Ferocity

This is a picture that I took on a walk Christy and I took. It was probably one of the better walks I've taken, because I got to do a lot of exploring. This picture reminds me of Romans 11:22, "So you see that God is kind and also very strict. He punishes those who stop following Him. But God is kind to you, if you continue following in His kindness. If you do not, you will be cut off from the tree." I like Paul's use of a tree here to establish Jesus opening His Kingdom to non-Jews.

It goes on to say in verses 28-32, "The Jews refuse to accept the Good News, so they are God's enemies. This has happened to help you who are not Jews. But the Jews are still God's chosen people, and He loves them very much because of the promises He made to their ancestors. God never changes His mind about the people He calls and the things He gives them. At one time, you refused to obey God. But now you have received mercy, because those people refused to obey. And now the Jews refuse to obey, because God showed mercy to You. But this happened so that they also can receive mercy from Him. God has given all people over to their stubborn ways so that He can show mercy to all."

Talk about a life saver! I'm learning more lately that one of my greatest joys is knowing that I was once teetering over the edge of Hell, and Jesus swooped down and came to my rescue. Verse 22 reminds me that we can fall out of His good graces if we fail to act as we have been taught. And there is deep forgiveness!

This isn't the post I intended it to be (as from my last one), but it's coming soon.

Flammable

So, I've been really very busy this past week or so; thus I haven't been able to discuss many of my thoughts or upload anything "fun." But that's going to change since the summer is just around the river bend.

I finished my study of 1 & 2 Kings, and now I'm in John (I read John 8-10 today). I'm really interested in the things Jesus did/said and how they apply to me right now. I like this section from Chapter 6 (verses 28-29): "The people asked Jesus, "What are the things God wants us to do?" Jesus answered, "The work God wants you to do is this: Believe in the One He sent." 

I'm trying to figure out how much believing I do in a day. I'm not actually trying to calculate it, but you know what I mean: do I do more believing or more unbelieving? I've been thinking about when Jesus tells us how to pray, He says "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." I really want that to happen around me and in my life. Sometimes I feel like Heaven might be all around me, but I don't recognize it. And I feel that that is a bigger mark than not having Heaven on Earth. So I'm asking God to help me see Heaven when it comes to Earth.

There is a whole lot that goes along with this, which hopefully will be my next post. It concerns a pool of water, some mud, and fireworks. Which reminds me, are you being flammable today? Are God's blessings igniting your soul to rejoice? My wonderful girlfriend reminded me of this verse the other day, Psalm 118:24, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." I can just hear that 90's song playing in the back of my mind now...

Trees

Today I had quite a fun adventure in one of the campus trees. I climbed to maximize the height and safety of my person. It would have been difficult for me to have climbed any higher really, so I stopped actually around the middle of the tree. I snapped some photos, talked on the phone, and took a video of my epic journey. 

*Urgent: My roommate's girlfriend, Lexie, just walked in and told me that she likes to climb this tree; her and her friends call it the elephant tree because of it's gray composure and wrinkly bark.* 

I also took a video while climbing the tree. By this time, I had climbed it many times, so I knew the best way to get about it. It's so fun to climb this tree; if you're in the area, I would highly recommend checking it out. I plan on doing some Bible reading up there later this week. 

Words Bring Life

First of all, I want to start off with one of my favorite pictures that I've taken. This tree is right in front of Joshua House (where I live; it was taken last fall). I just love the contrast in the trees of fall: the red leaves on brown bark, the orange leaves, and here the yellow leaves. It's soooo sweet!

Now, to get to the heart of what I wanted to share: the terrible severity of words. I was reading just now in Proverbs and I came across a few verses that really gripped my heart tonight: Proverbs 12:16, "Fools quickly show they are upset, but the wise ignore insults"; and Proverbs 12:18, "Careless words stab like a sword, but wise words bring healing." Man, talk about content!

Let's look at the first verse, Proverbs 12:16. This verse shows that words are very powerful, but that the wise, basically, do not get caught up in what others say or think about them--for they know that God is the only person that really matters. I'm not saying that we shouldn't care about what people think about us, but really I am, haha. No one knows me like God, and if God would say the same thing about me, then let me repent! The second verse, then, offers some practical advice for speaking: "wise words bring healing."

 

This reminds me of Ephesians 4:29, "When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need--words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you." It goes on in verse 31 to say, "Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others." I don't think that shouting sometimes is wrong, but if you're shouting to harm someone else, watch out, God's Holy Word says not to. I also think literally about how words affect others. I mean, think about it, if you're speaking kindly to all around you, aren't they going to want to be around you more? And won't your dear influence charge them with a similar conviction of their words?

