A Purpose That Is Crucial And Key!

I was driving to work the other day, when I came up with line, that hits home and summarizes my purpose/reason for writing. This is what I came up with : "To encourage + challenge others Christians to boldy & passionately pursue and embrace the life that Jesus set before us to live" Yes, I believe it's a very key and crucial purpose, and that it's a good in-depth purpose for writing this book.
I have a hunch that Jesus says somewhere in the Bible that following Him isn't going to make your life more easygoing and laid back to live. No you're going to get your hands dirty and do things that are uncomfortable to you, and the world will hate you. Well He might not have said it in those words, but I'm for sure that it's in the Bible somewhere.
Once I came to that conclusion when I decided to write this book, I was hit something that echoed from a point that Francis Chan the author of Crazy Love gave. It is this : that most Christians nowadays play it safe, meaning they don't speak boldly about their faith, put others before themselves, and do other radical things for Christ sake. Basically....they go through the motions, you know go to church on Sunday mornings, be involved in a Bible study on Wednesday, then just live however they do. Well....I don't know if that really clarifies what I mean, but I would think it should. I've been challenged and encouraged to live passionately, boldly, and radically for Christ....living the life that He's called all His disciples to live! He's worthy, and we're not!

No Time For A Break

Yesterday my mom kinda suprised me. She told me to write a list of goals I want to accomplish, and things I want to do next year, since I'm taking next year off. So I made a pretty sweet list of 12 things I want to accomplish and do from after graduation through to next summer. It's basically a rough draft, cause there will probably more I'll add, and I'll even go into detail on most of these things. So yes! I'm excited about the oppurtunities that God will have for me, and His perfect and pleasing plans!

~Intensely study God's Word

~volunteer @ church

~volunteer @ Midwest Foodbank

~Buy a car

~witnessing

~learn piano and more guitar

~International missions trip

~read more books

~travel

~get a passport

~finish my book

Some of these things listed, are things that I'm already working on, some are what I'm reasearching on, and others I may have to wait a will to act on, not to mention more things may be added. Over all I'm trying to make the most of my time off (with the exception of work), to serve God and others, and grow closer in my relationship with God. May God be glorified regardless of how this all works out, may my God...the God of Jacob be glorified!

The Framework

A few weeks ago, on Sunday after Anchors Away (a worldview study), I was hit hard by what our guest speaker (a Christian lady who came out of a mormon background) had said. "Jim Jones, a man who came from here (Indiana) led 900 people to Guyana (I believe...maybe) and told them to kill themselves by drinking kool-aid (I believe), and did...and all died....what a horrible thing to do", she said. That hit me hard, so hard that I had a hard time figthing back the tears on way back to my friends house afterward.
Then again.......while in the car listening to Klove radio......."Did you know John that every 7 seconds a child dies of lack of hunger?" That day they were pleading with daily listeners to give up at least $13 a month to help feed a child for a month. Every seven seconds! Some one dies every second, and that person hasn't heard about Christ, and what He has done for them. God has been tugging at my heart to reach out to the lost and unsaved. I don't know why he has now put it on my heart to reach out to the lost and unsaved that they may hear of Christ, but I don't stop to ask...no. I now know for sure that witnessing/missions is part of the plans that God has for me....it's my calling and I aim to pursue and fulfill it with faithfulness! Too long has my heart been in a slumber; God has woken it up! The cries of the lost and unsaved will not be ignored! Hearts will be healed, the fallen will be raised, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the world will have an oppurtunity to spend eternity with their Creator who long for them to come back home! I have said "Here I am Lord, send me, I'll go!!"



Matthew 28:19-20

Therefore go and make disciples of all naitions, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....


Isaiah 6:8

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I sewnd? And who will go for us? And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

No Need to Worry, No Need to Freak Out

I don't need to worry
I don't need to freak out
I just need to let go
And let You take control
For You are the good Shepherd
Leading me by still waters
And where You lead me
I will go

This is a chorus of a song that I have yet to finish. The scriptures that relates to this Psalm 24 & Isaiah 6:8. I was recently thinking about this....about how we at times try to play the role as the shepherd in our lives, because we want things to work out how we want them to....which to be honest is an absurd thing to do. If we try to be play the role as the shepherd in our lives then we'll more than likely end up where we shouldn't be ......or more so in a horrible or miserable situation. Overall the result of being our own shepherd will get us killed. Sheep are stupid animals....from what I heard. They're so dumb that they can put themselves is dangerous situations, so that's why they need a shepherd to guide and protect them. So we as God's children need the Lord (the Good Shepherd) to guide and protect us in life. We don't need to worry or freak out about what's next in our lives, cause when we do that then we usually find that we are trying to play the role as the shepherd. Yet if we let go of the role as the shepherd, and let God step into that role, and we take the role as the sheep then there would be no need to worry or freak out. Yes....we can trust that God will guide and protect us through our lives.
Also we must also seeking out God's will for our lives, to be willing to go wherever he sends us , just as Isaiah was willing. Ready to pursue and embrace the plans the he has for us....plans that are far greater than we can fathom!!

It's For The Better

I sit here with smile on my face, thinking about my amazing experience this weekend, or I should say the past 4 days (which includes today). Yes Ski Trip for my youth group, which was completely different this year than last year. I spent my 2 hours before our departure for the trip at Joel's house on Friday, and we both were really stoked about it; yet we both were hurting. Both of our pain was similar, yet different. I loved how Don Helton structured Saturday night, cause God was truly at work in the hearts of every single person in that room (for what I believe). It was so amazing, that after we were finished, we still lifted up praises to God, and prayed for one another. Sunday night hit me hard as well, cause Don was talking about being servants, by living a life of laying low (humility) which was based off of Philippians 2:1-11. Pretty much earlier in the day after talking with Joel, about the pain we were both in, I discovered about how selfish I was towards my friends, and it made me feel like was being a horrible friend. Not only that, but I was reminded about how much I felt I have hurt my friends by crossing the line of expressing humor towards them. Like I've told a couple people before I'm learning that humor has it's limits on certain people; yea everyone has a sense of humor, cause if God didn't have a sense of humor than we wouldn't have one. So yes......there is so much I have crammed in here....or so it seems, and there is so much more that I want to say about this weekend. So all I can say is that I am thanking God for teaching me so much these past couple days, and giving me a renewed desired to live a life that's glorifying and plasing to him, a life that revolves around Christ....with a heart...full of humilty and love.

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!

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