I agree!

Ed Rondthaler on English spelling from Bob Smartner on Vimeo.

A Day to Create

For no particular reason I felt the need to be creative today. There's no real explanation for it, I just sat down with my computer and stayed focused long enough to "finish" something. I guess my inspiration was just to worship through Photoshop while I was creative. Heres the result.

Interesting Short Documentary on Influencers

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.

Who wouldn't want to be a part of this church?

“They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of break and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

Seriously?

Married and Moved to Minnesota

People say that you should be cautious about making too many major life changes in a short amount of time. Well, Jenna and I decided to go against the grain and make 3 major life changes in the span of 3 weeks...and you know, I think we're doing pretty well!

On August 7th Jenna and I had an amazing wedding where we were surrounded by some pretty incredible friends and family! Thanks to everyone who came, helped in any way, or was praying with us about this day! In the days after our wedding Jenna and I couldn't think of anything that we would have changed about the wedding or reception...it was just that awesome!

A few days after our wedding we made it to Minneapolis Minnesota to our apartment at Northwestern College! Jenna started her new job as a Resident Director two weeks before our wedding and they were gracious enough to allow us some time before and after the wedding so that we could make the transition and move. Its been great getting to know some new people and seeing how God is going to use us in new ways. I like new beginnings.

Here are a few pictures of the new apartment and how we've tried to make use of the space!

So this is our new home...filled with all sorts of Ikea products!

With all of the changes pretty much complete I think I can safely say we handled it well. No major breakdowns or issues with the wedding, move, or job change. God's really blessed us and we're excited for what is in store for us here!

Thanks for praying with and for us!

P.S. - Come and visit! Oh, and check out the wedding pictures on facebook!

Skinny Love

I've been singing this constantly for the last 3 days...

bon iver - glasto09 from hilikus on Vimeo.

See if you can keep up!

I Couldn't Sleep...

"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD." Proverbs 18:22

"A good wife is a great blessing to a man. He that finds a wife (that is, a wife indeed; a bad wife does not deserve to be called by a name of so much honour), that finds a help meet for him (that is a wife in the original acceptation of the word), that sought such a one with care and prayer and has found what he sought, he has found a good thing, a jewel of great value, a rare jewel; he has found that which will not only contribute more than any thing to his comfort in this life, but will forward him in the way to heaven. God is to be acknowledged in it with thankfulness; it is a token of his favour, and a happy pledge of further favours; it is a sign that God delights in a man to do him good and has mercy in store for him; for this, therefore, God must be sought unto." - Matthew Henry

I'm pretty blessed. I think I've "found" a good wife and I'm very much looking forward to how my wife (that is fun to say) will "not only contribute more that any thing to my comfort in this life, but will forward me in the way of heaven." I've already seen in a multitude of ways how Jenna has challenged me to grow in my faith and trust in Christ and I cannot imagine how going through every step in life together will continue to allow this to happen. Believe me, I am incredibly thankful for the blessing of being able to marry a wonderful woman and if this is the beginning of ways that God will show mercy on me, I can't wait to see what the future holds!

2 days left!

A Tribute to Bessie

It was time to let go...Bessie is gone. She was good to me (most of the time) and I'm sad that my kids won't take the keys to her someday. Here is a tribute to Bessie/the Beast/the grandpa car or however else you described my car.

Remembering College

One thing I love about catching up with old friends is that you relive memories together. You know what I'm talking about here...you meet up with a friend you haven't seen in months or years and you can almost be sure that specific stories from your time together will be retold.

Recently I've been able to reconnect with a ton of my brothers from Bowman and I'm amazing at how much we have to share about our time there. I can't tell you how many stories I have relived in the last month while spending time with guys at Jason Stephens' wedding and having my bro Chris Snider in town.

So I want to relive a memory from my days in Bowman. My first year as an RA my boys decorated our hall for Christmas. We didn't just decorate a little though. We filled the hallways, rooms, and bathrooms even with lights. We hosted a huge party and brought as many people over as we could. We were so proud. He's some of the footage from Zach Huizenga.

