Was that it?

     Welp college is ending. As I sit here studying for my last final, I took a couple seconds to reflect. I remember back to freshman year and hearing everything that was said about the next 4 years. People said: live it up, yolo, become a new person... etc etc. I distinctly remember hearing all the time from my peers, "Yeah, my parents said college was the best time of their life." And what I could sense was the anticipation of all that college would bring.
     And yeah, college brought the hammer. Not gonna lie. Some incredible things happened, and also some incredible challenges came and were overcome. But I believe what I experienced and what you guys also experienced was more of a confirmation than a life change. As I sit here in this library and once again hear the conversations of the seniors around me like I did when I was a freshman, I get a sense of worry from them. Worry that they didn't live it up enough. Worry that they didn't do all that they thought or imagined. Worry that the best part of their life is now concluding. While they will never admit it if questioned, but from what I observe they are already asking themselves, "Was that it?" Yeah buddy that was it.
     You see, what was confirmed was something that was believed upon us by faith from our high school years. What got confirmed these last 4 years was that being a follower of Jesus is the best way to live. Bar none. To be honest, I did not change a whole lot over my college career. And by that I mean that my decision to follow Christ never changed. I didn't become someone new or have a major epiphany or do the greatest thing in the world..... because the greatest thing in the world had already been done in my life when I chose to walk in His footsteps. These past 4 years have been nothing but Christ showing off to me just a little slice of all that he can do.
    While it is tremendously hard to be leaving undergrad with all the friends and memories made, there is a sense of hope and excitement inside of me. God absolutely blew my mind for the past four years showing that His way is the best adventure of all.....What in the world is He gonna do for the next 50? (Lord willing) What makes me sad is all these fellow seniors around me who don't know my joy. They thought college could bring them what they were looking for. I pray they find the One who can bring exactly that to them.

So was that it?            Yeah it was.....for college.

But I didn't live for college. I live for Christ and I know that an even bigger adventure is about to begin.
   

why?

take yourself on a little trip sometime soon.  find a nice quiet place, preferably dimly lit, possibly with a glass of red wine or, even better, martinelli's, and ask yourself why.

why am i friends with "whats-his-face"?
why am i attending college?
why do i feel the desire to date someone?
why am i nice?
why, why, why.

and when you have answered any of the above questions or others that come to mind, then ask yourself why you came up with that answer.

for instance:
q: why am i attending college?
a: i want a good job
q: why do i want a good job?
a: because i want to be able to make money
q: why do i want to make money?
a: so that i can support myself and my family?
q: why do i feel the need to support myself & why am i presupposing having a family?
a: shut up.

if you are anything like me, you may end up down a few rabbit holes and paths that lead to the conclusion that i only care about myself and nearly everything i do allows me security in myself.  my friends support me and validate my importance which is a form of security.  i want a job so i have money so i am self-sufficient so others look up to me, giving me power and security. etc etc etc.

there is light at the end of the tunnel, but sometimes i think we are too frightened to even enter the tunnel of why.

haphazard thoughts.

we approach senior year. of college.

wait. what?

i can vividly think back to going to breakaway lodge with the senior class, spending a weekend together, playing volleyball and being forced to pick a class verse under the threat of starvation.  it is wacky to think of all the memories and events that have occurred since that weekend and now.

watch this real quick.

now i understand that this video is about a nike sports band / one guy's real cool adventure.  but when i think of how quickly these past four years went by, i get a bit scared.  scared that i'm not making my life count.  i think of wasted nights of video games or days spent selfishly.  basically, i think of this quote: (it wouldn't be right if i didn't include a video and a quote)

"know God and make him known.  while it is short and simple, it is also incredibly challenging.  i have found myself speaking to high school and college students from a stage for the past three years about purpose and what it's like to actually live a life bringing glory to God... yet, i find the challenge of doing just that as i interact with my family, friends, fellow drivers, bank tellers, the people at the grocery store and anyone else i come into contact with.  sometimes i find myself wasting my breath by merely living"
~megan fate

||       ||       ||

woe is the one
who struggles with lust
who faces tough a tough academic schedule
who sweats in my bed unless the fan is on
who doesn't have room in the freezer for my ice cream
who cannot get a word from God when i want one
who has an uncertain future

blessed is the one
who sees beauty regardless of appearance
who is able to attend college
who has a roof that protects from the rain
who has food. period
who has a real relationship with God and seeks answers
who lets go of his future

i am the one
which one depends on my perspective.

