Seryn concert!

I got to see seryn for the third time last night :) It was great as usual. The best part...THEY PLAYED NEW MUSIC! :D YAY!

Here are some vids!

We Will All Be Changed

some new music

Cool!!

Check this out!!
FINISH HIM!

Driving.

So I'm going to be doing a lot of driving this year...Atlanta, home, Manitou, Pagosa, Angel Fire, home, Atlanta...

All of this will be done solo. Ha

Home for the summer, Manitou for nostalgia, Pagosa for SS, Angel Fire for friends, home for Christmas, Atlanta for Passion...

It's a good thing I love driving. 

boring

Writing blog posts is boring. I don't have any motivation to constantly relay my exciting experiences to a digital medium. I'd rather just talk about it in person, or have more awesome experiences! Haha maybe I'll start doing a video blog, or vlog, because it's like I'm talking.

Funny quotes for the day...

At blueprint "I love how Jesus rescues us from the nets of emotion and of the situation. Or a literal net - maybe you're are literally stuck in a net and Jesus will help you out of it."

Hannah E. "It's so sad that my armpit is purple."

I'm sure there are more to come.

Poetry

I've gotten a little into poetry recently. My roommate is really good with words and he shared this really convicting work. Check this out:

Roses are red.
Bacon is also red.
Poetry is hard.
Bacon.



hahahahahahahahahahahahaha that's awesome. :) Thank you David F. for making my life just a little more amazing.

To See God in His Sacnctuary

Have you ever read Psalm 63? You might recognize it if you heard it. I'd like to focus on the first two verses right now.

Psalm 63:1-2: "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory."

It took me about 10 times reading this to understand what David was saying. Let's look at the context, shall we? The author is David (the one that killed the giant and becomes king, well, he's not king yet, so don't spoil the ending for him). When he wrote this, he was on the run for his life because the current king of Israel, Saul, wanted to kill David because everyone liked him more. David was running and trying to live off the land, but the land provided no resources like, I don't know, water.

So David is praying to God. The first times I saw this, I thought he was remembering the fellowship he had with God back in Jerusalem. Life was easy, comfortable, and secure. He could go to the temple anytime he liked. I thought David was saying that those were the good times - the times where he really saw God best. Then, the Spirit helped me out. (Thank You, Spirit.)

At the beginning of verse 2 is the word Thus. This means "therefore" or "because of the previously stated conditions, the following is true..." so let's reread that passage with that knowledge.


Psalm 63:1-2: "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory."

Because the circumstances of David's life sucked so bad, because there was no way he could survive on his own, because the most valuable thing to a man (his life) was in danger, he was able to see God move in power and see His glory more than ever before. 

I connected the dots. If I want to know God more. I need suffering. I've got an easy life filled with blessing after blessing. So, my next prayer went like this: "Hey, God. I don't know if this is really happening, but I guess I'm praying for suffering. Amen" And that was that. 

Suffering came.

It was something completely new and I had no idea how to handle it, so I went to God. I asked Him for three things: contentment with not knowing the outcome of things, joy despite my remorse, and peace to know that He is God (sovereign and in control). He gave me all that and more! 

He used me as a blessing to one of my best friends. What I went through was for me and for my friend to both get to know God better! How amazing is that?! I prayed over my friend to bless Him with the peace that had been granted me. We hugged while we prayed, the best way to do laying-on of hands. By the end of the intense prayer, my whole arm was shaking, tingling, and vibrating. The Holy Spirit showed up! Right then and there, I knew my friend had been given what he was looking for, peace to know that God is God. It was an amazing experience. 

Since then, my joy has been unmatched by any experiences in my past. I have been so happy and the weather here is only a complement to my current state. Then, God used my experience that night to bless another one of my friends with wisdom.

God is so good.

"God, bring on the pain. If it means knowing you more, it's worth it. All I need is You. Amen."

DBU campus visit

I'm having an awesome spring break and yesterday was certainly no exception. I planned to meet my friend from Summit, Amy F. and remember I have two more friends that also go to DBU. I pulled up to the campus and almost couldn't believe how beautiful this place was. It's on a giant hill and there's a huge church with a magnificent steeple. I drove up the hill (which I desperately wanted to longboard down) and finally found a parking spot and Leah K. (one of my oldest friends) walked me into a building. Being a small campus and Leah being very friendly and extraverted, I met lots of new people. Amy showed up and I gave her a big hug. Then Leah and Amy finally met each other. They both love Jesus so so much and they are so sweet and encouraging. Serious wife material right there. haha Then, the astounding and handsome Kemp T. walked in and I got to catch up with him for a soli 30 minutes. :) I miss that guy. He's getting married in June. Crazy. From 1:45 until 5:30 I sat and talked with my old friends and my new friends. I especially remember Cam. Leah was very excited for us to meet each other. He was friendly. He asked me what my life story was and I responded that he'd find out more about me by asking questions rather than me coming up with stuff to say about myself.
"What's your favorite color?"
"Blue."
"When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"
"First, an astronaut, then a car designer, then a pilot."
"Do you like music?"
"No...of course I do!"
"I like this guy."
He asked if we could be best friends and I thought it was a wonderful idea. All 5 of us prayed right then and there. It was AWESOME. I ate in the dining hall and it wasn't too bad.

My family and I went to a Fun. concert later. The opener was Avalanche City and they were really good. I bought the EP on iTunes. Then Fun. came out and it was a really good show.