YES!!

Remembering Kenya

I think we sang this song every day when I was in Kenya...and for some reason I've been singing it all day today. I hope it gets stuck in your head too! It's a little repetitive...

Beat my score of 72%!

It Makes You Think

I know this video isn't about the rapture...but this is the passage of scripture that came to mind when I saw it.

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Matthew 24:36-44

Closing Time...

Tomorrow marks the end of my internship. I'm really going to miss Southeast Christian Church and the Post..not to mention all of the people that I've grown to love here! God's done some pretty amazing things in my life through these ministries and people and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to serve, learn and live here!

But while this door closes a bunch more are opening!

I'm getting married on August 7th to the wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, caring, compassionate Jenna Whikehart...

We'll be moving to St. Paul Minnesota where Jenna will be working as a Resident Director at Northwestern College...

And I'll be searching for the place where God wants me to serve.

So there are a ton of changes taking place in my life in the near future and I ask for your prayers...for the job search, for marriage, for moving, and for peace throughout all of these major life changes! Thanks friends!

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." - Lamentations 3:22-24

Show Me Your Blog

Blogging is a new hobby of mine. I started because I really felt like it was important to share some of my thoughts with the world and allow God to use some of my experiences for His glory. I've never considered myself a writer so it's strange how much I enjoy posting. I know I can't be the only one out that who's felt this way...in fact I've seen a lot of awesome blogs from some of my friends.

But I'm starting to wonder though...how many other people have started blogging?

In an effort to stay connected with more people and to see who else is blogging I'd love for you to send me a link to your blog! Just leave it in the comments. Thanks!

Another Testimony: That's My Second Baseman

Lately I've spent a lot of time listening to testimonies. I just can't hear enough about the redemptive work of God and what He has done and is doing in the lives of so many people! With that said...I think something I'm going to do weekly on my blog is highlight someone's testimony. Check out the testimony of Brian Roberts the second baseman of my Baltimore Orioles.

I'm Thankful for The Post

With my internship coming to an end in a month I've started to think about the last year. This internship has provided me with so many opportunities to learn and serve in ministry and the experience I've had has been absolutely amazing! So with change on the horizon I wanted to make sure that everyone knows that I am incredibly thankful for the Post community.

I'm thankful for the relationships God has blessed me with here. Relationships that I know will be long lasting.

I'm thankful for the incredible staff I've been able to learn from and serve with.

I'm thankful for Southeast Christian Church and the way they invest in the next generation of church leaders.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel to Israel and Kenya and see what God is doing globally.

I'm thankful for the way The Post community serves one another and the city of Louisville.

I'm thankful for the experience and opportunity I've had to be involved in ministry for college students and young adults.

Most of all I'm thankful for the way that God works in and through the Post community.

My life has been touched through this community and I know God has great things on the horizon, for both myself and the Post.

I thought of this verse as I was writing and as I move on into the future I know this is how I'll remember The Post.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:3-6

P.S. - If anyone knows what I should do after May 28th they should let me know!

I Love Testimonies

One reason I love testimonies is because they speak of how God gives us purpose in life. When we accept Christ as savior we are given a responsibility and obligation to share all that Christ has done for us. Its amazing to see believers take this responsibility to heart and live out their testimony. Here is the verse that comes to mind when I think about this.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God work making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

My story isn't as cool as Aaron Gillespie's. I'm not in a band. I don't get a lot of publicity. But the truth is I do have a story that needs to be told. I have a story of redemption and purpose that the world needs to hear. The same is true in your case if you follow Christ.

Share your story of reconciliation.

New Neighbors

Some new neighbors moved in this weekend...this is their doormat.

First impressions...don't matter.

So I took a hike...

Today Trent and I took a 5.4 mile "strenuous" hike in Jefferson Memorial Forest here in Louisville. Our little hike was definitely strenuous and also definitely worth it! It was such a beautiful day to spend 3 hours admiring all that God has created and sweating like nasty! Hopefully I'll be going back there again soon! Here are some pictures from the excursion. Check out some more pictures on my flickr account.

