New Orleans Mission

So, just a little bit about me real quick. I have never been on any sort of mission trip. I would like to go on a mission trip to New Orleans in a few weeks with our college age group at church but there is something keeping me from doing so. Jobs have been increadibly scarce around here and so I don't have one. Thus finances are beyond low.

So, that being said... I need some money to go help rebuild New Orleans for a few days. I need about $300 total for the trip and that would pay for everything. So if there is any way you can help, whether it be ways to make some fast cash, a donation, prayer, etc, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Obedience...

Romans 6:16

Don't you realize that you become a slave of what you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

What are some things that we choose to obey that aren't God? Lying. Sex. Drunkenness. Vengeance. Pride. All of these things are rooted in evil. All of these things ruin the world we live in. All of these things are desires that our flesh longs for. All of the things, they all lead to death. When we choose to obey sin, our lives are dark. When you are a slave to sin, it creeps up in everything you do. Its a disease that will infest your entire life. 


But when we choose to obey God, then our lives are full of the everlasting light that darkness cannot defeat. Being a slave of Christ leads to righteous living. 

So how do we obey? I mean, the simple answer is... you just do it. But if obedience toward God were simple for us, those of us that want to obey Him would always do it. Yet we tend to dis-obey. So there has to be more to it.

I think we have to suffer. Hebrews 5:8 says that Jesus learned His obedience through His suffering. Though I'm still not sure what exactly that means. So we also have to ask God for the wisdom to understand what it means to obey and the strength and will to do so accordingly. We can't just say "I want to be obedient to God" and expect it to happen. We have to have a desire that isn't empty in discipline and principle.


What do YOU think?

"And your name is?"

1 John 2:15-17 says this..

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love for the Father in not in him. Because everything that belongs to the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's lifestyle - is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God's will remains forever.

There are so many people who say "I love God" and probably think that they do indeed love Him. They are at "church" on Sunday and Wednesday, know the words to worship songs, and have their bibles with them at every service. As far as one could see, these people would truly love the world. But so many times, there would be another side to these people. They have a different set of friends that they "go out" with. They are known for their partying and desire for a "good time". The truth is, outside of the church building, nothing screamed Jesus. But that's okay, right? At least they are in church on Sunday and Wednesday, which is better than most people can do, right?

But if what 1 John says is true, then the love for the Father is not in them. The love of the world and its lustful sins are what truly resides in their heart. And like the verses say, "the worlds with its lust is passing away." So would that mean that someone who calls their self a Christian and "prayed a prayer" yet still lusts after the world is going to remain forever or pass away? More on that in a bit...

Now, the person I have been talking about above is someone you, the reader may know. Honestly, it is me. Or at least it was. But for you to understand this, I have to confess something to you.

A few weeks ago, I hung out with some friends of mine on a boat. We had some beer while we were out but nothing out of line. We stayed out for about 5 hours before coming in. There was a party happening that night for my friends that were leaving the next weekend to go back to school in Knoxville. I knew there would be drinking going on and I went with a friend to get some drinks to take over there. When I got to the party, there were quite a few people there. I had some good beer from a local brewery in Nashville and that's all I had planned on having. One of the guys who lived at this place had a few guitars and He and I began jamming a little. The people in the kitchen were drinking way more than I had thought and I decided to have some too. Later, something in my head decided i should try to catch up to those who had been drinking more, so I took more shots than I should have. Long story short, I got drunk. I had never felt this drunk in my life (only been drunk a few times, and that was years ago), and it didn't feel very good. But I didn't care too much. While I was trying to help someone, who was passed out on the deck, try to sit out of the way, I had a sobering-of-the-heart (not mind) moment. I kinda heard the question "why are you here?" The rest of the night I focused on this question as much as I could. I did get sick, and I did feel terrible the rest of the night.

The next morning was Sunday, and I made it to church for service. I couldn't sing to God. I wanted to but as hard as I tried I couldn't. It wasn't until I addressed the problem with God that I felt okay to sing. Like God had been asking me "Are you seriously about to stroll in here like nothing happened last night?" So I knew I needed to talk to God and confess my sin, and thats what I did.

(Before I continue, I must apologize. I'm sorry about claiming the name of Christ and doing these things. If you read this and are angry with me for it, know that I am so very sorry for what I have done and please continue to read.)

The week after all of this I felt like complete garbage for my actions. And the week after that, I met someone who was on fire for God. And as the conversation that we were having continued, I began to see the face of Jesus in her. She was moving her lips but the Holy Spirit was doing all the work and speaking to me. She talked about how she had been "saved" when she was younger but it wasn't until 2 years ago that Jesus had Lordship over her life. That blew me away because I thought to myself "Is Jesus the Lord of my life?" And the answer was an obvious NO. The Holy Spirit then said this through her:

Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone who says to Me "Lord, Lord!" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven. On that day many will say to me "Lord, Lord! Didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out deamons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?" Then I will announce to them "Depart from me! I never knew you, you lawbreakers!"

