Something to be Thankful For

As Thanksgiving approaches, I have had ample time to reflect on what I am thankful for and there is quite a lot. God has blessed me beyond measure over the years and, to some degree, I haven't given Him the credit He is due which = all credit. So I'm just going to share some things that I am thankful for. So here it goes
I Thank God for...
my mother Lolita, a strict but loving mother that has kept me on the straight and narrow while allowing me to grow and experience things as I grow older, my father Daniel who has faithfully provided for our family, my brother Jed that I believe God has put in my life as a test to my faith, my brother Jesse that has been a joy to be around, talk to, jam with, and observe in the way he lives out his faith, a best friend Ben who has been there for me for as long as I can remember, strengthening me when I whined and rejoicing with me as he always made me laugh (and still does), my youth pastor Joey who has served as a father figure to me and best friend, keeping me accountable to who I am and what is right in God's eyes, my senior pastor Bob, who has honestly been one of the most Godly men I have ever known showing a great deal of integrity while presenting the Word of God truthfully and understandably, my church family back home who has supported me since I was just a wee lad, the opportunity to go to a university right out of high school and providing for the expenses that come along with that, the community and church that I have found here in Merced, a great friend and accountability partner, Mike Burns who has been such an encouragement to me, my many good friends whom I love dearly back home: Ashley, Jesse's Ashley, Alex, Scott, Frank, Alyssa, Orestes, Levi and so many others, all the adult leaders in the church back home that have also set a Godly example and who have also surrounded me with a good community, the musical talents that God has given me for the sole purpose of glorifying Him through melodious songs, the sweet computer I am typing on right now (Bernie MAC Dre, given to me by my amazing parents), the car that I drive, the food that I have, and the clothes on my back.

This is just but a small list comprised off the top of my head but there is so much more out there that I am sure I am forgetting.There is always something that you can be thankful for. Realize that the computer you are reading this from is a blessing in and of itself. If you have food, hot water, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and are able to read and write (which I am sure you can, otherwise you would be incapable of reading this), then you are quite fortunate whether you think so or not. Some families wake up every day not knowing if they will even be able to eat. So how dare I ever complain about the circumstances that I am in...despite anything that happens, I am blessed and I am thankful. To Him be the glory and praise forever and ever.

Psalm 100:4-5
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Sacrifice

I recently watched the movie called "Seven Pounds" and my, was I amazed. The beginning of the film seems to have little direction or plot, just random things happening for no apparent reason. As good movies do, they begin to explain those reasons with the events that follow later on. I don't want to spoil the movie if you haven't seen it yet (I say this because I suggest you watch it when you get the chance) but it is actually the motivator that pushed me to write this (in the process of explaining myself, however, I may spoil it [as to what degree I do, decide for yourself] haha).

Basically, it starts with a fatal mistake. A screw up...something that cannot be taken back or fixed. But the remainder of that person's life is spent trying to make up for that one mistake. To redeem if you will. But can anything be done to really "fix" those things? Unfortunately, the answer is no. However, if one lived a blameless life free of wrongdoing...perhaps their sacrifice could serve as the ultimate redemption for that person's life. But why in the world would anyone do that for imperfect and blemished beings? The answer is simple...love. Love that cannot be comprehended but that CAN be seen. Love that is not based upon a conditional response from the recipient of that love but rather on the presence of that love alone. There is no condition. Just someone willing to give their life as payment for the wrongdoing of the world, including you and I. Obviously, this "someone" is Jesus Christ. All He gave was everything and all He wants is you. All of you.

Which brings me to the reason as to why I am sharing this with you. I must confess that I don't feel that I have been giving all of myself to Him. I have held back to some degree. I haven't given my all. After watching "Seven Pounds" God really convicted my heart (kinda weird ain't it?). I felt Him telling me that, "Yes, you have been spending time with Me, and yes, you do give up a lot for Me...but I want more and I know that you try, but you have not given me your life." And this is true. I have been reading my bible...but I have been watching TV and playing videogames much more. I have been praying but I need to be praying ALL OF THE TIME. The problem lies within me. I have not given all of my life to Christ as He willingly gave up His for mine. The problem is that I have been trying to find my life rather than trying to lose it for His name's sake. So now, I choose to die to self and live for Christ. I will put aside my wants and my desires for the furthering of His kingdom rather than mine.

I will love as He loved me. I will give to others when it is in my power to do so. I only know what love is because He laid down His life for me (and you) in perfect love. Jesus has revealed that love requires one thing. Sacrifice.

Galatians 2:20- ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Proverbs 3:27-²⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.

