I believe with all of my heart that we don't understand how privileged we are. The privilege I am talking about is not living a super awesome life, I am talking about the privilege of us having access to so much knowledge about Jesus.
We take so much of that for granted because it's always there. We all have access to the Bible whenever we want. With the technology we have we can google bible verses about what ever topics we want. We can google questions that we might have. We have all the access we could ever dream of and we don't take advantage of it.
With the privilege we have, great responsibility comes with it.
"Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." (Luke 10:23-24)
We are so incredibly blessed to see what we see and hear what we hear. Think about that for second...
There are millions of people all over the world who aren't able to hear what we hear and see what we see.
We are so privileged, with knowledge of 2,000 years of church history, availability of the Bible in hundreds of languages and translations, and access to many excellent pastors and speakers.
We just let this knowledge sit around...
I didn't realize how much I took it for granted until I went to China. China is a closed country so that meant we weren't allowed to talk about our faith or even have our bibles with us. That killed me when I was there. At the end of our week in Los Angeles, we literally mailed our Bibles back home with the fear that we would get caught and kicked out of the country. Every part of me wanted to talk about my faith with the people that I was around, but I couldn't.
I remember having a conversion with our translator in Dali one of the mornings, and everything was about to go perfect. I felt like this was the divine moment where I was going to be able to witness to the translator and really share my faith.
We had built a solid relationship, the days prior and I knew the best way to bring up my faith was to start talking about my tattoos. Each of the three have a story and a purpose and by the time I talk about the tattoo on my achilles is when I can really share about my faith.
We had stopped for some reason, and my coach from the trip came up to me and had told me that our translator worked for the government and I had to be careful about what I was saying. This killed me because the translator was my friend and I wanted to see my friend someday..
After that moment, I knew that I would never take for granted again the great privilege that we have on a daily basis and how responsible I was going to be.
It's still hard to take full responsibility with the privilege we have, but we can definitely start to realize how privileged we are. That is my hope with this post. Never forget how blessed we are with the access and the knowledge we have.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Monday, December 30, 2019
No looking back
To live a life for Christ is a life where you don't look back. To me, it's living a life where you press on forward every single day. Nobody has lived a perfect life besides Jesus. We have all made mistakes, done and said things we shouldn't have, etc. There is no reason to ever look back at those things.
Yeah, we have all gone through a lot, but that doesn't matter in eternity does it? What matters is that we come to Christ and take up our cross daily.
Christ wants total dedication from us. It's time to be done with the excuses. Anything that is done with half-hearted commitment is not worth doing.
Whatever your priorities are on a daily basis, fully commit yourself to those things. Sometimes, you have to become disciplined in other areas of your life before you become disciplined in your relationship with Christ.
Let me say that again because I think it's important and encouraging. Sometimes, you have to become disciplined in other areas of your life before you become disciplined in your relationship with Christ.
God should always be your number one priority...don't get me wrong...but sometimes to build the relationship we long for with him, we learn from the habits we have built with some of our other priorities.
I would have never been this disciplined in my relationship with Christ if it wasn't for some of the injuries that I went through in basketball. Whenever I got hurt, the key to a speedy recovery was being disciplined with doing therapy before and after practice. Another basketball example is this...I wanted to be really good and the only reason I was good was because I outworked everyone. I worked out when nobody else wanted to, ran harder when nobody else wanted to, etc. I wasn't the most athletic or skilled, but my hard work and dedication got me where I wanted to go.
The discipline I learned from basketball lead to be having that sort of relationship with Christ.
Maybe that may be the way it is for you...whatever your number one priority in your life right now might lead you to a stronger relationship with Christ.
It's a fun way to think about it for those who are wondering what it takes to have that type of relationship with Christ.
Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)
When I read that verse the first thing I thought of it tubbing. One of my favorite things to do in the summer is go tubbing on the lake. It's crazy how many times the boat driver looks back to see if the tube is still back there and everyone is safe...
The silly thing is that we do this in our faith too. We are always looking back...why? Christ isn't going to leave us? He's not going to ever fail us? Why are we looking back when we know that we are going to have a relationship with him for all of eternity?
I don't really understand why we do that..
Jesus wants total dedication from us. We cannot pick and choose among Jesus' ideas and follow him selectively; we have to accept the cross along with the crown. We must be willing to abandon everything else that has given us security - without looking back.
With our focus on Jesus, we should allow nothing to distract us from following him.
I encourage you to not look back and to allow nothing to distract you. Have complete faith in what God is doing in your lives. Sometimes it might not make much sense, but I can assure you, he is at work, and is planning something more wonderful and spectacular for your life than you could ever imagine.
Yeah, we have all gone through a lot, but that doesn't matter in eternity does it? What matters is that we come to Christ and take up our cross daily.
Christ wants total dedication from us. It's time to be done with the excuses. Anything that is done with half-hearted commitment is not worth doing.
Whatever your priorities are on a daily basis, fully commit yourself to those things. Sometimes, you have to become disciplined in other areas of your life before you become disciplined in your relationship with Christ.
Let me say that again because I think it's important and encouraging. Sometimes, you have to become disciplined in other areas of your life before you become disciplined in your relationship with Christ.
God should always be your number one priority...don't get me wrong...but sometimes to build the relationship we long for with him, we learn from the habits we have built with some of our other priorities.
I would have never been this disciplined in my relationship with Christ if it wasn't for some of the injuries that I went through in basketball. Whenever I got hurt, the key to a speedy recovery was being disciplined with doing therapy before and after practice. Another basketball example is this...I wanted to be really good and the only reason I was good was because I outworked everyone. I worked out when nobody else wanted to, ran harder when nobody else wanted to, etc. I wasn't the most athletic or skilled, but my hard work and dedication got me where I wanted to go.
The discipline I learned from basketball lead to be having that sort of relationship with Christ.
Maybe that may be the way it is for you...whatever your number one priority in your life right now might lead you to a stronger relationship with Christ.
It's a fun way to think about it for those who are wondering what it takes to have that type of relationship with Christ.
Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)
When I read that verse the first thing I thought of it tubbing. One of my favorite things to do in the summer is go tubbing on the lake. It's crazy how many times the boat driver looks back to see if the tube is still back there and everyone is safe...
The silly thing is that we do this in our faith too. We are always looking back...why? Christ isn't going to leave us? He's not going to ever fail us? Why are we looking back when we know that we are going to have a relationship with him for all of eternity?
I don't really understand why we do that..
Jesus wants total dedication from us. We cannot pick and choose among Jesus' ideas and follow him selectively; we have to accept the cross along with the crown. We must be willing to abandon everything else that has given us security - without looking back.
With our focus on Jesus, we should allow nothing to distract us from following him.
I encourage you to not look back and to allow nothing to distract you. Have complete faith in what God is doing in your lives. Sometimes it might not make much sense, but I can assure you, he is at work, and is planning something more wonderful and spectacular for your life than you could ever imagine.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Desperate faith
I believe we don’t take our faith as seriously as we should. I believe that the way we treat our faith is often like we are just part of the crowd. We look at others who have faith and we want to have faith just like them. We don’t authenticate it, we don’t make it our own, it’s not as desperate as it should be.
In Luke 8, a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, fought her way through a large crowd, came up behind Jesus, and touched his cloak.
Immediately she was healed.
So many people were at the house, and it was virtually impossible to get through the multitude...but one woman, the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, fought her way desperately through the crowd in order to touch Jesus.
Imagine what this must have looked like...I’ve been in large crowds before and in large crowds pretty much everybody is a follower. Everyone is doing the same thing so why not do what everybody else is doing?
