Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Thinking Theology and Friends

Oh how I love my friends, more than they know, but they are able to comprehend how much I love them. Joel and Michelle, who are fellow seniors in highschool, are considered to be my best friends cause I feel like out of all of my friends they are the ones who I can be more open and honest with, the ones who challenge and inspire me in my faith in Christ.
The 3 of us are going seperate in a way by this coming autumn. Michelle is going to college in Texas, Joel is looking at either Purdue or Cedarville (he's not sure yet), and I'm staying here in Indy to go to a local college like the Art Institue of Indianapolis, IUPUI, or Crossroads Bible College. The three of us will not see each other all that often, and I will miss them both like crazy. It will be hard to adapt to life witout seeing them 2/3 times a week, but I just need to accept that this is God's plan for our lives, a plan that is perfect and pleasing. I find it crazy that it was almost a year ago that I got to really get to know them and over the rest of '08 I developed a strong Christ-centered friendship with them, and I've grown to love them both soooooo much. I want to spend as much as time with them before the 3 of us go seperate ways in fall, and I'm praying that my friendship both of them will continue on for years and years to come!
Aside of that I've been thinking about theology over the past week r so, and I'm starting to develop an interest in it. So this is more than likely what I'll be majoring in when I go to Crossroads, and I'm flipping excited about it!

On a branch note, I've written my first song of '09 today called "From Everlasting To Everlasting". It's a simple upbeat praise song!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Songwriting (A Gift And Passion From God)

Last March I wrote my first song called "Ballad of Grace", which is about God's amazing free gift of grace that he poured out on us. The first verse talks about the condition we were all in when God found us; basically we were nothing in God's eyes. Then the second verse talks about that now we're in God's grace we have a undying hope that we will be with our loving and gracious heavenly Father, and also that we are called to share God's grace to those who don't have it. There's the course which is simple, and that is pretty much saying that He poured His grace on us, and has given us much more than we deserve. Cause to think about it we really don't deserve His amazing grace, but his love is far greater than we can fathom, and because of that great love, God gives us much more than we deserve. Finally we have the bridge which talks about how we as Christians want to be no where else but in God's grace, cause that's what has set us free from our bondage of sin. I personally think it's a good song, cause it's covers the story of our disease (sin) and God's remedy for that sin (grace).
From March to the end of "08 I've written 17 songs, but I give all thanks and credit to God for giving me the words for each and every one of those 17 songs. Without God's I wouldn't have written all those songs; so yes I give Him al the credit! When I share these songs with others, I don't want others to see how talented and cool I am (which I am certainly not), but I want them to see Jesus in them. Here are the songs in order:

1) Ballad of Grace--a song about God's amazing grace

2) Fake Smiles--a song to encourage fellow christians not hide the pain and darkness that they deal with, but to let it out.

3) My Adonai--a praise song

4) Reach Out--a song to encourage fellow christians to reach and share Christ with the lost and unsaved

5) Burn Away--a song that can be a prayer; it's about asking God to give us a consuming passion in our hearts for Him

6) You Captivate My Heart--a song about how God can use anything from a simple good deed to a gorgeous sunset to captivate our hearts; it can also be a praise song

7) Four Dollars Per Gallon--a song about high gas prices.....don't ask

8) You're The Reason--a song that is a reminder that Jesus is the reason we live our lives, can also be viewed as a praise song

9) Upon The Blood-Stained Cross--a song about who Jesus was and what He came here on this earth to do

10) Here We Stand--a song about how we as Christians won't be itimidated by anything Satan or this world throws at us, that we are willing to stand strong for our God

11) I Run Back--a song that is a basically about the prodigal son

12) Ballad Of Love-- a song about love and what it really is

13) Boundless Stars--a song dedicated to the boundless stars in the night sky, and how they display God's beauty

14) Stay Alive--a song that is based on a personal experience I have endured with God's help, it's about staying alive in your faith in Christ admist doubts and lies that Satan tosses into your mind.

15) Beyond Amazing-- a song about how Jesus is beyond amazing, beyong what we can fathom, also is a praise song

16) Can You--a simple praise song

17) In The Footsteps--a song to encourage other others to keep striving to be imitators of Christ

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Embracing Insanity

Yesterday I had finished writing the six chapter of my book, and I must tell you that I was stoked about writing! The chapter is about encouraging fellow Christians to have a passionate focus on living the life that Jesus set in front of us to live, a life that involves suffering and persecution. I was convicted to write it, cause I myself was encourage after reading a chapter in a book I finished reading yesterday called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, which was about suffering. I pretty literally encouraged about what he had to say; like for instance he said that most Christians like to play it safe and try to avoid doing things that are uncomfortable and extremely dangerous. Another thing he mention was how some Christians criticize their brothers and sisters in Christ who make the right choice and decision that will put them in situations where they will more than likely suffer and be persecuted for the sake of Christ.
I was sad as I thought about how he is so true about those things, and I am one of those Christians who play it safe. So I prayed to God that I will be convicted to take advantage of oppurtunities that will put me in a dangerous situation, or make others think I'm insane. Us Christians who have been redeemed by Christ's love, are called to live a life full of suffering persecution, and uncomfortableness. Yes we are called to toss away the life of sanity, and pursue and embrace the life of insanity.

Monday, January 12, 2009

One Day At A Time

This is my last semester of highschool, and then I'm done. So what next? I'm not exactly sure to be honest. I do have a plan floating around in the air, and that plan is this: I'll go to the Indianapolis Art Institute to get a degree in photography (which I imagine would take me 2 years to do), then take a year off to seek out God's wisdom and guidance, then after that probably go to Crossroads Bible College....for something (I'm not sure what yet). So this plan is floating around in the air, and more than likely will be what I pursue, but I'm seeking God wholeheartedly about this plan. God hasn't laid anything on my heart yet, buty I do know that he has a perfect and pleasing plan for me; a plan that is far greater than I imagine. So yes this year I have so much I'm looking foward to, but God has reminded me to live my life one day at a time. As the Bible says not to dwell in the past or be anxious about the future, but live in the present.......live for now!

God has me where he wants me, yes He is in complete control of my life. As a friend of mine told me once "The Lord is not through with you yet Joshua Aaron". That is so true. I'm living one day at a time, living to please and glorify my loving and gracious Father in Heaven, and live a life...that revolves around Christ, with a heart....full...of humility and love.