but not entirely in a bad way. To be fair some of it has been bad, and I'll hit that before the good so I can finish on a positive note. But first, I just wanna say that God is awesome. No particular reason; but that's not entirely true. There is one VERY particular reason. He sent His one and only Son to Earth to live a perfect and sinless life, knowing He would one day give up that life for the lives of the very pitiful, worthless wretches who would kill Him. And He still came, and through His death and resurrection we can have life, and have it more abundantly. And all we have to do is believe. For that reason, I say that God is awesome. And that is the understatement of not just the century, but of all eternity.
Now for the bad. I almost had to bite my tongue off to keep from cussing at a camper the other day. See, I used to have an extremely dirty mouth - I would cuss up a storm. I tried a few times to stop cussing, but I was relying on my own strength. I tried to do it without God, and I failed. Then came January and the huge wake-up call that a run in with the law often brings. I began to seek God instead of myself, and without even thinking about it those words disappeared from my vocabulary. Then came the third week of summer camp, and an 8-person soccer game at 9:30 in the morning. One kid argued with me about penalties for at least the first 30 minutes of the game, and I managed to keep my cool for most of it. But the time came when I had had enough, and as I heard the "f" start to form in my mouth I bit off the word, closed my mouth, and turned around to look at the other counselor who was playing and silently screamed. I turned around and in no uncertain terms, but at the same time without being mean or hateful, set the kid straight on our relative positions on the proverbial food chain. I even explained to him why what he was calling penalties were in fact not penalties. I really wish I hadn't lost my cool for that second, but at the same time I thank God that I didn't cuss at the kid and that I was able to regain my composure very quickly and handle the situation correctly.
Well, that was the bad; now for the good. I spent the weekend at home with my dad (all our womenfolk were away) and got to have a late Father's Day with him and celebrate Olivia's fourth birthday. It was great; honestly one thing I really miss about living at home is being able to spend time with my dad. I also picked up a french press, which means I can finally make coffee at the apartment again without having to pay a bajillion dollars for those Keurig k-cups. And it's so much better - by far the best coffee I've ever made myself. Next thing I buy is gonna be a grinder; gonna grind my own beans! Started up Bible study with Alex again this morning, and it was awesome. He brought Hardee's, I brewed coffee, and we got in the Word. I really treasure the friends I have that I can do that with, the main two being Alex and Tucker. Y'all are both an encouragement to me, and I love you both to death. I also got to go to College Connection for the second time this past Sunday, and it was great once again. Good food, good fellowship, and good people. The sense of community that I've seen within this group, and within Alliance in general in the one time that I've been so far, is super-duper neat. Got ice-cream with some of the folks after we left, and that was great too. I'm just really excited about what God will have in store for me at my new church home in the mountains.
And now I come to the last thing I want to say before I hit the sheets and get some shuteye. Knowing God's will is SO important. Without seeking His will and being able to determine what it is we might as well be shooting blind. I've sought God's will on many of the bigger decisions in my life. I sought His will on my decision to join the Navy, on where to go to college in the first place and then more recently on whether to stay here at App or go back home and do my undergrad work at Southeastern. I sought His will on where to go to church up here in Boone. Now I'm seeking His will on something else, as well as reading a book entitled Finding God's Will by Gregg Matte. I've read the introduction, back cover, and inside flap so far (just started tonight) but it seems like it will be good. One particular thing it said I really liked: The best way to find the will of God is to do the will of God. Seems like circular reasoning, but I think what it's saying is that to find God's will in particular areas of our lives we must do what we already know His will for us is: immerse ourselves in His word, come to Him in prayer often, share His love and good news with everyone we meet. Then His will in specific areas will become more evident. And that's what I'm seeking now, for His will in a specific area to become clear. Specifically, in an area pertaining to women; one in particular. I've hung out with her a total of 3 times now, twice in group settings at College Connection. She's a really cool girl, super pretty, and a ton of fun to hang out with. Most importantly, she's also a Christian, one who seems to be actively seeking after God. She actually asked me to pray for her, which is something that I have not experienced in a girl that I've been interested in before, and something that I find awesome. Anyway, I'm seeking God's will on how I should pursue this relationship; whether to pursue it as a romantic interest or to keep it as just friends, to use the colloquialism. I pray for guidance for both myself and for her on that front.