I thought to myself, "Man, if I die right now, is that what Jesus will say to me?" The thought scares me. So for the last few weeks I have really been trying to live for God. I have allowed Jesus to have Lordship over my life rather than on Sundays and Wednesdays and sometimes throughout the week. He has renewed and appetite for the Word, showed me how to recognize the opportunities He gives for me to share His Word, and He has developed friendships with people in which I can learn more about His Word. All this because I have allowed Him to rule my life. I truly gained life by giving it up!

We all go to heaven, and are all held accountable for our lives. The question is, will Jesus know your name and account for you?

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Here is a video of Phil Wickham talking about his inspiration for his song "Home".



 I cant tell you how many times I have tried to take God for granted and only be able to finally turn back to The Father. With hind-sight being 20/20, I can see that so often God runs to me. I can only pray that everyday I turn my back on the sinful things of this world and run to God as He runs to me, and becoming more and more in tune with His will and His love.

Feeling Indifferent (the spacing on my site is jacked up. sorry)

Indifferent is the only word that I can describe the way i have been feeling lately. God is doing amazing things in my life. He is really speaking to me, really pushing me, really tuning me in to His will. But despite all of this, its like that isn't enough. I think some of this comes from a feeling of loneliness. My friends from church are becoming my best friends, but i only see them on Sundays and Wednesdays (not so many Wednesdays in the summer though). I really do love my friends and I want to see them more often, but I don't want to seem like I'm pushing myself onto someone. I don't know...

Anyway, I have recently picked up reading Shane Claibourne's Jesus for President. This book continues to make me question my lifestyle and many issues regarding politics, economy, war, hunger, persecution, etc. Here is something that I read the other day that has had me pondering:

What is beauty?

When we ponder the wisdom of Christianity gone militant and triumphant, we need only to look on the ruins of Christendom in the regions where Christians ruled by the sword. Look at Europe-England, Sweden, Denmark, perhaps post-Christian USA in a few years. To find Christianity at its best, and the church alive, we need only look to the areas where it is persecuted and peculiar. It's hard to walk away with any other conclusion but that the best way to defeat the kingdom of God is to empower the church to rule the world with the sword, for then it becomes the beast it wishes to destroy.

What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul?

Caesar seemed to be able to do anything in the world. But Caesar could not wash feet.

p.p. 177 of Jesus for President

Noise Cancelation

I've been preparing a bible study for the Life Group that I am a part of on Sunday evenings. When I was asked to do it, I thought about what I could use and decided to use a NOOMA video. I'd seen the first 8 videos and hit up youtube to find the other 12. Well, this is the one that I think I'll use. 



So, this video it fantastic in my opinion. 

Tell me what you think about it...

And On This Day... We Celebrate!

Okay, the 4th of July as always taken a back seat when I'm asked what my favorite holiday is. It's either been Christmas or Thanksgiving. But as the years go by, I'm learning that I really do like the 4th of July. Actually, I love how the holiday is really 4 days long! Fireworks don't annoy me and unlike some people, I welcome my neighbors shooting off fireworks late into the the night even if its not the 4th yet! (It's 12:20am and i just heard something explode outside!)

Fireworks dazzle me... I can watch them for hours, in a daze like an A.D.D. kid coming down after taking his meds. So, needless to say, tomorrow night when our college aged group is in downtown Nash-vegas watching what is one of the nations top 4th of July Extravaganzas, I will experience 25 minutes of pure bliss!

P.S. To all you "Old Men" (sorry Aaron... I had to) out there, sit back, relax, and enjoy the magic of spending this holiday with those you love!

A Family in Need of Prayer

Most who read this blog know about the Ivey family. We'll things are getting difficult for them and their adoption process. I can't even begin to imagine how tough this must be for Aaron and Jamie to go through. I don't want to share the whole story so you can read about it here.

To the Iveys: I love you guys! And though we don't really know each other, my heart hurts for you.

I want to learn Joy

This has been on my mind for a couple of weeks..



I have just recently seen a film entitled Invisible Children. Filmed in 2003 by three young guys who wanted to Uganda and do something with their lives, it was a story about the civil unrest that was going on in that country at the time. Basically, there was a group of rebels that was fighting against the government and killed many innocent people, including children. These rebels would also come in the middle of the night and rip children from their beds and force them to be in their army. Children between the ages of 6 and 15 i think were targets due to their weakness to brain washing. So these kids would go to the next town every night and sleep together just so they would be abducted. Most of them orphaned by the death of their family at the hands of the rebels.

A friend of mine just spent three weeks in the same village that this was filmed in. The thing is, I had no clue about what was going on over there until after she was back. I mean, I knew that there was unrest there and everything but I just played it off like it was no big deal. But when I saw this film, I had to ask her about Uganda and how things were there. What she told me shook everything that that I had grown custom when it comes to my faith in God.

