So I’m sitting in a Starbucks, its super hot outside, im drinkin my favorite iced beverage, studying the word, preparing for a great night in the house of the Lord. As I sit here I look around...observe the world around me....there are two girls inside studying, another fulfilling the training hours necessary to be named a Barista at the top, hands down, coffee establishment this nation has to offer ....well maybe im a bit biased....i really havent had every kind of coffee in America, so how could i ever make that assessment....anyway...then I look out the window and there is this group of what appears to be high school kids out chillin, one kid has a guitar and he’s just playin and singin his heart out....not a care as to who is around and who can hear....an emerging artist that seizes any and every opportunity to be heard, whether by choice or not...it matters not to this young artist because its what he loves to do....
There has been a lot of talk lately about doing what you love.... it has been said that if one does something he loves, then he will never work another day in his life! This is in reference to life calling...being totally in love with what you do, then you mind waking up in the wee hours of the morning to get to work on time, you wont care about the seemingly mundane work that must be completed each week, because your doing what you were put on the planet to do. you love what you do.
so often we as christians are guilty of not loving the task we were placed on the planet to complete. God has placed us here as his ambassadors....soul winner.....if we claim to be a christ follower it is our pleasure...highly esteemed honor...and duty to tell a world that is lost and dying that there is hope in Christ alone. That is our purpose. When Christ began his public ministry on this planet his main message was the same as that which John the Baptist proclaimed to the lost...”Repent, for the kingdom of God is near!” (Matt. 4:17) This world is getting old.... there are growing pains left and right...the Lord is coming back soon! We are living in the last days, my friend, now is the time to proclaim the good news!
But we as the church are what some might call a sleeping giant! we are a passion-less people that is not in love with what they do...we either look at it as a job, something that can wait until tomorrow, or simply something that is no longer relevant. Now is the time to fall in love with the higher calling that is placed on those who believe, to the point where we dont even have to think about it anymore....its who we are...its how we live.....its like eating or drinking...its natural and must be done each day...on several occasions! We can no longer survive as spiritual binge eaters....i’ll eat one meal but skip the rest.... because what happens to the physical body when one does that is first the desire for food slowly but surely goes away, but also the body becomes weak and incapable of functioning at full capacity. I’m afraid that is what is happening to the church and their hunger to see souls saved and transformed because of the miracle power of the Holy Spirit..... we are simply not hunger for it anymore....
Fall in love with the call! im not just talking about the ...”So what do you feel called to do with your life?” call...im talking bout the call sent from God to go and make disciples of all nations! No matter what you call your profession, or you life’s work, what you wanna be when you grow up, or your job... that doesnt matter.... what maters is when we made the covenant to follow Christ we also signed up to be his ambassador and share the Gospel with a world that would not hear it unless some people who are in love with the call step up and spread the word no matter what the cost!
Let boldness take root and be lead by the Spirit!
to fall in love with the call we must fall deeper in love with our creator, the author of our cause, Savior, life giver, ransom for many, precious lamb of God, lover of your soul......the list goes on and on....i can never run out of reasons to love, serve, and praise my God....He has been too good to me to take any of it for granted.
So now is a call to action....to be even more in love with the call than ever before!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Embracing the Here and Now
the main reason I started this blog was to a) have an outlet to let out some creativity b) keep people updated on what is going on in my world and c) to share this journey of the Christian walk I am currently on and motivate others to follow the same. Just thought I would throw that one out there in case anyone had any reason to wonder... I know I would :)
In a few short hours I am going to embark on a new journey and I am not yet sure how I feel about it. I am going across the country for a summer internship where I will be serving in a church working with the Children's ministry and the Youth ministry. I am very excited about what the Lord is going to do this summer...however, nervousness is setting in. I am going to a strange land with people I am familiar with yet still do not know very well, I am doing the work of the Lord, and that is the only familiar territory.
As I sit and ponder this great adventure I am reminded of how Esther must have felt when she was about to leave her Uncle's house and live at the Palace. Her she was, still a young girl who had known nothing different than here day to day living as a commoner and just like that she is sent to live in the palace to compete with thousands of women in a huge beauty contest to be the next Queen! Talk about culture shock!!! The amazing part of this story to me is her willingness to go...she knew all that was at stake and yet still went with a willing heart to serve her people and her God.