Today is my last day in Fort Worth for awhile. But I'll be in New Mexico later and watching the Hunger Games tonight. Maybe I'll go snowboarding tomorrow, no big deal. :)

Spring Break

I flew home to Texas for Spring break and it is such a pleasure to do nothing (read, hang out, sleep, eat, etc.) for a few days. I spent the first two nights at my grandparents' house with my brother, sister, and cousin. I finished reading the first hinger games book and now I'm in chapter ten of the second one. It's not too bad. There was a guest preacher at church today; he preached the gospel and it made me joyful.

I've decided to fast from secular music on Sundays. It's not a huge sacrifice, but hopefully it will be a first step to greater sacrifices to strengthen my intimacy with God.

At Mimi's Cafe, an old man started to have a seizure and it kinds freaked me out. I called 911.

I visited my uncle's grave today at the cemetery. It got me thinking about death which obviously got me thinking about life. How fragile it is. How we take it for granted. How it's really the only thing we all have. So many people live their lives without considering death and just try to have a good time. Foolishness. Some are prepared for death and try to build a legacy of their name and memory. Foolishness. Few know that giving up one's life for God's sake, and forsaking their own life leads to eternal satisfaction, satisfaction that continues past the grave.

Don't live as a dead man; rise up. Get off you mat and walk. Be forgiven. Accept grace. Lose this life and gain life that lasts.

Big Update.

It's been awhile and much has happened. I co-led a D-Now group this past week under the astounding and dashing John P. I loved my 7th graders. They did what I said and were so nice to each other. Plus, I got to tell them the gospel! :D Tonight we had City Groups and it was legit. Then I tuned into the Passion 2013 Podcast and that was awesome. I pre-ordered the Passion White Flag album deluxe edition and downloaded it as soon as I could. I've been listening to it for awhile and I love it! :D I'm almost done with this hectic week. Then it's Spring Break! God is SO SO GOOD!

Exponential Curve

My to do list just increased by a fair (ginormous) amount, so I don't have much time to write a blog post. Just pray that I can still represent God with a busy week. :)

May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Advance

I just got back home. What a good time. I had a really splendid Friday. In my last class, the one that has a quiz each Friday, our professor had some "important" things to do after class so he rushed through the already shortened material and gave us the answers to half the questions on the quiz (which I got a 100 on). :) How awesome is that?! I hung out at the BCM with Eric until we decided to get some McFlurries from McDonalds. The traffic was awful but we had a good time just hanging out and listening to good music. The time came for me to head to Cedartown, GA for Advance, a yearly retreat for the BCM students. This weekend was centered on prayer. How awesome is that?! It was a wonderful time. It was at an old school house about 2 hours away from Atlanta. I brought a hammock, my Bible, and my pillow pet. There were about 30 of us and only 4 girls. Haha that's Tech, though. We spent almost the whole time in prayer. I got back and hung out at the BCM and watched a movie called "O Brother Where Art Thou" with Schwa(ziland), Kyle, Caleb, Eric, Billy-Bob, and Erin. I had never seen it. It was funny but it had a lot of cursing. I am hoping to become better friends with Schwa, BB, and Eric, and hopefully work some things out with Erin; I haven't seen her in a long time and it's kinda sad. Tomorrow, I'm going to Blueprint church. Hannah E. and her parents will probably be there so that's cool. After that is Ultimate. :D I really need to run around...I broke my fast today and ate SO MUCH FOOD.  -___-  I need to run a LOT. I am so satisfied in Christ right now. :)

72 Days for Freedom

Tonight marks the start of something very important.

The purpose of the Passion 2012 conference was to open our eyes and our hearts to the problem of slavery. Over 27 million people are a slave right now. We are not okay with this. We are doing something now to end slavery and share Jesus. Passion City Church held an event tonight to help us take the next step to end slavery. Go to the official 72 Days for Freedom web site to 1) sign a petition for Mr. Obama telling him we want to fight slavery as a nation, 2) give money to help rescue, restore and redeem those afflicted by the slave industry, 3) host a screening of the freedom film to as large a group as possible to spread the knowledge of this injustice, 4) pray every day starting tonight for God to move in power and for Him to use you, and 5) a unique way for God to use you to shine His light to the nations and end slavery. This is such a big deal. Let God move you.

Go to http://slaveryfootprint.org to see how many slaves are working to provide you with things you used today.

Pray.

Savannah is here.

What a great day. It is beautiful. I cleaned my room. I listened to the soundtrack from the movie Hanna. Savannah arrived (finally). I went to the grocery store and got a bunch of drink for Lent. I got Fiddler on the Roof from the GT Library. I got a cup with a straw built in, the kind I used when I was a youngster. What a great weekend this is turning out to be. :)

Life is busy.

I have not posted in a while. That may be because I have been super busy recently. The past two weekends I spent leading a D-Now in Conyers, and then training for SWAT (Students With A Testimony) in Athens. I thoroughly enjoy my time spent with D-Now stuff; essentially I just grow closer to Jesus. So that's legit. My weekends from now on are going to be pretty busy. I find it extremely difficult to put care toward my studies when Jesus and His Kingdom are so important to me. Oh well. For just under 2 months, the Lord has taught me about prayer. It is almost disheartening; what am I not getting? These are the important characteristics that every Christians' prayer life should possess:

• constant (Isaiah 62:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Luke 18:1-8; Romans 12:12)
• solo (Matthew 6:6)
• yet corporate (Acts 2:42, 12:5)
• desiring God's will - the expansion of His Kingdom (Luke 22:42)

So I need to work on all of those. It's hard to pray constantly and fervently. It's hard to do it on my own. It's hard to do it with friends. It's hard to pray for what should be prayed. I want to get better so I'm asking God (in prayer) to enhance my prayer life.