This is what I fear our faith has turned into. We just want to be like everyone else and we don’t want to make things our own...
What do we have to be embarrassed of? I feel like that’s what holds us back sometimes. The woman was bleeding for twelve years, and she knew that she was going to do whatever she had to in order to get to Jesus. She had desperate faith.
What a difference there is between the crowds that are curious about Jesus and the few who reach out and touch him! Today, many people are vaguely familiar with Jesus, not anything in their lives is changed or battered by this passing acquaintance.
It’s only faith that releases God’s healing power. Are you just curious about God, or do you reach out to him in faith, knowing that his mercy will bring healing to your body, soul, and spirit.
Monday, December 23, 2019
Jesus is King
Jesus is King and I am not talking about Kanye’s fire album here.
Do you ever feel like you are limited? Like you can’t do some of the things you want to do...know the answers to questions you have...etc.
I feel limited all the time. There are so many things that I want to be able to accomplish that I know I haven’t been able to do yet. I also know that there is nothing that I can do on my own strength and power.
There is a reason why we are limited.
We are limited because God wants to show that He is the King who is like no other.
If there were no limits on our thinking, creativity, and imagination, Jesus wouldn’t be King. We would all be kings and queens and everybody would have a super crazy ego.
Everything that we do is limited because God wants us to understand that Jesus is King and we need to rely on him for everything.
I hope that if you ever get discouraged about your limited understanding that you no longer feel discouraged. I encourage you to use your weakness as strengthens and your weaknesses as a tool for understanding the power of Christ.
Everything can be a win-win if you have the right mindset.
When we do understand something thank God for allowing you too. When we don’t understand, we rely on God and that increases our faith and understanding in Him.
Imagine what your life would look like with that mindset...
Do you ever feel like you are limited? Like you can’t do some of the things you want to do...know the answers to questions you have...etc.
I feel limited all the time. There are so many things that I want to be able to accomplish that I know I haven’t been able to do yet. I also know that there is nothing that I can do on my own strength and power.
There is a reason why we are limited.
We are limited because God wants to show that He is the King who is like no other.
If there were no limits on our thinking, creativity, and imagination, Jesus wouldn’t be King. We would all be kings and queens and everybody would have a super crazy ego.
Everything that we do is limited because God wants us to understand that Jesus is King and we need to rely on him for everything.
I hope that if you ever get discouraged about your limited understanding that you no longer feel discouraged. I encourage you to use your weakness as strengthens and your weaknesses as a tool for understanding the power of Christ.
Everything can be a win-win if you have the right mindset.
When we do understand something thank God for allowing you too. When we don’t understand, we rely on God and that increases our faith and understanding in Him.
Imagine what your life would look like with that mindset...
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Pray more seriously
I can read my bible for 30 minutes but can’t pray for 5. I spend 40 minutes writing these post but can’t pray for 5 minutes. I spend 20 minutes journaling but can’t pray for 5 minutes...are you catching what I am throwing at you?
I am not very good at taking prayer seriously. I don’t know why that is. I have a crazy amount of faith but that shouldn’t be an excuse not to pray. I’ve prayed and have had God answer my prayers and I’m not still good at making it a top priority.
I come across stories all the time in the Bible where Jesus prayed and I always am so encouraged when I read them.
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles. (Luke 6:12-13)
The gospel writers note that before every important event in Jesus’ life, he would take time to go off by himself and pray. The time Jesus was preparing to choose his inner circle, the 12 disciples.
All of our decisions should be grounded in prayer.
It takes time to pray and I know first hand I need to be willing to take a significant amount of time to pray...I pray 2-3 times/day but none of those prayers are long at all. Prayer is the one way we are able to directly communicate to God. I don’t know about you but I want to talk to God as much as I can.
The times in my life where I have taken prayer more seriously is when I have felt the closest to God. My encouragement for you to ground your decisions and your lives in prayers.
Watch God work and watch your relationship with him skyrocket when you make prayer a top priority.
I am not very good at taking prayer seriously. I don’t know why that is. I have a crazy amount of faith but that shouldn’t be an excuse not to pray. I’ve prayed and have had God answer my prayers and I’m not still good at making it a top priority.
I come across stories all the time in the Bible where Jesus prayed and I always am so encouraged when I read them.
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles. (Luke 6:12-13)
The gospel writers note that before every important event in Jesus’ life, he would take time to go off by himself and pray. The time Jesus was preparing to choose his inner circle, the 12 disciples.
All of our decisions should be grounded in prayer.
It takes time to pray and I know first hand I need to be willing to take a significant amount of time to pray...I pray 2-3 times/day but none of those prayers are long at all. Prayer is the one way we are able to directly communicate to God. I don’t know about you but I want to talk to God as much as I can.
The times in my life where I have taken prayer more seriously is when I have felt the closest to God. My encouragement for you to ground your decisions and your lives in prayers.
Watch God work and watch your relationship with him skyrocket when you make prayer a top priority.
Friday, December 20, 2019
A miraculous catch
Most of the time when God performs a miraculous thing in your life, it's because you might have listened and did what you felt led to do...
Since it's Friday morning, I will try my very best to keep this short and sweet.
There is a story in Luke 5 where Jesus provides a miraculous catch of Fish. Most people have probably heard this story before...Jesus tells Simon and the fisherman to cast their nets in deep water, they do it, and they catch so many fish that the two boats nearly sink...
What happens before that I hadn't noticed until this morning...
He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. (Luke 5:3)
Before the miraculous catch of fish, Jesus got into the boats and taught not only Simon, but also the people. They didn't have a miraculous catch out of happenstance. Jesus was personable and was teaching them what to do...they just had to do it.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." (Luke 5:4-5)
There are things that we learn everyday from the word of God...and God wants us to do what we learn so we reap the harvest and get to experience his love and fulfillment.
Jesus taught Simon...told him what do to...of course Simon was a little doubtful at first...but he remembered that if Jesus told him to do something...he better do it...and look what happened.
Whatever you situation might be today. Live a life that is obedient to the word of God and I promise you will not have any regrets.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
A call to right living
There are three things I am going to talk about from this post and I want you to take those three things and just run with it and try to implement them into your lives as quickly as possible.
In Luke 3, John the Baptist is giving a message that is preparing people for the way for Jesus.
"A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God's salvation.'" (Luke 3:4-6)
"John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." (Luke 3:7-9)
John had little to no time to address comforting messages to those who lived carless or selfish lives - he was calling the people to right living as he prepared the way for their Messiah.
It's like a kid learning how to ride a bike without training wheels vs. a kid who learns with...
It takes way longer for the kid to learn how to ride without training wheels...some people are like that in the way that they live their lives. Hopefully they get where they want to go, but they don't want any help so it's going to take longer for them. Maybe they learn someday, maybe they don't.
A kid with training wheels can learn almost instantly because he is being helped. The kid still might crash a couple times, but will learn way faster because of the training wheels.
I feel like this example relates perfectly to what John the Baptist is saying. We don't have the time to help the people who don't want help. Although they need our prayer and help the most...Maybe it's more important to help the people who are on the right track to better prepare the way for the Messiah.
John gives us us three ways that we can better prepare for the Messiah, and I believe we can tie these three things into our lives so that not only are we prepared, but also the way for the Messiah. I would take a fair guess and say that God will return quicker when everything is prepared for Him.
Three ways to be better prepared:
1. share what you have with those who need it
2. whatever your job is, do it well and with fairness
3. be content with what you're earning
I encourage you to take those three things and run with them. Share what you have, do your jobs well, and be content with what you're earning. Think about how much happier you will be as a person when you begin to do those things on a daily basis.