Matthew 10:39-³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

John 15:12-13- ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

1 John 3:16- ¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

John 13:34-35- ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Introduction

Well, going to Trilogy (college conference for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship) was definitely a great experience for me. We were challenged in so many ways and there was quite a bit to chew on after the weekend. However, the most impacting challenge that I encountered involved a talk on witnessing and the limitations that we, as believers, place on ourselves. I know for me, that witnessing can be a very scary thing (maybe for you too). But anyway there was a point made by the speaker that hit me pretty hard and it was this, "If Jesus is your best friend, like we all claim, then why aren't you introducing Him to the people you know." Now, to some people that does not apply but for a lot of us, I think, we are scared of it. I know I have been and have made several excuses to make up for it. These excuses include but are not limited to: just living the gospel (I'll talk about if and only if they ask about it), I am afraid of the rejection that can easily come with sharing the gospel, I assume someone else will do it if it's really God's will, I am afraid that I wont have the answers to their questions and that I am not ready for it yet. As far as the first listed item is concerned, it was quite eye opening for me to hear. Yes, of course Jesus lived the gospel and He showed that in the ways He talked, acted, and presented Himself. But more importantly, Christ openly talked about it. If we are truly trying to be imitators of Christ we need to be doing the same. Jesus did not wait for the opportunity to present itself, but rather He created the opportunity without hesitation. He had a mission and a gameplan that He did not falter from. Don't wait for the opportunity to introduce Christ, create it.

The Mountaintop Experience

So, I've been thinking about this topic for quite some time now and it has come up continually over the years of attending countless Christian camps, retreats, concerts or even mission trips. The idea that we are going to have an awesome time at yet another life-changing Christian event and will get closer to God as He meets us there. Last Friday, I went to a worship team meeting and practice for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and we talked about the upcoming retreat which I am attending called Trilogy. Anyways, when it got around to prayer requests many of the people there were asking that God will show up at Trilogy and that His presence will be felt throughout the entire place and that people's lives will be changed. Now, I'm all for that don't get me wrong. But I couldn't help but think, God always shows up ALL the time. We just have to be willing and moldable vessels for Him to shape. And why is it that we look forward to growing closer to God at these retreats anyway? Why aren't we trying to do that daily? I'll tell you why....we're lazy. We expect the "mountaintop experience" to come to us. We are complacent. We want God to cater to our needs, think about it...it's truer than you want to believe. What needs to happen is the realization that no change occurs unless a heart change occurs first. Stop expecting the "mountain" to come and rescue you. Instead, make it a point to draw closer to Him daily rather than waiting for your next "Retreat Re-Charge." Stop praying for God to show up and start praying that you show up for God.

What's Your Story?

Awhile ago, a man named Dan gave a message about what a real story consists of. First of all, you have your characters (we will just focus on the main characters for time's sake, whether protagonist or antagonist) . You grow to either love or hate these characters depending on the description of events that they have undergone and how they have handled those situations. For example, enter John, a father of three children (we'll say 2 boys and a girl) and whose wife just recently passed away in a terrible accident. [Already, you begin to feel sympathy towards this character but need to know more about him before you form your opinion.] John struggles with the tough loss of his wife while also trying to provide for his children whom he loves dearly (this is where you begin to see his character unfold). He fights to put food on the table for his children by boxing in the ring every Friday night. John risks everything every time he steps into the ring, always facing opponents much bigger and stronger than he was. But his motivation fueled him to conquer his giants. Anyways, I think you get the point about the whole description thing. But the main point is that John isn't one dimensional, he has feelings and convictions that govern his life. A good story contains characters that take risks.

Secondly, a good story has a good plot. This plot contains conflicts, turning points, and resolutions which build upon the characters while captivating your interest. But your interest is only sparked if the plot is interesting, no one reads a boring story (unless you must for school).

So think about it. What if your life were a book? Would people want to read your story? Do you take risks? Do you face conflicts and overcome them for the better? Or are you a boring read who hides behind the scenes, only wanting to meet the bare minimum? I encourage you to look within yourself and realize that Christ's life was the best book of all (DUH!), He gave His life as the biggest risk just for you and He wants to be the resolution to the conflicts you face. If you want to be the #1 Best Seller, you need to be Best Seller material. So...let's hear it.

Answering the Call

Last night, I attended our IV off-campus small group (Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship) and it's always great to be encouraged to live out the faith. Every week we are challenged to face the things that withhold us from completely giving over to God and to get out of our "comfort box." But anyways, the passage of last night's bible study was Luke 10:1-24 which is where Jesus has sent out 72 disciples ahead of Him into various towns to spread the gospel. But before He sends them out, He kinda gives em' a little pep talk about it. In 10:2-3²He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves." Read that over and think about it.

Jesus is basically telling His disciples that there is lots of work to be done and so few to do it. He also tells them to pray to the Lord to send out more workers into the field AND that it's going to be tough. Imagine that, a lamb among wolves. Sounds like a pretty scary situation to me. But later on He says this in 10:19-20- ^{19 "}I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.²⁰However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Here, He is letting them know that He will be right there with them the whole time and that they ALREADY POSSESS the power to overcome any obstacles in their path. What an encouragement that is! But, He does warn them to not focus on the temporary joy of it but rather the eternal joy that comes with salvation. So think about it, if you are a Christian (one who is set apart for God) sitting there, ask yourself what have you been doing lately to answer the call? Jesus said it Himself, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." We don't have a quota to fill of people that we need to convert but this harvest is never-ending, and what are you doing to get more workers involved (I'm definitely asking myself the same questions)? It's sooooo much easier for us to talk about how we are going to answer the call but it is the action that makes a world of difference. Jesus is calling you and He's calling me to harvest the fields, to bring in more workers. He tells us that it will be hard and it will seem impossible (like lambs among wolves) but He has already given us the power and the victory. Yet, Jesus warns us not to focus on the temporary satisfaction that this may bring us but rather the eternal reward which awaits us in Heaven. Don't get caught up in worldly temptations or the short term joy of things. Focus on what lies ahead and don't look back. And when you are discouraged, remember who is right there with you.