Anywho, it's about time to pack it in. Goodnight interwebs.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
So, I found a church up here. Finally!
Well, I prayed about it. And I checked out a couple places, but ultimately I didn't have peace about attending any of them. Then, yesterday morning I went to Alliance. And I had peace. Last night Alex and I went to the Alliance college group meeting/hangout/free spaghetti. And I had peace. And it was awesome. God has showed me the church I need to attend up here, and I'm stoked. Honestly a little surprised; it's not a Southern Baptist church. Guess I was a little set in my ways. But hey, He is faithful, and He will ALWAYS provide.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Have I mentioned
that I like tea? A lot. Like seriously, it's awesome. You know what else is awesome? Hammocks. Specifically mine; if you have one, I'm sorry, but mine is cooler. I chilled in it this evening for the second time since I got it on Thursday, and although it got a little cold and I had to pack it in earlier than I wanted to it was super duper awesome. I got to do something awesome while laying in my awesome hammock, which brings me to the next awesome thing: reading. I love to read. I'm a big fan of C.S. Lewis (fiction and philosophy), Shakespeare, Robert Jordan, and Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (isn't Ignatius just an awesome name?) along with a bunch of others. I have to say though, there is one book that really stands out from the rest. It's one that I've been reading on and off since I was a wee little lad, and I still haven't read all the way through. Part of that is due to the previously sporadic approach I used to reading it, part due to rereading the parts that really stick out to me. I do, however, plan to have the entire thing finished by the end of this year. I'm talking, of course, about the Bible. The Holy, perfect living Word of the One True God, every word breathed by Him, inspired by Him, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). I got to read this book throughout the day, and it was definitely awesome. I was able to read it this morning after I woke up, as well as this evening as I was chillin' like a villain in my hammock. I finished up Ecclesiastes, and tonight before I go to bed I'll be starting Proverbs. I did a little bit of reading in Zechariah 3 today too; I was listening to a sermon given a couple weeks ago at Alliance Bible Fellowship here in town. It was about the way God sees us; how we are wearing literally dung-spattered garments but because of Jesus Christ we are made clean. I'll include the passage at the end of this post along with a link to the sermon; it was exactly what I needed to hear at the time. Funny how God makes stuff happen isn't it? Maybe awesome would be a better way to describe it? Yeah, I agree. Definitely awesome. I'm gonna check out Alliance in the morning. I've heard good stuff about it, and Alex went last week and said it was great. I've been needing to find a church up here, and this may be it. I'll be praying and seeking God on this tonight and tomorrow, both before and after I go. Anyway, here is the link to the message and the passage from Zechariah. Good night, and God bless.
http://www.abfmessages.org/Podcasts/2012_05_27_093441.mp3
Then he showed me jJoshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and kSatan1 standing at his right hand to accuse him.2 And the Lord said to Satan, l“The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has mchosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this na brand2plucked from the fire?” 3 Now jJoshua was standing before the angel, oclothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to pthose who were standing before him, q“Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, rI have taken your iniquity away from you, andsI will clothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, t“Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.
http://www.abfmessages.org/Podcasts/2012_05_27_093441.mp3
Then he showed me jJoshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and kSatan1 standing at his right hand to accuse him.2 And the Lord said to Satan, l“The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has mchosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this na brand2plucked from the fire?” 3 Now jJoshua was standing before the angel, oclothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to pthose who were standing before him, q“Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, rI have taken your iniquity away from you, andsI will clothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, t“Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.
Friday, June 15, 2012
It's been too long.
It's been exactly seven days since I last posted. Considering my intention was to post AT LEAST twice a week, preferably more, I'd say I need to get back on it. And so I've decided.
