Holiday Hangover

Thanksgiving has come and gone for another year...

Food has been consumed. And then more food was consumed. Then, somehow, I found a way to consume even more food...

It is truly a miracle that I did not throw up this week. I guess I have been training all year for this day. I would like to thank the cafeteria at NGU for getting me fattened up for the feast... your fried foods and cobbler really helped me get ready for this day...

So much food was consumed that I had to exercise today (it was needed...). We decided that it would be a great day to go mountain biking (most days are good for that, except rainy ones or very cold ones)

We also decided to be adventuresome and try some new trails. We took our bikes to Steele Creek park. My Dad, David, Sam (Kami's brother) and I headed toward the trails... lets just say that expectation and reality did not meet.

The facts were these
1. We rode (what I mean is pushed our bikes) up a large hill/mountain.
2. We made it to the top, excited that it could be time to actually ride the bike instead of pushing it up a massive incline.
3. We followed the trail, which led us down said hill/mountain. The descent was so steep (there were the words "puke hill" engraved on a tree if that helps you get the mental picture) we could not ride down.
4. We walked the bikes down the other side of the hill we had just climbed.
5. After this, we decide that much of this same pattern will continue and decide to head back
6. The only way back (besides going back up "puke hill") was to go down a very narrow, steep hiking trail coated in leaves.
7. With great care, we make it back to the parking lot.
8. It sucked...

- This was just not fair to Sam (who had never been mountain biking). We could not let this day be a foul taste in his mouth. So we decided to go to Warriors Path Mountain Bike Trails (the old faithful stomping grounds).

It did not let us down. Great riding was still had today; although I was a little tired from all the pushing at Steele Creek, it was a great ride. We rode The Boneyard and Magic Carpet Ride (my 2 favorites). I think Sam is now hooked. Another successful convert to the wonderful world of single-track mountain biking.

If you want to go mountain biking, go to Warriors (unless you are one of those crazies who are not afraid to break every bone in their body, you may like Steele Creek). You will feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment and manliness. And it is a great workout.


 

On another note about today... what is with these crazy shoppers trampling employees and killing them?????? That is crazy! The deals are not that good to break the doors and trample the old man working at Wall-mart. I also heard that a pregnant woman was trampled and her baby was killed; this is terrible. No Hannah Montana action figure or Jonas Brothers cd is that important for americans to trample other people.



- On a lighter note (in the spirit of Christmas), I came home tonight to a great surprise.

       A real tree!!! The house smells amazing; we have not had a real tree in a few years, so it is great to see one in the den.

ok. Time for bed. Goodnight.

Thanks & giving

Today is the day we call thanksgiving

I have much to be thankful for. Here are a few...

- Kami
- College
- My family
- A car to drive and a house to live in
- Clothes (I like those..)
- Twitter (it makes me feel like I know people that I wish I knew...)
- Music
- Music
- Worship
- God's call on my life
- That God is much smarter than me
- Scarves
- Cardigan sweater... with v-neck shirts
- Mac
- coffee (It has saved my life the last few weeks)


These are only a few of the thousands of things I have... and I complain about wanting more when MOST of the world has almost nothing...

That really put things into perspective for me.

I am blessed. We as Americans are blessed. Regardless of what the news says about the economy, we are the most blessed nation ever.

Take a minute today as you survey the feast on your table and remember just how blessed you are.

Happy Thanksgiving

How I have missed

Mountain Biking.

Such a rush.. even when it is less than 40 degrees outside.

I have been wanting to get back on the trail for a few months, so it was great to get out and ride. I even got some video footage of me going down some hills (I will try to upload that in the near future).

If you like biking, like adventure, and like a good challenge, you need to give mountain biking a try... it is a rush.

I still love road biking, but there is a special place in my heart for mountain biking as well.


Turkey tomorrow..... I am going to do some road riding and mountain biking to work off all that food (Because I will eat so much more than I need to... it is almost sinful... gluttony may take place).

Ok. time to go do some painting and homework (maybe...)

Monday Mind Dump

It is been a long few weeks. It seems there is a mountain to climb before a break can come...