Nothing can stop the saved who are in tune with their Savior. So what is holding you back? The only answer to that question should be yourself. So let's put away self. And answer the call.

Romans 8:31- What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Galatians 2:20-I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Good Friend or Best Friend?

Inevitably, throughout life, we meet many people and we make many new friends (at least I hope you do). Some of these "friends" may be simple acquaintances and some may be a little closer to your heart. However, as you grow older, the need for dependable, reliable friends becomes much more evident. Sometimes, these friends are the ones you've grown up with since you were a wee lad, others are people that you just seem to click with and have a good connection with, and others are just easy to talk to (regardless of the depth in your relationship with them). But, when it boils down to the wire and life just starts to suck more than a black hole (mind you that's pretty bad), you need somebody to lean on that you can trust and that you can depend on.

Now how do you know what makes a "best friend?" First of all, you want a friend who cares about you and one that has your best interests at heart (hopefully its mutual between you, otherwise you're the crappy friend). You also want to make sure that they are completely honest with you. But how do you know that? I learned how to accurately gauge honesty in a person by reading an awesome book called Dateable by Justin Lookadoo (prescribed to me by my brother...go read it!) but anyway, the piece of advice given was this–if they do it for you, they WILL do it to you. For example, if you plan to have a friend spend the night or something and they have to lie to their parents in order for it to happen, they WILL definitely lie to you somewhere down the road when they want something else from you. Another crucial aspect of a best friend is availability. These are the people you can call when you're falling apart at 3am in the morning and can help piece you back together within the hour. Best friends will make themselves available to you no matter the circumstances (you can't depend on a flake, period). To sum this up, a best friend has a strong sense of integrity. A best friend is someone you can trust with anything and everything. This is the type of person that you would die for in a heartbeat without even having to think about it.

Now the things I said above are definitely important and all, but when it comes down to it, these things make you feel good inside as a result of what your "bestie" (yeah I said it) provides you. If they have your best interests at heart or if they are perpetually honest with you, these things benefit you because they are positive, encouraging things. But from what I have experienced and discovered, these are not the things that separate a good friend from a best friend. Sure these are definitely characteristics you want to look for in a friend but this is what a lifelong best friend does most importantly–they tell you when you are wrong. This can be quite difficult for anyone to digest (myself most definitely included) but when someone is close enough to you to tell you when you are wrong and that you need to straighten up, that tells you more about them than anything else they do. When they correct you when you're wondering off the path, they're essentially telling you that they love you so much that they don't want to see you hurt, they are telling you that they are trying to protect you, and they are telling you that they want the best for you. If you see what I'm trying to say it's this–a good friend is there for you when life screws you over, but a best friend is there for you when you screw up your own.

So thank you Ben Jones. You have truly been a blessing from God.

Proverbs 27:9-"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel."

Proverbs 27:17- "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Proverbs 28:23- "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue."

Purpose

So, much has happened since the last time I posted on here...but here's the long and short of it. I left for college. This included lots of packing, preparation, and sadly, saying bye to friends and family. But looking back on it, I can just remember the great people I grew up with and the awesome friendships I made throughout the years. Of course I am going to miss all of them, but I know I see will them again. As my pastor put it, "Either on this side of glory or the next." I think they all know who they are, but I love you guys...so much. I honestly hope that has been apparent, and I have been praying for each of you while I have been away (and will continue to do so).

But aside from the mushy stuff, I was able to visit my brother (and others ;) at Master's this weekend and go to a good friend (Geoff) of mine's church called the Lighthouse Bible Church. Since, it was Labor Day Weekend, Pastor Roger talked about work and what that means for us as believers in Christ. Basically, no matter who you are...you work. Whether a hard working stay-at-home mom (or dad), or an accountant, or a student, you undoubtedly work towards some sort of goals which have been set for your day, week, month, or year (maybe even more, you must really think ahead). If you are a stay-at-home parent, one of your goals may be to have a kid poddy trained at the end of the week (the only thing that scares me from becoming a father). If you are an accountant, your goal may be to finish some sort of budget for some crazy high end corporation who has the power to buy love (oh wait, only Ben can do that). Or if you're a student, you may just be trying to finish out your first year with straight A's! The point is, we all set goals. They are what motivates us to get up in the morning and what gets us tired at the end of the day. Goals seem to be the things that give structure and meaning to our lives while giving a sense of accomplishment as we complete short term goals along the way. We build confidence as we end the day knowing we did what was expected of us and it grows with every accomplished day. As this process goes on, the continual "piling" of goals on top of one another, we get some longer term goals done and it goes on and on and on and on and on. But what's the point? (oh it must be practical application time!)

