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This is what it is all about…. The world was forever turned upside down by God, who came to earth in the form of a man, to declare sinners righteous by giving His perfect life as a sacrifice for all who would call Him Lord! He became the curse for us! I don’t get it, but I am SOOOOOO thankful.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Galatians 3:13
and my favorite verses in the Bible…
Who, being in very nature God, Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:6-11)
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Abide in Me…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4)
This verse has truly hit me hard the last couple of weeks. In this time of busyness, we must remember that we are NOTHING without Christ. I need Him especially in the time of tiredness and stress, because He is my strength. It has been helpful for me to put my priorities straight… my homework is not as important as my time with Him, my sleep is not as important as my time with Him. THere is NOTHING greater than sitting at the feet of my Savior, being filled with the Holy Spirit, to bring glory to Christ in my busyness. He is sooooo worth it!
The Gospel remains the same….however, the context in which we share may change the way we express it. This guy nails it in a refreshing and unique form of poetry! Really engaging and creative…hope you all enjoy!
The best response to Rob Bell’s new book: “Love Wins” that I have found. David Platt is one of the most energized and authentic speaker/pastor/person I have found. He nails a couple of HUGE points….may we be very careful to not be a people who live a life being ok with the reality that MILLIONS upon MILLIONS have never heard the Gospel. We are called to GO and tell the world of this good news that Jesus Christ SAVES! Don’t miss out!
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Sometimes it is crucial and life-giving to spend a morning in the presence of God’s glory. Although I have a ton of homework-papers and tests, this morning I just really needed to focus. It is soooooo easy to let ourselves get bogged down by the stresses of this world and to forget about what is truly important. So, a group of 16 all decided to sacrifice a lot of sleep for something so special.
Sunrise is quite the scene… especially when it is seen from Big Bear Lake. It is so amazing how the Lord created this earth to bring Himself glory and us joy. Although sin has corrupted much of this fallen earth, His beautiful creation still SCREAMS there IS a GOD!! How in the world could something like that just happen… it is simply to breathtaking to allow myself to STEAL His glory that is evidently deserved. As my good friend Kevin so perfectly put it: “How can people not see the Artist behind the Painting?!”
We are so lucky and blessed to have a God who cared so much that He allows us to experience that type of beauty. Let us not forget the Bigness of our God. I have heard many people talk about love lately and one of the things that consistently sticks out to me is this, regarding my morning- it is often the little things that mean the most. For example, a wonderful husband who kisses his wife on the forehead before he leaves for work without fail… or the wife who is on her knees seeking the Lord’s heart for her family every morning while her children sleep… or the dad who takes his wife flowers just because.
The coolest thing about this morning is that once again I am reminded of God’s amazing love for me and the world. Not only has He created us, given us life, saved us (over and over again), sent His Son for us, promised us heaven, sanctified us, empowered us, etc. but He gives us the little things in life to show His love, like the sunrise, the snow, the mountains, nature, and so many other things. I am so thankful for a Father that loves me and shows it in so many ways everyday. Keep your eyes open, you might just see your Father expressing His love… YOU DONT WANT TO MISS IT!!!
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And so it begins…
As you know…there comes a time in every man’s life when they must make a big decision and for the last three weeks or so I have been fighting this decision. A couple of years ago I would have never even thought to make a decision like this, but now, something has changed my heart so radically that I can NOT be quiet! So here is the question that every man in this culture must make… to tumble or not to tumble? Now obviously my exaggeration is just that, exaggeration, but today, it is becoming more and more true. Many of my friends have begun this thing called tumbling and so, naturally, I became intrigued. The thing that I have noticed is that almost all of my friends on tumblr are girls, except for a few exceptions. Why is this?
Every year that goes by, the more I see a paradox. The paradox is this, the Bible speaks so clearly about men and their role, but it seems as if women are being forced to take on the leader role because men are not doing it. In Ephesian 5, Paul so perfectly explains part of the male role as: “washing her by the water of the word.” A male is supposed to be one who is wise and knowledgeable about God’s word and prepared to speak with clarity about the application of Scripture (1 Peter 3:15). There are so few men in America who show this understanding and desire to be leaders. Unfortunately the problem goes much farther than this… not only are men not being Christ-like leaders, they are often times not even willing or able to explain their feelings. More and more I ask the question, why do you love her? And more and more I get the answer, because she is pretty and treats me well. I feel very bad for people who get married on these two terms-outward beauty is fleeting (as we learn in Proverbs) and even my dog treats me well (ha!) As you can tell, this is something that has been building up in me for a while, but this has got to change!! Men, we must begin to stand up and lead (not as an authoritarian, but as one willing to put his desires behind the betterment of his family) and women, expect leadership and allow men to begin to retake the role we desperately need (because that is how we were created). And so, I begin this tumblr as a man trying hard to love God with my whole heart and right now that leads me to challenge my brothers to work hard at becoming leaders.
A couple more questions that came to mind and my thought process as a response…
Do I have time? Ha! I don’t know, but things that I enjoy and that are of value will get done.
Do I have anything worth writing? This and the next question are the two things that have been holding me back the most from starting a blog. The reality is, I don’t have very much to offer myself, but luckily I have something so much better than myself and that is Christ in me. He has changed my desires and affections, He has given me words to speak, a passion in my heart, joy, grace and peace. He is everything to me and the more I focus on Him and being like Him the more of a man I become. So, yes, humbly, I do have things of importance to say, but let me be clear, it is solely because Christ is in me!
Is this about me or can I bring glory to my God through blogging? My flesh is always at battle with my spirit. But, my spirit led by the Holy Spirit in me, will win the battle against my flesh. So yes, at times I will desire to blog to make myself look better, but in the long run, my desire to make Jesus clear to others will trump my desire to make myself look great.
I am sold out for what Christ has done for me and I desire that all should hear His truth that is freeing!
To end my first blog, this song has been rocking my world and goes so well with what God has been laying on my heart. Here are the lyrics…
Sanctus Real - “Lead Me”
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying…
“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can’t
Don’t leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?
Show me you’re willing to fight
That I’m still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”
I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They’re just children from the outside
I’m working hard, I tell myself they’ll be fine
They’re independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying…
“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can’t
Don’t leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?
Show me you’re willing to fight
That I’m still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”
So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I’m called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won’t You lead me?
To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can’t
Don’t want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up
I’ll show them I’m willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, ‘cause I can’t do this alone
Father, lead me, ‘cause I can’t do this alone
