November 2011
2 posts
Transformed
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” - 2 Corinthians 3:18
In Exodus 34, Moses returns to the people of Israel after receiving the Ten Commandments from God on the top of Mount Sinai. After spending so much time in the presence of God,...
Gifts
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” - James 1:17
This verse has completely changed my life. The past 7 months, God has used this verse to teach me, grow me, mature me, and strengthen me.
I find myself time after time praying for something and responding with amazement when God...
September 2011
1 post
Strangers
Don’t you hate that new kid on the block feeling? I like knowing where I stand; what I’m doing; who the players are. There are times in life that we feel like aliens on our own planet, foreigners in our own country, guests in our own home.
As a child I loved watching cartoons on Saturday mornings and one of my favorite shows was X-Men. The show was about a group of people born with...
August 2011
1 post
Creation
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” - Ephesians 2:10
What were we created to do? It is a question that is burned into all of us that live. We constantly seek purpose, meaning, destiny. When we do not live what Christ has created us to do, we become restless. We were created for a specific...
June 2011
2 posts
Settle
I am not a huge fan of fast food because I feel like I am slowly killing myself with each Happy Meal I put in my mouth, but I am a poor college student so from time to time “ya gotta do what ya gotta do”. The other day I was at Burger King and laughed at their slogan: Have it your way. I don’t think they really mean that because if it was my way that Whopper combo would not...
Scraps
Matthew 15:21-28 has always been a passage I have wrestled with in Scripture. The story tells of a Greek woman, who the Jews would have called a Gentile and deemed unworthy of the kingdom of God, coming to the feet of Jesus and pleading for Him to cast the demon out of her baby girl. The part of Scripture that I have always wrestled with was the reaction of Jesus. He tells the woman in verse...
May 2011
1 post
Static
Have you ever been “shocked” when you touched the door knob? Or when a friend rubs their feet on the carpet in order to make you jump from that little electric shock? Static electricity made childhood so much better! I loved bugging my sister with the magical powers of static electricity.
Do you know how static electricity occurs? (sorry for the quick science lesson, but bear with...
March 2011
2 posts
Release
Apparently, one of the most common types of death for an eagle is drowning. I know! I was surprised when I first heard it as well. Eagles supposedly are greedy animals by nature. When seeing a large fish in the water, the eagle would swoop down to snatch it from the river, but often the fish is too heavy to lift. Instead of letting go the eagle flails and fights in attempt to lift its prey...
Disappointment
I remember one time in 1st grade, I got sent to the principal. I will never forget the terror, not from what the principal would do, but what my dad would do. I wanted more than anything for my parents to be proud of me, and in those moments of failure, I would always fear that they would be disappointed in me.
Honestly, that is how many of us approach our relationship with God. Any time we...
December 2010
4 posts
Decisions
“For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth” - 2 Corinthians 13:8
There are so many hard decisions in life? Do I want a super size or not? Should I say hi to her or not? Should I try to jump over this creek or not? Should I have brought and extra set of clothes since I didn’t make it over the creek?
But seriously, we all face big decisions in our...
Impact
The crater completely replaced the old football stadium. Thankfully, no lives were lost by the force of the falling meteor, but the town remembered it for quite some time. The football team suffered for a short time. The stadium obviously was missing for a few years, but eventually a brand new one replaced it. All the change served as a reminder of the day that a meteor impacted their lives in...
Caffeine
Over 5 years ago, a friend of mine decided to stop drinking any kind of soda for a month. For a few days I enjoyed tormenting her as I chugged a Dr. Pepper, but eventually I stopped as well to support her through her fast. That was 5 years ago and I still don’t drink soda or caffeine.
To some of you reading, that statement might have been appalling. You can’t make it through your...
Availability
Recently, I have taken on a lot more responsibility at work. For the first time, I have been given the chance to completely change and run a ministry on my own! Such an incredible opportunity, but like I said: it is the first time I have attempted it.
My mind was plagued with stress and all these different things I needed to do. I continually wanted to prove that I deserved this new position,...
November 2010
6 posts
Quake
The ground moves beneath your feet. The walls shake. The earth splits and the very floor you once stood on sure footed and stable now writhes and groans as it attempts to drop you to your knees.
You know what it is. It is the war we all fight. It is the powerful attack of the enemy. It is the stress Satan sends to devour. It is the quake.
