Georgia!

This past week I have been extremely blessed by the mission team from Georgia.  It is amazing to see God work through people's lives of all ages, and of all different cultures.  It was great for me specifically, because it was encouraging to know that we are not alone.  Sometimes I get into this mode of thinking that there are not many out there who want to give God everything anymore.  But this week, God reminded me that He has his people throughout the world, living to glorify the Father.  It reminds me a lot of the prophet Elijah, when he felt that he was the only one left for God, but found out that there were seven thousand that still worshipped Him in his his area.  (1 Kings 19)

I loved serving with them by passing out flyers to the surrounding neighborhoods of the church.  We passed out 3500 flyers in 3 days!!  They did so with such a happy heart.  We also had a great conversations together about so many different aspects of life.  It really felt like they were family, which they are! The family of God is so powerful.  

I am looking forward to the friendship that I will have with them in the future.  

They are in my prayers daily!

Thank you God, for your blessings. 

Hospitality to a stranger - God's call for us to do

God has been working on me a lot lately.  He has been revealing to me what the church is, and what it should be.  I have been so blessed to take in what God has told me, and I feel that if I don't apply it I am a hypocrite.
Well God put me to the test today. I went to Subway with my mom for lunch today. As we were standing in line, I saw a man named Scott (about my age) just sitting there with a look of anticipation.  After we had gotten the food, Scott stood up and went to the counter. He asked for an application. But the manager told him that there were none left, and that he can go online to get it. The look on Scott's face was heart breaking. I saw him walk out of Subway and go to his bike.  He just stood there for awhile, as if he were thinking of a way to get that application.  So my mom and I walked to the car, and right when I got in I felt so tense. I knew that I just learned about how the church is supposed to get out in the community and serve.  So I got out of the car and walked towards this gentleman.  Not knowing his name yet, I said, "hey man. I am gonna get you your application, if you just wait here. I'll see if the one a few miles down has it, and if not I will print one off of my house". I could not believe the joy I saw in this guys face, but it was a humble joy. And realizing he did not have any money, I gave him a few bucks to get a drink while he was waiting for me.
So mom and I drove to the next Subway to get an application, and sure enough there were none.  God wanted us to work for this :) So we ran home, I got out of the car quickly and printed off an application for him. But before I ran out, I got a Bible (one of my favorite ones) and I put the bookmark on John 3:16.  We took off and got there, and sure enough Scott was standing there with a drink in his hand. (I appreciated that he used the money the way I asked him to). So I gave him the application, but insisted that in order to take the pen to fill it out, he must take this Bible. I explained to him that I am not pressing a religion down his throat. But that I am totally in love with Jesus and His word, and I promise you that if you take this book and read it you will never be the same again.
I then asked his name, and I told him I loved him and was praying for him. As we said bye, he said thanks again for the bible. How cool is that?! Not thanks for the application, but thanks for the Bible.
I was so excited. I am praying that Scott finds eternal life and the King of Kings through reading God's word.  Pray for him. 

I can't shut up

Psalm 71:8 "My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long".

My morning verse today really spoke to me. Usually when I pick my verse, its from something I read that morning in my studies.  But oddly, today was different.  The verses I read were very meaningful, but I felt led to flip through the book of Psalms. And I came across this highlighted verse.  

As I pray this scripture, my heart jumps with joy. I jump with joy with the possibility of reaching that stage in my life.  To literally give praise to Him and declare it all day long.  I am praying that my life will be so full of Christ, that its all that I can think of.  I mean, imagine that lifestyle!! I personally would love to hang around someone with this way of life.  But what is funny, is that it is achievable in all of us to live this way.  God is so loving, so gracious, so infinite that we can marvel about it through eternity.  But we are so dumb, I just worry about the government and how we can pay the bills. 

What happened to just sitting down and being in awe of the creation around us? What happened to finding people crying in the morning during the Bible study, at just how amazing God is in their life?

I know God is still as amazing as when he first started! We just forget to wake up and smell the coffee. Let this serve as a reminder to set a time in your life every day, to marvel at his works.

Not only is it so joyful to declare His beauty all day, it does something else for us too.  It takes away the sin in our life. The devil can't distract us into our dull life if we are so focused on the conquering King of Kings.  Its like what I heard from Adrian Rogers when it comes to sinful thoughts.  If I were to tell you to not think of an elephant. You most likely will have an elephant in your mind, its just natural.  You see, that is not the way in going about battling sin.  Its not "I will not do this sin, I must not do that sin". Its rather, focusing on what Jesus is. And through focusing on Jesus, there is no room to focus on anything else. and when you focus on Jesus,  it becomes automatic to serve and preach the gospel.

Be encouraged family, God is in control.  Lets get to caught up in his majesty that we can't shut up about Him.

JESUS

I am currently reading "Confessions of A Reformission Rev." by Mark Driscoll. And I am loving every bit of it. I am not saying that I agree with Mark Driscoll on every issue, including drinking and I am still trying to study extensively on Calvinism, but regardless, anyone can come away with something from this book.