Let's be honest, most of us have more than what we need...
We might not do our jobs well because we don't enjoy it...
We are greedy and always want to earn more money...
My challenge it to simple share, do everything you do well, and be happy with what you have. Be thankful for the job you have. I don't care if it's something you might not enjoy. It's your job and you have it right now for a reason. There are people all over the world who would do anything to have a job like you. Be content with your income. Sure, it might not be as much as you want or you think you deserve but it's something.
Just like John the Baptist called people to right living, I am also calling anyone who reads this to right living as well...
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Look up
Rach and I went to see the movie 'Last Christmas' last night and we both really enjoyed it. One of the themes from the movie was something I used to remind myself all the time of, and I had forgotten about it.
Tom Webster, one of the main characters in the movie, kept reminding Katrina to always look up. They would go on walks, and he would always be looking up. It was honestly a little weird at first, but the more he did it, the more it made sense.
(bad movie summary, but oh well)
Tom would remind her to always look up to keep things in perspective...
I want you to think about where you turn when things go poorly for you. There are probably four ways that you might usually turn. You either look forward and try to forget about what you are going through. You look backwards and remember how things used to be. You might even look to the right or left because there might be something better in one of those directions.
But are you ever looking up?
Our help comes from the Lord...who is in heaven...which is up.
I don't remember the title of the book, but a couple years ago I read it and one of the things I took away from it was the power of having a vertical mindset vs. a horizontal mindset.
A vertical mindset was one focused and centered on Christ. When things aren't going our way, we need to make sure that our focus is on Christ. It's easier to focus on Christ having a vertical mindset.
Just look up.
It's like there is more of a direct line to Christ when you look at it in terms of vertical vs. horizontal.
When I have a vertical mindset, there aren't as many distractions.
As you sit and read this...look up, like God is waving down at your right now...
Then look to your right and left...don't you see all the distractions?
When I look up, I obviously see the ceiling, but there isn't anything else getting in the way.
When I look to my left, I see the road outside the coffee shop, the snow coming down gracefully, and the cars driving back as people are trying to get to work on time...
When I look to my right, I see everybody ordering their coffee, the baristas hard at work, and the pretty Christmas decorations that are hung all over the coffee shop...
Really think about that! It seems like it's way easier to look to the right and left then it is to look up. Why are we so drawn to distractions....I believe it's our habits, and not having a vertical mindset relationship with Christ.
My challenge to you is to simply 'look up' all the time. The good, bad, and in-between times. I promise you will always be less distracted and will have a better relationship with Christ when it's vertical vs. horizontal.
In a time where everything is being made easier for us all the time, I feel like having more of a direct line to God sounds pretty awesome to you.
LOOK UP.
Tom Webster, one of the main characters in the movie, kept reminding Katrina to always look up. They would go on walks, and he would always be looking up. It was honestly a little weird at first, but the more he did it, the more it made sense.
(bad movie summary, but oh well)
Tom would remind her to always look up to keep things in perspective...
I want you to think about where you turn when things go poorly for you. There are probably four ways that you might usually turn. You either look forward and try to forget about what you are going through. You look backwards and remember how things used to be. You might even look to the right or left because there might be something better in one of those directions.
But are you ever looking up?
Our help comes from the Lord...who is in heaven...which is up.
I don't remember the title of the book, but a couple years ago I read it and one of the things I took away from it was the power of having a vertical mindset vs. a horizontal mindset.
A vertical mindset was one focused and centered on Christ. When things aren't going our way, we need to make sure that our focus is on Christ. It's easier to focus on Christ having a vertical mindset.
Just look up.
It's like there is more of a direct line to Christ when you look at it in terms of vertical vs. horizontal.
When I have a vertical mindset, there aren't as many distractions.
As you sit and read this...look up, like God is waving down at your right now...
Then look to your right and left...don't you see all the distractions?
When I look up, I obviously see the ceiling, but there isn't anything else getting in the way.
When I look to my left, I see the road outside the coffee shop, the snow coming down gracefully, and the cars driving back as people are trying to get to work on time...
When I look to my right, I see everybody ordering their coffee, the baristas hard at work, and the pretty Christmas decorations that are hung all over the coffee shop...
Really think about that! It seems like it's way easier to look to the right and left then it is to look up. Why are we so drawn to distractions....I believe it's our habits, and not having a vertical mindset relationship with Christ.
My challenge to you is to simply 'look up' all the time. The good, bad, and in-between times. I promise you will always be less distracted and will have a better relationship with Christ when it's vertical vs. horizontal.
In a time where everything is being made easier for us all the time, I feel like having more of a direct line to God sounds pretty awesome to you.
LOOK UP.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
discomfort and inconvenience
I believe one of the main themes from the birth of Jesus is discomfort and inconvenience. You would like to think that the Son of God would have this extravagant birth and that everything about it was perfect. Well, that is how the world today might force us into thinking what it should've been like.
Sometimes we think to ourselves, "I'm being obedient, so why aren't things going better."
We face discomfort and inconvenience and immediately think either that we have misread God's will or that God has made a mistake.
But watch the quiet couple as they head toward Bethlehem...God did not soften Joseph's bumpy road, but strengthened him. God did not provide a luxurious inn for Joseph and Mary, but brought his Son into the world in humble surroundings.
When we do God's will, we are not guaranteed comfort and convenience. But we are promised that everything, even discomfort and inconvenience, has meaning in God's plan. He will guide you and provide all you need.
Like Jospeh, live each day by faith, trusting that God is in charge.
I believe we need to embrace all the uncomfortable things that we face and that starts with faith and having a good mindset about it. When I think of discomfort, a couple things come to mind...
You are focusing on yourself and don't have faith that what you are going through is for a reason.
We are always going to be faced with things that make us uncomfortable. It's just how the world works. It's up to us how we handle it.
We HAVE to remember that everything we are promised...has a meaning in God's plan.
Embrace the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. There is a reason we go through the things we go through, and feel the way that we feel. God has everything under control and already planned out for our lives.
Embrace the pace...always love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Do that, and everything will fall into place.
Set realistic expectations! I can't stress how important that is. We read all the time about what God has promised for those who are obedient to him, but we also have to expect to go through tough times as well. The best expectation you can set is knowing that there are always going to be highs and lows...and that God has it all in his plan for you. God has everything under control...expect that.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Finding Favor with God
I honestly feel like God is questioned sometimes because we hear all the time that he has favor over all of us, but then when something bad happens...it's like he doesn't.
God's favor does not automatically bring instant success or fame.
I think of all the injuries I had throughout my basketball career...I believe I had three surgeries throughout my career...One of the things I struggled with the most was when I would go to the doctor for a follow-up after my surgery and he could have great news...He would tell me that I could play in 2 weeks...but that never seemed to happen...
One of the toughest parts was telling my teammates and coaches that I was probably going to get cleared and then finding out it would be a little longer. It just sucked all the time. Those injuries that I experienced throughout college were some of the toughest things I have gone through. It might sound silly, but basketball was everything to me for a time in my life and if I couldn't please my teammates and coaches, I wasn't happy with myself either.
No matter how hard those times were for me, I knew that God always had favor over me...it just didn't happen right away. When I think of God's favor in my injuries, I think of my senior year. I had knee surgery 3 weeks before the season started, and I didn't miss a day of practice or a game all year. My senior season was the only year of my career that happened.
Big picture - I didn't get a taste of God's favor on the court until my senior year of college. That's four years.
And we expect to see that instant success and fame right away? It's fair to have that expectation, but not very realistic. Sometimes you might experience it right away, other times it might take a couple weeks, months, or even years.