"Father, glorify your name."

Since it was so nice out tonight, I spent some time on the porch reading the Gospel of John. I was reading in chapter 12 and wanted to share something that Jesus says.

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour?' No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name." - John 12:27-28

At this point in Jesus' ministry, he is on his was into Jerusalem for the last time. He knows the sacrifice that will be made there and knows that one of his own will betray him. You can only imagine how his heavy his heart was at this moment. While thinking about this I was challenged by the way that he accepts and embraces the will of the Father.

"Father, glorify your name."

I wonder how many times in my life I don't accept and embrace all that God is calling me to do. I think all to often I'm selfish (we're selfish) in the direction of our lives. As a result we don't fully embrace all that God is leading us to. With job change and marriage quickly approaching, I want to take hold of what God is calling me to whatever that might be. I want every day to be surrendered to God's will so that His name can be made great.

Have you said recently, "Father, glorify your name."

John 14:6

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - Jesus

Only Half of the Story

I know a lot of people aren't fans of spoken word pieces like this one. I have a hard time not laughing at most of them too...but this one was different for me. I think it captured really well what Jesus endured on our behalf.

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:10-11

Passover Seder

So tonight the Post hosted a Passover Seder dinner commemorating how God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. It was my first Seder dinner and it made me want to wear a yarmulka and be Jewish. Anyway...it was a great time and I was able to learn a lot about the tradition behind the meal. My favorite thing about it is how symbolic the meal is. There is distinct symbolism referencing the Exodus but the tradition also is heavy with symbolism of Christ's sacrifice for us.

As we ate the meal I was reminded of Jesus eating the Passover meal with his disciples. From the time of the Exodus our Passover meal has pointed to our need of a Savior and these men are celebrating this very meal with the Savior who was about to be sacrificed for us. God knew at the time of the Exodus his plan for our redemption and celebrating the Passover meal just reminded me of how loving our God is.

"The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:22

P.S. Don't worry thats not wine in my glass...

Zach Williams Makes Good Music

Same guy from the last video...another great song! He's the Worship Pastor at Trinity Grace Church in New York City. Check out his site...http://www.zachwilliams.com/

Come Thou Fount

I had the amazing opportunity to be at the Catalyst Conference when this was performed. I've always had a thing for the original version of this hymn but I absolutely love the edition with the verses from Psalm 29. Tonight at The Post we sang this song and I just couldn't help but marvel at how well this song describes my heart as well as God's character. This may be my favorite worship song. Have a listen and read the lyrics.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise his Name, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;

God of glory, voice of thunder,

Split the cedars, bring us under,

Oh the shadows, of your wings;

You give us strength, you give us peace;

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

God of glory, voice of thunder,

Split the cedars, bring us under,

Oh the shadows, of your wings;

You give us strength, you give us peace;

Ruth

I would have loved to have returned from Kenya with some grand revelation or a story of how I heard the audible voice of God. I think that would be the hope of most people who go on a short term mission trip. It was mine! But during my trip to Kenya that wasn't the case. Even though I didn't have some kind of special revelation, God allowed me to see so much of who He is and how He is working in and through the lives of my Kenyan brothers and sisters. Through the interaction that I had with the people and hearing their stories God revealed himself.

One story keeps replaying in my mind. It's the story of Ruth. We met Ruth while going on home visits with Pastor Julius of 14 Falls Redeemed Gospel Church. Before we started visiting homes we met with Pastor Julius at the church. He told us that the homes that we would be visiting were the the ones with families struggling the most. These families are in the midst of dealing with extreme poverty and a drought that has seized Kenya for some time now. Pastor Julius and the volunteer staff at 14 Falls overflow with God's love and care for widows, orphans and vulnerable children, and we would soon see this first hand.

We left and began walking through a maze of shambas. A shamba is a small garden where the people grow produce for themselves. We followed a path that weaved in and out of shambas and homes until we reached the small mud hut where Ruth and her family live. Ruth is a single mom of 3 and works her land to provide for her children. She noticed that we were coming and ran into her hut to get seats for us. She welcomed us and through Pastor Julius introduced us to her children since she didn't speak english. You could tell that she was so proud of her children and loved them very much.