It's not for lack of material to post about; I've had multiple times in the past week that I've intended to write a post. It just seems that every time I think of the blog I decide to put it off until later, and then I forget about it until some other time, usually at work when there's nothing I can do about it. I allow myself to get distracted, and that's something I simply can't do if I'm going to use this as a way to keep myself accountable as well as a method of getting my thoughts and viewpoints into the world. Because they're just that important; they deserve to be there, right?
Anywho, I almost put this post off till tomorrow, which would have meant that it most likely wouldn't get done. But I didn't, and I'm glad of that. I just finished up my first week of camp as a counselor, and I have to say it was awesome. I came into the job looking at it as nothing more than a way to pay the rent and get a little bit of extra money. That was all I was looking for, and to be honest I applied for this job because I had a connection and my buddy said I should be able to get it. Then I went to the first day of staff training and found out that I'd be working with some pretty cool people. I finished the training week pretty happy with how I figured the job would be, but still more happy with the simple fact that I had a job (I had been looking for one for a while, and had some that looked pretty promising just completely fall through. Looking at it now, all I can say is God had a plan for it and I'm excited to see how he continues to work it out.). Then the first day of camp came, and it was great. I mean, I'm seriously getting paid to play with kids all day? And in the first day I moved from 25 hours a week to 40, so more pay and more time to hang out with the other counselors and the kids. There have been a few frustrating moments, but overall I continue to thoroughly enjoy the job. Those frustrating moments also provide fodder for prayer, which is never a bad thing. I also have an awesome opportunity to be a positive influence and a witness to the kids as well as the other counselors, which is super duper fantastic. That's more fodder for prayer too, so this job in general is just food for prayer and a mission field of over a hundred people total. Awesomeness! Thank you God for both providing this job and, in hindsight, for closing the doors on the others. I prayed He would provide a job for me this summer, and he did more than that. He provided a wealth of opportunity as well. He was faithful to answer my prayer, and He gave me a large mission field. And He went beyond the best that I could imagine. As the song says, how great, how great is our God.
1 Corinthians 1:9
9 nGod is faithful, by whom you were called into the ofellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together hfor good,1 for ithose who are called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:15
15 For cit is all for your sake, so that as dgrace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, eto the glory of God.
It's not for lack of material to post about; I've had multiple times in the past week that I've intended to write a post. It just seems that every time I think of the blog I decide to put it off until later, and then I forget about it until some other time, usually at work when there's nothing I can do about it. I allow myself to get distracted, and that's something I simply can't do if I'm going to use this as a way to keep myself accountable as well as a method of getting my thoughts and viewpoints into the world. Because they're just that important; they deserve to be there, right?
Anywho, I almost put this post off till tomorrow, which would have meant that it most likely wouldn't get done. But I didn't, and I'm glad of that. I just finished up my first week of camp as a counselor, and I have to say it was awesome. I came into the job looking at it as nothing more than a way to pay the rent and get a little bit of extra money. That was all I was looking for, and to be honest I applied for this job because I had a connection and my buddy said I should be able to get it. Then I went to the first day of staff training and found out that I'd be working with some pretty cool people. I finished the training week pretty happy with how I figured the job would be, but still more happy with the simple fact that I had a job (I had been looking for one for a while, and had some that looked pretty promising just completely fall through. Looking at it now, all I can say is God had a plan for it and I'm excited to see how he continues to work it out.). Then the first day of camp came, and it was great. I mean, I'm seriously getting paid to play with kids all day? And in the first day I moved from 25 hours a week to 40, so more pay and more time to hang out with the other counselors and the kids. There have been a few frustrating moments, but overall I continue to thoroughly enjoy the job. Those frustrating moments also provide fodder for prayer, which is never a bad thing. I also have an awesome opportunity to be a positive influence and a witness to the kids as well as the other counselors, which is super duper fantastic. That's more fodder for prayer too, so this job in general is just food for prayer and a mission field of over a hundred people total. Awesomeness! Thank you God for both providing this job and, in hindsight, for closing the doors on the others. I prayed He would provide a job for me this summer, and he did more than that. He provided a wealth of opportunity as well. He was faithful to answer my prayer, and He gave me a large mission field. And He went beyond the best that I could imagine. As the song says, how great, how great is our God.