- I finished both papers this weekend, and I actually feel pretty good about both of them. I was up for a while last night finishing my second paper, but it is done now (which is a great feeling, all I need to do is make my reference page and I will be ready to turn it in).

- Went to SeaCoast church yesterday morning. Very interesting concept; they have 13 locations all over the south. I really enjoyed the message from the pastor. Last night we made our usual Sunday evening trip to NewSpring, which is always amazing. I love being there because people there expect God to show up... and He does!

- I am going to visit churches next semester. I have really been praying about what God wants me to do next semester. At first, I wanted to find a job somewhere leading worship or speaking, but God has really been working in me, and I think I need to just take a step back and look at the bigger picture. I want to take some time to survey other churches, look at their visions, and talk to leaders in the church and learn what they are doing. I need take some time to work out what I believe, and how that will come out in church. I am excited about visiting churches. This is something I have not had a chance to do much of, so it should be exciting to see where God is at work.

- I read a quote from Mark Batterson at The Sticks conference that has been shaking me up. He said, "what are you doing to be remakrkable?"

.... wow. What an interesting thought. What am I doing right now, today, tomorrow to be remarkable. He said that we are either remarkable, or we are not making the difference we would like to. I want to make a difference in the world. I believe that God has things in store that I cannot even fathom at this point, but I have to take the steps right now for that to take place. I want to be remarkable, not because I want glory for myself, but I want to be remarkable (and maybe crazy) for what God has placed in my heart.

- Maybe the church is not hearing from God because they are not anticipating Him....

- Abraham set outside his tent in the middle of the day anticipating God to come... and He came!

Are we willing to sit in the spot that may be uncomfortable, the place where others may not want to go (his wife was inside) to hear from God. He is faithful to show up and do something beyond explanation (they had a baby a year later... and Sarah was 90) if we are anticipating God to show up.

- God is rocking my world right now... more to come on that

Must write

My paper...

It is the only things standing in my way for Thanksgiving break (I still have work to do before the next Monday... but that is later).

I am going to try to finish most of it today and finalize it tomorrow. I hope..... Pray that I do not get writers block.

Tomorrow is going to be great though. Kam and I are going to visit a church in Greenville to check it out; it is called SeaCoast church. It looks really neat. Then we are going to NewSpring tomorrow night. It is going to be a great Sunday.

Just have to get this silly paper done...

I never thought...

of it this way.

Chapel was good this morning (that is already something that is not normal....). They guy that spoke was a NGU grad that leads worship at a church in Greenwood. I really liked what he had to say.

He spoke from the passage in Revelation where Jesus says that He stands at the door and knocks. Tod (the speaker), mentioned that the passage was commonly used by evangelists during the invitation. They say something like, "Jesus is standing at the door of your heart knocking.... just let him in."

The problem with that statement is simple, but something that never came to my mind.          He is writing a letter to the Christians, not lost people. The verse is in the middle of the letter to the church in Laodicea. He is talking to the Christians in the church

That got me thinking. What if we are not letting Jesus into our churches? What if we are lukewarm, and trying to do it all on our own?

What would happen if we let Jesus in our churches?

We may do things a little (lot) differently.

This should be fun...

Semester is coming to a close. My brain is about to explode... too bad the next 3 weeks are going to be crazy! I have a lot of work to do. I can get it all done, but I am going to have to work m tail off to do it.

Blogging may be scarce for the next couple weeks (my typing time is going to be spent writing my 3 papers....)

Bare with me... It will be done soon. I am going to enjoy every minute of my month off. That is one of the best things about college...

Ok. Back to work

Why we don't change

ok. This one make be a little controversial... but that is ok with me. I am just going to tell it like I see it, because I think it is worth talking about. Here we go.

We have been looking at change. Change is good and necessary.

so


Why do we not change. I am going to try to unpack a few of the reasons churches are not willing to change. Now, I am not a pastor anywhere, but I have spent a good amount of time on staff at churches and have been around church all my life, and read about church all the time on the internet... so I have an idea of what is going on in the church world.

Reason to not change

1. We have not done it like that before- very nice observation... That is where the change part comes in. I know that doing new things can be scary, difficult, and hard, but that is not enough of a reason to keep from changing. Graig Groschell said it best when he said, "to reach people that have not been reached, we have to do things that have not been done". That just about sums it up.

