and I mean A LOT of people actually believe that. That goes against everything we are taught as kids. We are taught to share, to be nice. Don't forget the golden rule, treat others how you would want to be treated. Let's face it, we ALL want to be treated well. We WANT people to be nice to us, to share things with us, to do things for us. Therefore, according to the golden that so many of us learn in elementary school, we should treat others in that manner. Giving to them, serving them, being nice to them even if we don't want to. How can you possibly be happy in a world where everyone does whatever they want to do that makes them happy?

An example was used by my professor today. He had a friend who has been married 24 years, and the marriage isn't going very well. So basically both spouses have been sleeping with other people because they "claim" that makes them happy. So am I to believe if I am not "happy" with my future marriage that it is ok to cheat on my spouse as long as it makes me happy? Great message to send our kids...

Let me take it to an extreme side. If I claim killing people makes me happy, then who are you to tell me that murder is wrong and I shouldn't do it? As long as I am happy, and according to the view point that I should do whatever I choose so long as I am happy, it should be perfectly ok for me to kill, correct? You may say that is a horrible example and that you could think of an opposite extreme example to conteract that. But I would say this, if we are to live and do whatever makes us happy. Who are you, or who is anyone, to say what one does is right or wrong? If killing makes me happy, technically you can't tell me that it's wrong. And that's where the whole statement of "doing whatever you want as long as your happy" falls apart...

Can you find me now? Good

2009-05-16T23:19:00.000-04:00

I turned 19 two days ago, what a boring age, anyway...

This morning two friends and I awoke at 4:30 AM to drive from Wilmington to Charlotte for a Verizon Wireless commercial. The theme of the ad was "Can you find me now," and it was pretty creative. There were 150 of us Test men or "look alikes" of Paul, the real Verizon wireless guy. Who is, I might add, the longest running spokesmen of any company in corporate America. We arrived in Khaki pants, black shoes, and a white shirt. We were given the grey looking Verizon jacket that Paul wears, identical looking glasses, and Blackberry phones (and my hair was colored black!).

Why Charlotte? Because of the NASCAR race taking place at Lowe's Motor Speedway (in Charlotte) that night. For those of you who don't know. On race day, there are tons of vendors selling food and merchandise, not to mention tens of thousands of people. We were not only filming a commercial, but a game. The game went like this. All of us "test guys" walked in a straight line to a designated area in a crowd of people. Then when the blow horn was sound. We all walked around "testing" the network. The point of the "game" was for the people to find the REAL verizon wireless guy (yes he was there, and yes I did meet him) and take a picture with him. The would then send their picture in online and be entered to win some NASCAR prizes. But of course with all of us "fake" Paul's, people would take pictures with us too thinking we were the real guy.

My favorite part was when we would walk around in the long single file line through the jam packed fan areas and everyone would stop and stare, take pictures and record videos, of all of us Verizon guys, I'm sure it was a pretty neat and funny sight! There were six camera men (I believe) videoing everything going on. The technical term for it is something like a "viral commercial/ad" that will be used on the internet and possibly their website. It will be up in around 3-6 weeks so check back and when I find it I'll post it!

Paul himself was a very friendly guy, he wasn't quite what I expected though. And incase you were wondering, the jacket that he wears in all his commercials, it costs $2000.

Do work!

I'm still alive!

2009-05-05T11:49:00.000-04:00

So I haven't written in nearly a month, but with only one more exam left to go, I am almost done for the school year! This past month has been crazy busy and stressful, meaning I was never in the mood to take time to write anything! With summer here and things slowing down, I'll be doing this more often!

So freshmen year is over! I've grown a lot this year, especially this semester, the toughest 5 months of my life. With a hectic school schedule and over-committing myself, I stressed myself out an unhealthy amount. Most people probably haven't noticed, which I figure is a good thing. But unfortunately some of the closer people have. One thing I'm in the processes of learning is to better deal with the stress, which probably includes not being so busy. It's tough for me because I feel like if I'm not doing something, then I'm wasting my time, so I'm having to learn a good balance. As of now I have been looking for a job for over 3 weeks, applied to over 20 places, and still have had no luck. I'm going home tomorrow for about a week before I head back down to Wilmington for summer classes, fun! But still not having a job has made it pretty tough for me.

