I don't really have a formal "journal." If something is on my mind or consuming my heart, I just open up a Word document and start typing until I am done. I found this one, and I think it is pertinent. It is from January 12th, 2008, so it's been almost a year. This really gets me excited, and I hope it inspires and ignites you as well. It is lengthy, but it is worth the read.
Check it out:
1-12-08
Too often we focus on God knocking on the door of our heart and our response of letting Him into our lives; however, what God wants for us is after we have accepted the sacrifice of His Son and received salvation, He wants us to get out of our lives, our rooms, our homes and run out the door of our hearts and go knocking at the door of His heart. See, God made a way to us through Jesus, and He has been knocking at our door ever since. Some of us have answered the door and let Him in, but guys, that is just the beginning. From there, what God desires is us coming to His door, seeking His heart, His purposes, and His will. We will never experience the fullness of God in our lives until we stop consuming and start pursuing.
So are you knocking at God’s door? Are you getting comfortably uncomfortable for Him? God wants us to come after Him and stand outside the door of His heart with the mindset that we will keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking until He opens the door. He wants us to have a heart that says, “I am not leaving this place because in order to live I need what You alone can give, and I am not satisfied by anything else. I am in it for the long haul. Every day I will get up and get out of my life and come after Your heart. I will seek. I will knock, and I will not go away. Nothing can pull me away from You. I am firmly planted right here outside Your door. Jesus, I know You came to my door, but now I am knocking at Yours. It’s the least that I can do. It’s such a small thing compared to Your sacrifice, but I give to You my whole heart, my whole life, completely abandoned, no strings attached, asking for nothing but giving everything. I offer my wholehearted devotion to You.”
Do you have that? Because you can. It’s not about being super-spiritual. It’s not about being called to ministry and preaching from a pulpit; it’s about a life offered to God because He gave His Son’s for you. How can we give anything less than all that we are? It’s not a fantasy; it’s a reality. You can have heaven on earth; you can experience God in a real and tangible way in your life, whether you feel it or not, whether you see it or not, you can know that you and God are inseparable. If you choose to cling to Him and never let go, you can be fully assured that He will never let you go. Guys, if you’re wondering why God seems distant or why you are stagnant in your walk with Him, I can tell you with all confidence that the problem lies with you. God is waiting and wanting, yet we get caught in our sin and our struggles and our situations and what we want rather than a passionate pursuit of all that God is. It’s bigger than coming to church. It’s bigger than singing songs. It’s bigger than what we can see. It’s more glorious than we can imagine. It’s our lives in His hands. It’s saying “no” to myself and “yes” to God daily.
Let me tell you what happens when you pursue God with an unrivaled passion. That sin that once had a grip on you, it falls away. The things that once seemed so overwhelming now seem so small. A life that once felt to be without purpose or promise now has joy and peace and provision and direction and fullness and prosperity and complete satisfaction! Don’t seek anything else but Him and you will find what your heart has been longing for because only God can complete You; only He can fill that which you’re trying to fill with other things. Relationships won’t satisfy you, drugs won’t satisfy you, sex won’t satisfy you, drinking won’t satisfy you, popularity won’t satisfy you, achievement won’t satisfy you, and money won’t satisfy you. Only God can. He is the only one. Nothing else matters. Everything else passes away, but He remains. He never fails. His promises are true for all eternity. Stop swimming with your floaties on and dive deep. Choose to go deep. Choose to spend time with Him. Not just reading a chapter or so in your Bible each night, but choosing to know Him. Choosing to have relational time with Him. If you do that, I guarantee you will never be the same. I guarantee if you honestly determine to love Him more than anything else, God will honor that and bring about dramatic change in your life. He has promised us abundant life on this earth. Lay hold of it. Go after God. Not tomorrow. Not a month from now. Not once I feel like it. Do it in the rotten, broken, and desolate now and see Him move. God said if we seek Him, we will find Him when we seek Him with all of our hearts. The only thing keeping you from intimacy with God is you. Choose intimacy with God. Choose to know Him.
Knocking on God's Door
Global Warming, Going "Green," and The End of The Earth
Do you have questions about these issues? Check out this message from Keith Moore.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming
This is a little early because it is not Thanksgiving yet, but I was reflecting on my life recently. I was not trying to; I kind of stumbled upon it. Really, I saw the year 2007 written on a card and that got me thinking. In fact, it was a dentistry card. Hahaha.
The more I began thinking about what has transpired in the last few years of my life, the more I realized how absolutely ridiculous God has been to me. I came to a place of realization that made me....okay.....cry. Not long, I will have you know. Haha. It hit me square in the face; my life has flown by so fast. I was simultaneously thankful and sorrowful. Life is too fast, and it's only going to get faster. In one sense, I do not want it to end (that's where eternity steps in, right?) because this life thing is fun. Yes, it has moments that are so trying it can drain you. However, even in those times, God has been revealing to me the depth of joy that should be present. It just blows me away. I can hardly believe this is my life. It is not because of me; I just want to boast about God for a bit.
I really believe that if you took some time to reflect on your life, you will come to the same realization. God does not play favorites. He wants to make your face melt with the joy of living a life that is devoted to His purposes. It is so much more fun than anything else. Give it a shot if you are not already.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
God, How Can You...?