Mary had a similar experience when it came to her giving brith to Jesus.
The only reason she conceived and gave birth to him was because she had found favor with God.
To give birth to the Son of God is an absolutely incredible honor..
But, his blessing on Mary, the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, would lead to much pain: her peers would ridicule her; her fiancé would come close to leaving her; her son would be rejected and murdered.
But through her son would become the world's only hope, and this is why Mary has been praised by countless generations as the young girl who "found favor with God."
Her submission was part of God's plan to bring about our salvation. If sorrow weighs you down and dims your hope, think of Mary and wait patiently for God to finish working out his plan.
While it's so easy to expect good things to happen right away, we need to take a look from a 30,000 foot view. No matter how hard what we are going through is, God is going to be faithful to you. God has never not done anything that he said he would.
Find your favor with God, I promise you it's there...it's just a matter of time before it all comes into fruition.
God's favor does not automatically bring instant success or fame.
I think of all the injuries I had throughout my basketball career...I believe I had three surgeries throughout my career...One of the things I struggled with the most was when I would go to the doctor for a follow-up after my surgery and he could have great news...He would tell me that I could play in 2 weeks...but that never seemed to happen...
One of the toughest parts was telling my teammates and coaches that I was probably going to get cleared and then finding out it would be a little longer. It just sucked all the time. Those injuries that I experienced throughout college were some of the toughest things I have gone through. It might sound silly, but basketball was everything to me for a time in my life and if I couldn't please my teammates and coaches, I wasn't happy with myself either.
No matter how hard those times were for me, I knew that God always had favor over me...it just didn't happen right away. When I think of God's favor in my injuries, I think of my senior year. I had knee surgery 3 weeks before the season started, and I didn't miss a day of practice or a game all year. My senior season was the only year of my career that happened.
Big picture - I didn't get a taste of God's favor on the court until my senior year of college. That's four years.
And we expect to see that instant success and fame right away? It's fair to have that expectation, but not very realistic. Sometimes you might experience it right away, other times it might take a couple weeks, months, or even years.
Mary had a similar experience when it came to her giving brith to Jesus.
The only reason she conceived and gave birth to him was because she had found favor with God.
To give birth to the Son of God is an absolutely incredible honor..
But, his blessing on Mary, the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, would lead to much pain: her peers would ridicule her; her fiancé would come close to leaving her; her son would be rejected and murdered.
But through her son would become the world's only hope, and this is why Mary has been praised by countless generations as the young girl who "found favor with God."
Her submission was part of God's plan to bring about our salvation. If sorrow weighs you down and dims your hope, think of Mary and wait patiently for God to finish working out his plan.
While it's so easy to expect good things to happen right away, we need to take a look from a 30,000 foot view. No matter how hard what we are going through is, God is going to be faithful to you. God has never not done anything that he said he would.
Find your favor with God, I promise you it's there...it's just a matter of time before it all comes into fruition.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Torn in two
One of thy favorite parts about engaging in the word on a daily basis is the fact that there are new things that I know I have the opportunity to learn everyday...
You hear all the time about Jesus's life and how what he did on daily basis really showed that he was the Son of God. Even though there were many people who tried to deny the fact. What our focus is, has always been the life he lived...
The miracles, his actions, the words he said are all so mind blowing. Just being the in book of Mark the past couple weeks has been such an eye opener to some of the life that Jesus lived.
What about when Jesus died though? Most people understand that he died on the cross for our sins but what exactly did that last human breath look like for Jesus?
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:37-39)
For those who don't know what a 'centurion' is, I will tell you...a 'centurion' is the commander of the century in the ancient Roman army. For a man of that power to say that, it really shows the significance of that last breath.
I mean imagine being the one person to stand their and witness that moment. That is by far one of the MOST important things to ever happen. I am fascinated and amazed by what that moment might have looked like in the eyes of the centurion.
We focus so much on what happened before that moment, that I believe the significance is looked over and my point of this post today is to make you all aware of it.
More important than the cry Jesus made, was the curtain being torn from top to bottom...
I can only imagine what the temple might have looked like. My mom and I were fortunate enough to see some pretty unbelievable cathedrals overseas, and I bet the temple Jesus was in was even bigger.
It seriously had to be like a movie scene....as Jesus took his last breath, the curtain tore instantaneously. (just picture that for a second)
This curtain hung in the front room of the temple called the Most Holy Place, a place that was reserved by God for himself. Symbolically, the curtain separated the holy God from sinful people. The room was entered once a tear, on the Day of Atonement, for the high priest as he made a sacrifice to gain forgiveness for the sins of all the people.
When Jesus died, the curtain was torn in two, showing that his death for our sins had opened up the way for us to approach our Holy God.
Really thinking through all of this...it's pretty crazy
There are just a few things I want to close with to encourage you.
Jesus wasn't only making power moves when he was alive, he also did so during his last breath. To me, that shows just how powerful God is and how well rounded and perfect Jesus was. I challenge you to make every breath you take significant.
Lastly, read your bible! I had heard about the curtain in the temple being torn into two, but I had never fully understood it until today. I am 23 years old...I have heard bible stories my whole life and I came across those and finally understand what they mean all of the time. If you have questions about Jesus or your faith, never be afraid to pick up your bible. As important as it is to ask questions, I believe the most impactful way of learning and growing is being engaged in the word of God. I am sure if you ask a lot of knowledge people they will say that. If they don't say anything about your bible, I don't know if they're the people to ask
I hope you guys learned something new today.
You hear all the time about Jesus's life and how what he did on daily basis really showed that he was the Son of God. Even though there were many people who tried to deny the fact. What our focus is, has always been the life he lived...
The miracles, his actions, the words he said are all so mind blowing. Just being the in book of Mark the past couple weeks has been such an eye opener to some of the life that Jesus lived.
What about when Jesus died though? Most people understand that he died on the cross for our sins but what exactly did that last human breath look like for Jesus?
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:37-39)
For those who don't know what a 'centurion' is, I will tell you...a 'centurion' is the commander of the century in the ancient Roman army. For a man of that power to say that, it really shows the significance of that last breath.
I mean imagine being the one person to stand their and witness that moment. That is by far one of the MOST important things to ever happen. I am fascinated and amazed by what that moment might have looked like in the eyes of the centurion.
We focus so much on what happened before that moment, that I believe the significance is looked over and my point of this post today is to make you all aware of it.
More important than the cry Jesus made, was the curtain being torn from top to bottom...
I can only imagine what the temple might have looked like. My mom and I were fortunate enough to see some pretty unbelievable cathedrals overseas, and I bet the temple Jesus was in was even bigger.
It seriously had to be like a movie scene....as Jesus took his last breath, the curtain tore instantaneously. (just picture that for a second)
This curtain hung in the front room of the temple called the Most Holy Place, a place that was reserved by God for himself. Symbolically, the curtain separated the holy God from sinful people. The room was entered once a tear, on the Day of Atonement, for the high priest as he made a sacrifice to gain forgiveness for the sins of all the people.
When Jesus died, the curtain was torn in two, showing that his death for our sins had opened up the way for us to approach our Holy God.
Really thinking through all of this...it's pretty crazy
There are just a few things I want to close with to encourage you.
Jesus wasn't only making power moves when he was alive, he also did so during his last breath. To me, that shows just how powerful God is and how well rounded and perfect Jesus was. I challenge you to make every breath you take significant.