It's quite simple, purpose. When it boils down to the bare bones of life, the reason we live is purpose. But the goals we make here on earth are of a finite nature, considering we are finite beings. Eventually, the glories of earthly accomplishment fade and you are left with nothing. This is true of those without Christ in their lives (don't mean to sound mean but seriously, you're missin out). I really don't think one can truly enjoy life without realizing that they don't own themselves. The reason people are left empty handed in the end is because they are trying to make the purpose reflect their own personal achievements and accomplishments. My question is why work so hard for something that won't last? Why pour all of yourself into something finite? What should be asked is this. Why wouldn't you work for something that will last forever? Why wouldn't you pour all of yourself into someone who cared enough to die for you? We need to start realizing that it is Christ who lives within us, we were bought at a price, and that we are working for rewards far greater than this world can offer. We have a purpose. We have Christ. Do work.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20- 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Colossians 3:23-24-²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Galatians 2:20- ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Pondo From My POV

So, if you have read Jesse's blog he talked about not worrying about things and letting God have complete control over your life. Because believe it or not, we don't have the control...we like to think so a lot of the time but, in the end, WE FAIL! This was definitely one of the things I was able to pull away from Pondo with in my heart. But one thing that really interested me that week was the idea of having a "mountaintop experience." That spiritual high that lights us on fire like never before! However, when we come back down...when we begin to feel that worldly pull again and we begin to slip into our old habits and seemingly sinful ways, we become what Pondo called a "caffeinated Christian" or begin to live "red-bull Christianity." This got me to thinking about what that really means and how I can apply it to my own life.

To explain this in a little bit more detail- when we drink energy drinks...or coffee...or too much soda, whatever, we overload our system with lots of sugar and stimulants. Our body processes this stuff as quickly as possible, giving us...MORE ENERGY!!! However, since the body had to work too hard to give you this energy, once the work is done, you experience a "crash." This translates to our walk with Christ, we go to these Christian camps and drink our energy drink for the week. We get so pumped up to do things for God and to live the example we always talk about living with this newfound energy. We get back down the mountain and it lasts for awhile, we may read our Bibles for a few days in a row or maybe even pray a couple more times than we would have before. But then the "crash" comes, and we run back to the ways of old, waiting for our next caffeine rush. But does this always have to be the case? I think not.

If there's one thing I learned from Pondo it was this- you will not experience a change unless you embrace it. Embracing means to become apart of...the change must be apart of you, it requires dedication. It's not easy, what is these days anyway...but it is possible by God. Caffeinated Christians' examples don't stand the test of time, but we don't have to be that way. Be the change.

What is the Point?

So let me start by apologizing for any illogical flows of ideas...I just want to say that I write these things as they come to mind. My posts may be written poorly sometimes but I hope it doesn't take away from what I 'm really trying to say. I do pour myself and my heart into what I write, please keep that in mind as I share my feelings with you.

Anyways, I've been thinking a lot lately about this particular question. And so to begin I will ask that question again...what is the point? What is the point of life if it's just going to end? What is the point of getting up in the morning if I'm just going to go to sleep? What is the point in eating when I'm just going to go hungry ? Do you ever find yourself asking these very same questions? Sometimes, after leading worship at my youth group with my 2 best friends Jesse and Ben...I ask myself what is the point of this if no one really listens to what we sing? After, much thought and prayer I have much to say.

First of all, when you think about it...there is a reason for every little thing in life. For example, you brushed your teeth this morning to avoid another dentist visit (or maybe you just like clean teeth). You woke up this morning because you have things to do (hopefully). You go to bed because you need rest in order to get the things you need to do, done. But, you live to make a statement.

The statement you choose to make depends solely on you. God made you to make a statement for Him but you don't have to do that, there are not very pleasant consequences that accompany this decision if you choose it, but there still is, undoubtedly, a choice. There are only 2 choices that you can make..

1) Make His statement

2) Make your own statement

Let's explore option 2...now if you're a normal Christian, I'm sure you've already done this but for the sake of this post, I'd like to explore what that means. Now, wanting to make your own statement is somewhat natural, seeing as how we seem to be selfish in our very nature. We are out for our own personal interests and goals first...if anything or anyone gets in the way of that, better watch out, cause it won't be pretty. We also want to be recognized for OUR own achievement. This means we want people to know that we are awesome (at least in our own heads). Since, we are out for our own goals and personal interests we will try to achieve those things by: working hard, cheating, stealing, lying, gossiping, crying, complaining, studying, discovering, ascertaining, entertaining, contemplating...you get the point, we will do anything to get it. And if we do get it, we want to be recognized for that achievement (20 gamer points for you), because WE did it and WE DIDN'T NEED ANYONE ELSE. We want to be self-reliant. We want to be self-sufficient. We want the glory and honor for ourselves. But if or when you achieve that goal, ask yourself...are you really happy that "YOU" did it all on your own? Are you really, truly, honestly, satisfied with yourself? If you are like most people, your answer would be NO. No, I am not happy that I did it all on my own. No, I am not truly and honestly satisfied with myself. In fact, I am unhappy. The satisfaction is fleeting. In the end, I am left alone with no happiness and no true direction. This is option 2 and after exploring this, which we all have, the question is asked...what is the point? Well, let me try and explain it with the first option.

