Every time I watch this video, I'm sincerely moved and blanketed
by the Holy Spirit. Thank you to Kyle for introducing me, and thank
you to Tony Chavez for the link to this.
John Mark McMillan, I cannot get enough of what God is doing
through you.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Ready and Willing.
I just typed a beginning sentence what seemed to be a half dozen
times before deciding it was pointless. I know it is easy for me
to sit here behind all these 1's and 0's and write exactly what I
may think or feel on a subject and precede about my day or night
without a bother or thought of how it may have affected the reader.
I say this because, I've been thinking about you a lot lately.
You as in, anyone who may read this, know me, have met me, etc.
I think about you because I ask myself, "how do they perceive me?"
Not in a pretentious tone, but one of concern to me that you know
I truly care so it would only be logical to examine myself.
This question comes due to a great personal growth in my life in
the last half year, and truly this is an opportunity to boast in
my weakness just as Paul communicated to the Corinthians. It is my
weakness revealed, the revelation as Christ as my savior, and
the restoration in my life that he's done as to know that not only
have I been saved FROM sin but TO grace.
I realize many of my past mistakes and think of how trivial some of
those things were. Rolling my eyes when someone precious to me was
talking to me or telling me something, how condescending!? How could
I be so selfish and cold? This is not the heart I desire; I don't
know why I'm telling you this but I feel it is a good opportunity
to be transparent. Lately I take joy in listening, in getting the
milk, in mowing the lawn, in turning off the T.V. and taking out the
trash, in cleaning up messes I didn't make... in the little trivial
things that we sometimes don't think about but I know it means so
much to someone else.
Before I lacked initiative, but now I have less words on the matter
and my actions are obvious; again, this is simply to give Glory to
what God has done. I don't wait anymore, I move and do. I see the
sun and sleep at night, I accomplish more in one day than I used to
in a single week just months ago.
I am proud, yet I am humbled as my Savior and my Holy Spirit continue
to grow me. My sincerest regret remains for those whom I swore I
loved with words, but did not reflect with action. Just like the
gospels, we can have the information but it is the renewal of our
minds that makes the true difference. I can know about love, but to
functionally love, and I can know grace and the gospels but to
functionally live it out? It is the function that makes it real, words
are simply air unless we are living them out! And as I share my
heart with you, I ask simply that you pray for me and that if you
need prayer to let me know how I can pray for you. The prayer of the
righteous is powerful and effective, let us join together in this.
Pride, continue to fall.
Let us remember, it is better to serve than to be served.
And Father keep it in our hearts, less of me and more of you.
Go out and seek Jesus.
times before deciding it was pointless. I know it is easy for me
to sit here behind all these 1's and 0's and write exactly what I
may think or feel on a subject and precede about my day or night
without a bother or thought of how it may have affected the reader.
I say this because, I've been thinking about you a lot lately.
You as in, anyone who may read this, know me, have met me, etc.
I think about you because I ask myself, "how do they perceive me?"
Not in a pretentious tone, but one of concern to me that you know
I truly care so it would only be logical to examine myself.
This question comes due to a great personal growth in my life in
the last half year, and truly this is an opportunity to boast in
my weakness just as Paul communicated to the Corinthians. It is my
weakness revealed, the revelation as Christ as my savior, and
the restoration in my life that he's done as to know that not only
have I been saved FROM sin but TO grace.
I realize many of my past mistakes and think of how trivial some of
those things were. Rolling my eyes when someone precious to me was
talking to me or telling me something, how condescending!? How could
I be so selfish and cold? This is not the heart I desire; I don't
know why I'm telling you this but I feel it is a good opportunity
to be transparent. Lately I take joy in listening, in getting the
milk, in mowing the lawn, in turning off the T.V. and taking out the
trash, in cleaning up messes I didn't make... in the little trivial
things that we sometimes don't think about but I know it means so
much to someone else.
Before I lacked initiative, but now I have less words on the matter
and my actions are obvious; again, this is simply to give Glory to
what God has done. I don't wait anymore, I move and do. I see the
sun and sleep at night, I accomplish more in one day than I used to
in a single week just months ago.