Lastly, read your bible! I had heard about the curtain in the temple being torn into two, but I had never fully understood it until today. I am 23 years old...I have heard bible stories my whole life and I came across those and finally understand what they mean all of the time. If you have questions about Jesus or your faith, never be afraid to pick up your bible. As important as it is to ask questions, I believe the most impactful way of learning and growing is being engaged in the word of God. I am sure if you ask a lot of knowledge people they will say that. If they don't say anything about your bible, I don't know if they're the people to ask
I hope you guys learned something new today.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
The woman who broke her perfume
Jesus writes: 'the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.'
How often do you feel like something would be a really good idea for someone else and you don't do it? How often do you feel like you're ready to make a commitment to Christ but don't end up doing it because there are things that are holding you back?
Personally, I feel this all the time. I see someone and I feel like I should talk to them, help them, or maybe serve them in any sort of way possible, but I don't end up doing it...
I believe that the goal should be to have our flesh become just as willing as the spirit.
When you have actually done what you felt like the right thing to do was, how good do you feel? It's one of the most freeing and fulfilling feelings out there. I think that feeling is because we know what we did was a victory.
Whenever out flesh becomes as willing as the spirit, it's a way to show obedience to God.
In Mark 14 there was a woman who anointed Jesus with perfume....This woman won the battle I just talked about it. The spirit was willing and she did what she felt like the right thing to do was...
The woman had a very expensive alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume of Jesus' head.
When she did that there were some people in the house who thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever...why waste an expensive jar of perfume? That perfume could have been sold for more than a year's wages....and the guests in the house (other than Jesus) told her she could've given that many to the poor..
With all the commotion going on, Jesus instructed everyone to leave her alone.
"Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Mark 14:6-9)
I believe that sometimes our flesh is so weak because we care what other people around us think.
This story clearly shows that Jesus always has our backs when we go ahead and do something that we know deep down is the right thing to do. This lady does have a little advantage over us, she can actually hear God affirming her for what she has done, whereas we don't really have that luxury. We have to have faith every time we do something like this, that God has our backs.
It's cool how Jesus stuck up for her when the others thought she was crazy. What God thinks is the only opinion of anyone that we should ever be concerned about...
One of the coolest parts about this scripture is that Jesus told everyone that this story of the woman would be told whenever the gospel is preached...One simple and willing act ended up being more significant than the lady could have ever imagined...
My favorite part of what Jesus said was this...'she did what she could.'
The spirit is never asking us to do anything super extravagant and out of his power. The spirit is simply asking us to do what we can.
That is my encouragement to you as you read this post today.
'Do what you can.'
Win the battle between the spirit and the flesh on a daily basis. I promise you it's going to be worth it...and the fulfillment that you are going to feel is something I cannot even put words to do.
It's such an addicting feeling... you are just going to want to keep doing super awesome obedient things over and over and over again.
It won't be easy...that is for sure. There are still times where the spirit is strong and my flesh is weak, but the battle is becoming a little easier day by day.
How often do you feel like something would be a really good idea for someone else and you don't do it? How often do you feel like you're ready to make a commitment to Christ but don't end up doing it because there are things that are holding you back?
Personally, I feel this all the time. I see someone and I feel like I should talk to them, help them, or maybe serve them in any sort of way possible, but I don't end up doing it...
I believe that the goal should be to have our flesh become just as willing as the spirit.
When you have actually done what you felt like the right thing to do was, how good do you feel? It's one of the most freeing and fulfilling feelings out there. I think that feeling is because we know what we did was a victory.
Whenever out flesh becomes as willing as the spirit, it's a way to show obedience to God.
In Mark 14 there was a woman who anointed Jesus with perfume....This woman won the battle I just talked about it. The spirit was willing and she did what she felt like the right thing to do was...
The woman had a very expensive alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume of Jesus' head.
When she did that there were some people in the house who thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever...why waste an expensive jar of perfume? That perfume could have been sold for more than a year's wages....and the guests in the house (other than Jesus) told her she could've given that many to the poor..
With all the commotion going on, Jesus instructed everyone to leave her alone.
"Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Mark 14:6-9)
I believe that sometimes our flesh is so weak because we care what other people around us think.
This story clearly shows that Jesus always has our backs when we go ahead and do something that we know deep down is the right thing to do. This lady does have a little advantage over us, she can actually hear God affirming her for what she has done, whereas we don't really have that luxury. We have to have faith every time we do something like this, that God has our backs.
It's cool how Jesus stuck up for her when the others thought she was crazy. What God thinks is the only opinion of anyone that we should ever be concerned about...
One of the coolest parts about this scripture is that Jesus told everyone that this story of the woman would be told whenever the gospel is preached...One simple and willing act ended up being more significant than the lady could have ever imagined...
My favorite part of what Jesus said was this...'she did what she could.'
The spirit is never asking us to do anything super extravagant and out of his power. The spirit is simply asking us to do what we can.
That is my encouragement to you as you read this post today.
'Do what you can.'
Win the battle between the spirit and the flesh on a daily basis. I promise you it's going to be worth it...and the fulfillment that you are going to feel is something I cannot even put words to do.
It's such an addicting feeling... you are just going to want to keep doing super awesome obedient things over and over and over again.
It won't be easy...that is for sure. There are still times where the spirit is strong and my flesh is weak, but the battle is becoming a little easier day by day.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
A watchful eye
I believe that one of the most difficult things to try and wrap our minds around is...when is Christ going to return?
All thoughts and opinions that circulate around this idea are all over the place. You might hear it in the news...you might hear it from a friend...you might read something in a text book about our world wasting away, etc.
The goal I have for you by the time you finish reading this post is to have a better understanding of when that day will actually come.
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch."
"Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. He he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:32-37)
You can see what Jesus is saying in the scripture...nobody knows when that day will happen. You would think the angels might know, or the Son, but they don't! I find that to be so crazy awesome and that just shows the power of the Father.
Whenever I read this passage it's easy to get a little scared sometimes. Scared to thinking that what if it happened in 10 minutes?
The most important part from that scripture is the part about warning us not to fall asleep. Jesus is not saying that we need to literally stay awake all of the time and never sleep...that'd be silly. What Jesus is implying is that we can never let ourselves spiritually fall asleep/drift away.
No matter how long we have to wait, if we let ourselves drift away and fall asleep we won't get to experience the kingdom of heaven. We are to always be ready. This requires having a significant amount of faith. It might not happen during our lives but it might to our kids, or our kid's kids. Imagine the example that you can set for your family someday about having faith that the Father will come someday. If we drift away, we take the opportunity for eternal life away from so many people...
I always hear the question: 'If Christ came back now are you 100% confident you would go to heaven?'
I hope you answer 'yes' so quickly without a blink of hesitation!
What throws me off sometimes is that the scripture about this is clearly right there and people still have their own opinions about when that day will actually happen.
You know what Jesus says?
So be on guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. (Mark 13:23)
He has told us everything. Nobody knows besides the Father. Stop believing all the crazy societal opinions out there and remember that Jesus has told us everything ahead of time...Keep a watchful all eye, you never know when that day will come...
All thoughts and opinions that circulate around this idea are all over the place. You might hear it in the news...you might hear it from a friend...you might read something in a text book about our world wasting away, etc.
The goal I have for you by the time you finish reading this post is to have a better understanding of when that day will actually come.
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch."
"Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. He he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:32-37)
You can see what Jesus is saying in the scripture...nobody knows when that day will happen. You would think the angels might know, or the Son, but they don't! I find that to be so crazy awesome and that just shows the power of the Father.
Whenever I read this passage it's easy to get a little scared sometimes. Scared to thinking that what if it happened in 10 minutes?