Valentine's Day - it's over 2000!!!

I looked at my blog and saw that it had 1,999 views. So, I typed this up real fast so someone can read it and get me to 2,000. :) haha

But in all seriousness, let's talk about life. Some of my friends are realizing there is only one way to be content: when you are wholly dependent upon God. Pray they will find their joy and peace again.

I get to lead my first Bible Talk tomorrow. I'm really excited about that. :)

God is good. I'm eternally joyful about that. :)

D-Now

I had a legit blog post about this weekend and my experiences leading my first D-Now, but the whole thing got erased. :'( Ask me in person for some legit stories of God's handiwork.

Love vs. Hate

I've heard it said that since God is love (1 John), God is incapable of hate. This doesn't really make any sense. Paul W., a southern baptist preacher has said that since God is holy and God is love. He must hate; He must hate that which is opposite of Him: sin. He must hate arrogance, false witness, and pride because they are for what Christ was crucified. Jonathan Edwards put it very eloquently:

"And there are some affections wherein there is a composition of each of

   the aforementioned kinds of actings of the will; as in the affection of
   pity, there is something of the former kind, towards the person
   suffering, and something of the latter towards what he suffers. And so
   in zeal, there is in it high approbation of some person or thing,
   together with vigorous opposition to what is conceived to be contrary
   to it."

He uses a lot of pretty words, but here's the gist: If you have an affection (approbation, zeal) to something (God's glory), you must also have a disdain (vigorous opposition) for whatever is opposing it (sin, death). You cannot tolerate sin and also have a reverence for God. It is conceptually impossible. It's like trying to be on Hitler's side and the Jews' side.....you can't. 

As disciples, we are to be a representation of God (Galatians 6:19-20). If we sin, we are giving God an unholy representation of His name. This is another reason why we are to be righteous! Perfect, even (Matthew 5:48)! We will sin, but if you are not seriously brokenhearted because of or opposed to sin, go read your Bible. 

God please break my heart. Send suffering my way if that's what it takes. Mature my faith by allowing me perseverance through trials. Make me a man of God. Amen. 

Savvy Skype Sesh

I got to Skype one of my favorite people ever: Savannah S. She is so awesome (meow). I did not get to talk to Hannah B. though. :/ God is continuing to bless me and provide for me in many ways. Despite the heavy work load and little hours of sleep, I am feeling refreshed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Maybe so that He can use me to help out my friends when they get exhausted. :)

God, fill me with Your Spirit, use me to help my brothers- and sisters-in-Christ as they keep me accountable as well. Bring trials to strengthen my faith. Amen.

Good Weekend

I had a fun weekend in FoCo. I got to meet Melissa M.'s family more and hang out at their house. I kept to myself mostly and it was a good time to be with God and sit on a very comfy couch. The next morning I ran 3.2 miles and went to church at Browns Bridge church with David F., Hannah E., and her parents. It was cool meeting Mr. Earle again and meeting Mrs. Earle for the first time. The best part of the service was the chance to praise God in music. The worst part was everything else, especially the "sermon." I won't gripe about that here. I came back to Tech and played some Ultimate. It was really fun except I injured my knee and I thought it would just get better, but that hasn't happened. I might have to get it checked out. Life is great and my God is with me, guiding my steps. What a comfort.

God continue to fill me up and lead me to the good works You have prepared in advance for me to do. Bring me to sacrifice everything. Bring me to repentance. Don't allow me to try to bring You glory on my own. It is miserable. Don't leave me. I love You. Amen.

Courageous

Last night was Guy's Night at the BCM on campus. It was legit. We memorized Ephesians 2 which is legit because that chapter is the gospel. Then we watched a movie called Courageous. It was about the spiritual journey of 5 men in a small town in Georgia whom are all officers of the police there. It calls out men to become men of God and the plot was really good. I recommend it. The most interesting part of this story is that I got very near to tears. If you know me at all, you know that I don't cry. It's not that I don't want to, I just am incapable of crying. But one part was...uh really good I guess and I had that crying feeling but no tears came. Oh well. After that, I pray from 12-3 AM on my campus. There were a lot of people going to parties so I had plenty to pray for. It reminded me of how much God had purified my friends and I from our first time at Tech. God is progressing us. :) I woke up and took my car to get an oil change and now I am in FoCo talking about Jesus and studying for two tests. God is great.

Pie ('nuff said)

The last two days have been a blessing. The weather has been beautiful. I got to meet with Hayden and study out the crucifixion of Jesus. That was legit. I hung out with Melissa for almost the entire remainder of the day. I went to a test review session for my test on Monday. I went to Steak 'n Shake with some BCMers. I didn't eat there cuz it's gross. I went to sleep. I went to class. I dressed up. I toured a pie factory and got a lot of free pie. Pie. Yum. I have a lot of studying to do so peace out.