I am proud, yet I am humbled as my Savior and my Holy Spirit continue
to grow me. My sincerest regret remains for those whom I swore I
loved with words, but did not reflect with action. Just like the
gospels, we can have the information but it is the renewal of our
minds that makes the true difference. I can know about love, but to
functionally love, and I can know grace and the gospels but to
functionally live it out? It is the function that makes it real, words
are simply air unless we are living them out! And as I share my
heart with you, I ask simply that you pray for me and that if you
need prayer to let me know how I can pray for you. The prayer of the
righteous is powerful and effective, let us join together in this.
Pride, continue to fall.
Let us remember, it is better to serve than to be served.
And Father keep it in our hearts, less of me and more of you.
Go out and seek Jesus.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
I Get It, But Do I Get It?
I've been blank in seeking after Christ, blank outwardly
to greater take in the gospel. Listening to The Village
podcast archives, "The Gospel Recognition" and "Gospel
Contextualization" have been pounding me with biblical
insight I've been missing for years as a christian. They
brought about some of those, "wow, that's me" moments.
I have to admit, as distasteful as "nominal christianity"
seems, which Chandler mentions quite a bit along with the
rest of the teaching staff, I think all too often I fall
in that category myself.
Upon realizing this, it was evident in my heart that a
change was necessary and one that I greatly desired. I
say this to boast in my weakness. My pride has caught the
best of me, and ruined the best of me since I was young;
I even went through a couple of years of counseling dealing
with anger, which turned into bitterness, then healed over
into shame.
What this short series of sermons brought to the surface
was remarkably accurate of who I see in the mirror. Someone
that fundamentally gets the gospel, but does not functionally
get the gospel. I have been learning to think WITH the bible
rather than about it. I know we are always learning and being
made holy as seeking christians, but sometimes I feel so far
behind the curve that I've got so much catching up to do.
I'm blessed to be surrounded and united with great people of
faith and wisdom that disciple me and direct me to prayer and
the word often; if it were not for them I think more often
than not I would be left to make decisions I simply cannot
make alone sometimes.
My love for his goodness, his holiness, his redemptive work on
the cross, continues to beat greater each day. It's my prayer
that we would grasp the gospel, functionally, that we would not
be caught up in spiritual superiority but humble servant-hood.
Mark 10: 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." That
we would get our feet dirty as Jesus did, that we would live with
Reckless Abandon and go where he sends us no matter the cost.
Philippians 1: 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
I'm loving where God has placed my friend Tony Chavez, and what
God has laid upon he and his family's hearts and also how he is
allowing us to encourage each other. I believe big things are
on the near horizon, the Holy Spirit is moving monsterously, I
pray we proudly accept the call.
James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says.
to greater take in the gospel. Listening to The Village
podcast archives, "The Gospel Recognition" and "Gospel
Contextualization" have been pounding me with biblical
insight I've been missing for years as a christian. They
brought about some of those, "wow, that's me" moments.
I have to admit, as distasteful as "nominal christianity"
seems, which Chandler mentions quite a bit along with the
rest of the teaching staff, I think all too often I fall
in that category myself.
Upon realizing this, it was evident in my heart that a
change was necessary and one that I greatly desired. I
say this to boast in my weakness. My pride has caught the
best of me, and ruined the best of me since I was young;
I even went through a couple of years of counseling dealing
with anger, which turned into bitterness, then healed over
into shame.
What this short series of sermons brought to the surface
was remarkably accurate of who I see in the mirror. Someone
that fundamentally gets the gospel, but does not functionally
get the gospel. I have been learning to think WITH the bible
rather than about it. I know we are always learning and being
made holy as seeking christians, but sometimes I feel so far
behind the curve that I've got so much catching up to do.
I'm blessed to be surrounded and united with great people of
faith and wisdom that disciple me and direct me to prayer and
the word often; if it were not for them I think more often
than not I would be left to make decisions I simply cannot
make alone sometimes.
My love for his goodness, his holiness, his redemptive work on
the cross, continues to beat greater each day. It's my prayer
that we would grasp the gospel, functionally, that we would not
be caught up in spiritual superiority but humble servant-hood.
Mark 10: 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." That
we would get our feet dirty as Jesus did, that we would live with
Reckless Abandon and go where he sends us no matter the cost.
Philippians 1: 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
I'm loving where God has placed my friend Tony Chavez, and what
God has laid upon he and his family's hearts and also how he is
allowing us to encourage each other. I believe big things are
on the near horizon, the Holy Spirit is moving monsterously, I
pray we proudly accept the call.