Ok so now for the fun part! As hard as things can be at times, it's still important to look back on what you have learned and the blessings the Lord has given you. So here are some things that back in August that either:
1-I thought would be really cool to have happen this school year
2-Were unexpected
3-Was just awesome in general

-I pledged with a fraternity, I ended up dropping my bid to pursue other things though
-I played in the band for Campus Crusade
-I started attending one of the most Christ-loving churches in the world
-I made some pretty sweet friends, and met a pretty amazing girl
-I switched my music concentration to jazz piano!
-I helped start an a capella group at UNCW that is going to be amazing next year!
-I have a more mature relationship with the Lord
-I still have no idea what is going to happen with my life, but that's ok
-I started reading though reading through the Bible in February and am over halfway through

And I'm sure as soon as I post this I'll think of more! Anyway, only one more night in the dorm! And then everyone leaves for the summer, I wonder what it's like to graduate and say goodbye to all the close friends you made. Random thoughts aside, 1 year down, 3 more to go!

Lifepoint did work!

2009-04-11T22:53:00.000-04:00

So today is the egg drop! I am pretty sun burnt, but it was awesome! Here are the reasons why:

1) Forecast for Saturday morning; scattered showers and thunderstorms. I woke up at 2 AM to loud thunder. With many people praying for good weather to allow the egg drop, well it wasn't looking to good. The volunteers starting arriving at 7:30 AM; cloudy skies and very windy. By the time 9:30 rolls around (when we opened the gates to the public) the blue sky was out and the sun was shining! Call it what you wish, but I think God is bigger than the weather man!

2) There was around 10,000 people there! I was on the field team (there was about 19 of us). Meaning we ran the field where the egg drop was to occur. There were two egg drops, one at 10:45 for ages 8-12, and one at 11:45 for ages 4-7. It was a crazy site at 10:30 as we started lining up the kids along the fence to get ready for the egg "rush." Well more and more kids kept walking in, so we had to allow the kids to come closer and closer to the field (we were keeping them on the track because no kids were allowed on the field for the dropping of the eggs). It was a lot of work keeping the kids off the field and holding them back from rushing the field until the appropriate time. The field team already scattered over 6,000 eggs on the field, with a few more thousand coming from the helicopter. Long story short, it was so awesome (how many people actually see plastic eggs full of candy and toys fall from a helicopter in their life). The kids loved it and it was a little overwhelming to see such a large turn-out.

3) The coolest thing for me from the day came from a little girl about 6 years old. As the 4-7 age group was waiting for their turn to rush the field, I was walking back and forth asking the kids to please take a few steps back so the helicopter to come. The little girl stopped me and asked, "why is everyone being so nice and helping?" I didn't know what to say! She was referring to the 170 volunteers serving to make this event unforgettable for the kids. We had a 6 year old girl asking why in the world we world we would take time out of our busy lives to server her! (ok, maybe she wasn't exactly thinking that) The question left me speechless, but that question made my whole day worthwhile!

4) Someone PLEASE tell me God isn't real! What took place today would never have been able to happen without the grace of the Lord! He showed up in a big way today, and the love shown by all the volunteers comes only from us trying to give back to God a little of what he has given us. Without Christ, if Lifepoint Church didn't exist, if we didn't put our faith in Jesus, the egg drop wouldn't have taken place. Kids wouldn't have questioned why in the world everyone was being so nice to them. Parents wouldn't see the elated faces of their kids as the helicopter flew overhead. I wouldn't have experienced a Joy I have ONLY ever felt from the Lord, and I wouldn't be writing this blog.

Tomorrow is Easter, and Lifepoint church may very well be over crowded. But lives will be changed forever, and it's going to be another awesome day to thank the Lord for his Son!

Lifepoint!

2009-04-09T17:03:00.000-04:00

It is Easter break here at UNCW, and I decided to stay here and not go home. One reason was to begin the job search for this summer. I applied to 5 restaurants today, one of which accepts applications only between 2-4 PM Monday through Thursdays...I got there at 4:01. I actually picked up all the applications in the morning and returned them all between 2 and 4 (except for one!) hoping that at at least one place I would get to speak to a manager, but I didn't so the job search shall continue.

The biggest reason for staying is for Lifepoint Church! That place has been INSANE the past few weeks on Sunday mornings. God is definitely moving in that church, and it was awesome to see. It is such a blessing to be a part of such a movement like Lifepoint, and it is also something I've never witnessed first hand. This Saturday Lifepoint is having an Easter egg drop. Dropping 30,000 eggs out of a helicopter. I was placed on the field team, which means I am one of the few people who actually gets to be on the field when the eggs drop before the kids come run on the field. There were also be big inflatible things (whatever they are called), the fire department will be there, lots of food and chik-fil-a cows, it is going to be SWEET!