Jesus Calms the Storm

So I was reading a fairly common (and usually misinterpreted) passage in the Bible this morning. In Matthew 8, Jesus and the disciples are on a boat and a storm comes. You probably know the ending: Jesus is woken, not by the storm, but by the disciples crying out in fear of death, pleading for Jesus to save them. Jesus proceeds to still the waters. **NOTE: This is NOT a promise that when you are experiencing a "storm of life" that Jesus will calm it as soon as you pray for help. The disciples knew of the power that Jesus had; He was God, after all. They knew He could save them. Then why in verse 26 did He rebuke them of little faith before He stopped the storm? They had faith in His power, but not in His love. They had fear of their problems. They thought that their current situation would end their life because their God was asleep. Their fear was greater than their faith. That's where they went wrong. God doesn't rest from keeping His followers where He wants them.

When you are in a "storm", don't pray for God to remove it, and don't have fear. Ask God to shine in you despite your circumstances. Ask God to make you more Christ-like.

BAD: FEAR > FAITH

GOOD: FAITH >> FEAR

God give me wisdom and discernment. Send trials my way to mature me (James 1:2-3). You alone are Holy.

Contrast

Last week, life got busy. Before that, I had plenty of free time and nothing was rushed. Now, I barely have time do the things necessary for surviving (hyperbole). School is picking up the pace. I spend lots of time investing spiritually in others. I get little sleep. There are so many events. Worst of all, I'm not being invested in spiritually. At all. Add those up and you get exhaustion.

Actually, I get exhaustion. -__- Awesome.

I need an older man to guide me and bless me with wisdom. I need to learn to say no to some things so I can spend more time on my knees and in the Book. I need to work diligently so I can get to bed on time. I need to learn how to get out of bed. I need prayer and encouragement.

Hmm...I want to retreat hard core.

Don't be shy.

I really do enjoy comments on my blogs. It lets me know that people read them and find them interesting. Go ahead and try it! Not on this one obvi. I update about once every two days so I don't expect people to read each one, but just check one out every now and then. :)

Allah and Issa

This one is gonna be kinda long. Sorry. But it needs to be shared. 

So this weekend, a church in my neighborhood is hosting a weekend-long event called Jesus In The Qur'an, or JIQ. The purpose of this conference is to inform Christians of the most effective way to minister to and make disciples of Muslims. The things I've learned have radically changed my perspective and blown my mind. I was given a free copy of the Qur'an and plan on finishing it in the next few months. The man who founded this ministry is an incredible speaker and has wonderful stories to tell. I'm so moved by what he said, I don't know what to type or how to explain to you this passion I have to make disciples of all nations. I already wanted to learn Arabic and I already wanted to visit the largest mosque in the southeast (it's next door to me). But, wow! I have such God-given passion and zeal! Thank You, God. I want to meet Muslims and be their friend. 

Simultaneously, a bunch of brothers and sisters came to ATL from Athens and FoCo. They were Bibbling (studying the Bible...ask Dylan C.) and praying. Morgan C. asked me if I wanted to go to a church thing to which she had been invited. I agreed because I love Jesus, because I wanted to hang out with Morgan, and to keep an eye on her. I'll be honest, I was expecting this to be a little sketchy, especially since it started at 11 PM. As soon as I entered the house, I knew this was legit. The first hour or so was intense worship. Since I didn't know any of the words (and no screen with the lyrics), I prayed and read Psalms and other Scriptures. Then for 30-45 minutes we prayed. I asked God to give me just a little guidance as to what I should do for Him this summer, even though I already had some plans. I was on my knees. I had that feeling I get when I'm consumed by the Holy Spirit: burning up yet freezing. "Now the Lord is gonna tell me something awesome," I thought. I waited on Him and He gave me a vision. I was at home and showing my family Scripture and teaching them. By this, I believe God wants me to stay at home letting God's Light shine through me. I was contemplating and I thought that the Lord might use me in my church to speak Truth. I got this desire to just preach all the time! I think that God might be calling me to the Navy but I just wanna preach all the time! Maybe Mason L. will let me lead a youth Bible study. That would such a blessing and an opportunity. It was apparent that the Holy Spirit came to that worship service in the middle of the night. I love God, I love my family, and I love people. 

If you see me on a daily basis, you know that I have learned so SO much from God in the past few weeks. I can talk about some of those things later, but I would like to take a second to talk about marriage. Yea it might get touchy, but Jesus Christ never sacrificed the Truth in all of His compassion. I've observed that in all cultures of the world, marriage is held in high esteem. In fact, it has become an idol to people all over the world, especially Christians. We have this notion that God will put a godly man or woman in our lives and we will find satisfaction. Where is that in Scripture? What I find in Scripture is "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:8) I can present more Scripture if necessary, but it all says that God's Name, bringing Him glory, and His affection for us is far greater than anything on this earth. Yes, God did design marriage, but that doesn't mean that it is impossible to be made an idol. I think that sometimes, young Christians open the Bible as if it were a crystal ball or treat God as only an oracle seeking knowledge of the future of their relationship. There is an idea concerning soul mates, or "the one." I don't like that idea either. Since becoming a sincere disciple of Christ, I have started to desire one thing only for my life: to bring His Name glory in all parts of my life (Romans 12:1). I know that if God continues to grow me to become like Christ, He will get glory from me. That's ALL that matters! If God wants me to be single, OK! If God wants to marry this girl or that, OK! I don't care about things like that because God will get glory from me one way or another. I think marriage is holy and a clear picture of Jesus Christ dying for and marrying the church. But I don't think that whom we marry needs much thought. As long as he/she loves Jesus more than you and more than him/herself, and has been given a desire from to become more Christ-like, he/she is fit for marriage. Proverbs 4:23 says "And guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." I don't think that tis means that we shouldn't alk about spiritual things of people of the opposite gender. I think it means that we should guard our hearts VERY CAREFULLY from idolatry. I think that if brothers- and sisters-in-Christ all desire to be like-Christ, then praying, witnessing, hanging out, and even talking about marriage as friends should be normal. Stop giving so much attention to a relationship if it distracts you from the relationship that saves your soul. 

