My Two Gifts

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Romans 1:5 (The Message)
"Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus."

From Jesus, I receive eternal life. I have been brought out of a life of sin, depravity, and death into a life of redemption, holiness, and renewed life. Above all else, I live to serve God, and to do His will.

But that's not all. From Jesus, I've also received the "urgent task of passing" this gift "on to others." Am I selfish with the Gospel? If this is a catch-all, end-all, and the answer to every problem, then why am I not telling it to everyone I meet?

We are all obligated to share the Gospel with everyone we meet. Every day, people ask, "What should I do?" I now have an answer ready: "Repent, and be baptized ...."

Lobbying God

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I took some time lately to fast and to pray, because there is a situation that is in limbo, and I am hoping for a particular outcome. I was in my car during a break at school between classes, praying to God that He would arrange it so that I received my desire.

Then, I started thinking, because I'm ADD, about lobbying groups in American politics. They visit lawmakers and decision-makers, trying to influence public policy and legislation that is favourable to their cause. They aren't always interested in the greater good, but only the good for their interest.

Is that what prayer should be? "NO!" God checked me. When I pray, when I fast, I am working to submit my personal desires, my personal ambitions, all of what seems like a good idea to me to God's will, and learning to accept it. I can't just "lobby God," hoping for an outcome favourable to what I think I want. I have to let God show me what is right for my life, what He has planned for me, and when I pray, I have to pray that God will teach me to accept and understand His will.

So now I'm not lobbying God anymore. "My Father, ... thy kingdom come, thy will be done in my life as it is in heaven."

Family Guy

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Today, central Indiana was hammered by 5 inches of snow. Any other northern city would handle it without incident, but there's nothing more morbidly funny than Hoosiers on Ice. My evening class was canceled (over a mere 5 inches), so I left campus early. It took me an hour and a half to make my way from the downtown campus to my house, a trek that never exceeds a half hour. By the time I arrived home, I wasn't nearly as excited about sledding as I had been when I left school.

So, I got home, took a brief nap, ate dinner with MomandDad, shoveled the driveway, then built a fire in the fireplace while the 'rents did some errands. I was home alone on a cold snowy evening, a growing fire in the fireplace, and I turned all the lights out in the house, sat on my sofa in silence, watching the flames grow in the fireplace, shadows dancing across the floor and up the walls.

MomandDad came home, brought me Starbucks, and we sat in the dark house, watching the fire, and we just talked. We talked about everything in general, and nothing in particular, and wasted away two hours of the evening. There was much more that we needed to accomplish, but I genuinely enjoyed my time with my parents tonight. Sometimes, it's nice to waste time doing what's really important.

Down, but not out

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I heard you fell. It’s a hard thing. Everything looked like it was going right, everything seemed perfect, and one decision, one mistake, and now your whole world is crashing down around you. 

You're ashamed, you say.  That's good.  It's a sign of contrition.  Falling is serious.  It hurts the knees.  But while you're down there, go ahead and repent.  It's good that you're ashamed, because you shouldn't be proud of your mistakes.  But don't stay there.  You can fall down, but you have to get back up.  That's how you learn to walk.

This is a hard lesson.  There are scars that come with falling.  You will take something with you.  Sometimes they're visible and everyone can see your scar.  Some people will judge you, but they're the one's that don't matter.  Those of us with hidden scars, we love you, and we're praying for you, and we want to see you back on your feet.

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. (Micah 7:8)

Right now, you're on your knees. Take some time there, for a little bit, to think about why you fell. Think about what brought you down. But don't spend too much time down there. It's time for you to get up and try again.