I have always tried to be stability in...
Whisper
We are all guilty of it. We feel like we are waiting for God and at times doubt that He is going to be there for us. Sometimes we even doubt He cares about us. It happens to us all.
Even some of the most godly men from the Bible struggled with this doubt. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah, the prophet of God, felt abandoned and alone. In verse 10, Elijah cries, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God...
Love?
My parents have been married forever! haha since before I was born which is well over 20 years now. They are 2 of the strongest most God fearing amazing people on the face of the planet, and they are madly in love. They still hold hands and say goofy cute stuff to each other. That is so rare in today’s society. Over half of marriages end in divorce, but why? Because too often we become...
Meek
Isaiah 66:1-2 - “This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”
This...
Busy
It has been weeks since my last blog. Why? Because I got busy. It’s funny to me how we use that as an excuse for a lot of things in our lives. We say it to explain why we haven’t hung with certain friends for awhile. We say it when our boss notices we missed something they asked us to do at work. But worst of all we say it when it comes to God.
Too often, I explain away my...
October 2010
5 posts
Indifference...
During my chase, my journey with God, I get distracted. I see things that I think are better or will make me happy and focus on them instead of Him. Why I do this? Why do people do this? God has done more for me than anyone ever could. His son gave His life for me. He gave me purpose when I was lost, joy when I was sad, peace when I was in anguish, love when I was alone. No matter what, God...
Wolves
I remember being little and watching the Looney Tunes all the time. They were so funny. Bug Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wiley Coyote. They were my mentors at the age of 4. There was one particular time that they reenacted Little Red Riding Hood. I thought it was funny how a big hairy animal could pass as a little old lady. How did Little Red Riding Hood not notice immediately that it as a wolf and...
Loss
Unfortunately, in the past few years, I have experienced a lot more loss in my family than I expected. Those we love pass away. It is a part of life. When they do, all their loved ones gather together to honor their life with a memorial service. A combination of joy and sadness washes over our hearts when we remember the good times, but see that there will be no more memories to come.
But,...
Morning
There are many times that people are surprised by my age. At the age of 20, God has blessed me with a lot of responsibility and opportunity that I work very hard at owning, but there are many times in my life that I begin to feel overwhelmed and wonder if God picked the wrong guy for the job.
One of these times, I spoke with another pastor who was young as well and asked how he dealt with all of...
Father
I have the best father on the planet. When I was little, we were inseparable. I was always with him. When we would walk somewhere, he would hold my hand so when I tripped he could hold me up. When I woke up and some obnoxiously early hour of the morning to watch cartoons, he never complained. He would always come and watch with me. My dad loves me with all his heart and would do anything to...
September 2010
20 posts
Marathon
Sometimes I wonder: will all of this be noticed? Will all my time spent pouring over my message to teach on Wednesday night matter? Will this blog make a difference? Will all the effort I put into mentoring and loving those around me mean anything?
I think all of us have these moments. Will anyone care? Does anyone notice? It is completely normal to wonder. There is one thing that I hold...
Veiled
2 Corinthians 3:18 - “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”
I know. At first glance that verse doesn’t make any sense, but when I fully understood what this verse was saying it greatly impacted my life. Let me explain.
...
Redefine
What is life all about? What makes it worth living? There are so many different answers to this question, and I have answered it differently throughout my life.
My junior year in high school I would have answered that life is all about being happy. I wanted to make my friends like me so I could feel good. I wanted to get good grades so I could get in to a good college. I wanted to meet a...
Truth
John 14:6 - “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Lies. Deceit. Deception. I feel that our world is saturated in it all. Television tells us that we “need” every single product the commercials advertise. Magazines tell us that we “need” to look more like the people that fill their...
Honesty
Honesty… The saying goes that it is the best policy, but the truth is that honesty hurts sometimes. When we are going about our life and a friend gives us a wake up call on something we are doing wrong it can hurt.
A long time ago, I struggled with the idea of servant leadership. I thought leadership was translated by authority. Because of this, I was not a leader that inspired...
Encouragement
I hate those days. You know the ones I am talking about. The ones that seem like they just won’t get going. Everyone seems to say the wrong thing. Just a day of discouragement and disappointment. We all have them.
Just last night, I was having one of those days. I had no reason to be down, but I was. I got home because I just wanted to be alone, and walked into my room to listen to...