God be with me and give me words to say so I don't get in the way. I love you. Purify me. Amen.

Have you ever been completely consumed by the Holy Spirit?

Tonight, I knew exactly what it was like.

My roommate, David F. and I were discussing something and two Scriptures were mentioned.

1 Corinthians 10:31. "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."

I headed to the dining hall to get some dinner. As I was walking towards the door, I pled to the Lord to use me to make His Name known and to bring Him glory. I walked in and was reminded of the Corinthians verse when I saw the food. I prayed and begged God to give me an opportunity to bring Him glory during my meal. I got some food and picked a table. As I was sitting down, a fellow student asked if he could sit at the table with me. "Of course," I said, silently rejoicing. I knew this was the opportunity for which I prayed. He left to get more food and I prayed, not for my food, but thanking Him for the opportunity and beseeching Him to speak words for me so I wouldn't get in the way, that I could make known the mysteries of my loving Savior. He sat down and I initiated some small talk. His name is Ankit and he's not from around here. He's a CS major. I asked him if he was involved in any orgs & clubs; I'll be honest, I was more excited about him asking me what orgs in which I participate than finding out in what he's involved. Sure enough, he asked. I told him about the BCM, Souled Out, and the Navigators and my faith in God. What a segway. :) We continued to have just a normal conversation asking deep questions and building a friendship. He told me that his aunt was a Christian, so I asked him if the way she lived her life was different than other the life of a normal person.

I mentioned loving other people more than one's self and he said something rather interesting. He said, "I don't think it's possible to do that, to love others more than yourself." I asked him why he thought that and he answered, "I think that human nature prevents people from sincerely doing things for others, people are naturally self-centered." I was so ecstatic to hear such wisdom from someone lost. He has such a realistic view of life. I told him that when you believe in God, that He fills you with the Holy Spirit and that when you do things for others, it's God doing good things through you. He took in every word.

After talking for about 15 minutes, he said, "I don't think it's a coincidence that we ran into each other." I was so joyful. I was in total agreement (Prov. 16:33).

I asked him what his plans for the weekend was and his Sunday was free. I asked if he wanted to come to church with me and he said, "I really really want to, but I'm going to invite my friend." "OK!" I blurted. My ecstasy was exponentially increasing. Hopefully I'll see him on Sunday. I asked if there was anything in his like for which I could pray. He mentioned that he had been really depressed. This is good because he will witness the joy, peace, and contentment that the Lord provides to those who seek Him.

As I headed to the exit, I was shaking. I knew the Holy Spirit was in me. I could feel him in my fingers, even. When I stepped outside, I vocally praised my God for blessing me by allowing me to being Him glory. I was so filled with the Spirit. I was breathing heavily. The Lord has moved tonight. Hopefully I'll see Ankit and Robert on Sunday. :'D

GLORY TO GOD! :D

Long day.

Tonight was the second night of the awesome Perspectives class. It was awesome. I'm too mentally drained to go into detail, but it was awesome. I got to se Brogan today. He's one of my best friends from Summit (2010). He is awesome. We skyped Kara. :) I'm mega tired right now (it's way past my bedtime). I need to go write a lab report -____-

Mission-minded; Christ-like.

Check out this blog my friend Melissa M. showed me! It's really legit! At one point, she explains, "It is within the eyes of the poor that I have seen the most clear image of Jesus." That's awesome! Wanna know why? Check out Matthew 25:34-40!

"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come those who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."


The author has of the blog post has it exactly right! It is really refreshing for disciples to read this blog post. :)

God, convict me of helping the helpless. Atlanta is a massive mission field. The harvest is so plentiful. Give me more fellow laborers to reap the harvest with which You have blessed me. Let the pieces fall into place that allow me to be an aid to the needy. I want them to see You; I want them to know You.

Exhausted. Renewed.

I want to be holy like Christ, but I have grown weary. I inadvertently, unknowingly, and subconsciously took the controls of my life from God some time in the past 24 hours. I have suffered physically for it. I am so tired and human. I realized my poor sinful state and asked God to fill me up. He did. I am joyful. I am maturing and growing. Pray as hard as you can that I can become a man of God. God needs more laborers on this campus where the harvest is oh so plentiful. How much more He could use me if He made me a man from the boy I am now! Oh, God, consume me, refine me, purify me, and set me apart. Give me strength to sacrifice all of my existence to your Name.