Mainly though, I wasn't going to miss the Easter service at Lifepoint. The Holy Spirit has shown up in a big way these last month worth of Sundays, and I can't wait to witness what happens on Sunday!

First one in over a month!

2009-03-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

Been a while! That's what happens with a crazy schedule. Plus the fact that after I haven't written in a while it makes me even less likelier to write, it that makes sense...

On the crazy schedule subject, a very close friend (who said they never wanted to be mentioned on this blog) helped show me that I am over-committed, therefore doing the bare-minimum in all my commitments rather than focusing on a few and doing a very good job. All these commitments are even music related, which seems like a good idea considering that may be what I'm doing with my life. I've joined various things thinking, "I could get some experience doing this and maybe learn a lot." While instead, I've done just enough to get by in order to keep up with everything, instead of really learning and focusing on a few things. I really am going to have to chose what I'll be doing next school year this summer, because even my academics have been taking a hit...

Now to the part that may get me in trouble...but since this is my blog I figure the point of it is to say what I think, and this is what I think...

I think Christians today need to quit accepting what society deems ok. How easy is it for us to read the Bible and shake our heads at the "wicked" things people did in the old testament. Or to call the Pharisees and teachers of the Law in the New Testament foolish, when we are doing the exact same things as them!

I have learned a lot this school year as my spiritual maturity has grown. A song that is popular in modern church's and things of the sort here in the Wilmington area is a song titled "Hosanna." The lyrics that stick out to me most in the song are..."Break my heart for what breaks Yours."

Think about it, what God despises we should despise. What God calls wicked, we too should call wicked. Now clearly everyone screws up ever single day, but so many times we (yes even you) get caught up in things we shouldn't be doing, KNOW we shouldn't be doing, but do it anyway. I'm not even talking about "major things."

"Break my heart for what breaks yours."
That song you last heard. That movie you last watched. The last thought you had. The last thing you said. How does Christ view that?

A sin is a sin is a sin, no matter what it is. If something is stolen, if someone lies, if someone murderers. Then they sinned, none greater than the rest. Christians need to be aware that sinning is not ok (elementary I know). That doesn't mean the person who has sinned is a bad person and deserves to be hated, but they have sinned. If someone commits and act of homosexuality, they have sinned. If someone cheats, they have sinned. If someone lusts, they have sinned. That DOESN'T mean you hate the person and not show them love. But that also DOESN'T make it ok when anyone of us does these things. It is important to understand the difference.

Psychology 101

2009-02-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

So today in my psychology class one of the topics we discussed was on one's "Subjective Well-Being" in other words, happiness. Now the professor doesn't seem to have a faith in any particular religion from what I can tell. It seems that neither do most of all these other significant psychologists that have shaped the foundations of psychology into what it is today. It is something I have slowly picked up on in a few of the ways psychology views humans and how they live/how they should live. But here is a specific example from today:

Things that moderately affect your subjective well-being:
-Health, social activity, religion
Things that strongly affect your subjective well-being:
-Love and marriage, work, affectivity traits.

Nevermind if you don't quite understand what some of those mean, the point is this... How the heck are you going to tell me the reason that my purpose in life, and quite frankly everyone else's, only MODERATELY affects how I feel?! My faith in Christ should be the focal point of my life, PLEASE explain how that doesn't have the strongest affect on my subjective well-being. Like I said, I understand how a non-religous (although I really don't like the negative connotation "religious can have, so I prefer spiritual) person can be ignorant to the fact that religion is so huge, but I would like to disagree with what I learned today...

One more thing that has absolutley irked me about that class was something my professor said while speaking on homosexuality (yes I am about to talk about homosexuality) in a class last week. He was teaching a little bit on it from the curriculum, but at the end of class he added a personal statement that had nothing to do with the class, therefore I feel free to express my disgust with what he said...

The professor, in a nutshell, said something along the lines of this:
I absolutley can not stand that people think homosexuals should not be able to marry. If blacks can marry, if handicap people can marry, homosexuals should also be able to too.

My response is this, and it comes from Crawford Lorrits, a black preacher from Atlanta, Georgia who spoke at a conference I attended over winterbreak. Lorrits said this:
Homosexuality is a BEHAVIOR, not an IDENTITY. He went on to say that no matter how he talked, what he wore, how he lived his life, he was black. Nothing could change that, no one can argue with the fact that he is a black male. Homosexuals are only defined as homosexual when they enter into the BEHAVIOR of homosexuality.