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again... (Proverbs 24:16)

upside down

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by Jack Johnson
The Curious George Soundtrack

"Who's to say
What's impossible
Well they forgot
This world keeps spinning
And with each new day
I can feel a change in everything
And as the surface breaks reflections fade
But in some ways they remain the same
And as my mind begins to spread its wings
There's no stopping curiosity

I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I'll find the things they say just can't be found
I'll share this love I find with everyone
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs
I don't want this feeling to go away

Who's to say
I can't do everything
Well I can try
And as I roll along I begin to find
Things aren't always just what they seem

I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I'll find the things they say just can't be found
I'll share this love I find with everyone
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs
This world keeps spinning and there's no time to waste
Well it all keeps spinning spinning round and round and

Upside down
Who's to say what's impossible and can't be found
I don't want this feeling to go away

Please don't go away
Please don't go away
Please don't go away
Is this how it's supposed to be
Is this how it's supposed to be"

new year's resolutions

in

its a new year, and, in true form, i will make new year's resolutions.

i think i heard a survey that said that 90% of all new year's resolutions are broken by march. everyone's new year's resolutions is to lose weight. even my brother wants to drop 25 lbs before his wedding. since i need to (and want to) lose weight, my new year's resolution is to NOT lose weight. (take THAT reverse psychology).

my second new year's resolution is to not die. actually, make that my number 1 resolution. if i die, weight loss won't mean much, unless i died from a weight-related illness, which would be ironic, wouldn't it?

my third new year's resolution is to make the dean's list my last 3 semesters at college. i did it last spring and summer, but i struggled this fall. i need to get back on the wagon and finish strong, or i'll never get admitted to IBC. (that was a joke.)

my fourth new year's resolution is to grow spiritually and develop a relationship with someone that results in them coming to church and getting saved. that might be two, but i want to see my ministry develop, and to see a soul saved.

my fifth new year's resolution is to find a date for evan's wedding in july. any takers?

to recap:
1.) don't die
2.) begin a life-style change that results in substantial, sustainable weight-loss.
3.) make the dean's list through graduation (december, 2007)
4.) grow spiritually
a.) bring someone to church and see them saved
5.) find a date for evan's wedding

lucky and beautiful

in

i'm a humbug.

that's the reality of it. i don't like the christmas season. i've probably been jaded by too many years working retail during this blessed holiday event. i don't like decorations, or christmas carols, or ho-ho-ho's. i am annoyed to no end by my family's x-mas tree (it's an artificial tree; christ isn't in it). i really don't like the excessive marketing that takes place, i hate having to ever venture to a mall for a valid purpose, much less for some trivial present that someone will forget in six weeks, if not sooner.

maybe that's what i don't like about christmas - the fleeting nature of it. i don't like the gifts that don't fit, or are impractical, or are just so materialistic in nature. give me a gift that means something. give me a gift that will stay in my heart long after this season has passed. i want a gift that will last for years, that i can take with me.

this year, the family cut back on our gifts to each other, and we made a family contribution to the building fund. our young adult group raised almost $1000.00 between thanksgiving and christmas to take boxes of food to 18 needy families that we've been working with and praying for. this last saturday, my dad and i and brother and a few other people from the group went out, visiting these homes in a neighborhood our YA group has adopted, and it was heart-wrenching to see how they responded.

as we approached some of the homes, the children would come running out to meet us at the car. we had presents for some, turkeys for others, and food and bread for them all. at each house, though, we asked if we could pray. children were gathered from throughout the entire house, hushed, and we prayed. we went to one house, superman's house, and there were about 10 kids there. the parents weren't home, but superman, the obvious ringleader, helped us unload, and then gathered the kids together, and informed them it was time to pray. he smacked one of the other kids upside the head and said, "shut up! we're praying!" i liked superman.

we went to another house, took in a box of food, and she was dancing, so thankful that we had brought what, honestly, wasn't more than a week or so worth of food, and as we brought in the presents from the church for her kids, she started crying, and then proceeded to give us all hugs. little brother took the presents in, put them under the meager tree, and one of the little boys gave him a pen with a star on the end, and told him, "this is your christmas present." evan is treasuring that pen.

this morning, dad and i stood in the foyer of the church and played christmas carols on our horns. this evening, we went to our neighbor's houses, and played christmas carols around the neighborhood. we visited some friends from work, my mom's boss, friends from years ago ... every house we went to, people came running out to hear us. teenagers would run to the door and belly laugh, so tickled to have someone christmas carol. little children would press their faces against the front windows and the storm door, smiling and singing along. other families stood with tears in their eyes, thanking us for making their christmas season.