James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Breakthrough.
As I immerse myself in this season of unknowing, faith
growing work Holy Spirit is doing in my life, I ask
myself the question, "how bad do you want this?" How bad
do you want people to know his name, his love, his grace,
his beauty, his mercy, his greatness. Lord it is your
Renown, and that is truly what I desire to exist in my
life and the others that I come into contact with.
A huge blessing in my life right now is a book by John
Piper entitled, "Don't Waste Your Life." How fitting for
a man who has felt the majority of his life was a selfish
charade of one false hope after another.
As I read this Piper heart, Chad's heart via blog, I am
again reminded that if it is the desire of my heart for
a breakthrough with Christ in my life it is imperative
that I seek him with all that I have. As I wake early in
the morning now, I wake to seek my savior, the lover of
my soul. As I go to sleep early it is to remind me that I
am disciplined to the work of his kingdom, which first
requires a great work in a broken man's heart like my own.
A season of "confinement and refinement" that I share with
Come and Live! is upon us, and acts as a reminder of how
we must rely on God for everything.
Teach our hearts to boast in the cross (2 Corinthians 12)
and to practice self-forgetfulness my Father! And as Matt
Chandler says, "Can we maybe run some of the plays, instead
of just studying them?" I have to ask myself this daily, is
it my joy, do I rejoice in the cross of Christ? And if I do,
I want to show people the all-satisfying God.
Though I am weak, "He has said to me, 'My Grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
growing work Holy Spirit is doing in my life, I ask
myself the question, "how bad do you want this?" How bad
do you want people to know his name, his love, his grace,
his beauty, his mercy, his greatness. Lord it is your
Renown, and that is truly what I desire to exist in my
life and the others that I come into contact with.
A huge blessing in my life right now is a book by John
Piper entitled, "Don't Waste Your Life." How fitting for
a man who has felt the majority of his life was a selfish
charade of one false hope after another.
As I read this Piper heart, Chad's heart via blog, I am
again reminded that if it is the desire of my heart for
a breakthrough with Christ in my life it is imperative
that I seek him with all that I have. As I wake early in
the morning now, I wake to seek my savior, the lover of
my soul. As I go to sleep early it is to remind me that I
am disciplined to the work of his kingdom, which first
requires a great work in a broken man's heart like my own.
A season of "confinement and refinement" that I share with
Come and Live! is upon us, and acts as a reminder of how
we must rely on God for everything.
Teach our hearts to boast in the cross (2 Corinthians 12)
and to practice self-forgetfulness my Father! And as Matt
Chandler says, "Can we maybe run some of the plays, instead
of just studying them?" I have to ask myself this daily, is
it my joy, do I rejoice in the cross of Christ? And if I do,
I want to show people the all-satisfying God.
Though I am weak, "He has said to me, 'My Grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
Monday, April 20, 2009
Love Vs. Lust
I enjoyed this so much I couldn't help but post it.
It has occurred to me how little I knew about love, or rather,
how miserably I fail at showing love to others. Many of those
things I learned most recently after losing someone extremely
special to me. When I came to grips that it was my doing, my
lack of motivation, my apathy, my selfishness, the list goes on,
it was a turning point for me. That horrible experience, not
the relationship, I'm talking post relationship realization, taught
me some of the most important lessons I've ever learned.
There was so much good in it all, coupled with an equal
amount of bad, mostly that I feel responsible for but either way
I am a better man for today. I am thankful to God for putting
us through the difficult times, I may have never learned otherwise;
and she may never have had a chance to be cared for and loved
like she deserves.
My prayer is the we would learn to love as christ loved others. In
our friendships, relationships, and towards even the strangest
of strangers. Let us learn to sacrifice, let us learn to serve, let us
learn to truly love. The beauty of it all, is I feel that none of it was
ever in vein; she is happy, and I am happy that she is happy. Though
I'm missing out, I am content knowing that she is not. It was a
difficult lump to swallow initially, but now I know what it means
to truly love someone. To love someone is to do what's in their best
interest, no matter what it means for you or for them. This clip
has a great perspective on how I believe the world perceives love,
and what love really is.
It's been a while since I've posted and this seemed fitting based
upon how God has been working in my life as of late. Let's go
out and love, selflessly.
Go be His hands and His feet.
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