Pastor Julius began to share about Ruth's involvement at 14 Falls. Not only is she very consistent in her attendance but Ruth volunteers as the leader of the hospitality ministry. You could totally see her in this role because of how welcoming she was. Every week she comes to church early and welcomes the people as they enter. She talks with visitors and introduces them to other members of the church.

We continued to talk with her about her children and she prompted her son Samuel to sing for us. I watched her smile as Samuel sang and saw a joy in this woman that is missing in so many people. One of the ladies on the visit with me asked me to look up Psalms 127:3-5. It says this.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

Pastor Julius interpreted these verses to her and then asked that I pray for the family. As I prayed I could not help but thank God for the opportunity to meet with her. In this short visit God had revealed so much to me about how He is changing lives despite so many adverse situations.

In the midst of her extreme poverty Ruth knows what is most important. She sacrifices her time and effort volunteering at church. The time and effort that she spends at church could be spent working in her shamba or trying to provide more for her children, but she chooses to be consistent in her attendance and volunteer in helping make people feel welcome. Her life is changed and she is overflowing with love and joy that can only come from Christ. She doesn't get distracted by the difficulties she faces in life but remembers what is most important.

We could all learn something from Ruth. I know that I walked away knowing that I have no excuses for serving Christ with everything that I have. God deserves my praise and adoration in every situation. In times of abundance and in times of hardship. There are never reasons or periods of time in life to not serve and glorify God.

Back to Reality...

Its been a crazy week and a half since coming back from Kenya. Coming back to reality is good without doubt. I've been able to see my wonderful fiancee twice in the last week which is amazing! We've done a lot of planning for our wedding and I got to see where our wedding will take place. At the Post we had a great event for our volunteers and saw a lot of great servants come out and worship. My issue isn't that reality is bad but that reality is busy. I had hoped to come home and really spend some time reflecting on what God was doing in my life and in Kenya but I guess that wasn't realistic at the present time. So today, 10 days after Kenya, I finally have some time to honor the experience God blessed me with. Hopefully within the next couple of hours (or days) there will be something new to read here...if not...someone make me write something! There is too much that I really need to reflect on and share!

T-Minus 3 Days

The day is almost here! If you didn't know, I'm leaving for Kenya on Monday. Sorry for the late notice. As a Southeast intern I get the privilege of serving on a foreign mission trip with the churches other interns. Even though I've known of this trip since the start of my internship, I seriously cannot believe that in 4 days I will be in Africa.

While we're in Kenya we'll be working with an organization called Life In Abundance (L.I.A.) and we'll be equipping pastors and lay volunteers to minister to their local communities. L.I.A. works to empowering local churches and congregations to care for the needs of their communities without having to rely on consistent foreign support. This is really an awesome way to do ministry and I'm excited to see how God is using it. Our team will be working with pastors and volunteers and we'll be sharing about the importance of commitment and encouragement in ministry just in case you wanted to know.

An awesome thing that I have the privilege of doing while in Kenya is preaching on Sunday morning at a local church. I am so humbled to have this opportunity and cannot wait to share with my brothers and sisters. I know that I will learn so much from my experience in Kenya and I pray that God will use me in some way for His Spirit to speak a message of Truth. I covet your prayers on Sunday Feb. 21.

Maybe it's because there has been a lot going on in life, but for some reason I know that I have not taken adequate time to prepare spiritually for this trip. I was convicted of this a few days ago and I found myself searching for quiet time to read and pray.

In that time God lead me to a verse in Isaiah that I haven't been able to stop thinking about.

"Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." - Isaiah 26:8

When I first read this passage I was instantly challenged to look at the condition of my heart and what I truly desired. (I started asking myself the questions on the previous blogpost) I started thinking and realized that there is a big temptation for me to just look at this trip as a great opportunity, a sweet trip, an awesome experience, a chance to see some cool stuff, meet some people, and a stamp on my passport. All of these are selfish and Godless desires, which is exactly what this trip is not about.