The first option is the choice to make His statement. Now, let's get some questions out of the way before we get into what that means. First of all, why make His statement? He died for you and even when you were His enemy, when you spat in His face, when you turned your back...He still loved you enough to forgive and die for You, yes you. When do we make this statement? The time is now, there is no time to waste for time is already running out. Now the big question...How do you make His statement? Maintain a strong connection with Him constantly...you do that by always being in prayer and by reading His message to you (the Bible) daily. If you want to get to know the Author, you need to read His material. Submit to His PERFECT will and give up your own. You will only find your life when you lose it for His sake (no, it doesn't mean literally die). Now, you know the whys, the whens, and the hows, so now what? LIVE OUT LOUD. Make His statement, not always necessarily with what you say but what YOU DO. What you say and what you do should always agree, when they conflict...people start callin you a hypocrite and things like that....we don't want that. Avoid this by being the same wherever you go, it's quite easy when you always have Christ in mind, if you truly realize the depth of what it means for Him to die for you, you would want to make Him proud. This is option 1.

Bringing it all together, what is the difference? The difference lies in where your allegiance lies. The difference lies in your motives. The difference lies in your heart. The difference is you. Do you want to be heard? Or do you want Jesus Christ to be heard through you? The main difference is where you place the emphasis. If you place it upon yourself...you will end up disappointing yourself cause let's face it, you never do anything absolutely perfect (if you know me, that's hard for even me to swallow). You will never be good enough for yourself. There is no point to this choice because it disappoints, it leaves you well-short of satisfaction. The only choice left is making His statement. If you place the emphasis on Him, lives WILL inevitably change ,most importantly, your own life. This is where the nail is hammered into place...making His statement gives you PURPOSE! Your life has meaning...so no matter what you do, do it for Him. When you get up, it is because God has something planned for you that day. When you brush your teeth, it is because God wants you to impress that girl/guy with your amazing smile. When you go to sleep, it is because God wants you to rest. People, nothing you do on Earth is purposeless, it is all apart of His will. Don't get me wrong though, there are things that, if you do chase after, are meaningless (read Ecclesiastes or ask Jesse). But please, for the sake of Jesus Christ, if you are a child of His...when things don't go your way, don't give in. When someone you love dies, when a family member is diagnosed with an incurable disease, when you fail a test, when you break a bone, when nothing goes right...He is there to hold you close. Don't turn Him away. Pull Him close. Let Him mold you into the man/woman of God that He wants you to be. Jesus loves you. He has the plans, not you...His dying breath gave you life. Make His statement.

John 16:33- "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

True Worship

Well today began with me, waking up late...as usual. I get up and hurry to get ready for work while waiting to get picked up (considering I was supposed to be doing the "picking up"). Long story short I get picked up, I work 6 grueling hours with 2 of my best friends, we eat pizza together, then I go home to find out it's our family friend's birthday, so finally we go out to eat. After we all ate that grubalicious (oh yeah, that's my word) food my brother and I were encouraged to sing, considering that it was Christian karaoke night (woohoo!) So he played guitar while I sang along with Him and I must say, it was one of my favorite worship moments with God. We sang great songs such as How He Loves, Come Thou Fount, Who Am I, True Love, How Great is Our God, and O Praise Him. Wow, I just feel the presence of God flowing through my voice as I put my heart and mind where it should always be, with God alone.

I have found that when one gives themselves over to God completely, it is in that self-same moment that the person experiences what I call true worship. I define true worship as complete surrender of oneself in order to glorify the God above. This surrender can be achieved through just about anything you do.

1 Corinthians 10:31-"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

So as I sang my heart out to God, I surrendered myself to Him and I realized how important that really is. I have observed that people will know whether you are being sincere or not, maybe not in a particular moment...but from your day to day life and attitude. They see how you treat your job, your family, your friends, and even how you treat your church family. If you are not the same person glorifying the same God in all those aspects, you will be criticized, and I believe, that there is something lacking from your walk with God. What you lack...now listen...is true worship. I believe if you are not the same person wherever you go, you are lacking complete surrender for the sole purpose of glorifying the God above.

People...if you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ you are a new creation. No matter you do, do it for God's glory.

2 Corinthians 5:13-21-"¹³If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

How He Loves

Well, today I got back from High Sierra Scholarship Camp and what a week it was. It was filled with emotion, learning, meeting new friends, reuniting with old ones, and just basking in the love of Christ. This week was literally saturated with the revealing of God to me and his undeniable, unfailing love. Words will never express the awesomeness and power of God.

Anyways, one of the most cool things about it was the people, as always. Having that many Christians in one place united for the same cause is just flat-out breathtaking. Almost everyone had the same mindset and heartset as you did, and that feeling...is indescribably incomparable to anything else I've ever experienced. I've been to mission trips and "mountain-top" trips before but never have I felt the presence of God amongst so many believers to this potency. The last night made this fact the most evident. Basically, on this night, all the high school campers would gather around the bonfire and talk about what God did in their lives during the week. After a few would give their testimonies, the worship team would come up and sing a song or two followed by more testimonials. One of these songs was one of my favorites...How He Loves. This song has so much emotion and heartache poured into it and you really feel it full blast. It gets you thinking about the true love of Christ and how unbelievably amazing it really is. It is unthinkable. It is incomparable. It is unconditional. It is nothing you have ever experienced before. When we sang that song, visions of what Christ went through for us went through my mind and I tried to comprehend what or why He did it all for us.

I have come to this conclusion. His love is beyond understanding. It is incomprehensible. How could it be when an infinite nature is so in love with finite beings? So what is love?

1 John 3:16-"¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." From what I have learned and experienced, love is something that seems to be very similar to grace. Grace is a free gift which we do not deserve (eternal life/children of God). In this way, love is something we do not deserve. None of us, no matter how important we may think we are, deserve to have someone die for us.