||       ||       ||

i just deleted mafia wars from my iphone.  what is mafia wars you may ask?  it was some role player game that are a dime a dozen in the app store.  why did i have that app you may ask? great question. when i got the iphone i just thought that it was only right to download some apps, and i should get a game or two, right?  i have always wanted to be conscious of my phone usage but it wasn't until i deleted the app that i realized how much i played it.  and lemme tell you, it was a dumb game.  but i didn't necessarily realize it when i had it installed.

and as trendy and useful the smartphones are, i wonder what would happen if the app store didn't exist. what if phones were relegated to their most basic uses: calling, texting, navigation, taking pictures, calendar, notes, clock, weather, stocks (who really uses that app anyway).  granted, this is a little unrealistic given the integration of some apps into friendships (instagram, twitter, venmo) which may be a little sad but that's besides the point.  i don't think the problem i have is with the apps as much as when phones are used.  i haven't had a conversation with a young life kid without seeing his phone except for the week at camp while their phones were locked in a closet somewhere in the administration building.

i think this video paints a pretty cold picture of what interpersonal interactions often look like today.

something that i want to try, and you guys can too if you're up for it, is drawing a line in the sand.  i'm going to do my best to never use my phone when i am with someone else.  if i need to send a text or make a call, i'll leave and do it.  but i sure as hell won't be checking instagram or twitter when someone else is around. that's for when i'm pooping.

regret.

graduation at apu was last weekend.  and if any phrase was spoken more than another, it was, "i regret that i didn't _______."  people filled that blank with various things, including but not limited to spending time with certain people, spending more time with people, taking more interesting (albeit tougher) classes, this that and the other.  

now to take a relatively radical stance on the topic of regret, i would like to propose that regret is worthless without a second ingredient - action.  action is necessary for two reasons: talk is cheap and the past cannot be changed.  when i hear people talk about regretting things in life, what is the purpose?  they are paying lip service to the wish that something would have been different.  but the past is immutable and talking about it will not change what happened.  that is why action is the necessary cofactor to accompany regret.  for if i say, "i regret not spending more time with this friend" does that mean in the future i will spend more time with them or even give up something in order to spend more time with them?  sure, i can sit here and wish i had more hours in the day so that i could do more, befriend many, and have new experiences.  but the hours in a day are not changing so unless i actually want to change something in the future, expressing regret is mostly lip service.

i suppose i'm trying to say that regret is not a terrible thing, but if not accompanied by action it is empty.  regret that spurs on action can be powerful because it is actually able to change the future.  

so for a weird, pseudo-optomistic spin on the topic, don't regret anything that happened unless you plan on changing the future. 

a place at the table.

  so lent is wednesday. and with lent comes some ambiguity.  i for one never was in a sermon or class that properly explained the spiritual discipline of fasting or lent.  and so i count myself as a student of the spiritual practice but i wanted to share some of what i've learned and a little challenge.
  i have been reading the book "a place at the table" by chris seay.  it is focused on fasting for lent (see the correlation with this post??) and the corresponding purpose.  the first four chapters are focused on background and then there is 40 different daily readings and prayers to accompany the lent or fasting season.  so here is some of my highlights from the first four chapters

• the first chapter is moving from a idea of consuming to sharing.  there are stats that show the average young adult spends more money on their phone than food.  yet 22,000 children die each day due to extreme poverty.  as Christians who are called to love the least of these, poverty isn't some imaginary problem but our (the Church's) problem.  now what is unique to this book is that seay doesn't take this statistic with others to bludgeon Christians into giving away half our income.  while that isn't a poor conclusion to come to, practically bills, loans, life adds up to and we get lost in how to practically help the poor. so seay suggests fasting as a method to relate and care for the poor.
• seay paraphrases augustine to suggest that if we pass on dinner or skip a meal, do not simply leave that food in cupboard but instead give the portion to someone who has none.  
• in the developing world 28% of children are underweight or have stunted growth while in the industralized world the problem lies with near one in two people being overweight or obese. 
• "it is not hard to do the math and know that what the world needs right now is for Christians in the industralized world to take less and share more, as the passage from Isaiah (chapter 58) demands"
• i realized while listening to seay's thoughts that i often do not appreciate food.  i take joy in eating great food much less having nice possessions.  we live in a time in which everything stimulates us, so why shouldn't our food stimulate our taste buds.  but food is a daily blessing, as is evidenced by so many having a lack of it.  
• so while fasting, the goal is not to be undernurished, overtired or faint.  if anything that borders on what Jesus commanded to never do in Matthew 6:16.  
• simple ways to fast is to take on the food of a region close to your heart, or eating the food that would be provided on food stamps, or simply eating less than usual but still enough.  and with those changes in diet, do something around those causes.  
• find a community to fast with because we don't need to do it alone.  