2. People may get up set- yep. Actually, there is a good chance the will be missed. Some people may even get really pissed of and leave... That can be hard. Change is not always easy, especially when you have created a stable environment for so long. That is the beauty of churches that embrace change from the beginning; change in not a foreign idea, it is part of who they are. There are many places that get stuck here. I know that I am not a pastor at this moment, but I pray that when I am that God will not let me get stuck here. I do not like hurting people's feelings, but eternity is at stake here people...

3. I need to provide for my family- once again, I do not have a family of my own either. But this is another area that I am praying that God will take care of. I am praying that He will allow me to take the steps necessary to grow and provide for my family. God is the great provider, and I am clinging to the promise He makes in Mathew about taking care of the grass of the fields and that He will take care of me. Family is important, but when does the time come when you say to God, "I know you want me to do this, but I just can't.... I trust you, but, not that much". I pray that time does not come.

4. You are Selfish- "this is how I do it, and this is how it will be done..." I think this post by Gary Lamb takes care of this one.

5. We don't want to reach out to the culture- Lets just be honest. Change requires work; reaching out to the culture is not an easy job. But that does not mean we are not to do it. God has called us to so much more that sitting around in staff and deacon meetings all day. When are we going to go out in the culture and spend time with lost people?? That is what Jesus did; most of his messages where not given in the temple... they were out where the people were. And Jesus did not run away from culture... he embraced it. He was not sitting around waiting for people to come to him, rather, he was out hanging out with tax collectors and prostitutes. Are we (the church) willing to step out like that. Are we willing to go out and care for the culture. Jesus hung out with the "dirty" people. He spent time with adulterers and liars, thieves and lepers. When are we going to adopt that kind of mindset in churches? We preach truth, but there is no love or grace. Jesus came to earth and he was passionate about forgiveness; not condemning people, forgiving them.


-Change is not something that happens overnight, although some things could. Change is more than having drums in your service, or playing that "new song". It is about how the church looks at everything. It is not about the music, that is just a good thing to hang your hat on so you don't have to really talk about the problem.

People are dying and going to hell! That in itself should be enough to get us out of the pew and into the world. If we are going to follow Christ, we need to have His passions. He was not passionate about being popular. In fact, it seems that most people did not like him, many took every chance they could to try to have him arrested.

Following Christ is not a walk in the park... but it is the walk of a lifetime. What if we all stepped out in faith and believed that God was going to do great things around us? We could be the change the world is looking for.

Sunday Night Mind Dump...

Wow.. It has been a crazy weekend (and a crazy week)

I think I got less sleep this week than I ever have in my life. I am not sure how I am still alive. It is a tribute to the amazing human body.

- Thursday was BSU. I got to play electric, which is always a blast. I just love the freedom it brings; I feel like the icing on the cake. It was an amazing service. We had a time of testimony and even opened it up to people in the audience to share. Music was amazing!!! Jason did a great job with the set list. We did "Our God Reigns" into "Yellow" by Coldplay; that is how to start a set. It was rockin.

- This weekend was good too. We did some acoustic worship for a student retreat at Camp Marietta. There were about 50 students there; we had a great time leading worship for them.

- Today was my last day at Connection. It has been a good semester. Everyone was so nice too; they all came and told me how much they appreicaited my ministry. It was a very encouraging Sunday. (and they gave me a gift card the Olive Garden... which was used this afternoon for lunch. It seemed like the perfect time to use it)

- Newspring was amazing tonight (as usual). God really spoke some truth to me tonigtht during the whole serivce. I think there were alot of women set free from the bondage of their past tonight. It was just an amazing service. I love going to NewSpring; I go expecting to hear from God every week.

- I am sooooo tired. My bed is calling my name. The blogs on change will continue in the next post...

Going....

To lead worship with some friends this weekend at Camp Marrietta. We will be leading worship tonight and tomorrow for about 50 youth. 

I am excited. I need to get away from school; it will be nice to have a little break, and play some music too. 

Pray for us as we go lead worship . 

I will be back on the blogging on Change as soon as I have a free minute; I am not done....

Change is... fun

Change is something that is needed in the church. 

But it does not have to be a struggle....