1 Corinthians 1:9
9 nGod is faithful, by whom you were called into the ofellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together hfor good,1 for ithose who are called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:15
15 For cit is all for your sake, so that as dgrace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, eto the glory of God.
Friday, June 8, 2012
It's been a busy week...
It's been a pretty busy week. We started training for summer camp on Monday, and it's been pretty great. The people I'm working with are awesome, and I have a feeling it's gonna be great once camps start next week. I mean, I'll be getting paid to play games with kids all day. In fact, we were told if we didn't play with them we weren't doing our jobs correctly. Awesome, right?
In other news, one of my best friends from church back home is getting married tomorrow, and it's pretty exciting. Weird to think that she's gonna be married, but great. I'm friends with her husband-to-be as well, and I'm super happy for both of them. They're great people and they're great together. They also both love Jesus, which is awesome. I'm of the firm belief that the vast majority of the time a believer who is seeking Christ and a nonbeliever (or a believer who isn't focused on putting God first) shouldn't be in a romantic relationship of any kind. I've seen it happen in my life and in the lives of friends; the one who is seeking Christ begins to compromise on "small" things to make the other person happy, and before long they're compromising on bigger and more important things and have turned from the life they were living to one that is no longer pleasing to God. I've done it, and I know others that have as well. On the other hand, when two strong believers are dating/engaged/married and they're both putting God first and pursuing His will together, awesome things happen. I've seen this too. Marriage, when entered into correctly, is beautiful. Just like everything else, when we do it the way God intended it is infinitely better than anything we could dream up ourselves. I hope to get married someday; I pray that God has a woman for me to love, cherish, put before myself, and pursue Him with, who can love me despite my many mistakes and failings. It truly is a beautiful thing.
Congratulations Lauren and Jake!!!
In other news, one of my best friends from church back home is getting married tomorrow, and it's pretty exciting. Weird to think that she's gonna be married, but great. I'm friends with her husband-to-be as well, and I'm super happy for both of them. They're great people and they're great together. They also both love Jesus, which is awesome. I'm of the firm belief that the vast majority of the time a believer who is seeking Christ and a nonbeliever (or a believer who isn't focused on putting God first) shouldn't be in a romantic relationship of any kind. I've seen it happen in my life and in the lives of friends; the one who is seeking Christ begins to compromise on "small" things to make the other person happy, and before long they're compromising on bigger and more important things and have turned from the life they were living to one that is no longer pleasing to God. I've done it, and I know others that have as well. On the other hand, when two strong believers are dating/engaged/married and they're both putting God first and pursuing His will together, awesome things happen. I've seen this too. Marriage, when entered into correctly, is beautiful. Just like everything else, when we do it the way God intended it is infinitely better than anything we could dream up ourselves. I hope to get married someday; I pray that God has a woman for me to love, cherish, put before myself, and pursue Him with, who can love me despite my many mistakes and failings. It truly is a beautiful thing.
Congratulations Lauren and Jake!!!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Creation testifies
The awesomeness and grandeur of our God is so wonderfully displayed in the beauty of His creation.
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The Boston Tea Party
I like tea. I like iced tea (preferably sweet) and hot tea. I like Earl Grey tea with a turkey avocado sandwich at my favorite coffee shop. Right now I'm drinking a tea called Mellow Moments which has an awesome mix of mint and herbal flavors and is actually quite relaxing. Because I like tea so much it's hard to imagine the terrible state of mind the colonists who performed this admittedly patriotic but still completely insane act must have been in. Now, I get why they did it. They were Brits and as Brits they liked tea; the Brits across the pond got greedy and, knowing how much all Brits like tea, decided to impose crazy taxes on tea in America to make a few extra bucks. So the good ole' soon-to-be Americans threw all the tea into the harbor and started drinking coffee. Don't get me wrong, I like coffee too. But why couldn't they have just stolen the tea? That way they still don't have to pay the taxes, they still hurt the British, but they get to enjoy their tea as well. Everybody wins. Except the British, cause they lost. Sorry chaps.