so i hope that adaquately portrays my thoughts on this season's lent.  i'm all for lent seasons focused on things not food related like giving up social media or tv or whatever but i think that as Christians called to care for the poor and hungry, the least we can do is try to relate.  enjoy lent season and let me know if you are participating with me.

why.

    yoyo so in leadership we watched this amazing ted talk.  you can watch it here (aka please watch it for a better understanding of what is to come). and i think i had watched it before but just struck a different cord this time.  i have some friends who are seniors this year or just juniors graduating early. and there is pretty much two camps, those who know what they are doing next and those who have no freaking clue.  and though not graduating too soon, i would still count myself in the latter group. i mean sure i have a "plan" but what is that worth?
    so how i saw simon pinek's talk relating to me was that i should be worrying less about the "what" and more about the "why".  if i decide i want to be a circus clown, that makes the next step easy to follow because the path is defined.  but that "what" may change.  if i want to be a circus clown because it is the most practical way to live out my "why" of desiring to put smiles on as many faces as possible, then if at some point i can't be a clown, there are other "whats" that i can pursue with that same "why".
  so i'm trying to communicate that the why is what is important.  the why is what will last, will sustain a vocation, will sustain life.  i'll give an example.  my why is definitely a work in progress but it goes something like this:

  i desire to serve and care for those who cannot care for themselves.  i need to provide something tangible and address physical needs as a conduit for addressing spiritual needs.  and in all that i do, allowing my relationship with Christ to direct my actions.

  i realize the what's and why's can get confusing.  if i'm putting it simply it is this, i think that we all have a God-given purpose.  i don't necessarily know mine for sure. and i don't think that we all have a God-given job.  but i believe that in seeking and finding that purpose will give more confirmation to a vocation you choose.
  so join me in praying for, seeking your "why".

Til Death Do Us Part...

On Dec. 27th 2012 my grandpa, whom we called "Papa", slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God. After a battle with lung cancer that just recently was discovered in May he succumbed to the disease that tore through his body. I quote Ronald Reagan after the Challenger disaster to describe my Papa's persona: "He had that special grace - that special spirit that said, 'Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy.'"

Yep, Papa was one of a kind, always there for every sporting event, always quick to crack a joke and talk politics with anyone. He was a special man. As the preparations for his funeral and memorial service have been taking place I've gotten multiple chances of listening in on conversations about who this man was, but the greatest relationship that sticks out to me is the one he had with Nona, his wife.

My those two were two peas in a pod to say the least. My mom had always commented to me growing up that Nona and Papa had the best relationship she'd ever seen. They were always joking and needling each other and trying to get the other one all flustered so they could laugh it off later together. The funniest story I heard about them is one that Nona tells. It was the first time she ever met Papa and he walked straight up to her and said, "We're gonna get married." To which she responded with, "Get away from me, you crazy!" Yeah, I'd say they were solid from the beginning. But according to his promise, he wooed her and won her heart, and from that point on they were inseparable.

They say actions speak louder than words, and Papa was one who showed his love for his Nona. From the ridiculous to the mundane, Papa was one who always listened and was happy to oblige the wishes of his bride. I remember riding in the car with them and Papa had her country music blaring through the speakers while she hummed along and sang to the songs. Did he particularly like country music? Nah, he always switched it to talk radio as soon as he dropped her off at work, but the gesture of "I'm gonna do whatever you want because I love you" was there. You could see clearly that he had the biggest soft spot for his Nona.