The most important part from that scripture is the part about warning us not to fall asleep. Jesus is not saying that we need to literally stay awake all of the time and never sleep...that'd be silly. What Jesus is implying is that we can never let ourselves spiritually fall asleep/drift away.
No matter how long we have to wait, if we let ourselves drift away and fall asleep we won't get to experience the kingdom of heaven. We are to always be ready. This requires having a significant amount of faith. It might not happen during our lives but it might to our kids, or our kid's kids. Imagine the example that you can set for your family someday about having faith that the Father will come someday. If we drift away, we take the opportunity for eternal life away from so many people...
I always hear the question: 'If Christ came back now are you 100% confident you would go to heaven?'
I hope you answer 'yes' so quickly without a blink of hesitation!
What throws me off sometimes is that the scripture about this is clearly right there and people still have their own opinions about when that day will actually happen.
You know what Jesus says?
So be on guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. (Mark 13:23)
He has told us everything. Nobody knows besides the Father. Stop believing all the crazy societal opinions out there and remember that Jesus has told us everything ahead of time...Keep a watchful all eye, you never know when that day will come...
Monday, December 9, 2019
A severe punishment
You are either all in or you're all out. There is no room for people who fake it just to look good in front of others. I am sure you know some of these people....and to be clear...I am not saying that God doesn't change our hearts. Paul killed Christians and then he committed every part of himself to God and spreading the gospel, and that is what he did the rest of his life.
What I am talking about in this post, is when people just put on an act over and over and over again. There is no time for that and not really any need to be associating with them. The best we can do is pray for those people over and over again because we are all going through something and maybe that one thing is holding them back from giving it all to Christ.
For those who think you can be a little two-faced and put on some sort of extravagant new hat, it won't ever work.
Jesus says in the bible that those people will be severely punished...
As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely." (Mark 12:38-40)
Jesus is clearly warning about trying to make a good impression. These teachers of the law were religious hypocrites who had no love for God.
I bet there are of people out there who do this. Why? Think about it. It's easy to put on this sort of act to look good in front of others. This is a perfect reminder that God always looks at and knows our heart vs. our actions and good deeds.
True followers of Christ are not distinguished by showy spirituality. Reading the bible, praying in public, or following church rituals can be phony if the motive for doing the is to be noticed or honored.
We need to let our actions be consistent with our beliefs. Live for Christ, even when no one is looking.
With this post, I don't want you to believe that we are all just a bunch of phony's because that is not the case. This post is for those who are a little bit phony. Maybe you're just putting a little bit of an act on right now to look good for some people, or maybe you just don't know what to do and how to handle your relationship with Christ.
The two most important commandments that God gives us are...
1. Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, and ALL your strength.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself
God wants every part of your heart seven days a week and not only on Sundays.
I know there are a lot thoughts I have in this post that I wrote this morning, but it all comes down to one thing...if you just continue to fake it to look good, you are going to be severely punished someday.
If you are that person who thinks that there is no way that God is going to change your heart, seek him, pray, and I promise you'll change. You can always have hope and a faith because God is loving, and more faithful than we will ever be able to understand. Throughout history God has changed the hearts of some of the most sinful people.
Lastly, pray for those people. Pray for those who are struggling with being able to give all of themselves to God because I guarantee there are a lot of people who are in that boat.
Always remember, this most likely won't happen overnight. When you commit your life to Christ, your heart changes, but it takes lots of discipline for everything to make sense. It's taken my whole life to get where I am today.
Have faith my friends...
I encourage those who are stuck in this phony act to really seek Christ and I am praying for you too. I pray that God does work in all of your hearts every day. I want to see as many of you as I can in heaven someday and I am sure that God wants as many people up there as possible so never stop praying.
What I am talking about in this post, is when people just put on an act over and over and over again. There is no time for that and not really any need to be associating with them. The best we can do is pray for those people over and over again because we are all going through something and maybe that one thing is holding them back from giving it all to Christ.
For those who think you can be a little two-faced and put on some sort of extravagant new hat, it won't ever work.
Jesus says in the bible that those people will be severely punished...
As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely." (Mark 12:38-40)
Jesus is clearly warning about trying to make a good impression. These teachers of the law were religious hypocrites who had no love for God.
I bet there are of people out there who do this. Why? Think about it. It's easy to put on this sort of act to look good in front of others. This is a perfect reminder that God always looks at and knows our heart vs. our actions and good deeds.
True followers of Christ are not distinguished by showy spirituality. Reading the bible, praying in public, or following church rituals can be phony if the motive for doing the is to be noticed or honored.
We need to let our actions be consistent with our beliefs. Live for Christ, even when no one is looking.
With this post, I don't want you to believe that we are all just a bunch of phony's because that is not the case. This post is for those who are a little bit phony. Maybe you're just putting a little bit of an act on right now to look good for some people, or maybe you just don't know what to do and how to handle your relationship with Christ.
The two most important commandments that God gives us are...
1. Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, and ALL your strength.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself
God wants every part of your heart seven days a week and not only on Sundays.
I know there are a lot thoughts I have in this post that I wrote this morning, but it all comes down to one thing...if you just continue to fake it to look good, you are going to be severely punished someday.
If you are that person who thinks that there is no way that God is going to change your heart, seek him, pray, and I promise you'll change. You can always have hope and a faith because God is loving, and more faithful than we will ever be able to understand. Throughout history God has changed the hearts of some of the most sinful people.
Lastly, pray for those people. Pray for those who are struggling with being able to give all of themselves to God because I guarantee there are a lot of people who are in that boat.
Always remember, this most likely won't happen overnight. When you commit your life to Christ, your heart changes, but it takes lots of discipline for everything to make sense. It's taken my whole life to get where I am today.
Have faith my friends...
I encourage those who are stuck in this phony act to really seek Christ and I am praying for you too. I pray that God does work in all of your hearts every day. I want to see as many of you as I can in heaven someday and I am sure that God wants as many people up there as possible so never stop praying.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Strategic reminders
I believe that one of the keys to living a life to the fullest and really being content with who you are in Christ is having little strategic reminders all over the place.
For some people it's the wallpaper on their phone, hanging up a poster on your wall or having something on your desk at work. It's really different for everyone.
I wanted to write a brief post about this tonight because of those reminders was just what I needed to be reminded of tonight.
When Rachel was in Arizona a couple summers ago for a little trip with her friends, she found this small little rock along a trail while they were hiking. When she shared this story with me I found it to be very cool because she told me when she found the rock, it was at a time when she needed to be reminded of the things that were written on it.
So this rock is really colorful and there are some things written on each side: This to shall pass, Peace, In God we trust, Always pray, and Pray.
When she gave it to me when I first asked her to be my girlfriend it was one of the most meaningful things ever.
I have this rock sitting on my desk where I live and every couple days I'll flip it to a different side so I am reminded about something else.
I just had a really special weekend with Rach and her family and now that she is home for a month for break is one of the things I have been looking forward to for months! Driving back to where I live tonight I was really in my feels. I am not really sure why. I think it's just because we are both so ready to always be together! When she is home it's the perfect taste and I love it.
I was also a little bit down because work is hard. I can't sit here and say that it's super easy. When I sat down to write, I looked on my desk, and was reminded that 'This too shall pass.'
It was just what I needed to be reminded off. I saw that and felt totally at peace and was reminded to be thankful for the seasons that we go through and I am, because it's the most exciting time of our lives!
I also have some other strategic reminders that I use...
I have a backpack that I always keep my bible, journal, and laptop in and I pretty much take it everywhere I go with me. Always having my bible with me reminds me that I simply need to be reading it every day.