i don't know what's in those brightly wrapped boxes under the tree. i don't know what i'll unwrap tomorrow. but nothing will be able to compare to seeing the faces of the children when we brought them food, or even a little bit of christmas cheer. next year for christmas, buy one less gift for people who have everything, and take a meal to a family that has nothing. i promise, your christmas will never be the same.

the greatest gifts i've ever received are the gifts i've given.

end of the year donations

h, finals.

that's all i have to say about finals.

it's the end of the year, and i'm always a bit sentimental this time of year. okay, i'm not, but i am right now, so deal with it.

classes are ending. i take my last final on friday, which i'm excited about (not the final, but being done). my internship (which was not NEARLY as much fun as i had anticipated) is finished next week. i don't have another job lined up, but i'm okay. at least, i think i'll be okay. i'm not worried.

classes next semester are going to be incredible. hard, interesting, challenging. i'm taking chemistry, physics, philosophy (i heart philosophy), spanish, weight lifting (ok, its an easy A), and history. but its not real history. i'm going to europe and doing an independent study on the Santa Maria della Populo, considering the iconographic and historic influences during the 14th - 16th centuries. got it?

i'm going to illinois this weekend to see some friends. i'm really excited about this christmas break. i don't have a job for next year, but i am trusting God to make a way. he's cool like that.

Did you know ...

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... that the US is about 900 billion dollars in debt to China? I think I prefer the tax and spend liberals to the borrow and spend conservatives. At least we wouldn't be in the pocket of the next world superpower.

Reports out now say that, by 2050, China is going to surpass the US as the major economic superpower, and India will be a close third.

I'm incredibly disappointed by the overspending of the Bush Administration; I'd expect more from someone who claims to be a Reagan-Era Republican. Ron would be ashamed to be associated with W. I'm actually relieved that the Dems took back the House and Senate. Maybe something productive will get done about this ridiculous pork-barrel spending.

Altitude

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After a half hour or so, the passengers begin to settle in, and a stillness rests upon the entire plane. The attendants move from row to row, asking what we’d like, if anything, to drink. As I accept my ginger ale, cup of ice, and package of three honey-roasted peanuts, the source of the airline industry’s financial bane becomes quite clear to me.
I look out the window, and I am comforted to see the layer of clouds beneath us; the blue seems to go one forever, and I smile and sigh. The takeoff was somewhat turbulent: winds on the ground rocked the plane during our ascent. But up here, there is no turbulence; there are no distractions; there is nothing to detract from the serenity of my vacation.
In a few moments, the in-flight movie will start, an R-rated drama edited to “G” level entertainment. In a few moments, I’ll start some homework. In a few moments, time will continue. But right now, I’m on vacation.

Just Friends

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“What is man, that thou art mindful of him …?” Psalms 8:4

I recently received the “just friends” talk. You know what that is, “You’re a great friend, and I don’t want to lose your friendship, but there’s someone else.” To hear it is the worst possible feeling in the world, and to say it, well, that’s the worst thing that you could ever say to another person.
Now, I’ll admit that I am guilty of using that horrid line to my serve my own purposes, but I started thinking about it, and it really hurts. I am just crazy about this person, and I can’t hardly stand seeing her with another person when I want to be with her. It hurts to think about, hurts to talk about, and she wants to make sure that, even though she is with this guy, she and I can maintain our friendship. Of course, like always, I said yes.
Then God started dealing with me. As much as it hurts me, and eats me up inside to be “just friends,” how much more does it hurt God for us to treat Him simply as our friend? In Psalms 8:4, mindful can be interpreted as obsessed, or passionate about. Jesus is passionate about us; He thinks about us, each of us, individually, all the time, and wants to be part of our lives. It hurts Him when we treat our relationship with Him casually, like we’re just friends. Christ wants to be intimate with us, and He won’t be happy with anything else.
If I, in my carnal, fleshly state, can’t stand to see someone I care about not reciprocating those feelings, how much worse is it for Him? I don’t want to be “just friends” with Jesus.