When the time was drawing near this late December, Papa still had unfinished business. From hearing the conversations over the phone and visiting the day before he left us, Papa wasn't ready to die until the last moments. He didn't want to leave Nona. He had ingrained in him the duty to take care of her and he wasn't about to let death stand in his way. On the day of his passing, Papa fell asleep and the nurses told Nona that he probably wouldn't wake up. The minutes ticked by with Papa's raspy breathing becoming louder and louder. Suddenly he opened his eyes and looked straight at the wife of his youth. His breathing quieted and he calmed down. That's when she reassured him that she would be well taken care of and he had nothing to worry about. With that, he slipped into eternity.

This made me think of those vows taken at the altar by all couples at the onset of their new beginning together. "To love and to cherish, to have and to hold.....something something......til death do us part." Nowadays those words have little meaning with divorce rates high and men dumping one for another. What does this tell me? Marriage ain't easy. It isn't for the faint of heart. Judging by the amount of people these days busting out the backdoor, the notion of marriage maybe isn't as glitzy and glamorous as the fairy tales go. But I know it takes a real man to see it through. To actually do what he promised to do on his wedding day. Not many "boys who can shave" can say that (don't even deserve to be called "men").

Well, my friends, Papa can. He did what he promised to the end.

new years.

granted, this would be more timely had it been posted on new year's eve or january first but it is coming now so deal with it.
i haven't ever thought about new year's and the meaning or symbolism behind it but it struck me funny this year when there were so many ads surrounding resolutions and changing yourself for the new year.  i'm all for the exciting incident or incentive that a new calendar year may bring to one's life but i found myself so much more reflective than futuristic at the end of 2012 and dawn of 2013.  there is a saying that says hindsight is always 20/20 while looking forward is often less than that basically emphasizing the importance of reflection.  and besides the importance, think of the practicalness.  try as i may, i'll never predict the future.  James 4:13-15 seems pretty straight forward that we do not even know our next moments. if the fragility of life wasn't enough, we have the impending coming of the Kingdom.  so relish our past, our experiences, our failures and triumphs.  for 2013 is sure to hold them too, i just do not know if we need to plan them.

A Call To Remember and Obey

This is one of my favorite thanksgiving passages, the Lord provides:

Deuteronomy 8

8 “Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. ² Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. ³ Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴ For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. ⁵ Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.

⁶ “So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. ⁷ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. ⁸ It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. ⁹ It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. ¹⁰ When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
¹¹ “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. ¹² For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, ¹³ and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! ¹⁴ Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. ¹⁵ Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! ¹⁶ He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. ¹⁷ He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ ¹⁸ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.
¹⁹ “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. ²⁰ Just as the Lord has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the Lord your God.

Love you guys, I am thankful for you guys and thank God that I have two amazing brothers to walk along side me through life. Happy Thanksgiving.

prosperity gospel?

so i've been in the library a tad too many hours lately. so when i check my twitter and all the peeps are hittin me up (aka none) i sometimes get distracted. but the weird thing about twitter is sometimes random people "follow" you. i don't know why. and you have no say in the matter! if some rando tried to be my facebook friend, i'd block them so quick. anyways, some twitter person followed me so i check out their "page" is what i think it's called. you can see it here. and then there is a link to their website so i click on that which takes me here.
my thought process goes something like this, "oh whatever cool they want people to give back... good idea i gue.. wait what?!? it says (and i quote), 'you deserve to be rich - financially, emotionally, spiritually, and in all areas of life'. um excuse me? wanna back that up a bit?"
i just don't know where in the Bible someone would get that. it is like they never read Job or Psalm 88. there is nothing positive or rich about those passages. don't get me wrong, God has blessed me beyond what i deserved and frankly beyond what i asked for.  i want hardships.  i know for a fact i have a hard time accepting love and help.  and it is almost like i don't need to because my life is so easy, too easy.  at the very least, i know that i do not 'deserve to be rich - financially, emotionally, spiritually and in all areas of life'

1O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you.2Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!3For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.4I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength,5like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.6You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep.7Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah8You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;9my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.10Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah11Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?12Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?13But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.14O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?15Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.16Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me.17They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together.18You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.

~Psalm 88

break from studying.

for lack of time for a full post, here is something to hold your interest when a study break is necessary. but do not fear, a post will come soon.

worst music video of all time?

and after that

cutest eating contest of all time?

whoa...finally posted...

Well another summer come and gone and classes have begun. first week completed and 29 weeks of classes remain (not including finals week).
ups and downs for sure. praises for getting a killer job at nordy's and succeeding in it. downs with....well you guys know (relationship problems) haha.