So I started praying 3 days ago that my heart would desire Christ, because if that is all my heart desires, his name will be glorified through my life. Now, I know that this will be a daily struggle for me, and that laying aside my selfish desires is one of the most difficult things to do, but I believe that in this struggle, this dying to myself, God is glorified and will use this process itself to bring glory to His name.

In saying all of this, would you pray for and with me for a few things.

Pray that this trip will make me realize even more how everything in this life is not about me and all about Him,

Pray that my heart will break over the things that break the heart of God.

Pray that I view this trip as a means of not only seeing but declaring the glorious name of Christ.

So Isaiah 26:8 has become my theme verse for this trip and I pray that my heart's desire will be to declare the name of Christ and be His hands and feet, not only for a 10 day trip to Kenya, but for the rest of my life. I hope this process that I'm going through will help challenge some of you to think through what your heart desires.

What Motivates Your Worship?

Recently I had the opportunity to share from Malachi. I have to be honest and say that I've never really read through this book of the bible. I've heard a couple of it's more famous verses, but thats it really. As I began to study Malachi a couldn't help but sense that God had a big message to share with me about my motivations as I enter into worship.

We see in the first chapter that God has a serious rebuke for the Levitical priests. They had begun to bring sacrifices to the temple that were not up to the standards that God had set for them. The priests would know that these sacrifices weren't up to par, and yet they would continue to offer them in the temple. We can only imagine that these priests had lost their respect for God and were more motivated by how they would be viewed by those around them as they performed their duties.

I know that I like to please other people. I have always been this way. I do my best to make friends with everyone and to never do anything that with make someone think less of me. I also know that I'm not the only person in the world like this; in fact I think most people deal with this trait. The truth is however that many times we treat other people better than we treat God. I think a few of those people were the priests in the days of Malachi. Of course these priests would have claimed to have feared God, and to have not disrespected God's name, however their actions give no validity to what they claim. If I told you that I was a firm supporter of healthy living and yet ate all of my meals at fast food restaurants and never exercised you wouldn't believe me. Essentially, this is the same thing we see with the priests. The claimed to be the representative for the people to God, God fearing men of great character and integrity, and yet would knowingly offer up blemished sacrifices.

In the first chapter of Malachi we see this disconnect between action and claim.

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the Lord Almighty. "It is you, O priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?' By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the Lord Almighty. - Malachi 1:6-8

Surely the priests would have never offered up a blemished sacrifice to their local governor, but they were willing to sacrifice the blemished animals for the God of the universe! Their motivation was to please those who were watching more than to please the One to whom the sacrifices were being made. Now, before you start to judge the priests I think it's time to look into our own lives and check our motivations as we bring our sacrifices before God.

I want to ask you five questions that will hopefully make you think about your motivation in worship. I know that many times when I enter into worship I don't take the time to think about my motivations. I feel that it is critical to recognize areas in our worship that we have allowed to become more focused on pleasing others than on pleasing God. So as yourself these questions.

Why do you read the bible? Do you read the Bible to grow closer to God, to come to know Jesus, and to realize this will for your life? Or do you read the Bible for knowledge so you can prove a point...or impress someone else...or please your significant other or parents? Maybe you read the bible because you think that by reading it you can gain something...like eternal life, material possessions, or something with selfish intentions.

Why do you pray? Do you pray to humbly connect with God and petition for his will to be done in your life?

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." - Matthew 6:6

Or should you, like the hypocrites in Matthew 6, be rebuked for praying to be seen or heard?

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men." - Matthew 6:5

Why do you tithe? Do you tithe to be seen by others, to reveal how much you have, or to boast in your giving? Jesus says that giving must be a representation of the heart and it cannot be the only expression the heart has.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharasees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill, and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." - Matthew 23:23

Giving is an expression of our love and thankfulness for God and how He has blessed us. In Malachi we see that God challenges us to tithe so that we can see the fullness of his character. Tithing isn't something that draws attention to us, but rather is something that draws our attention and focus on the faithfulness of God.

