Give me more

Gimme that fire, that flame

Give me that furious longing for your Name

Everything in life is a vapor

Why can't I see it? The only thing that remains is a Savior

God's Grace, How can I understand?

It doesn't make sense. I can't earn it.

All I have to do receive it.

All day I fight for my way, my life, my purpose

But soon I realize, it doesn't work. I can't fill myself up, no surplus

I don't want to just think i should pray to you

Change my heart, make me have no other desire but You!

In the book of Job, you show your power

No back talk, you do as you please, God clean me with a Holy Shower

Speaking of Holiness, does that exist in our world?

We've given our souls away, so gnarled

God calls us for something more, have Him ignite

a light so Bright

A flame that burns to our very being

incinerates our sin, believe it, that's faith, no seeing

God, give me a prayer life that IS my life

That's worship, cut out the unneeded with a scythe

Why does it hurt? God, don't you know what I'm going through?

Then I remember you do.

You sent your Son to a people who didn't want saving

I wanted nothing to do with Him, now I can't get enough, just saying

Set me aflame, a life with no shame

in the book.

francis chan spoke at chapel last semester and it was incredible. i mean i would expect nothing less from him but i loved hearing him speak. what he said is stuck in my brain (still! so it gotta be good) and i wanted to share it.
i could watch the podcast of the talk he gave (which i downloaded. and would recommend you to do likewise) and quote verbatim what he said but this will be close enough. he challenged us to look at our own lives and ask if our lives belonged in the Bible.  if we were written into the Word of God, would people think, "why is he in there? why does he belong to be in that book? what has he done to glorify God and further the kingdom?" and sometimes in my day to day life i wonder if i am living radically for Christ. and being at apu i have learned to be skeptical of the numerous cliches thrown around without care such as living radically. we are in surburbia los angeles. at college. studying. what is radical about that? but we can be looking forward to something greater in our own lives while spurring one another on towards good deeds and encouraging each other. i hate the confidence of the student body, especially the girls to totally stereotype because we need to realize that the God of the universe created us uniquely and in His own image! how does this relate to my life being written into the Bible? i'm not sure but i'm doing my best to connect the dots. i want God to say "well done good and faithful servant" soon. i want to know that my story belongs in the book of life.

Love

Well this seems appropriate for the day, my favorite verse is Hebrews 10:24-25, "Let us consider how we may spur on another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as we see the day approaching."

When i read this verse i am reminded how much love thing should be lived out in our lives, 'not just the roman candle, hollywood hot pink love'.... im talkin' about the I GOT YOUR BACK LOVE! (really thought i wouldn't quote john haha) seriously this love thing should be shown by how we encourage eachother in the good and crack down on eachother in the bad. I love you guys but if you screw up or do somethin i know is wrong i will let you know, because you guys mean so much to me. Alright no more mooshy stuff....

I was recently reading my Bible (shocker!! jk jk) but for some reason i was in Romans randomly and in chapter 12 verse 12 it says "be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
I really like this verse because it covers just about everything in 10 words literally, happy in the good, patient in the bad, but always faithful in prayer. I have been praying for you guy... just want you to know that and I know that your making new sweet friends and maybe even a couple new lady friends (austin?) haha just remember to show them love, Christ's love, the love he showed us when he died on the cross for me and you. Even though my life is full of so much crap!

Once again ill just say it cause it's true, love you guys! Besties with Testes!

wifey.

sometimes i dont want to have to wait for you. sometimes i wish that it was easy. but the waiting and the difficulties are what will make it all worth it. 

i wonder sometimes. do i already know you? what is your laugh like? are you a christian now? are you dating someone now? what will we do for fun? please tell me you love thrift stores. 

i do know this for sure. you will love God more than you love me. and i would have it no other way. i pray for you, not in a religious teenage-girl-prayer-notebook kind of way but i know that you will meet your mini me on my shelf someday. your mini me reminds me of you, and puts a weird, 80's spin on a physical representation of who i'm praying for. 

to make this the weirdest ending of all time, i wonder if i won't meet you. not as in me becoming a bachelor for life (which could happen with my current facial hair) but as in my dying before we meet. or even better yet, my LORD bringing us home. how weird would it be to meet you in heaven? the thought gives me chills. 

people

There's a whole world out there that's in need
Some show it more than others
But inside of everyone, there's a hole
No money, alcohol, girls could ever satisfy
They are insecure, they just want to be loved
At the bare minimum, to know someone cares
They try to fill themselves, but it's always half empty
Talk to people, listen to them
Above all else, they wish they had just someone close
Someone who could just accept them for who they were
They didn't have to put on a show
All they had to do was just to Be - no doing
No fake smiles and charisma - just genuine
It's amazing to see people when you take the time
You don't care what time of day it is, what it's about
All that matters is that person.
Why?
Because God cares..... that's where it all starts
The more I see other people and their needs, I realize:
They're scared, They're lonely
All they want is to be loved and to know someone's there
God, can you help save this person
Because that person
                                    is really me.

Mighty Men

2 Samuel 23:8-39          
1 Chronicles 11:10-47

3 Men. studs. nuff said.
This part of the bible is so sick! Three dudes singlehandedly own the philistines. One kills 800 men by himself in one encounter. what the crud?! imagine the movie 300, but ten billion times better. I get chills every time I read this section of scripture not just because of who these dudes were but because of who I think of. I think of my boys: Aust,  Cul and I looking to be the three mighty men of God. The mighty men are just the perfect picture of reliance and trust in each other. By themselves they are unmatched by anyone in Israel. Together, they risk their lives in service to their king because of their love for him.

Once, David longed for water. Of course the only water source was located in a stronghold of the philistines. (real good timing on that request, dave) "So the three men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David." (2 Sam. 23:16) and might I add they did this without spilling......

Another time one of the mighty men, Eleazar, stood his ground while the rest of Israel retreated. He fought until his hand froze to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory. I don't really know how, but it was like the sword became ingrafted into Eleazar. (seriously, why hasn't anyone made a movie about these guys)

Translate that to us: Mighty men = dudes who cling to their sword. aka: the Word of God - no matter how long the battle or the fight may last because in the end the Lord will bring about a great victory. My prayer is that's who we strive to become: men with incredible loyalty to our King with amazing stories to tell.

Such are the exploits of the three mighty men.........

girls. (part 2)

Couldn't agree with you more man! I could also add, "If I see one more guy treating a girl he's with like crap, I swear I am gonna go insane!" The thing is I think we are a failed male generation, and I'm not excluding myself. All we want is, "What can I get from her?" rather than, "What can I give?" I know for me this is not my natural instinct. I have to fight it everyday and usually fail everyday and need to be forgiven. I wish guys could see women the way God sees them - WHO they are rather than WHAT they are.
It's that inner beauty that's what makes a girl beautiful. (like Aust said). I'm too tired of girls going at it the wrong way. Yeah you got us. Guys are suckers for the physical. But is that real beauty? I'd say no. To me, there's nothing hotter than a solid Christian girl who radiates Christ. I'm like, "girl, you read your bible? whooo! hold on. Can we get a window open in here." True Beauty.... its a beautiful thing.

Teste is the new Testie

I'm calling aust out on this one.