I'm not trying to say whether one is born gay or not, what I'm saying is this. NOTHING Lorrits could do could make him not black, so how in the world would you not allow him to marry because of that? The act of homosexuality happens when an action is taken. It is clearly defined, and your BEHAVIOR determines whether or not you are a "homosexual." So how dare my professor compare homosexuality to any particular race.

Busy!

2009-02-10T22:46:00.001-05:00

The a capella group sang this weekend at a charity concert in Winston-Salem. It was a lot of fun, and a great experience. It has been cool to see how much the group has grown in such a sort time. We are about to have quite a few more singing opportunities coming up. It has been a lot of work to put something like this together, and it is tough having to let people go who can't be fully committed. Singing with the group is a lot of fun, but it gets pretty tough we can't have everyone show up at the rehearsals.

February 5th I started reading through the entire Bible, the goal is one year, hopefully sooner though. I've tried reading it through before when I was younger and got a few hundred pages in before I stopped. It is quite interesting being older and reading through it. It has been a little eye-opening to see how some of the early "heroes" of the Bible lived. Not only sleeping with multiple wives, but in Abraham and Isaac's case, they both claimed their wives as "sisters" so they wouldn't be killed for their beautiful wives. Instead the rulers of the land that the two men passed through (these events happened at different times as Isaac was Abraham's son) took their "sisters" and slept with them. Now I know things were a little different back then, and God hadn't revealed himself in the way marraige should work as he has done in the New Testament. But as a man, I can't see how you could let your wife sleep with another man. Men slept with other women back then as many of them had multiple wives or maidservants, but being a man myself, I still can't comprehend a man letting someone else sleep with his wife.

2009-02-03T23:03:00.000-05:00

So it has been over two weeks since I last wrote something, so much for doing this more often! But to be honest, that's how my semester has been going. It's been so busy with all my music stuff, plus the a capella group starting to get real serious. This weekend we are traveling to sing at a charity concert in Winston-Salem. We are stepping up rehearsals to three times a week now. I'm excited at how successful we have been considering we are brand new, but it has been anything but easy. My piano stuff has also been pretty hard. I think the biggest thing is just that I have so much to learn that it is taking a while to get started. There has been a few times this semester where I just wanted to quit everything, but so far I'm still alive!

One thing that has really stuck out to me lately is how easy it is for people to give advice, but how much harder it is to actually take it. Now obviously everyone knows anything is easier said than done, but it is funny how nearly everyone gives advice, but if the same thing is said back to them, they find excuses as to why it isn't true or how their situation is different. Now I am in no way trying to knock anybody, in fact, I don't even have anyone in particular in mind as I say this. But I guess with the economy how it is and how it has effected my family, or with how intense my school load seems to be, a lot of people have tried to help me out, giving me advice. But when I tell them something they may be a similiar situation to mine, somehow it isn't quite the same. Now I know I just said the same thing like 3 times in a row, but it is amusing to me!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds" -James 1:2
Ah the wonderful book of James telling us the most Christ-like way to live our lives. Many peoples favorite book of the Bible, but probably the hardest to live by. Now this verse has been in my mind practically everyday for the past few weeks, that and the song by David Crowder "Never Let Go." That verse has kept me pretty postive, or at least more positive than I would be. But I just can't seem to find a way to have "pure joy" in the financial situation my family is in and my never ending work load here at UNCW. I can't find anything else to call it than unfaithful. Let's be honest, all "Christians" say they have faith in the fact that there is a God, but how many are truely faithful? The next verse is a little encouraging though...

"Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." -2:3
I see this as saying not that our faith that there is a God is tested, but that our faith that Christ is who he says he is, is tested. Therefore we should still consider trials to be purely joyful, but they aren't meant to be easy. This can even be taken one step further. The more faithful one is, the tougher the trial must be. I think this is why a lot of times we as people struggle (though this isn't always true) with the fact that person A, for example, seems to hardly be having difficulties with the his economic situation, while person B seems to be losing everything...

A whole new world #2

2009-01-19T01:00:00.001-05:00

So it took me four days to write again, but it is still an improvement! I had quite the day! I think I'm starting to do this blog thing a little better, so, I must continue with the title. So back to the whole jazz music thing, I've been spending a lot of time lately working on my music and practicing. It is taking and will take a long time before I really know how to do this jazz thing, I would definitely agree with those who say jazz is the toughest form of music to play! There is so much to learn! It's not like I can just learn how to play a piece and be done with it, there is so much have to take in and in a way memorize. But it it so much more enjoyable for me than what I was doing last semester. People hear music all the time and just don't realize the amount of skill it takes, especially the difficult stuff. The term talented is important yes, but you give me an actual well-rounded musician and I would guarantee they worked AT LEAST as hard as any more "professional" position (doctor, lawyer, CEO, etc.).