Another up was that I was blessed to be able travel the world, or a little section of it this summer...yes im talkin about Italy. Amazing.

It was super interesting to see ruins that dated all the way back to the time of Jesus. it felt like being there in a way. the architecture was amazing, its hard to believe it only took 8 years for the Colosseum to be built without modern tools or cranes. it was built 80 years after Jesus died, and as you walk in you can hear the sounds of the crowds just like the games are still going on...i wanted to jump into the middle of the arena and act out a scene from gladiator...Russell Crowe style!!

I enjoyed walking around on the cobblestone streets of rome seeing a different culture and lifestyle take place. best part about the culture was the siesta which was observed everyday from 1-around 4 pm. not to mention the food was pretty bomb to (not in rome, everywhere else).

We did some hiking along a row of these coastal towns called the Chinque-terre and was able to see the Mediterranean, so blue and beautiful. Interesting history of these towns, they were all isolated and weren't able for the children to meet potential partners so they build these trails/roads from town to town so that the kids could meet up on the paths and fall in love...or something like that. All along the trails there are pad locks placed by tourists that 'fell in love' on these paths. I had no such luck in meeting an Italian dream boat but i did break a pretty good sweat from the heat.

So much more to tell about this trip but ill save it for our next skype session, otherwise this post would be super long and boring (it already is boring).

Finally I've been reading a book called: Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman for our house bible study and ive got to say...as a non reader...this book is pretty stinkin good. only a chapter or two into it but its a call out for sure. the whole premise of the book is asking are you a FOLLOWER of Jesus or are you a FAN of Jesus. My favorite part or sentences from the book so far is this: "The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close it requires anything from them." That really makes me think. This is going to be a good call out for myself and hopefully more guys in the house. Please be praying for us! Can't wait to learn more by reading this book and hopefully I am called to reform in areas of my life so that I can be a true FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ.

hellbound?

okok my brain is mush. but i tried writing down initial thoughts in my journal so hopefully this is a little bit more organized and succinct.  but i just got back from a movie in downtown pasadena and sat through an hour and a half of a cinematic package of theological banter about hell.  now i'm going to give some points that the movie made and ask a bunch of questions because i think this should be a discussion! the main reason i think this should be a discussion is because i had never had one about this subject.  for me at least, it felt almost taboo.  and of course it wasn't but it was just never spoken of.  so this was super cool to hear multiple positions and them each be supported by people who actually believe them rather than a professor who is just listing various theories.  but here goes nothing!

the two main theories discussed in the movie were the classical view of an eternal, punishing hell that contains people sent there because they did not accept Christ's offer of being the way, the truth, and the life.  the universal view contains a temporal hell.  there are some various offshoots in terms of the length and condition of that hell and even who goes there which i'll bring up but that's the main tenant.

i really don't have a great way to discuss the rest of the movie so i'm gonna do a good ole bullet point approach to some of the takeaways i had.  not necessarily things i agreed with and not necessarily did i disagree with them either. just thought provoking stuff.
  ps i'm going to say "i" instead of "we" because i'll own up to what i'm saying but feel free to include yourself in what i say if it applies

• i take on assumptions that are given to me as dogmatic or factual.  obviously, hell was one of those things where i was never given an alternative to the classic view. 
• if i believe that God seeks to be one with His creation and is also all-powerful, then why would there be a permanent hell?  if there is a permanent hell then there are two options, either God is not powerful enough to save everyone and see His will come to fruition or God does not want to save His creation.  He may have a select group who He called (called calvinism and commonly held belief by pastors such as mark driscoll) and only they will be saved.  how is this loving and also how does this fulfill His desire to be one with His creation?
• a common argument for a permanent, punishing hell is the identification of evil people such as hitler.  surely hitler cannot be strolling in the pearly gates with me on the day of judgement.  but if i do this, i condemn hitler ourselves and deny him Christ's grace that i turn around and expect to be bestowed upon me.  who made me the judge?
• could the eschatology of hell and heaven have arisen from the human view of justice which primarily comes out of retribution?  i want evil done to those who did evil so i impose hell on the text to satisfy my human desire for retribution.  i sure hope that my view of justice is not the same as Christ's view of justice.  and if it isn't the same, who am i to define what His view is? could it not supersede my understanding?
• universalists have never proposed the lack of hell, only the lack of a permanent, suffering hell.  when we pass through the refining fire (1 Cor 3:11-5) the wheat will be burned off to allow the silver, gold and precious stones to remain.  could that maybe indicate that we all pass through "hell" and have our sin burned away so that only our Christ-like attributes remain?  this may mean that hell lasts longer for the hitlers of the world while mother theresa just dips her little toe in but could we all experience it?  
• "hell is a human desire. i would suggest that Christ ethics supersede human ethics"
• "we don't read the bible as it is, we read the bible as we are" ~ thomas talbott
• "if we really believed in hell, we wouldn't be in college, we would be like schindler from schindler's list, trying to sell his ring just to save one person.  maybe the westboro baptist church contains the only people who actually believe in hell" 
• and finally, if we hold a universalist eschatology, what does that mean for the great commission? for evangelism?