Change is a good thing. Change is refreshing. When you change your outfit, change your room decorations, change of scenery, you experience a feeling of accomplishment, joy, or maybe just a breathe of fresh air. Why should it be any different in the church?? 

When someone talk about change in the church, people get all antsy, uncomfortable, and sometimes downright angry. Maybe because in their mind change= bad. Change= worse for me, sorry I like the way things are. 

That sounds a little selfish if you ask me. God has not called us to complacency in any area of our life. What if you took your wife/ girlfriend on the same date every single time you went out. Even the best date in the world would not seem very sincere after a while. What if the rut the church is in makes it look insincere to a lost world? Same service every week, same stuff every year, same ministries, same atmosphere... that does not sound very exciting to me. 

Now, I am not trying to bash everything about the church. I believe in the church; I believe it is the means for reaching the world with God's love. That is a pretty high calling from God to every person in the body of Christ. 

Jesus brought change wherever he went. Everything he did was "different" than the way others did things (and even different than people wanted him to be... all the religious people were not very big fans...). So why are we afraid to step out in faith? (that is for the next post, just throwing it out there).

Change is good. Change can be fun, exciting, inspiring, and maybe just what the church needs. 

Every day we sit and talk about change is a day we could have spent doing it. I know lots of churches that say, "well, we would love to do that but_____(insert whatever excuse...)" 

What if we did it. Stopped talking about doing it. Stopped having committee meetings about it. And just did it. Step out in faith and trust God that He will provide a means and way to succeed. 

I think we sell God short sometimes in our lack of faith in His power to change lives. Change starts inside the people in the church. Maybe the church has not changed because the people are not will to let God transform them first.... It is hard to want to be that bold when you are not experiencing that change for yourself.

I am getting into my next post... better end this one. 

change= fun. Fun is not a bad thing. Serving God and advancing His kingdom should not be a drudgery.

Change is...Necessary

Change, change, change... 

Everyone seems to be talking about it. It was even the platform for the  president elect. "Change"

It is everywhere. 

The world is changing; technology is changing. Everything is changing...

SO why is the church fighting change??

Change has become the 4 letter word in many churches in America. Not only do many not like change, they criticize other churches that are changing. They say things like, "pagans", "false doctrine", "seeker friendly", and the list goes on...

My though on this is... what happened in the middle 1900's when churches started singing hymns and such? What about when the piano was introduced, or when orchestras started playing in the service? 

Sounds like change was happening, and I bet you money that there was a uproar from some about it. 

Change is not bad. Change is what we do. 

It is not just about music or lights... it is the whole mindset of the church in America. 

Change is Necessary. If the church does not change.. it will never be what it needs to be. 

In Greenville, only about 22% of the population attend church (and that is in the buckle of the bible belt!). We are not living in the "good old days" of Christianity; so maybe we need to stop pretending we are.

We need to realize where we are, pray for guidance from the holy spirit, and step out in faith.  

Eternity is at stake! 

How much longer are we going to sit around with the frozen chosen? 

Change is necessary. today. Not later, now. Now is the time. Our time is running out. 

-next post. 

Change is... fun 

Here I am

I am sitting here in my room on this friday evening, and I am exhausted. It has been a long semester so far; the end is in sight! (but there are a few papers and about 6 tests that stand in the way... not to mention finals)

  I am ready for this semester to be over, but I am really trying not to just waste it away. So many times in my life I feel like the place I'm at is just a holding place; there is some place that I want to be and I am just doing this so I can get there. God has really been stretching me this semester, and one thing I am learning is to not waste the time I have right now. Because the preparation I am making right now is crucial to my future. 

God is putting some huge dreams in my heart, things that I would never have imagined before this year. And that is the amazing part, God is molding me into His instrument. 

I don't think anything happens by accident; there is a method to the madness. Sometimes we may not be able to see it at first, but it comes out in time. I have spent much of my life saying, "God, just tell me where to go and what I need to know..." My prayer this year has become something more like, "God show me what I need today, and give me dreams for the future." 

There has been a phrase that has really caught my attention and I can't get it out of my head. I think this is a good way to sum up the way I want to live my life.