Passion
If at all possible, I am on the court every day shooting basketball, every Friday, I spend all that money to see a movie at the theater, when I am tired and worn out, I roll off of the couch to go to church and serve with some of the most amazing people in the world. Why do I do all these things so religiously? (well the church thing would make sense to be done “religiously” but you...
Masks
Who are you? Who do you show the world?
So many of us wear masks. We hide who we really are, what we really feel, what we really think, what we really believe. We do this so we can feel accepted. Comforted. Loved. But when we wear a mask so the world will love us, do they love me, or do they love the mask?
I remember hearing a story one time of a van being pulled over by a cop. The van...
Fish
One day, I was driving home from Chick Fil A (I love that place), and I pulled up next to a man on a scooter at the light. This guy had this look on his face like he was the hottest thing in town. His face had a smirk drawn across it and he was bobbing his head almost trying to make me agree with him that he was the man. I thought it was pretty amusing, but then it got better. On the other...
Restoration
When I was little, I went to a bible camp in the middle of nowhere Tennessee. We would camp, canoe, rock climb, build camp fires, all of it. (I know, TC is an outdoors type person? haha hardly) My least favorite part of the camp was always chapel. We would have to put our exciting activities on hold to wait and listen to an adult talk a long time about Jesus. I had accepted Christ at the age...
“What we do in life, echoes in eternity.”
– Maximus (Gladiator)
Mirror
It is never easy to take criticism. Especially when it’s right. Every day I go through life trying to do my best for God, but truth is we are all human, and I am more of a bonehead than most people.
Today, I was on the phone with my amazing mother. I was talking about all the things going on in my life, work, school, friends, and everything else. I was telling her about the things I am...
Confusion
There seems to always be questions in life. There seems to always be something confusing. From work to girls to the future to the right way to use chopsticks, it all can leave me scratching my head and wondering what is going on.
Sometimes I become frustrated. Why can’t I figure this out? Why can I not get this project at work to turn out the way I want? Why won’t she just...
Presence
Basketball. One the scale of important things in life it goes: God, basketball, oxygen, food, sleep, family, friends, bathroom, and so on. What I am trying to say is that I love me some basketball. Today, as every other day, I was out playing basketball with some of my boys and I saw 4 different people I knew. This tends to happen to me all the time. I feel like I have a magnet that draws...
Pain
Tonight, some one that God has placed in my life shared their heart with me. They showed me their struggle and the pain they were experiencing. It was heart breaking. When I see the pain in those I care about, I want to ask God why. It is a normal reaction to question and doubt God when there is agony in our lives, but there are 2 things we must remember when we encounter hard times:
1. God...
August 2010
20 posts
Serve
Lately God has really been teaching me the true meaning behind the word ministry. To minister is simply meeting the needs of others. It is the verb of Christianity.
In John 13, Jesus gets down and washes the feet of the 12 disciples. In that time everyone wore sandals and walked on dirt roads, so everyone had feet that smelled like a bathroom or like their feet had died days before (their feet...
Sacrifice
I want you to understand why I do what I do. This blog, this life, only one thing matters in all of it, my God, my King.
Starting today, I have completely filled the schedule of my life with work and school. With 4 days of the week leading Bible studies and 2 day studying school, I have only one day of relaxation in my week. (during which time I will probably be planning my lessons for the...
Eyes
From the moment he entered the room, he knew. He surveyed the room and then it happened. He gaze met hers. He felt something he never felt before. Could this be that feeling? That moment?
A lot of people have always believed in love in first sight. The eyes of another person giving the confirmation of the heart’s desire.
We are always looking into the eyes of others. We are seeking...
“And I ask Him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able...”
– Ephesians 3:17-20 msg
Darkness
When I was 4, I asked Jesus into my heart while my family was on vacation. When we came back home, I remember desperately running and grabbing hold of my best friend, Trent, and begging him to accept Christ. I starved to see him spend eternity in heaven and was terrified to know what the alternative was if he didn’t. (he already had accepted Christ if you were wondering)
It is funny to...
Humility
Since the time I was a little guy I have always struggled with one thing more than any other, humility. Call it pride, entitlement, arrogance, whatever you want, I always have to battle to keep it contained. I remember being little and being the coolest kid in Mrs. Bowling’s kindergarten class. I felt like I was the boss and the rest of the class was my minions. Then one day, he came. ...