False Teachers; they aren't only present in the Bible

Many of you have heard of Andy Stanley. He is Dr. Charles Stanley's son and he pastors the second largest church in America. Some of my friends here in Georgia noticed that his sermons weren't sharing the gospel and were more like feel-good, self-help motivational speeches. They are not ok with a man of that influence claiming to speak Truth yet misleading people every Sunday. They went out of their way to find a way to speak with him about their concern, but being a man of his...whatever, they could not get in contact with him. So they decided to go to his service and talk to him there. During his sermon. Right before Andy was about to close with prayer, my friend got Andy's attention and began rebuking him for not sharing the gospel. Immediately, security came to escort him away and Andy waited patiently for him to finish. After he was gone, Andy had something to say. Here is what Andy said and you can insert your own tone of condescending sarcasm, because it was very apparent.

 "There's a theological thread that's super hyper extreme reformed theology. Some of you have heard of this; some of you might be reformed. The idea is every single story in the Bible is about Jesus somehow. I don't believe that. I think that today's story was about Nehemiah because Jesus was like a long time later. So, unfortunately, the radical, reformed people don't like me very much. Sometimes they do wonderful things like that."

Wow let's unpack that for a second. He says that Nehemiah is not about Jesus because He was not on the earth until way later. So that obviously includes the rest of the Old Testament, right? Here are some Scriptures (in the New Testament) that Andy opposed by his statement:

Romans 3:21 "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it."
Colossians 1:16 "For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
John 5:46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me."
Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."
1 Peter 1:10-11 "Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in then was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories."

And let's not forget all the Messianic prophecies that permeate all throughout the Old Testament i.e. Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." FYI, there are over 100 more verses like that in the Old Testament.

Here is a web site that lists all the Old Testament Scripture that references Jesus and the New Testament Scripture that corresponds with them. :)

So Andy has discredited the purpose and main theme of the meta-narrative that is our Bible. I'm glad my friend rebuked him.

Many good things have happened as a result of this event. Today, Andy preached about discipleship. A few things were off and opposed Scripture, but it was great when it lined up with Scripture. I encourage you to go check it out. And pray for him lots.

I don't want to criticize him to bring myself glory or to make him look bad. I want to highlight the dangers of false teachers and warn of their crippling deceit.

Be A Man (not the kind from Mulan...[stop humming the song...])

I've been listening to sermons and reading the Scripture about how to become a man. One speaker highlighted two specific chapters in the NT that describe manhood; 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The chapter in 1 Timothy is written to the young church leader to outline the requirements of a church elder. The speaker acknowledged this and said that all men should strive to look like this. Here is what is mentioned in this specific chapter:

• be above reproach (expression of disappointment or disapproval toward someone
• husband of one wife (or on that road...)
• temperate (moderation or self-restraint)
• prudent (showing care and thought for the future)
• respectable
• hospitable
• able to teach
• not addicted to wine
• not pugnacious (eager or quick to argue)
• gentle
• peaceable
• free from the love of money
• manages own household well
• keeping kids under control with dignity (yea I don't have any of those...hehe)
• If he cannot manage his own household or kids, how can he take care of the church of God?
• not a new convert
• good reputation with non-believers

That's quite an exhaustive list! But the Spirit is within me and making me more Christ-like each day so in 11.5 months I should look a lot more like the above list. :) That's my prayer. That's my goal. To be a man. Now I'll review the chapter in Titus (repeats will be omitted):

• not self-willed
• not fond of sordid gain (immoral gain)
• loves what is 
• good 
• sensible
• just
• devout
• self-controlled

A lot of them were omitted due to repetition. In Jewish culture, if something's significance was to be emphasized, it was repeated. So it's pretty clear what a man looks like. I want to be that!

"God, make me into a man! It's time for me to forsake childish things and abandon boyhood. I want to bring You glory! I want Your name to be known! I want to be mature. God, make me to look like Jesus who is the exact representation of You (Hebrews 1:3). Amen"

Unexpected happenings.

What a day. I thought today would be a slow, laid back day; I was wrong. I woke up and went to the CULC for Bible talk. We had twice as many students today,
And that made my soul rejoice.

I got to eat lunch with Hayden M., Jeremy S., and Angel M. today and Hayden agreed to studying Scripture with us weekly,
And that made my soul rejoice.

I got to hang out with some friends today while praying for soon to be brothers- and sisters-in-Christ,
And that made my soul rejoice.

My friends Melissa M. and Hannah E. finally got to meet with Christina M. today; Mel and Hannah were both so excited before and after the encounter,
And that made my soul rejoice.

I got to hang out with Hannah E. and talk about Jesus,
And that made my soul rejoice.

I attended a Perspectives class, my mind was blown,
And that made my soul rejoice.

God loves me, sent His Son to die for me, and constantly wants me to bring Him glory,
And that makes my soul rejoice.

Dear Melanie

Hi sis. I don't what all is going on in your life and in your mind right now, but I just wanna be there for you even though I'm a thousand miles away. First thing I wanna say is that God loves you SO much. He wants you to be in His kingdom. He sees you and wants you to be His. I want you to know that I love you. I want you to be a disciple so badly. I am praying for you and the remainder of my family to *know* Jesus and His character and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In order to know how someone is saved, we shouldn't listen to parents, pastors, friends, and others tell us, we should read the Scripture and get to know it for ourselves. That's what I've done the past few years and my view of salvation has changed. I think I have an idea of what the gospel is. I'm just trying to figure it out for myself. 