that's all i got. let the discussion begin between each of us, and our respective friends at school. by no means do we have to get all heated about this, for none of us have the answer.  but honest, fair and civil discourse can do nothing but improve our theology and our view of the great God we serve and strive to love. 

what's your "train"?

pretty simple, poking around donald miller's blog as usual and stumbled upon a little link to this website here.  so if it is good enough for donald miller, it's good enough for me. so i read it and it was really neat because i think that it is easy to be apathetic.  at the very least our culture doesn't necessarily encourage us to be all out gung-ho for things. we gotta be cool, calm and collected. but i think that God created us to be wildly passionate, do things on an impulse, live life without caring what others think.  i think God created us to be screaming at trains, having others stare at us for knowing what a "snc52" is.

also, i can see nathan bofto being that guy.

happenings.

man-o-man. it's been awhile so this will be a biggie. got my journal by my side to recount it all so grab a glass of ice cold squirt and sit down.

reading the post of the woman from the theater that cully threw up was so encouraging. because so often we hold to a prosperity gospel that God is good only when He allows good in our life. but more and more lately i want struggles. i don't want things to be easy. i want God to trust me with difficulties, tough stuff not because i can handle it. that is precisely why i want them, because i want to rely on God, pray to Him, lean on Him. and that woman was a real life example of what it meant to lean into the everlasting arms of our Savior.

in the car heading back to school, i had tons of time to think. that may even be an understatement. and as i reflected over the summer, i was so thankful for it. i got fun, got work, and got to be home. but honestly, i didnt feel as if i was as intentional about my relationship with my Savior as i could have been. i say this because of thoughts that elicited from a young life kid's reaction to hearing about Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. when asked why she was crying, she said, "i just don't know why i am not constantly thinking about what He did." so simple yet so eloquent. because if we believe in the sacrifice and the fact that Jesus gave his life, why should we not give our thoughts and actions?

and camp. whew! it has been "over" for 5 days and i'm still recovering. we had the same four guys from last year, gus / dane / kurt / chad + jacob / joseph / connor. so 7 soon-to-be juniors hanging out.  the camp speaker's name was ken tankersley so everyone just called him tank. and he did such a great job making Jesus relatable, the gospel applicable, and life with Christ realistic. in his words, "we talked about life, we talked about God and we talked about life with God."  it was just so great hearing open and honest conversation from the guys about the different aspects of the gospel and Jesus' story.  even guys who didn't really want anything to do with the gospel said they enjoyed being able to be perfectly themselves at camp without having to pretend to be somebody else to please others.  and that was awesome. getting to see guys who never are in the same social circle back home hang out, enjoy each other and learn about one another's lives.

one of the cooler stories that tank outlined from the gospel was the story of the rich young ruler in mark 10.  i think i appreciated it even more when paired with the gospel. i'll get to why in a bit. but tank laid out that the rich young ruler came up and understood all the rules and regulations. he had kept the commandments and followed the 613 prohibitions from the torah. but when he came to Jesus, he was hoping he could add another title to his name.  he wanted to become the rich young religious ruler. he wanted to keep the three other things that defined him but add onto his life. i can so often relate to desiring to add God onto my life instead of making Him my life. and that is how it related to the talk about the crucifixion.  because when Jesus died for me, it was like a proposal for new and full life. it is easy to say "yes" but another thing completely to commit.  i could say "yes" and change my relationship status on facebook but it won't matter until i change my lifestyle to reflect my commitment.