She told me first that the leader of the rebels, who was briefly discussed in the film, had been killed. Then she told me that when he died, the children armies died as well. I let out a sigh of relief because I remember seeing these kids with guns being forced to kill or be killed and it broke my heart. I asked her what was going there now and she told me that they are trying to rebuild and bounce back. She said there is major lack of food and stuff like that.

Then I asked her if she learned anything and she told me that more than anything she learned Joy. I thought to myself, "that's not what I expected to hear". So I asked her why and she said that the people there are more focused on Jesus than their next meal. They truly love the Lord and praise Him for everything.

Now let's be honest here. That makes me feel like dirt. I have a hard time believing that I would be content with the Lord if I had nothing else. I like to think that I would celebrate Jesus if I had nothing, but I doubt i would. Now, I have to ask myself.. How do I love Jesus like them. I want to really know what it feels like so see myself as someone who has nothing, yet has everything!

In Light of an Amazing Day!

Do you ever wake up in the morning, or go to sleep the night before, and just know that the day your are about to have will be fantastic? I had one of those days today. I could feel God in everything today! It was like everything that I got to experience was God filled and I was constantly reminded of God beauty, creativity, mercy, power, will, etc. It goes all the way back to last night actually. Berger invited me to dinner at his house and to stay the night. Dinner was crazy good and was followed by fresh apple pie and vanilla ice cream! Then we went a got a movie from Mcdonald's (funny how I won't eat there anymore but I will rent movies!) We watched "Into The Wild" while drinking some coffee from Brazil that I didn't really like all to much. The movie was so good! It's definitely a movie you should pick up and get into. That night I read a good bit of The Barbarian Way before hitting the sack.

8:00a.m. rolls around and I get up, hop in the shower and Berger and I are off to meet my new friend Emily (who is so awesomely awesome) for breakfast at MTSU's campus. We eat what turns out to be a good breakfast, and then walk her to her class and then Berger and I visit some buildings and go get his boards to skate around campus. We do some skating and stuff in the BEAUTIFUL weather and just enjoy God's creation! Then we meet up with Emily and sit around and talk outside for a bit about whatever is on our minds. Shortly after, we decide to split to Emily's apt. to drop her stuff off and to pick up Thaddeus, the majestic bald eagle kite. After stopping by my house we hit up the Disc Golf course with Nate and play a round of 18 holes. It was so much fun playing with everyone, hanging out, and being in the sunshine!

After that, we head to Sonic and Emily gets us free sonic food (told you she is amazing)!! Grilled Chicken sandwich with honey mustard, tots, and a "Route 66" strawberry slush. So tasty! We grub and decide to go to the park and fly Thaddeus and ride long boards some more. It doesn't long for me to finally bust it while on the long board. I skinned my knee so good... ouch! We head back to my house and on the way I realize that I don't have my phone. But I need to clean my knee up so I do that and tell Yvonne that I'm going to miss seeing "Horton Hears a Who" but will meet up after. So, I clean my wound, and someone calls Yvonne to tell her that they found my phone. That, was God working. I really didn't need to lose my phone. So I go get my phone from the disc golf course, come back to the house and chill, and then go hang out with everyone and play Apples-to-Apples and Hoopla! I just loved having fellowship today with everyone!

God revealed Himself to me all day and I loved it! When is a time that God revealed Himself to you?

Building A Community

Dictionary.com has 13 results for the word community. Here are a few.

1. Ecclesiastical. A group of men or women leading a common life according to a rule
2. Joint possession, enjoyment, liability.
3. Similar Character; agreement; identity

How do we make a community here in our group of college-age students at FBC? Shane Claiborne talks a lot about community in his book, and when i try to describe his ideas (or mostly realizations about the early church of Acts) i tend to butcher it and make him sound like a communist. He's not. Or maybe he is, but not the communist that most people think of. Anyway, he talks a lot about coming to the aid of one another. If, someone needs something, then everyone rises to help them. Etc. Etc.

I think that its important to do certain things together in a community. To name a few: Prayer, eat together (when you can), share possessions, and learning as a unit. The group i'm now a part of has shown me the importance of doing these things. The funny thing is, we haven't really eaten together (super bowl sorta counts) nor do we share possessions. And i think thats going to come down to us sharing homes with one another for meals. I think there is so much potential to grow as a unit around the dinner table and to discuss our personal problems with our brothers and sister. Besides, Shane says that he is very reluctant to come speak somewhere if he can't stay in someones house, and i think that is great! He wants to stay with someone and bond with them instead of being alone. Humans aren't meant to be alone.

I just want to grow into this group, and become part of it. I want for it to look on the outside and influence the world with love and for that love to be the love for Christ and the love of others as ourselves. There are people that need us! let's do something to help!