First off, let's look at 2 Timothy 3:16 "But Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." That verse means that the Bible is straight from God; but you probably already knew that. :)

Malachi 4:1-3 says "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of hosts." This verse says that one of two things will happen at the end of time; You will be cast out or you will be healed (hell or heaven).

So I'm assuming that your desire is not to go to hell and to spend eternity with God who really really loves you. So let's look at the Scripture to see how we can be saved. 

Acts 2:38 "Peter said to them, 'Repent  and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' "

Read Galatians 5:16-26.

Read 1 John 1:5-10

For a better understanding of the gospel, read Ephesians 2. 

If you want to read a lot more about it, check out this blog post.

All these verses mean that to be saved, you must be broken of sin. You must have such a sorrowful attitude toward your sin that you would give up your life for God. Then, you must surrender control of your life and repent. This repentance is based on belief that God is supreme, sent His son, and all those other things you learned in church. But it is not a single moment of repentance and belief brings about salvation; it is continual repentance. *Always* trying to be more like Jesus. 

After you count the cost of being a disciple and repent, you get baptized. Baptism is part of salvation. Read Ephesians 4:4-6 .

If you have questions, pray to the Lord. Right now. A lot. (1 Thess. 5:17)

I also heavily encourage you to go to Summit. It is really beneficial! Plus you'll have a blast. If you go, you will not regret it. Trust me. :)

So many good things. a.k.a. Plaid Friday

Today has been blessing after blessing! I have to share about it. :)

Firstly, it's plaid Friday so that's always cool. I changed it up, however and wore my cowboy boots and a navy blue sport coat with my plaid and it looked pretty slick. :)

I walked outside and it was snowing, if only a little. :D

I had fun in my Human Development class with Erin and Virginia.

I went to the student center to print some stuff. Another student sat down next to me. I wanted him to know about Jesus so I asked him about his longboard he just set down; then I asked him if he knew Jesus. In the end he was uninterested. :( I wish he could see the future of the lost. It isn't pretty (Malachi 4:1-3 and MANY others).

Hannah E. walked in looking pretty in her fancy clothes and then her and I got to talking about how amazing God is and all the miraculous things He has done in each of us recently. That was awesome!

I went to the rest of my classes and then ran in to Kayla N. She is so awesome. And pretty. I got to talk to her for a little bit.

I hung out with Aaron B. before he leaves ATL and heads to N. Orleans to finish up his seminary shenanigans. We watched Jessie H. play the new Dragonball Z game.....I think I have epilepsy now but whatever. Haha

After that, I went to the CRC and met up with Hans K. and his roommate Kevin to work out on the rock-climbing wall. I have only been rock climbing once and it was outdoor. I asked the Lord to give me strength and I kinda dominated the rock wall. :D I love it so much!! I got my first cramp...in both my forearms. It was awesome. haha On my last rope climb, the assistant guy gave me a challenge, "Only put your hands and feet on the grey [rocks]." So I did it. Pretty fast too. :) When I got back down, he informed me that I had just done an entry level competitive climb. In my mind, I'm like, "WHAT?!" That was only my second time climbing!! :D After climbing for about an hour and a half I tried bouldering for my first time. It was really hard after climbing so much already. On the third attempt, I got all the way to the top! :D I love rock climbing; I think Hans and I will go again soon. :)

When I walked out of the CRC I noticed the clouds were very pink and red. However, the CRC was blocking the sunset from me. In order to take in the total magnificence of God's masterpiece, I ran to the CULC as fast as I could, rode the elevator to the roof garden and was immediately captivated. God did a good job on that one. I stared in awe for about 10 minutes.

I went to Yeah! Burger for the first time ever with my closest guy friends (since all the girls from the BCM and Navs are out of town on girls' retreats...). It was awesome!! I got a Bison burger with 2 kinds of cheese, bacon, a fried egg, Yeah! sauce, and more. On the side I had the milkshake of the month.......French Toast and Bacon. THAT'S RIGHT. It had bits of bacon in it! It was SCRUMPTIOUS! I'll want another one soon. Now I'm sitting in NAN with Casey J. listening to the new David Crowder CD (It's so legit - I've listened to it and only it for the past 2 weeks).

All that to say that the Lord is good and He blessed me immensely today. :D All praise to Him!

O_O

Check out this cool video about the eye.

JOY!!

I'm overflowing with joy!! I can't keep it in! The Lord is so good! All He wants, all I want, is His glory. When He gets it, I can't help but be ecstatic!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
You Are My Joy by David Crowder Band

Spiritual Anticipation

It's only two days into the semester and I am certain that God is going to move on this campus - in a bigger way than I imagined. The Lord is moving in me and He is moving in my friends. All my brothers and sisters in Christ are serious about being on fire for the Lord. With all this devotion, it will be impossible for non-believers to see the Light shining through His disciples. :) I'll probably start discipling soon. :D

Jude 24-25 "Now to Him who is able to keep your from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen"

To God be the glory

Isaiah 26:12 "LORD, You will establish peace for us, since You have also performed for us all our works." All the good things that the 18-25 year olds have done this past week in Atlanta are a direct result of God working in us. Nothing else. 