Romans 3:23-"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

We always come up short, but through the death and resurrection of Christ that gap is bridged and our connection to Him is made possible.

1 John 4:18-19-"¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.¹⁹We love because he first loved us."

Who possesses perfect love? Only our God above. It is He who takes our fear away and makes us fearless. It is He who takes the pain away to make our strife bearable. What a God and How He Loves Us!

What a Day

So it started off with Jesse and I watching the FIFA World Cup game that decided whether or not the U.S. would proceed onto the semi-finals. It was a nail-biter and quite entertaining to watch considering we got robbed of yet another would-be score...dumb refs. Anyways, it came down to the very end in which the refs added 4 additional minutes to the play time and the U.S. finally scored off a blocked shot that bounced back towards Landon Donovan! It was an exciting game to watch and Jesse and I yelled in cacophonous bursts of joy! Haha, well after the game we got to cleaning up the house...and stumbled upon a history-in-the-making tennis match between 2 great players. John Isner from America and some dude named Mahut from France...all I can say is that at this point in time, while I'm posting this, they are at 118 games. Over 9 hours of tennis playing spread out over the course of 2 days...3 counting tomorrow if no one seals the deal. Holy cow though, I want Isner to win!!!

After that we left the house at which we were staying, we came back home to clean up also since we have relatives coming over for the weekend. And so we all had things to do: I had to start washing the '86 Honda Civic which we are trying to sell, after that I had to completely rearrange my room, essentially by myself (with small help from my brother and father, thanks guys), Jesse had to clean up the loft and help mom with rearranging the family room. So it was a pretty busy day. Jesse also had to leave because he had to get stuff at the church ready for youth group...everyone is just so busy, at this point in time, I am still not completely done with getting my room together...I never realized I had so much stuff.

So my main problem with all of this craziness is that I forget to give time to God. How can I even dare to say that? It is just so frustrating when you want to do something so bad and you have it in the back of your mind but it just always seems to slip away, what a dumb excuse...haha. I just need to figure out a way to set aside a specific time of the day for my bible study and time with God alone. Otherwise, it just gets flaky. I just need prayer to get going, I know I pray and talk to God constantly but I MUST get into the WORD more...I hunger for it! There's just a big gap between action and words. Well, whatever happens...God shall be praised.

As the Do Work Crew verse goes...

James 1:22:-"²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

Matthew 5:6-"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

An Always Faithful God...

Tonight, my brother led the youth group again as he will be doing until he must go back to Master's College to finish his biblical studies. The lesson was mainly centered around the story of Abram and Lot as he was taken captive and robbed of his possessions. If you are not completely familiar with the story, the long and short of it is this....Abram and Lot, over some time, accumulate too much stuff and do not have a sufficient amount of space to support both families and their cattle. So Abram gives Lot the option to either take the land to the right or the land to the left...Lot, of course, takes the land that is more luscious and green while Abram is left with the "leftovers." God honors this step of faith to Abram by blessing him with abundant descendants that will be prosperous, at least eventually. The way that God decided to show this act of blessing was to have Abram do a customary "sacrifice", if you will, in which he would cut a ram, goat, and cow in half (and killing a dove and a pigeon). This customary sacrifice which was practiced in those days, was an act which solidified a promise between two people. The symbolic part of this procession was for the 2 people -making the promise- to walk between the severed animals. Now, you ask...what's the point of cutting perfectly good animals in half? Well, that was to show that if one of the persons in the binding promise broke that promise, they were now subject to being cut in half as well.

Now, after Abram did what God asked him to do. "A smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces (Genesis 15:17)." This was the symbolic display which God showed to Abram to remind Him that He would keep his promise. And because God cannot be killed, He is telling Abram that He will ALWAYS keep His promises. The crazy part is that it was only God Himself walking between the severed animals, not God and Abram. This is revealing God's true love for us because we, as humans, cannot always keep our promises to God...but God ALWAYS remains faithful. This is just crazy and awesome to think about, in my last post I said that we are encouraged to never say never, all, or anything of absolute certainty by the world of "logic." From what I have seen and experienced in this world (albeit not that much considering I'm under 20), God is the only one you can AWLAYS count on...your friends, yeah they can be awesome buds but they are not physically always able to be right there with you. Your parents, they are there with you a lot of the time, but not always. You yourself aren't even always completely there for yourself.

But God, He is always faithful, even when we fail and falter...He is there. When we spit in His face and tell Him He can't control us, He still loves us. Even though we, at one point, were enemies of God because of sin nature...HE DIED FOR US! If that ain't love then I don't know what love is. He wiped our slate clean so that we could start a new life in Him.

Romans 5:9-11-"⁹Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! ¹⁰For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

We were once alienated from God, but through His Son...we have a way to get to God and have a personal friendship. His Son died for you and me, all we have to do is believe and accept Him as our Savior and we will be saved, truly awesome. We were once enemies of God but we have been reconciled and bought with a bloody price. He loved us so much to do this, is it too much for us to just suck it up and serve Him? But, there are some Christians or nonbelievers who don't want to go to church because of two-faced Christians and thus, don't want anything to do with church or be around "church" people.