Do Everything with Excellence 

Let Creativity Flow 

That is what I am striving for. Excellence in what I do. That is not just in my "ministry", because everything is ministry. Everything is spiritual. I want to live a life that is excellent in the eyes of God in all that I do, and I want to be creative as I do it. I feel like Christians get sucked into this idea that we are not creative. I am tired of hearing half- rate music on the radio from "Christian artists" who just ride the name to make it on the radio. They sing songs they don't believe in to make a buck.... that is not creative. I love artists who are creative, that use their gifts given to them by God to reach out to people. If we are made in the image of the divine creator, shouldn't we be the most creative people in the world?? 

If we have been filled with the love of Christ, shouldn't that flow from us in everything we do? That is some serious creative power that we are just sitting on. Maybe it is time to let go, think outside the box, the norm. What if our goal in our daily life was to show God in the most creative ways possible?     

  People may start to notice that. 

I put those words in front of my computer on the wall so I am reminded each time I see them

Do everything with excellence 

Let Creativity Flow

A friendly Reminder

If this election has you in a state of depression, take one minute of your time, sit back, watch, and be amazed 

Now... don't you feel better??

It is Finished

Well....

America decided. It is official. Time to get on with life.

There seem to be so many people that are scared to death about this. I am not any more/ less scared now than I was yesterday. My faith is still not on a man in a big white house... That was not going to change no matter who was in office. 

That does not mean that I do not have feeling and thoughts about things, but I am not going to run and hide in my room or cry for days and mourn. 

I am going to do my part to change the world with some real change. 

Only bad part about yesterday: I was not able to take advantage of all the free food that places were giving away... Coffee, doughnuts, ice cream, chicken sandwiches... man. I could have had a feast. That was the only tragedy in my mind; I missed out on the free food.

Tomorrow...

The world may end...

ok. Just kidding. 

I am very confident that even if everyone in America is surprised about the outcome of the election, God will not be. 

I am tired of hearing people (the church crowd seems to have really picked up the reigns on this...) saying "well, if this person is elected, we are just doomed..." or "If he is elected, change will come..." 

I voted, I have my feelings, and I think they are important. But I am not looking to find the savior of our country in an elephant or a donkey. 

God is just as much in control today as He will be tomorrow. 

I know  I am sounding redundant in the last few posts, but truth is truth. God is in control, and nothing we do will make Him sit back and think, "Man, I did not see that one coming.. I thought it was going to turn out the other way..."

Enjoy Election Tuesday. I wish we were out of class....

Come Together

I am reading and journaling through Nehemiah. It such an amazing story of what can happen when people come together for a cause.

The people of Israel had been scattered and Jerusalem had been ransacked. Nehemiah hears of this and becomes distressed. He prays to God for guidance and asks the king if he can be relieved of his cup-bearing duties to go rebuild the wall. No one believes that this is possible; the governors even ridiculed him for wanting to do such a thing. but Nehemiah had a calling and message from God to rebuild the wall.

When Nehemiah comes to the city, he does not try to rebuild the wall by himself. Actually, the opposite happens. The people of Israel rise to the occasion and start doing their part. All these people jump in and do what they can. They start repairing gates, and building new gates, towers, and walls around Jerusalem. Even with opposition against them, they do the impossible and rebuild the wall around the city.

If it was not for the people working together, the task would have not been completed; everyone had an important part to play in rebuilding the wall.

What if the body of Christ came together like that.... What if we put or differences aside and stepped up to the plate to tackle some real problems in the world. What would happen??

I believe with everything in me that the Church is the answer for a hurting world.

It will not be because we bash them over the head with bibles and tracts, or because we condemn their evil behavior and tell them to conform to our standards before they are welcome. It will be because people
live
the
gospel.

Craig Groschel said this, "To reach people no one else is reaching, we need to do things no one else is doing"

Wow, that is powerful.

What if we showed the world some radical love?
What if we stepped up to rebuild the broken "walls" of society?

One body, One Church, One Savior

It only takes one to start a revolution. Nehemiah trusted God to do the impossible as he stepped out in faith. Because of his leadership, Jerusalem was rebuilt and the people were unified once again. Maybe it is time for someone to step out in faith, be bold, and not give up on their God -sized dream...

That is a real campaign for change.