I also have a couple Polaroid pictures of Rach and my family in my car so that I am always reminded of them all of the time. No matter what traffic I get stuck in, or what boring drive I am on, I can always look up and see my motivation and the people I love the most.
Lastly, the tattoo on my wrist is a perfect reminder too. My tattoo on my wrist stands for...'He must increase and I must decrease.' Whenever I look at my wrist I am reminded that God is so much greater than I am and that there always needs to be more of him and less of me.
I encourage you all to place a strategic reminder somewhere. Something you know that will always be there and something that is convenient for your eyes to see. I promise that when you need to be reminded the most, you will be.
For some people it's the wallpaper on their phone, hanging up a poster on your wall or having something on your desk at work. It's really different for everyone.
I wanted to write a brief post about this tonight because of those reminders was just what I needed to be reminded of tonight.
When Rachel was in Arizona a couple summers ago for a little trip with her friends, she found this small little rock along a trail while they were hiking. When she shared this story with me I found it to be very cool because she told me when she found the rock, it was at a time when she needed to be reminded of the things that were written on it.
So this rock is really colorful and there are some things written on each side: This to shall pass, Peace, In God we trust, Always pray, and Pray.
When she gave it to me when I first asked her to be my girlfriend it was one of the most meaningful things ever.
I have this rock sitting on my desk where I live and every couple days I'll flip it to a different side so I am reminded about something else.
I just had a really special weekend with Rach and her family and now that she is home for a month for break is one of the things I have been looking forward to for months! Driving back to where I live tonight I was really in my feels. I am not really sure why. I think it's just because we are both so ready to always be together! When she is home it's the perfect taste and I love it.
I was also a little bit down because work is hard. I can't sit here and say that it's super easy. When I sat down to write, I looked on my desk, and was reminded that 'This too shall pass.'
It was just what I needed to be reminded off. I saw that and felt totally at peace and was reminded to be thankful for the seasons that we go through and I am, because it's the most exciting time of our lives!
I also have some other strategic reminders that I use...
I have a backpack that I always keep my bible, journal, and laptop in and I pretty much take it everywhere I go with me. Always having my bible with me reminds me that I simply need to be reading it every day.
I also have a couple Polaroid pictures of Rach and my family in my car so that I am always reminded of them all of the time. No matter what traffic I get stuck in, or what boring drive I am on, I can always look up and see my motivation and the people I love the most.
Lastly, the tattoo on my wrist is a perfect reminder too. My tattoo on my wrist stands for...'He must increase and I must decrease.' Whenever I look at my wrist I am reminded that God is so much greater than I am and that there always needs to be more of him and less of me.
I encourage you all to place a strategic reminder somewhere. Something you know that will always be there and something that is convenient for your eyes to see. I promise that when you need to be reminded the most, you will be.
Friday, December 6, 2019
Temple Courts & Christmas Markets
I really hoped you decided to read this because you saw the word 'Christmas' in the title. It's an added bonus if that is your reason...
One of the things my mom and I did this past week while we were in Europe was attend the amazing Christmas markets. In Europe, these Christmas markets are all over the place in most cities. We were fortunate enough to go to four different Christmas markets in four different cities and three different countries.
I don't know if you are familiar with these Christmas markets or not, but they are the most wonderful things. All of the booths are decorated with beautiful Christmas lights in decorations. There are hand made Christmas gifts at every booth. There is amazing food all over the place as well, and you can just feel the spirit of Christmas with all five senses.
You see the beautiful decorations.
You hear the Christmas music.
You smell all of the smells of Christmas.
You get to feel all sorts of awesome Christmas gifts and decorations.
You taste the awesome food.
They're so much fun. All of these markets particularly have one thing in common and that was part of the markets were always close to the massive cathedrals. In every city and country this was the same thing.
It seemed weird to me that all of these booths were right outside these massive cathedrals. But it also made sense to me. The cathedrals could be seen from miles away and that is what drew the people there. Plus there were courtyard areas around these cathedrals so there was always room for all of the booths and lots of people.
Let me ask you this...do you feel like this might be a little deceitful? To use the Cathedral's beauty to attract all of the people?
Well...I just read a story in Mark chapter 11 this morning that was very smilier to this.
Jesus was trying to clear the temple courts but was unable because there were vendors and merchants that were selling and making money in the temple courts...
"On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temples courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "It is not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers.' (Mark 11:15-17)
Before I go further, I don't want to make it sound like I am super against the Christmas markets, or that it was super wrong where they were set up. These beautiful cathedrals aren't used anymore, other than for people to go marvel at their beauty. The Christmas markets just fit perfectly to the topic of the post.
In the temple courts, the money chargers and merchants did big business during Passover. Just like how the Christmas markets do well during the holidays. So the bad thing about the merchants being in the temple courts was that their set up made it nearly impossible for non-Jews to spend any time in worship. This made Jesus angry because God's house of worship had become a place of exhortation and a barrier to Gentiles woh wanted to worship.
I get this 100%! These beautiful Cathedrals were right there for us to go see and marvel but I didn't really want to go in because I was distracted and all I wanted to do was shop and eat good food.
What is distracting you from worshipping God? Are there things in your life that you put in-between you and Christ?
Probably! We all struggle with this. My encouragement to you is to rid yourself of those distractions. Eliminate those things in your life that take away your time from God.
My challenge to you is to think of your relationship with Christ and imagine what it would be like if there weren't so many things distracting you from always worshiping him.
One of the things my mom and I did this past week while we were in Europe was attend the amazing Christmas markets. In Europe, these Christmas markets are all over the place in most cities. We were fortunate enough to go to four different Christmas markets in four different cities and three different countries.
I don't know if you are familiar with these Christmas markets or not, but they are the most wonderful things. All of the booths are decorated with beautiful Christmas lights in decorations. There are hand made Christmas gifts at every booth. There is amazing food all over the place as well, and you can just feel the spirit of Christmas with all five senses.
You see the beautiful decorations.
You hear the Christmas music.
You smell all of the smells of Christmas.
You get to feel all sorts of awesome Christmas gifts and decorations.
You taste the awesome food.
They're so much fun. All of these markets particularly have one thing in common and that was part of the markets were always close to the massive cathedrals. In every city and country this was the same thing.
It seemed weird to me that all of these booths were right outside these massive cathedrals. But it also made sense to me. The cathedrals could be seen from miles away and that is what drew the people there. Plus there were courtyard areas around these cathedrals so there was always room for all of the booths and lots of people.
Let me ask you this...do you feel like this might be a little deceitful? To use the Cathedral's beauty to attract all of the people?
Well...I just read a story in Mark chapter 11 this morning that was very smilier to this.
Jesus was trying to clear the temple courts but was unable because there were vendors and merchants that were selling and making money in the temple courts...
"On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temples courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "It is not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers.' (Mark 11:15-17)
Before I go further, I don't want to make it sound like I am super against the Christmas markets, or that it was super wrong where they were set up. These beautiful cathedrals aren't used anymore, other than for people to go marvel at their beauty. The Christmas markets just fit perfectly to the topic of the post.
In the temple courts, the money chargers and merchants did big business during Passover. Just like how the Christmas markets do well during the holidays. So the bad thing about the merchants being in the temple courts was that their set up made it nearly impossible for non-Jews to spend any time in worship. This made Jesus angry because God's house of worship had become a place of exhortation and a barrier to Gentiles woh wanted to worship.
I get this 100%! These beautiful Cathedrals were right there for us to go see and marvel but I didn't really want to go in because I was distracted and all I wanted to do was shop and eat good food.
What is distracting you from worshipping God? Are there things in your life that you put in-between you and Christ?