Let's talk about questions. I don't mean just your typical, "Why is the grass green?" type of questions. I mean the questions we so badly want to ask God sometimes, or maybe all the time. Personally, I have had so many and still do. To be real honest with you, most of those questions are about God's character, faithfulness, love, and how He sees people, situations, and me.
I want to list a couple questions I have frequently asked God. I do not mean once or twice. I mean, these questions have weighed me down. Some I have asked incoherently through tears. Others I have "asked" while pounding my fist into my steering wheel or shouting when no one is around. I do not necessarily endorse doing those things, but God does not my mind us asking questions, even when they are the wrong questions to ask and really miss the mark. I am not sure how long I will blog about these question or how many I will post, but feel free to post some of yours and how God has helped you understand the answer.
Question: If it's really God, why does it hurt?
I remember when serving God was "easy" as a child. I did not have to worry about anything. The issues and responsibilities of life had not hit me, and as far as I knew, life was perfect as long as I made it home from school in time for my favorite TV show (Batman: The Animated Series). Or, life was perfect as long as recess did not get moved inside because of that demonic, hell-conceived storm that was a-brewin' in the form of a green blob on TV, destined to ruin what might have been the ultimate game of basketball.
Somewhere along the way, God starts to ask you (*gasp*) to DO something for Him. I am not talking about earning God's favor. He simply leads you to do something. Maybe at first you leap at this chance. "BRING IT ON!!!" Then...oh wait...you realize it is going to cost you something. It is going to cost you some comfort, time, emotional pain, or your right pinky-toe. Whatever the case, you found out it is not always "easy" to follow God because you start thinking about the costs of the moment.
I cannot tell you how many times I have asked God, "If this is really You, why am I so stinkin' miserable? Have You forgotten about me? Did You forget that the only reason why I am in this situation is because of YOU?!?!" I find it kind of funny now, but let me tell you, I have "prayed" some of the most accusational prayers you can pray to God. No one is publishing those prayers in a devotional book any time soon, I can assure you.
The issue here is perspective. The issue is purview. God has helped me so much in this I cannot even begin to tell you. He has brought me so much joy because this has gotten lodged in my heart, and I am not letting it go for anything. I am fighting for it, clinging to it, and throwing down some complex karate moves on any and every thing that tries to take what God has revealed to me.
So here it is. God never leads me into ultimate pain. God never brings me to a place where I cannot be joyful. Now before you throw it out, let me tell you I did not say following God will not hurt. What I am saying is God, ultimately, if He is leading me to do or say something, it will bring me (and Him) pleasure. You want to know why the disciples endured what they did? They believed this. They believed that although in the moment they were suffering, they could have joy because ultimately, suffering for God's sake has reward attached to it. They were so confident that they had a future (and here is the key word) HOPE that no suffering could possibly compare to the reward found in doing God's will and pleasing Him. If you believe that, nothing can really hurt you. CHECK THIS OUT!!!:
I Peter 1:3-9
"3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
The "salvation of your souls" being talked about here is saying the only way suffering and pain and hurt can possibly discourage you from following God is if you believe the surpassing greatness and pleasure and reward found in following God is outweighed by the current cost. Let me tell you, if you are discouraged right now because you are following God, the only reason you feel that way is because you have not yet persuaded your heart that there is tremendous gains to be found in serving Him and that EVERYTHING ELSE is a loss in comparison to that (Philippians 3:7-11).
Start today!!! It's too good to live without!!! You only get what you believe, so start believing what you read in the Bible about God and your identity in Him so you can possess it and become it!
More questions to follow in the future so stay tuned...
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Blast Camp 2008
Sorry for the delay, but it's worth it. Here are pictures and a video from when the Revolution Worship Team played at Blast Camp for our elementary-age kids over the summer.
YOU MUST WATCH THIS: Jeff and Victor prank Nuzzo and Daniel while they are in the bathroom by dumping buckets of water on them. Daniel chases after them, saying, "JeffRo's slower!!!" Good times.
It ain't easy, folks...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Ultimate In Rock N Roll For Jesus
Hey guys, I've finally managed to get some of my pics/vids from the summer off of my phone.
This video and the pics below are from when the Revolution Worship Team played at Concord United Methodist. Pretty schnazzy as you can see. We played on a wagon and a platform in front of that wagon. It turned out to be a pretty fun and memorable experience for us all.
Be sure to check back here within the next couple days for the infamous Blast Camp antics vids and pics. Oh yes. You don't want to miss it.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
And They Will Know We Are Christians...
John 13:34-35 (NIV) " 34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
I read this article this morning: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/13/gay.friendly.school/index.html
It talks about opening separate public schools that are focused on acceptance of homosexuals who want an alternative to public schooling. This is in response to bullying and a general lack of acceptance they have found in their interaction with peers at their current schools.
To me, I think this is a sad thing that this bullying is an issue. Yes, the Bible says homosexuality is wrong. Check out the first chapter in Romans. However, as Christians, are we exercising love toward these people who really need it most or are we condemning homosexuals? We are not the Righteous Judge, and we are not enablers of the sin either. We are to marked and identified by our love. It's what Jesus did. It's what he commanded us to do.
Ask yourself: Am I identified by my love of people or my self-righteousness? Do I value the person or do I only see their sin?
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