The point of this little history lesson/tea rant is this: to truly be revolutionary you have to stand up for what you believe in, even if some people (maybe even most people) will think you and/or your actions are crazy. I'm currently reading through DC Talk's second Jesus Freaks book; it's title is Revolutionaries. Each of the stories it tells are convicting. Each one makes you take a look at yourself and see areas where you fall short, where you could be more devoted to God and less to yourself and to the things of this world. However, tonight I want to talk about one specific revolutionary in the book: a man named Stanislas. Stanislas was the the bishop in the capital city of Poland, Krakow, in the late 11th century. At this time the king of Poland was Boleslaw II, known to his people as Boleslaw the Cruel. Stanislas saw the injustices and atrocities the king was committing and took it upon himself, as the bishop of the capital city and already one of the kings most trusted advisers, to confront the king about his wickedness so that he might repent. After listening to Stanislas's rebuke the king paid no heed, and in fact sent men to kill Stanislas while he prayed. The men could not do it, and when they told the king of their inability to carry out his orders he assaulted them, took one of their weapons, and killed the bishop himself. Up to this point no one had the courage to confront the king of his evil. Stanislas did so, and though he was killed for it his death served as a catalyst and a rally point, and soon the king was overthrown. The point is this: a true revolutionary does not let fear of man keep him from doing what is right. A true revolutionary does not fear man, but fears God, and that fear of God steers him to do what he knows is right, even though it comes at a personal cost. That cost will be different for each person, unique to each situation. It could be loss of some friends, it could be ridicule by acquaintances or people you don't even know. It could be giving up a comfortable life in the US to go overseas, spending time in a Romanian jail for smuggling Bibles, or being beaten by members of your own village because you denounce Allah and profess faith in the One True God. It could be death.
The idea for this post came last night. On the way to dinner with my folks, my dad mentioned something he had been hearing on the radio (AM) all day. Apparently the ACLU had brought a suit or talked about bringing a suit against Franklin County because of a prayer said at a high school awards ceremony. A student who does not believe in God felt "left out" during the prayer, and so the ACLU was of the opinion that prayer should be disallowed. In the end the school board decided to side with the ACLU; apparently next year the handbook for Franklin County Schools will state that prayer is not allowed at all. This is wrong. The ACLU claims as its purpose to "defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country." If this is truly their goal, why do they not defend the rights of Christians to pray in public? How is it defense of the rights of everyone in the nation to allow one atheist be the cause of the loss of rights of many Christians? The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion. This is the first right the ACLU lists on their website that they work to protect, yet they take away the freedom of a Christian to pray in public. Directly below that, the second right they claim to be working to protect is equal protection under the law. They claim to fight unlawful discrimination. In the US it is illegal to discriminate based on religion, yet in this situation (and many, many others) the ACLU has propagated discrimination against Christians. They say they fight for freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination while in practice they fight to take away the right of Christians to practice their religion in public. (Now that I think about it, they're violating the First Amendment in more than one way. The prayer was spoken aloud. That's freedom of speech as well.) Something I've heard thrown around by many atheists (and others, especially concerning the NC Marriage Amendment vote) is the separation of church and state. They will harp on it until they are blue in the face. Here's the thing though: they say the church shouldn't play a role in the state but want the state to place limits on the church. Even my imperfect human mind can comprehend that this way of thinking is way off base. I will be doing more research on this matter. I will be praying and seeking God's will, and I will possibly be writing a letter to someone about it. Something needs to be done. Maybe nothing will change; I cannot expect someone with a worldly perspective to understand an eternal perspective, one tempered by God Almighty. But maybe something will change, because I CAN expect God to do great things through even a vessel as imperfect as myself.