Why do you serve? Do you serve to make yourself feel good? Do you serve to make yourself look good? Do you serve because you think you can earn the respect or love of God? Or do you serve because you want to be an extension of the heart and hands of Christ to people who don't know him?

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before me, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret." - Matthew 6:1-4

Why do you go to church? Do you go to church to "look good" in the eyes of other people? Do you go to church to be seen? Or do you go to church to enter into the presence of God and to worship Him? Do you go to church to fellowship with other believers and encourage them?

Just like the priests in the days of Malachi, we are tempted at times to perform because of how others will perceive us. We are called to pray, called to tithe, called to serve, called to be in fellowship, and called to study. HOWEVER we are reminded of the purpose of those actions.

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised though Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever." - 1 Peter 4:11

Each action that we take is an act of worship through which we should glorify Christ. I wish I could say that I've always been pure in my motivations when I've offered to God my worship, however I'll be honest and say that I have not. I think it is way past time that we begin to take a deep look at who we are trying to please in worship. Lets make an earnest effort to bring unblemished sacrifices to the altar of God.

The Flow of Grace

Do you have a collection? Growing up I collected baseball cards. I collected so many that my collection would have been worth a good amount of money. But I even collected things of no real value. Do you ever find yourself holding on to random things for long periods of time? I know that as I was growing up I had a problem holding on to graded papers that I had done well on and I wanted to save them because of the sticker or grade. I held on to ticket stubs, notes, brochures and all sorts of useless things. I held on to these things for so long that I would accumulate shoeboxes full of them.

A few months ago I found myself strangely addicted to the show "Horders" on TLC. This show highlights the stories of people who have been living in a dangerous hording lifestyle. These people have developed an unhealthy habit of not being able to throw anything away, to the point where their homes are filled to overflowing with all kinds of things. I've seen a lot of very useful items sit dormant in these homes that could go to great use for people in need.

It makes me call into question the way that we handle grace and the gospel of Christ. The Spirit has poured onto us an amazing amount of grace, and we, in our consumerist and hording nature begin to be a cistern or shoebox for God's grace.

In Acts chapter 11 we see some of the earliest signs of the movement of the Gospel to Gentiles. Through persecution in Jerusalem, the good news of Christ was spread into the surrounding areas. It was first shared with the Jews but soon some men began to share this message with the Greeks at Antioch and the Lord blessed them. Through this ministry many Greeks believed! When the leaders of the church in Jerusalem heard about this they sent Barnabas to check things out, much like they had done 3 chapters earlier when they sent Peter and John to Samaria. Once Barnabas had arrived he "saw the evidence of the grace of God" and "encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts."

I stumbled across this passage because of an old chapel sermon that I listened to. Dr. Bounds, a professor of Theology, shared about what grace is. "God's grace is the work of God for us, it is the work of God in us, and it is the work of God through us." We see in this passage that the movement of the Gospel through those scattered by persecution was evidence of God's grace.

The question was asked of the student body which inquired if they were placing themselves in the avenues through which God administers His grace. Avenues such as the local church, the mentoring of elders, the prayerful reading of Scripture, and holy sites where God has consistently administered his grace. I thought about Dr. Bounds' statement concerning the definition of grace and was convicted immediately. I fear that all to often I have had a hording and consumeristic view of grace, where I seek out and desire grace but hardly ever think of myself as a pipeline through which God can pour out His grace into others.

So just like Dr. Bounds asked if we as Christians were placing ourselves in avenues through which God administers his grace, I want to pose this question for you. Are you allowing yourself to be a avenue through which God channels grace to others? Are you seeking more and more grace for yourself with a total disregard for allowing God to pour out his grace through you? It's easy for us to get caught up a consumerist view of grace because of how blessed we are. There are so many different ministries we can attend through which God pours out his grace. We have thousands of sermons available to us at any moment online. We are blessed to have numerous copies of His Word in our homes. But what about those who don't?