Now I am not being thrown into this situation without my concent, and this journey I am going on will by no means make or break a people group, however, this journey I am headed on has the capacity to either influence a great many or be wasted because of human pride and selfishness. Esther had that same choice. She could have been satisfied with just making it alive day in and day out, not really making an impact but not doing anything wrong. But rather than live in such a self-centered manor she chose to make every day count no matter what the cost! And isn't this the kind of life Christ challenges us to live day by day? Shouldn't we live in such a way that we are constantly influencing those arround us for the good? As one who claims to be walking with the Lord my challenge and my desire is to draw people to the cross on a daily basis whether it be through my words, my actions, or simply by the way I carry myself throughout the day.
My prayer for this summer is to become an individual of such faith and obedience that I influence the life of another each day that I have breath in my body. I was placed on this planet for such a time as this and I would hate to get to the end of my life and wonder what I did with these precious hours I was given to glorify the Lord.
The here and now is a precious place....rather than waste it on thinking about how you can make it better for yourself....lets try making it better for those around us...
"....for even the son of man came not to be served but to serve."
In a few short hours I am going to embark on a new journey and I am not yet sure how I feel about it. I am going across the country for a summer internship where I will be serving in a church working with the Children's ministry and the Youth ministry. I am very excited about what the Lord is going to do this summer...however, nervousness is setting in. I am going to a strange land with people I am familiar with yet still do not know very well, I am doing the work of the Lord, and that is the only familiar territory.
As I sit and ponder this great adventure I am reminded of how Esther must have felt when she was about to leave her Uncle's house and live at the Palace. Her she was, still a young girl who had known nothing different than here day to day living as a commoner and just like that she is sent to live in the palace to compete with thousands of women in a huge beauty contest to be the next Queen! Talk about culture shock!!! The amazing part of this story to me is her willingness to go...she knew all that was at stake and yet still went with a willing heart to serve her people and her God.
Now I am not being thrown into this situation without my concent, and this journey I am going on will by no means make or break a people group, however, this journey I am headed on has the capacity to either influence a great many or be wasted because of human pride and selfishness. Esther had that same choice. She could have been satisfied with just making it alive day in and day out, not really making an impact but not doing anything wrong. But rather than live in such a self-centered manor she chose to make every day count no matter what the cost! And isn't this the kind of life Christ challenges us to live day by day? Shouldn't we live in such a way that we are constantly influencing those arround us for the good? As one who claims to be walking with the Lord my challenge and my desire is to draw people to the cross on a daily basis whether it be through my words, my actions, or simply by the way I carry myself throughout the day.
My prayer for this summer is to become an individual of such faith and obedience that I influence the life of another each day that I have breath in my body. I was placed on this planet for such a time as this and I would hate to get to the end of my life and wonder what I did with these precious hours I was given to glorify the Lord.
The here and now is a precious place....rather than waste it on thinking about how you can make it better for yourself....lets try making it better for those around us...
"....for even the son of man came not to be served but to serve."
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Path in Which I Choose
The Pathway....
there are several different ways on can go when is search of a ground and place to walk upon.
the already paved road
the already paved road is solid
it is set in its ways
there are cracks in it
but it will always be there because, after all, it has been there for so long thus far....
it is easy on the foot...
on may trip, but that is simply because of the man made cracks along the way....
the unpaved road
covered with grass in a lush area
covered in gravel in an area where there has not been growth for a while
there is room to grow
life is encouraged to happen....
transformation comes from this lush surface
new trees, grass, flowers,... it is harvest ready!
which pathway shall i follow on the journey I have been placed on?? the one that has already been paved for me to tread upon... it is sturdy.... it is secure.... it is unchanging...but yet solid. i have no fear that it will withstand the weight that it needs to... there may be a breaking point, but it has proved itself mighty thus far.
the unpaved territory... it has not even been thought of as of yet.... there is hope...anything is possible...the only thing holding it back is lack of vision and dream.... no limitations have been placed on it as of yet, new life can flourish... however, because it has not yet been tread upon there are many bumps along the way...i may fall, i may get tripped up from time to time because of the uncertainty of this unpaved way...but the lushness of the grass brings comfort when i find myself on my face yet again, and this pushes me to go that much farther... what have i to lose at this point....
pride?
selfish ambition?
certainty?
stability?
what might i gain from this?
destiny?
higher calling?
purpose?
reason in life?
all because of the the chance i am willing to take by taking the road that is yet to be paved....
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