If you are a Christian out there or simply an onlooker...if you are tired of seeing "fake" or hypocritical Christians and want to leave your church simply for that reason, take a minute and think. Wherever you go in life, whether that be a "Christian" church, a Catholic church, Methodist, or Lutheran, the military, your workplace, your home life....anywhere you go, you will find "fake" or hypocritical people. If you are tired of seeing fake people or being around them...then BE REAL, step up and live what is right...be the one to practice what you preach, it's easier said than done, but the rewards for being the "sore thumb" will be far more than worth it. The most rewarding, inner satisfaction that you can receive in this life is between yourself and God. I guarantee it. The straight A's you get only satisfy for so long, helping the old lady across the street only satisfy for so long,unless, these deeds are done with God in your heart and your motives purely for God alone. Then and only then, will you truly feel happy and more importantly, joyful.

Ephesians 6:6-8-"⁶Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. ⁷Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, ⁸because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free."

God is always faithful to us even when we aren't to Him. He gave His life for us, let us make Him proud.

Observing Creation...

Well, today...I felt pretty darn lazy, although it started off a little rough. Now, I went to bed late...it was about 1sh when I actually went to sleep. But I was rudely awakened this morning (6:23 AM to be exact) to a frantic father desperately searching for the truck keys. He asked me for mine so that He could just take off and look for them later, but of course, right as I was about to take them off my keyring, my mother announces that she just found them and so my dad left...and I was awoken for nothing. So I slept for another 5 hours getting up at roughly 11 o'clock hoping that there would be some chores for me to do so that I didn't feel hopelessly lazy. But now that my hardcore working grandmother is back she had already folded all of the laundry and done the dishes (which is actually pretty sweet). Anyways so I felt pretty darn lazy this morning, so I decided to do something with myself and so I ate Dyno-Bites Cereal (knock off brand), took a shower, put on contacts, brushed my teeth and I proceeded to play video games.

Anyways, I was pretty much waiting around for my friend Wes McGrath to call me up so we could go on this long, difficult walk up through the mountains to some cell phone towers up near Harris Grade road. It was a lot longer than I thought it would be but it was great for me to actually get out and do something...so we finally get to the top after about 50 minutes I think and we just took some time to soak in the view.

Wow, I could not help but be amazed by the creativity of our God. It is simply breathtaking to look out on all of nature and just think about the fact that the same God who created this awesome planet...loves me. The beautiful rolling green hills, the soft breeze of the wind, and the sheer size of the mountain we were on were just indescribable. It just got me thinking about the creativity of God and how intricate this planet really is. Everything up to the top of Mount Everest to the deepest depths of the ocean has its true beauty and profound complexity. And how awesome it is! It just boggles my mind that there are some who think that all of this happened by chance, a huge mishap. Take life, for example, is it really safe to say that ALL life came from one central ancestor? Now, I don't know about you but math, logic, and science itself tells me to never say all, never, always, or something with complete, absolute certainty...because they tell us that nothing is ever 100% certain. So, to me, they kind of disprove themselves with their own "logic." Or have they decided to change their theories on us again? It just seems that their reasoning and logic is flawed.

Take the universe now, for example...now scientists have barely even tapped into the great and massive expanse of what we now know as space. Yet, they claim (at least their latest theory claims) that the universe we know today all happened from chance and from, essentially large build-ups of dust clouds that (you'll never guess) by random, chance events came together and formed individual planets, and on a more extreme level...galaxies. Their theory about the Earth today is called the "Big-Bang" theory as you well know...and that theory is basically this...all energy and matter was compressed into a "cosmic egg." The theory goes that the egg exploded with a "Big-Bang" ( creative ain't it) forming hydrogen gas which eventually created the world we know. But the question must be asked...how did this explosion occur? Or how did all energy and matter become compressed into this egg? Where the heck did the egg come from in the first place? All of these are unanswered legitimate questions. The LAWS OF SCIENCE ITSELF DISPROVES EVOLUTION, THE BIG BANG THEORY, AND ALL OTHER THEORIES.

I apologize for this exceptionally long post but it has been on my mind. So, first up is the First Law of Thermodynamics. This is the law of conservation of mass and energy in fanciful terms. Anyways, this theory states that energy and mass can never be created or destroyed. So again where did this egg come from? Or referring to the other theory that a massive asteroid hit stuff and created earth...what made that? Seriously, it all leaves unanswered questions. Now, the Second Law of Thermodynamics states that matter will become more disorderly and "confused" over time. Now, reread that last statement...then refer back to the "Big-Bang" theory and tell me how they can even conclude with it. First of all, evolution itself took billions of years, apparently, and eventually life was created from nothing, essentially. This violates the First Law of Thermodynamics. Secondly, the "explosion" or popping of the proverbial balloon of all energy and matter....violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics which states that disorder never creates order, in this case, an explosion or "popping of the energy/matter balloon" (the big-bang theorists get upset when we say explosion).