finally, jonah werner did music for the camp and he was the same guy who did music for my work crew session.  it was so much fun hearing his music once again and his amazing story telling. he continually pointed his stories towards the message of the gospel and i loved it. it made me hope that whatever profession i choose / chooses me, that i can use it to the same effect.  if you don't have his music, lemme know. because it's good.

and being back has been interesting because i'm pretty much alone without people at apu being here. summer classes are over, r.a.'s are on training, most researchers went home for the month and it's just me. in my super hot apartment because the a/c is broken. today it was 93 degrees. in. my. apartment. but it has been nice to walk with the young life guys through navigating home life after camp. because as great as camp is, it is mostly a glimpse of what life can be like it you allow it. camp represents the highs in home life while you still eventually come down (law of undulation - thank you westerberg).

so as disjointed as this was, that has been a mere glimpse of the past few weeks.

Open Letter

brothas! dude's had to share this song. Probably one of the best i've ever heard. Yeah i said it. One of the best I've ever heard.....


 It tells the story of letters that this artist (KB) has received from fans asking for prayer. The first one tells of a woman and her struggles and the next verse (my favorite) tells of a man and his temptations that I can relate to. 


The other featured artist (Trip Lee) responds with a prayer of his own to God on their behalf. Just a beautiful picture of people coming and praying for their brothers and sisters in Christ. It just goes to show you that we as Christians have struggles. I'm realizing that more and more every day as God reveals to me some of my own. It is becoming clear how desperately broken I am and utterly dependent on God I really am.

For me this song really puts it into words how HARD it is to be a Christian/stay pure in this world. And how life is a battlefield and we gotta make some WAR! 

Read the lyrics as you listen.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=widSI1aQN8s

Midnight Movie Madness

So the other night Austin, Chloe and i went to "The Dark Knight Rises"...first off it was epic and my first midnight showing ever (made it even cooler to me). Then i heard about the shooting the next morning, shocking, sad, confusing, and angering.

I was browsing the internet machine and discovered this article due to the never-failing share button on @facebook...but i was glad because this article really portrays a godly viewpoint on the past situation: check it out vvvvv

http://aminiatureclaypot.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/so-you-still-think-god-is-a-merciful-god/

Bromance

truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMFHZv7jGfc&feature=relmfu

The Good Life.

What is it? When the words run across your eyes what do you think of? The good life. The Life. When someone asks, "how ya doing?" And you respond with, "I'm living the life." While your answer may be laced with some humor, what's hidden in that response is what has been driven into us by our culture. Culture, media, the "American Dream" have all told us what this good life is: Get rich, grace yourself with dapper clothes, grab a few honies along the way, drink it up. Basically....live lavishly and get other people to respect you for it.

I find it interesting to be in a position where one year can change a person's financial position in the blink of an eye. One day they are playing collegiate football and barely scraping by, the next they have just signed a 6 figure contract and are playing in what most consider the highest league of all professional sports in the U.S. To put it plainly, they got it made. They are now living the "life" they dreamed about and what our culture has sold us on what life's supposed to be like. Fancy cars, louis vuitton handbags club appearances, large twitter following.

But is that all? Is that right there the life we were created to live? No. Not even close. The true Good Life is this:

John 10:10-11
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have LIFE and have it abundantly.    
                                 How?           


 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." [emphasis added]

Jesus calls us, not to a dour, lifeless, miserable existence that squashes human potential. Let's face it. That's all the world promises. It leaves you broken and destroyed. It kills you. But Christ calls us to a rich, full, joyful life, one overflowing with meaningful activities under the personal favor and blessing of God and in continual fellowship with his people. That's the life I wanna be living. I wanna be livin the Good Life.

Church Clothes

stop what you're doing right now and download Lecrae's new mixtape "Church Clothes". It's his effort to try to hit mainstream hip-hop right where a lot of dudes get their music. His basic message is that God wants us as we are. we don't have to "dress up" to go to church; we can come as we are.

Lecrae says it better: "Don't worry too much about what you wear today. Today is about Jesus getting up. Not us getting dressed up."

free download bros.

http://www.datpiff.com/Lecrae-Church-Clothes-mixtape.348497.html?utm_campaign=piff.me&utm_source=http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FGx7DtSRz&h=BAQF1XZdD&utm_medium=piff.me