Probably! We all struggle with this. My encouragement to you is to rid yourself of those distractions. Eliminate those things in your life that take away your time from God.
My challenge to you is to think of your relationship with Christ and imagine what it would be like if there weren't so many things distracting you from always worshiping him.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
You really told me no?
I was lucky enough to attend an event today in South Bend and it was called the 'Miracle Luncheon.' It was put on by the Center For The Homeless...The main theme throughout the entire luncheon was the word 'kindness' and what it means to so many people and how we should all be more kind.
This post isn't going to make you think to hard, I just want it to encourage you to seek kindness. When you seek something you will find it. Just like how we should always seek Christ...
But seriously though...how true is that statement. It's like having someone close their eyes and telling them that when they open then they must find everything that is brown around them...the first thing those people are going to look for is anything and everything that is brown. If they run out of brown things to see they will begin to compromise. They might see some dark maroon that looks like it could be close to brown and then they will count it...
I believe it's the same thing with kindness. If you are searching for it in other people you will find it. I promise you.
A perfect example of this happened while I was driving back.
Before I share, I want to mention that I never write these things to make me sound good or to try and make myself sound like I am some sort of super-great-awesome person. I am always real with you when I write and I believe the best way people learn and are encouraged is through honesty and stories.
When I left the luncheon, I had one thing on my mind (along with kindness), and that was getting a smoothie. To do this, I had to go out of the way so that I could get one. As I approached the intersection where I was about to make my turn I saw a homeless man standing there.
All sorts of emotions hit me. There had to be a reason that he was there...right after I was at a lunch hosted by the Center For The Homeless. Right after I was at a lunch I wasn't even planning on going to. Yes! I had no idea this was today...one of my colleagues son's was ill and I was asked to fill his spot.
I wanted to do something for this man but didn't know what I should do.
I was either going to get the smoothie I wanted, or I could get this guy something. I figured he needed something more than I did, so I stoped into Bigby and got him the biggest hot chocolate they had. I was so excited to give it to him that I could hardly contain it. I knew that this was going to make his day.
If I was standing outside in the cold I would definitely want one. As I approached, I rolled down my window, I told him that I just got this for him and asked him if he liked hot chocolate and he said to me..."no thanks, I am good."
This honestly wrecked me. I know it sounds silly, but I was super excited to give this guy something I just went and bought for him. I was devastated while driving back to the office. Why in the world did he tell me no?
I wrestled with this thought for about 15 minutes and as I was walking back into the office I remembered that our receptionist was a huge fan of hot chocolate and that maybe I could surprise her with it.
I always saw her drinking hot chocolate, so hopefully she would take it and not think it was weird.
When I thought of this idea, I was so excited and filled with joy. Luckily, our receptionist wasn't at her desk, so I was able to leave it there for a surprise...
Our receptionist was overjoyed when she found the hot chocolate and it seemed like it really made her day. I was also very fulfilled after being shot down 15 minutes beforehand.
Why share this? Kindness is found when you seek it. I could have easily been totally down on myself for the rest of the day but what good what that have done? Probably no good at all. When I was wrestling with my thoughts on what I should do, the idea of kindness was just stuck in my head. I knew that I needed to seek kindness.
I did, and was very fulfilled.
Friends, seek kindness! Especially at this time of year. Just because something doesn't go your way, does't seem the rest of your day should be affected or that there are no kind people in this world. Seek and you will find.
This post isn't going to make you think to hard, I just want it to encourage you to seek kindness. When you seek something you will find it. Just like how we should always seek Christ...
But seriously though...how true is that statement. It's like having someone close their eyes and telling them that when they open then they must find everything that is brown around them...the first thing those people are going to look for is anything and everything that is brown. If they run out of brown things to see they will begin to compromise. They might see some dark maroon that looks like it could be close to brown and then they will count it...
I believe it's the same thing with kindness. If you are searching for it in other people you will find it. I promise you.
A perfect example of this happened while I was driving back.
Before I share, I want to mention that I never write these things to make me sound good or to try and make myself sound like I am some sort of super-great-awesome person. I am always real with you when I write and I believe the best way people learn and are encouraged is through honesty and stories.
When I left the luncheon, I had one thing on my mind (along with kindness), and that was getting a smoothie. To do this, I had to go out of the way so that I could get one. As I approached the intersection where I was about to make my turn I saw a homeless man standing there.
All sorts of emotions hit me. There had to be a reason that he was there...right after I was at a lunch hosted by the Center For The Homeless. Right after I was at a lunch I wasn't even planning on going to. Yes! I had no idea this was today...one of my colleagues son's was ill and I was asked to fill his spot.
I wanted to do something for this man but didn't know what I should do.
I was either going to get the smoothie I wanted, or I could get this guy something. I figured he needed something more than I did, so I stoped into Bigby and got him the biggest hot chocolate they had. I was so excited to give it to him that I could hardly contain it. I knew that this was going to make his day.
If I was standing outside in the cold I would definitely want one. As I approached, I rolled down my window, I told him that I just got this for him and asked him if he liked hot chocolate and he said to me..."no thanks, I am good."
This honestly wrecked me. I know it sounds silly, but I was super excited to give this guy something I just went and bought for him. I was devastated while driving back to the office. Why in the world did he tell me no?
I wrestled with this thought for about 15 minutes and as I was walking back into the office I remembered that our receptionist was a huge fan of hot chocolate and that maybe I could surprise her with it.
I always saw her drinking hot chocolate, so hopefully she would take it and not think it was weird.
When I thought of this idea, I was so excited and filled with joy. Luckily, our receptionist wasn't at her desk, so I was able to leave it there for a surprise...
Our receptionist was overjoyed when she found the hot chocolate and it seemed like it really made her day. I was also very fulfilled after being shot down 15 minutes beforehand.
Why share this? Kindness is found when you seek it. I could have easily been totally down on myself for the rest of the day but what good what that have done? Probably no good at all. When I was wrestling with my thoughts on what I should do, the idea of kindness was just stuck in my head. I knew that I needed to seek kindness.
I did, and was very fulfilled.
Friends, seek kindness! Especially at this time of year. Just because something doesn't go your way, does't seem the rest of your day should be affected or that there are no kind people in this world. Seek and you will find.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Angles amongst us
I believe that people everywhere have a desire to do good. We either don’t see it, do a bad job at judging character, or don’t look for it.
People everywhere want to help.
Why do I say this?
My mom and I have been in Europe the past few days and we don’t speak French, German, or Swiss. We might understand a couple words, but it’s hard. Everywhere we go we see different languages. The train stations, airports, cities, restaurants, etc.
In each country/city we have been to so far we have randomly ran into someone who spoke decent enough English to help us. Or when we didn’t happen to run into anyone, we just started asking around to see if anyone did speak English. Whether we were on a bus, or a train we’ve just happened to find people who were willing to help us.
This was crucial in our trip. If we wouldn’t have had any of those encounters, our trip would not be going this well. We probably would’ve gotten lost, frustrated, etc.
I encourage you all to look for the good around you, if you need help with something, people will help you. If you ask and someone doesn’t help, ask again. It’s all about having an abundance mentality.
There are an abundance of people all around who are willing to help, we just have to ask. My challenge for you is to seek out good people around you. My other challenge is to be that good person, if someone needs help, help them.
Put those peoples need above your own because you understand what you are doing and they probably don’t. Let’s that sink in..
I like to think of all these good people as angels and they’re a perfect glimpse of the kingdom of God. I believe God puts all these people into our lives for a reason and that’s to show us how real the kingdom of God is and it’s to fulfill his promise.
We serve a God who is so good to us, we just have to be aware of his goodness.
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