Now that I got to say that, I will get back on track. Four years at one place seems like such a long time. The jazz band that came to UNCW (and that UNCW paid a lot of money for) was beginning their tour around the U.S., first stopping at UNCW. I think it would be so awesome to do something like that. Not necessarily being in some jazz band, but being able to go places, meet people, play music. I feel like so much more could be accomplished in four years than staying at one school, taking a lot of needless classes, and getting a degree that means nothing more than applying for a job. Not to mention the overpriced cost. There is so much emphasis on going to school to get a degree to get a job to get married to buy a house to having kids to doing the same routine day after day after day. I mean I guess that isn't a bad thing, but I'm just not so sure that is for me. With that said, who knows if I will be here (UNCW) for a full four years. A lot of me says I will, but a lot of me says there is so much more. Other than a few music classes, I haven't learned anything in the classroom, and paying $15,000 a year for that doesn't seem to make sense.

A whole new world

2009-01-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

That was a nifty title! So I have realized I have to get better at this whole blogging thing, make it more consistent and interesting. But I like to do these things at night before I go to bed, and since I'm making a strong effort this semester to get to bed earlier, I typically just get back to my dorm and go to sleep. Add to the fact that I don't like to write these during the day because I have to much other stuff going on, and you get very few blogs! Hopefully I'll improve!

So back to the title! I had one of the longest days of my short life today. I probably felt every type of emotion, and was constantly doing something all day. Today was my first experience in the world of band! Since I have switched my music concentration to jazz piano, I auditioned and was placed into a jazz band, no more chorus for me! I am in a saxtet (don't really know what that means). I think it has six saxophones in it or something like that, and then drums, guitar, and piano (me). Man did I feel out of my league! We went over to pieces today. The first one was just insane. The director clearly knows the difficulty of this piece, and kind of felt bad giving it to me, me being new and all, but I didn't care, I struggled through it! My jazz piano lessons start tomorrow, so I'll actually get to learn what some of those chords we have to play actually are. I have SO much to learn, but I'm extremely excited for it.

There was a big jazz band from New York that came to play a show tonight, I was able to attend there sound check (I didn't have a ticket to the actual show). It was really cool. I got to talking with the bass player that is in my jazz band (he's really good). He is a performance major in FOUR instruments! He was really excited to have a piano player in the band. I guess I can't go into to much detail about our conversation, because if you don't know much about music, you'll have no idea what I'm saying. But it was encouraging!

My schedule has been ridiculous so far. This music thing is really a lot of work. I didn't have it too bad last semester because I didn't have to take the theory classes, but now I'm constantly doing something all day. I hoping it is just so crazy because the semester just started, but I feel like it is only going to get busier. If so, I'm not quite sure how I'll be able to manage all of it. I feel like I have spent so much time on school work alone this week (tomorrow is the first day I'll actually start practicing music), but hopefully I'll just learn a lot.

That was fun, I wrote something! My goal is to do this again withing 3 days, so I guess it is your goal to check!

2009-01-08T14:19:00.001-05:00

Classes started yesterday! I have quite a load this semester but hopefully I'll learn a lot. I got into the jazz program here! I auditioned on Tuesday. I was playing with some of the other musicians before my audition and a few of them came up and told me I was pretty good. And then in my exit interview where I found out how the audition went and if I was accepted, they lady I was talking too basically told me I have a lot to work on and need to be prepared to work this semester. Now I'm thinking, "Obiviously I have a lot to work on, that is why I'm coming to school to learn!" She seemed to be a littler harsher than necessary but what can you do. I'm on a short break right now before my next class, which is nice because I don't have many!

Right now I don't have a roomate, the guy who I was supposed to be rooming back didn't come back to school so I'll be by myself for 10 days! It's nice having my own room, but I'm trying not to get used to it. But it makes it a lot easier to go to bed and get up on my own schedule.