The book is about how Driscoll planted Mars Hill and records all of the ups and downs of the church.  It gives great insight on how you can handle trials that will be experienced as a pastor.  So far, a lot of the stories are quite identical to the planting of Heart Cry Church AND Heart Cry Gathering.

But what I am loving most is how he has handled the church as a shepherd.  Especially in the area of dealing with the wolves.

p131 “Over the years, I’ve just accepted that if I do not quickly open the back door when God is trying to run people out of our church, I am working against God by keeping sick people in my church so that they can infect others”

His whole philosphy is to keep the ones in church that are focused on the lost.  As I look at so many churches in our area, it breaks my heart.  People love their church because their gym is awesome, or they have a pool party every week, etc. What happened to the church existing for reaching the lost? What happened to the sole focus of the gospel?

It is so refreshing to read about a pastor who only cares about the lost.  He focuses the members of his church to focus on the lost.  Its all about the great commission.  

God is waiting for more churches to stop entertaining one another like some breakfast club, and start weeping over the ones who have not met Jesus.

Its all about Jesus.

Jesus is the center. Not relationships.  If you focus on Jesus, relationships will automatically become a bi-product.  

Tired of the Word?

I am pretty sure all of us have been there at some point in our lives.  Where we THINK that we are tired of the word... Or in other words, just don't have the appetite to go open it up and dive in.
Its obvious that we all have this problem, or else our churches would be looking a lot healthier today.

Well, I must admit that I have been in a weird funk the past week that has broken my heart.
The finals, the stress of graduation etc, for some reason made me excuse myself from the word of God.
I would think of excuses every time I had the opportunity to really dive in. Of course, I read some but it was only at face value.  Towards the end of the week, I was truly hurt that my heart was not hungry.

But then tonight, my eyes were opened. I listened to a sermon by my favorite preacher, Adrian Rogers, called "Welcoming the Word"

In it, he talked about how there are 4 ways/steps to welcome the word and make it come alive in your life. Using James 1:21-25 as his text.


1. Repentant Heart.  
We must come before the Lord clean in order for us to hear him.  In the book of James, it translates in Greek that the sin in our lives is like wax in our ears.  It must simply be removed in order for us to hear anything.
He also made the illustration, that before you plant the seed for a garden, you weed the garden first. Same with us in our spiritual lives.


2. Receptive Heart.
God wants you to be meek, to be sensitive to His commands.
First clean, then meek. 
The minute you open your heart, God displays Himself.


3. Responsive Heart
Once clean, surrendered, you must begin to obey.
So many church goers sit, soak, and sour. They never apply the word.
BE DOERS!


"The best way to understand the part of the bible you don't understand, is to follow the part of the bible you already understand"
He makes the point, "Why should God show anybody understanding if they aren't acting upon what He was already shown them?!"


Study of the bible gives you knowledge about God, obedience gives you knowledge OF God.


4. Reflective Heart
James 1:23-25


Don't just glance at the Word, see the problem but not do anything about it.
That is just like a man seeing a dirty spot on his face in the mirror, but then leaving without wiping it off.
its absurd.  See the problem, and wipe it clean.


Apply it to your life.  Reflect upon it.  Look intently into yourself.
Read the word of God, and let the word of God read you.


Bring your heart, mind, everything to the bible when you are reading, and it will become real to you.




This gave me so much comfort, such a boost I needed.
I suggest printing out these 4 ways to welcome the Word and remind yourself daily.
We forget things O so quickly.  How we need not forget the importance of actively being in the word of God!!

Come Home

So I have not been on here for a very long time. For my 2 readers or so, I apologize :)

But now that I am winding down from my last message etc. I just felt like blogging to encourage others. My past blogs lately have been very heartbroken. Asking for those to stop acting fake and start living for Christ. And I still stand by that. But I feel I need to be thankful always, as I feel I am, I have not been on my blog!

I just want to encourage you that the Gospel is so loving and just as passionate as it was 2,000 years ago... It NEVER gets old! I just am so in love with Jesus, because He loved me first.

I encourage you to check out this video thats on the bottom of my blog. Maybe a little wake up call to the reality of how much God truly loves us.

Jonathan Edwards

These words were written by the great Jonathan Edwards, and have really impacted my life.

As I ponder my life, I realize that this is my goal.  This is not a long post, I just want you to linger on this quote.

Take this bit by bit and examine your own life.

"As he has more boldness, so he has less of self-confidence… and more modesty. As he is more sure than others of deliverance of hell, so he has more of a sense of the desert of it.  He is less apt than others to be shaken in faith, but more apt than others to be moved with solemn warnings, and with God’s frowns, and with the calamities of others.  He has the firmest comfort, but the softest heart: richer than others, but poorest of all in spirit; the tallest and the strongest saint, but the least and tederest child among them"