 

Most people that know me know that I'm careful with words; that is to say, that I take time to consider which words I use to explain/describe what I'm thinking, because I already have a hard time saying what I'm thinking. I find words very tricky, because they lack a very necessary substance that I feel would give them just the kick of conveyance that they need. It is very tempting to just say the first thing that comes to our minds when someone takes a big bite out of us, or when they're acting like a completely unintelligent person. I'm really struck by the power the Bible says words have, and I need to work on better understanding this more. Because until I do, I don't think that I can really appreciate the kind words I get, or really love speaking truly kindly to others.

Kite Boarding

Yesterday I was out skateboarding and I get a call from my friend Jason Missi, he says he'll be out to skate in a little bit. So in a little bit, he and our friend Johnny come hauling down the street with these big make-shift kites they just made from industrial plastic piping, cord, and trash bags. Needless to say, it was a very good time.

This Is A Test

This is a collection of video clips gathered from my Spring Break trip to Round Rock, Texas with Christy. I'm posting this video, Nature 1.0, and wanting feedback on how it makes you feel. If you would comment and let me know what emotions it invoked (i.e. if you were annoyed, happy, irritated, joyful, etc. because of what you saw) it would be very appreciated. Also, if you want to enhance the experience: grab something fluffy or soft, and get a cup of water or some other liquid and interact with these props according to what you see during the test. How does this augment the experience? The test is only 2 minutes long.

Thank you. This is a test.

Old Kings, Same Sin

I am going through 1 & 2 Kings in my daily studies, and I'm really intrigued by a lot of the Jewish history that is involved in the Christian Bible. It's particularly interesting how the Jewish people interact with one another, and how they individually and corporately interact with God. To be honest, so far it's been painful to read about everything that went on (I just finished reading 2 Kings 20) in the lives of the Israelites: so muddled with foreign idols, betrayal, treachery, murder, lust, and what would seem to be countless other terrors. Even when reading about Solomon in 1 Kings, I was so shocked that this man--who God would have given anything to--asked for wisdom and then went on to marry an incredible amount of women from foreign countries and then starting worshipping foreign gods. Are you kidding me?! C'mon, Solomon, where's your wisdom? Where's your tact? Your love for your God? And I'm gripped by all of the murders that occur so that people can become king. And all this started because the Israelites were being mocked for not having an earthly king. They said they wanted one, so God gave them one; and what do you know, calamity ensued. 

As I was reading this morning in the lobby of Campus House, I was hit by a stark truth outlined in God's word, specifically that of 1 & 2 Kings. God told His people all throughout the Old Testament that when they were to go to war with someone, to kill everyone known to them from their people, and even to kill the livestock! But trouble began brewing because the Kings would hear from God and not do it. For example, Saul was given explicit orders to kill all of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15), but he kept king Agag alive and the best livestock of the Amalekites. Samuel, the prophet, rebukes Saul in verse 22, "What pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obedience to His voice? It is better to obey than to sacrifice. It is better to listen to God than to offer the fat of sheep. Disobedience is as bad as the sin of sorcery. Pride is as bad as the sin of worshiping idols. You have rejected the Lord's command. Now He rejects you as king."

Wow, that's intense. Saul had just erected a monument in his own honor after disobeying the Lord, and now he is being denied his kingship. Samuel offers very dramatic and true words. It all started with Saul--he was the first king of a long line. And the kings of Israel and Judah were no different in their affection for the Lord; there were a few that honored God, and besides the last king of Israel, Hoshea, no one was even close to having the devotion that David had to YHWH.

I began to draw a parallel between this story of Saul and the life of the Church. God wants to make us pure and holy, blameless before Himself and men. Largely, He has done this through Christ, but I wonder what we can do to pursue this? Obedience. If God goes and tells us to kill all of the Amalekites--and not spare even a baby or a sheep--then we had better do it! This was so none of the evil of the people remained amongst the Israelite people. Now, I'm not superstitious, and I don't think that keeping the cattle of an evil nation would be a bad thing or that some of their evil was trapped inside of their animals. But the Lord said no to this, for the good of His people.

I began to think about times and sin in my life that I have overcome and times when I have really struggled. I sought for a long time to find detachment from sexual sin, and God was ushering me in saying, "Go and get rid of all the Amalekites that are causing you to stumble, think lustful thoughts. And you need to destroy all the cattle that are interrupting your purity. And also, you need to get rid of the babies that are planting those lustful thoughts in your mind, the things you do and how you act that make those thing habitable in your heart." And I realize now, looking back--having claimed true victory in Christ over my sexual desires--that I was holding on to the king of the Amalekites, and I kept the best cattle because I thought that would honor God best. But what honors God the most is obedience, just like Samuel said to Saul.

It's incredible how such an ancient text can be a breath of fresh air in this dying world, and I'm so thankful that the Holy Spirit works within me to convict me about sin, righteousness, and judgment.

So that's my first post.