First one in a while! (written Jan 1)

2008-12-23T23:20:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I spent the last four days in Greensboro at a Winter Conference with Campus Crusade for Christ. There was about 1,000 students total. It was a lot of fun, but also exhausting. I really learned a lot and am excited to take and apply this semester at school. I am also looking to spend six weeks this summer in Lebanon. It would be with Campus Crusade, they will be taking about 10-12 students so I really don't know too much about it right now. I'm not really sure how many students apply, but it is offered to the entire mid-south region (which I'm not completely sure what states that covers). I was looking into Lebanon today and found that Lebanon is mentioned at least 40 times in the Bible. In Isiah it is spoken prophetically as the land that the word of God will be spread throughout that region (which is the Middle East). It is the only Middle-eastern country where Islam is not the official religion, as well as the only one that allows Christian missions. So I'll see how it goes!

I will be going back to Wilmington either the 5th or 6th. I have to audition for the music department again on the 6th because I am switching my concentration from voice to Jazz piano. The last day at Conference I went to lunch with the worship band that was there and a few other guys. It was really cool just to be able to talk music with people who really knew what they were talking about, and hearing their stories about music. But I am looking forward to go back to school, I will be a lot busier this semester, but I'm anxious to see how everything is going to work out. I also will be writing on this more, but with being on break I have been going from place to place, and when I have been home just didn't have anything exciting to say!

2008-12-13T00:30:00.000-05:00

Winter break is here! I look forward to sleeping in my bed where it is actually quiet. I arrived home yesterday today and went to the Christmas Production at my church. It was a lot of work moving out of my dorm room. I am switching to another room next semester so I had to take everything out of my old room. I'm glad to be having a break from the stress of school, but at the same time, I'm excited for next semester. The a capella group I'm involved with at school has a lot planned, and also switching my major to jazz piano (although I technically still have to audition). College has been great, I finally feel like I actually have somewhat of a story to tell. I hope to see the beginning of certain opportunities start to open themselves up. I just hope that I chose the best option!

God works in mysterious ways (one of my friends always likes to tell me that), but it is so true in my own life right now! I gave away some money recently, it was just small amount but watch this. I already, being a college student, don't really have money to begin with. Anyway, the next day I went to return my used college books from that semester to the book store for some cash. Most of my books are music books that I will be using again next semester, but I was still thinking I would get about $75. The day before, my huge math book went missing, I soon come to realize that someone had taken it back and gotten the money for it! The other books I had with me were also no longer of value, so I got nothing for them. At this point I had taken the only book my this person (who had taken my book) had left to sell it (he stole about 200$ from me over the course of the semester). I later put it back knowing no matter what he did to me, I shouldn't pay him back for it. Ironically the next day while reading my Bible I stumbled across this.
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil..." -Romans 12:17

Back to the story, after the unseccesful attempt to sell back my books, I walk back to my car and notice I received at $25 dollar parking ticket for parking somewhere I shouldn't have, I was only gone for 10 minutes! Not only did I receive nothing for my books, but I had to pay more money! Of course that can't be all. I had planned to go to work at the restuarant I worked at over the summer, over winter break. Everything was set up for me to go back, and now they still haven't contacted me back. I guess that's what I get for trying to figure out how God will provide...
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

I don't know what I'm doing!

2008-12-10T01:16:00.001-05:00

A lot of people seem to have one of these so I figured I would join too. I just created this thing so I don't know what it is going to look like once I publish something, but I will see shortly! I don't know how one is supposed to start one of these things either, so here goes something...

It's exam week! I fortunately am already done! I have to stay in Wilmington until Friday though because I have a doctors appointment here to get X-rays on my face. I've been sick (if that is what you would call it) literally pretty much since school started. I have chronic sinusitis (spelling?). I have been taking these really big pills everyday for about a month and half, hopefully it is all gone but Friday but I don't think it is!

College has been great! The beginning was a little slow with not knowing people and all that, but I love it now. I've been attending Lifepoint Church here in Wilmington. It's a great church, we meet in a high school. It is quite different in terms of size (it's only two years old) compared to my church back home, but it's great nonetheless. We just finished up a series on money and finances, and I just finished reading a book on the same subject. I would love to one day be able to give lots of money away, but being a jobless college student, that isn't quite possibleat the moment. That isn't to say sacrifices still can't be made! In fact I will be making one tomorrow! Everyone likes to think that if "they only had more" then they would be able to give more. But how easy is that?! It's giving when you have little that shows faithfulness. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" -Hebrews 11:1.

I don't know how long is too long before someone gets bored with reading one of these, so I will stop there for now. I hope everyone is not beating themselves up too much over this stressful season! Have fun Christmas shopping, don't spend too much, maybe give a little and make a difference in someones life! (how cool does that sound??)
-Dylan