:)

God can still speak to you if you're asleep

So my friend Hannah always has legit dreams and they directly correspond to real life. It's always cool to hear what God is teaching her through her dreams. Up until now I have had random dreams that make no sense. But last night, that changed. Here's the story:
A close relative of mine had constructed a bomb and concealed it in a laptop case. The rest of my family was headed to the airport to go on a trip of some kind. The family member had slipped it in with all the luggage. I don't know how I knew that she had done this but I knew. With all my effort, I raced to the airport to take the bomb away from them and protect them from the blast. I was going to be a hero with a sincere intent of saving their lives (not to get glory). For a selfish reason, I had decided not to call the airport and warn them and tell them about the situation. I didn't want everyone to freak out and panic because their lives were in danger. I just wanted to silently slip in to the airport, take the bomb away, and save everyone. On the way there, a few miles away, I couldn't help but notice a monstrous pillar of fire and smoke, bigger than any skyscraper. The bomb had exploded! I missed my opportunity. I saw live coverage on the news of the actual damage. My dad was dazed but was able to get up; But then I noticed the charred skeleton of what had been my cousin, Julio G. I was so upset! Many lives had been lost including ones that were close to me, and none were in heaven; they had been blasted into eternal separation from God. The worst part was that I alone had the information to save them. Instead of letting them know the truth, I took into account how they would react and thought it would be better to just do things myself. See what that did? I should have called ahead and yelled, "Quick! All your lives are in danger! There's a bomb and it will kill many people very soon!" If the bomb had been taken care of, it wouldn't matter how some of the people reacted because they would be alive. They might panic, they might be angry at me, but they would be alive. But I wanted to do things my way, and I wanted them to be comfortable...and they were dead.

Jesus Christ, knock me out of the way! Destroy me! I do not want me to be a hindrance to your glorious kingdom. I want people to live! Oh God, please. Save your people.

Minor League Prophets

What another great day. I woke up to the light of the sun filling my room (not a bad way to enter a day if you ask me). For the next 3 hours I got to read the minor prophets; how cool! They all tell of God's undeserved mercy. If anyone thinks that the Old Testament and the New Testament are telling different stories, they are confused. I made a new friend, Raven. I got to make an incredible dinner for my friend's parents. I got to know Andrew Harris a little better (he's good at ping pong). I got to waych How To Train Your Dragon (again). And thankfully, the Lord made me content and gave me a plan despite some new changes in my life. :D He's so awesome like that. I watched the sun set with Hannah. ^_^

Joel 3:15-17 "The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. The LORD roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God."
How powerful is that?!

2 for 1

This day was so awesome, I needed to blog twice. Haley, Hannah, and I donned our plaid (Hannah and I wore cowboy/girl boots!) and ran some errands. The new David Crowder CD is quite legit and God is even more so. We got back and David arrived shortly thereafter. We had a scrumptious dinner courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Harris (I got the recipe!). David, Andrew (Haley's awesome lil bro), Chris (Andrew's awesome best friend), and I played ping pong and ate cookies. After a break (heeheehee), we watched the greatest movie in the history of Verk, "How To Train Your Dragon." Hannah admitted that she cried the first time she watched it (how precious! love that girl). I was tired so I headed to bed but Haley and I had a conversation that was legit and really beneficial for me. :) Then, the four of us college students prayed and I am now in bed for the night typing away and thanking God for holding my life in His hands. I'm so happy I don't have to plan my future. :) Buuuutt....I guess I wouldn't mind knowing just a teensy bit. *hinthint, Jesus* haha

Rest for the weary

Passion ended yesterday. It was so worth my time and money. Check out this video to see a sample of the work the Lord did in 45000 college students this past week:
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/220436/40/DOWNTOWN--Passion-2012-unites-42000-college-students

God is so good. I came to Athens last night and already God has blessed me in some cool ways. First, I made a new friend, Emily, who loves God and has a fierce passion to make His Name great (how cool!!). Also, she is so beautiful. I got to my friend Haley's house last night and her mom had dinner ready for us. How refreshing! Haley, Hannah, and I talked for awhile and prayed before heading to bed. I got 12 hours of sleep!! It's nice to catch up; I got only four hours for three nights in a row. This morning, I read Zecheriah and Philemon. I txted my family group some encouragement. I had a big breakfast. I am being rested by the Spirit and it is oh so nice. :) May God receive the glory!!!

Passion

After the grueling 15-hour road trip from the fort to the ATL, I was excited for a few things, doing Passion, meeting a new friend, seeing my old friends (especially you), and getting off that awful people-mover (haha). It was really cool to get there with my Priority friends from Texas. I scratched my car pretty bad at the hotel where my friends stay. :( How embarrassing. I got to see H. and E. Ehrlich which made me really happy. Those two ladies are gorgeous, kind, and funny. After the first main session, community groups started; too bad it took me an hour to get to my meeting place. I got in and we started forming groups. Little did I know that these 8 people would become my family group and that they would nominate me to be the leader. :D That's a blessing. I get to see them first thing in the morning! I love my family group already. I saw David Crowder Band's final performance ever tonight; it was a great jam session. The Lord is great and He is about to do some mighty work on the hearts and minds of the 50000 students in Atlanta. My throat hurts a lot. I need sleep (I only get about 5 tonight...).

more blogs

So I got rid of my facebook. I guess I should update my blog more consistently so my friends and family can still have a digital means of stalking me. Haha I love you guys. Right now I'm packing to head back to Atlanta. Passion starts tomorrow and I'll get to see all my old GT friends, meet some new ones (H. Brady), and hang with my Birchman friends in the ATL. Many blessings to come. Well, gotta run.