Now don't get me wrong, we are nothing without the grace of God in our own lives. But I firmly believe that we as Christians, followers of Christ, should not only seek out grace for ourselves. Rather we should allow the Spirit to pour out His grace so that it can flow through us and into the lives of others. Grace is a gift we receive but it is also a blessing God has allowed us to share.

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith." Romans 12:6

As a result of the grace that has been given to us, we begin to realize that we have certain gifts that God has specified intentions for. As is described in Romans 12:6-8, these gifts are to be used for the benefit of the Body of Christ and others.

I don't remember the last time that I thought of my gifts and abilities as being a grace given ability. I understand that I am to use them for God's glory but there was a disconnect in my understanding of what these gifts were a product of. They are certainly a product of God's grace that He intended to be used as an avenue for his Spirit to work. Do we use our gifts as God intended them to be used? Do we use them as a means of distributing grace to others, or do we use them selfishly or ignorantly?

A prime example of this in scripture comes in 1 Thessalonians 3:12. Paul prays, "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you." Through God's grace love increases and overflows in our lives. I think it is time that we start to pray for an outpouring of God's grace, not just selfishly, but so that God's grace may flow through us and into the lives of those who desperately need to know him.

Making the Most of 140 Characters

I don't like Twitter. I just don't. I never have and thought that I never would. I don't want to know or need to know the every move of the estimated 6 million people using Twitter. I have the same problem with Facebook status updates. I don't want to know that you're feeding your cat, eating cereal for breakfast, or watching Lost. Maybe you're like me and you've read a ridiculous status update that you wish you hadn't. Maybe you've cringed at some of the theologically deprived Christian quotes that are posted daily like I have. The truth is that I've just never really liked it. However today I was challenged, maybe convicted, to start using Twitter and other online social media networks and to stop being so critical of some Twitter users.

Think about this. There are hundreds of different free online media sites where anyone can go and begin posting their every though and action for the entire world to see. It has the potential to be incredibly annoying...but in a meeting for the Post today with Aaron Marshall I began to recognize the incredible potential and power that these online media hosts and social networking sites have.

Follow this thought with me. I have 800 friends on Facebook. I know most of them but definitely not all of them. I know that a majority of them would consider themselves "followers of Christ" but I also know that there are a large number of them who wouldn't. How influential would it be if I began using my status as a means of sharing the Gospel? Obviously I don't want to become that crazed Christian spammer who plasters quotes up without even thinking about it, but what if I used the characters in my status as a means of challenging my "friends" to think about their lives and their faith?

I realized that I am most definitely not being a steward of these online media and social networking sources. I rarely post anything on my Facebook wall. I have a Twitter account, but I only joined to try and win a free computer. I've had a few blogs, but only used them because I had to for classes. It is absolutely amazing to me to think about all the people that I could be influencing through these different online avenues. I'm kind of ashamed now that I didn't think of this four years ago when I started using Facebook.

Today's thoughts reminded me of the Post's theme verse from the paraphrase The Message:

“I choose the true road to Somewhere, I post your road signs at every curve and corner. I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me; God, don't let me down! I'll run the course you lay out for me if you'll just show me how. God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me - my whole life one long, obedient response.” Psalm 119:30-34

The psalmist says "I will post your road signs at every curve and corner." I would imagine that there are curves on the information super highway, right? Sorry...that was cheesy. What I'm saying is if there is a place where I can display the glory of Christ, I'm going to do it, and I'm going to do it in the most Christ honoring way that I can. I think this should be a challenge for anyone who would claim to be a follower of Christ. Use every means available to impact your world for Christ, but I beg you, please do it in a way that will honor Christ and that will respect the reaches of the internet. Remember that you are an ambassador for Him and what you post is available for anyone to see.

So today I restarted a blog, found my forgotten password for my unused Twitter account, and updated my Facebook status, all while praying that God will show me how to use them. I'm excited to see what happens and I am praying expectantly that doors will be opened for me to have some conversations with people who need to know Christ.

Think about it and imagine what God can do with 140 characters.