The point of this little history lesson/tea rant is this: to truly be revolutionary you have to stand up for what you believe in, even if some people (maybe even most people) will think you and/or your actions are crazy. I'm currently reading through DC Talk's second Jesus Freaks book; it's title is Revolutionaries. Each of the stories it tells are convicting. Each one makes you take a look at yourself and see areas where you fall short, where you could be more devoted to God and less to yourself and to the things of this world. However, tonight I want to talk about one specific revolutionary in the book: a man named Stanislas. Stanislas was the the bishop in the capital city of Poland, Krakow, in the late 11th century. At this time the king of Poland was Boleslaw II, known to his people as Boleslaw the Cruel. Stanislas saw the injustices and atrocities the king was committing and took it upon himself, as the bishop of the capital city and already one of the kings most trusted advisers, to confront the king about his wickedness so that he might repent. After listening to Stanislas's rebuke the king paid no heed, and in fact sent men to kill Stanislas while he prayed. The men could not do it, and when they told the king of their inability to carry out his orders he assaulted them, took one of their weapons, and killed the bishop himself. Up to this point no one had the courage to confront the king of his evil. Stanislas did so, and though he was killed for it his death served as a catalyst and a rally point, and soon the king was overthrown. The point is this: a true revolutionary does not let fear of man keep him from doing what is right. A true revolutionary does not fear man, but fears God, and that fear of God steers him to do what he knows is right, even though it comes at a personal cost. That cost will be different for each person, unique to each situation. It could be loss of some friends, it could be ridicule by acquaintances or people you don't even know. It could be giving up a comfortable life in the US to go overseas, spending time in a Romanian jail for smuggling Bibles, or being beaten by members of your own village because you denounce Allah and profess faith in the One True God. It could be death.
The idea for this post came last night. On the way to dinner with my folks, my dad mentioned something he had been hearing on the radio (AM) all day. Apparently the ACLU had brought a suit or talked about bringing a suit against Franklin County because of a prayer said at a high school awards ceremony. A student who does not believe in God felt "left out" during the prayer, and so the ACLU was of the opinion that prayer should be disallowed. In the end the school board decided to side with the ACLU; apparently next year the handbook for Franklin County Schools will state that prayer is not allowed at all. This is wrong. The ACLU claims as its purpose to "defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country." If this is truly their goal, why do they not defend the rights of Christians to pray in public? How is it defense of the rights of everyone in the nation to allow one atheist be the cause of the loss of rights of many Christians? The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion. This is the first right the ACLU lists on their website that they work to protect, yet they take away the freedom of a Christian to pray in public. Directly below that, the second right they claim to be working to protect is equal protection under the law. They claim to fight unlawful discrimination. In the US it is illegal to discriminate based on religion, yet in this situation (and many, many others) the ACLU has propagated discrimination against Christians. They say they fight for freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination while in practice they fight to take away the right of Christians to practice their religion in public. (Now that I think about it, they're violating the First Amendment in more than one way. The prayer was spoken aloud. That's freedom of speech as well.) Something I've heard thrown around by many atheists (and others, especially concerning the NC Marriage Amendment vote) is the separation of church and state. They will harp on it until they are blue in the face. Here's the thing though: they say the church shouldn't play a role in the state but want the state to place limits on the church. Even my imperfect human mind can comprehend that this way of thinking is way off base. I will be doing more research on this matter. I will be praying and seeking God's will, and I will possibly be writing a letter to someone about it. Something needs to be done. Maybe nothing will change; I cannot expect someone with a worldly perspective to understand an eternal perspective, one tempered by God Almighty. But maybe something will change, because I CAN expect God to do great things through even a vessel as imperfect as myself.
22 But be ndoers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, othe law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, phe will be blessed in his doing.- James 1:22-25
Friday, June 1, 2012
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