So these are the facts...science does indeed disprove evolution. But wait that could only mean one thing, Intelligent Design or ID for short. This already offends people and we haven't even mentioned the name of God yet....I believe most people do not want to believe in the existence of God simply because they do not like the idea that they do not control their own lives or that they have to answer to an authority. Most people do not like the idea of submissiveness. To them, they are their own masters and do not care about anything or anyone else. Others just take it as a nice bedtime story or a huge fairytale. But when you look at the facts and evidence...Creationism is a perfectly credible theory. The thing that gets me is that both Evolutionism and Creationism are theories yet, one is put down because of religious offenses and the other is taught as if it truth and absolute fact. WHICH IT IS NOT! It should be on the same level as Creationism but people don't want to be told that they are wrong!

I believe everything on Earth is created by one God. A God who is not bound by the laws He Himself put in motion, for if He were bound to them...He could not be God. This God never began for He has always been here...its mind-boggling but it is what the Word of God says and from what I've read and experienced as a result...this stuff is true and it has never been proven wrong by anyone or anything. It is such a privilege to say that I serve this very same God...it is unbelievable to say that this same God loves me...and it is life-changing to say that this God died for me. I have witnessed His creation and to me, the evidence and logic is undeniably in the favor of God. I am saved by His grace alone, now some may ask...how are people who have never heard of God held accountable for the same things we are? Good question but I believe most people know that there is something out there that they need but they do not know what it is...they see creation and wonder the same things, how did all of this get here? The answers lie in the Word of God...He makes it obvious that He exists. So let me close with some scripture...I hope these provoke deep thought. I am passionate for the God I serve.

Romans 1:20-"²⁰For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Colossians 1:16-"¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him."

Isaiah 40:26-" ²⁶ Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing."

This God, who created this amazing universe...loves you....yes you, and nothing can ever change that.

Romans 8:38-39-"³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We cannot get to Him through anything else: by being good, confessions, rosaries, giving tithe in church, by getting baptized...

Acts 4:12-"¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

We only get to Him by believing in Him and that He died AND ROSE AGAIN....

Romans 10:9-11-"⁹That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ¹¹As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Amen to that...we ARE SAVED by a loving and awesome God!

Ain't Always Peachy

Tonight was my first time being back to the youth group while having Jesse being thee "dude (leader/youth pastor). He changed a lot of things since he has been given the responsibilities of leading youth group as well as leading the worship on Sunday mornings, but I must say, for the better. I believe that what happens is the same routine over and over again...and the church can get so used to that routine that WE, as a church, get focused on the "tradition" or structure and get knit-picky with pointless criticisms. So I guess what I'm saying is that I appreciate Jesse coming in and changing things up a bit. I can understand that it can be difficult sometimes though when people don't share that same passion that you do.

Anyways, the thing I wanted to focus on was the lesson taught tonight. This has probably been one of the more different lessons I've heard in awhile. We get used to hearing that if you just trust God, everything will come out great for you in the end. And no doubt, what happens in the end will ultimately be better for you somehow simply because that is God's will for you (granted you are walking with Him). But if you really think about it, its NOT ALWAYS going to end up how you want it. We, as humans, have this instinctive idea that we need this or that...but do we really? We have it, in our minds that God WILL give us what we want if we trust Him for it and are faithful to Him. And yes, sometimes that fact is true but we need to learn the meaning of NO. The truth is, God will NOT ALWAYS give us what we want. I was reading the other day in Romans 8:26-27 "²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

WE do not know what we ought to pray for! Sometimes we need to realize that we can, in fact, be wrong in our desires for something. But the awesome thing is, the Holy Spirit prays for what WE NEED and most importantly "in accordance with God's will." This boggles my mind. So I guess the thoughts I want to provoke are ones that can always turn to God no matter when everything is flushed down the toilet. This is hard! What is easy these days anyway? I find myself struggling with this perpetually. So lets stop turning to alternatives and turn to God first. Why ask creation for advice when we can ask the Creator? It's always easier in word than deed but that is what separates a flaky "Christian" from a bonafide believer!

Day at the Beach

So my good friends and I took a trip to the beach today and what a fun time it was! It was great seeing my old friend Chris again too along with just spending some great quality time with Ben, Jesse, Frank, and ASHLEY (lookin good by the way) ;) We were able to do some mini-ultimate frisbee along with some football tossing followed by some body-surfing! The water actually wasn't too bad at Gaviota (saltier than I remember ocean water being), not as nail-biting cold as Surf or other beaches I have been to. It was also great attempting to improve my tan next to Ash in her bathing suit...chea. Anyways, I thank God for not letting me burn as easily as I could have but mainly for my close friends. These guys truly stick closer than a brother (despite the fact that one of them actually is my brother, but still) and are quite awesome to have! I love them all dearly! This has been such a great start to my last summer, which is both sad and exciting at the same time. Lots of things come up but I'm doing my best to let God have it all, because as I have learned over and over again, if you don't give it to God...you will gain nothing in the end. What a love and what a God we serve!

Reminiscence of a Savior

It does indeed perplex me. The thought of such a strong love and desire for my redemption. Can it be truly grasped? Can it be truly understood? I think not. Such a love, not a soul on earth deserves. Unless, the act of one such perfect sacrifice would be offered up to atone for the nature of our wrongdoing. For we were born into captivity. We were bound by the chains of sin. But the sacrifice has been made and the perfect Lamb was laid in the grave. Yet, death could not be master over Him. For He is the master of all. The very break of the waves, the complexion of our human structure, the universe itself- they all obey His Will. This very same master of all…died. He died so that we could live. This master, is love.