Hello! Goodbye

Well, I haven't posted in awhile, so here I am, but all I can do is say goodbye.

I leave for Brazil on a soccer mission team today. If you can, here are some things to pray about:

1. Safety

2. The Bus details would get worked out as soon as we arrive

3. MOST IMPORTANTLY - the Word of Christ would go forth in a God honoring manner, and that no one on the team would be a hinderance to the Word.

4. Salvation of souls


Thank you everyone. My blog will deffinately be amazing when I return.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

God sure does love me

HE DID IT!!!!! The God of green hope came through again! I was fretting and failing, but he proved himself sustaining and successful:

1. my visa came in
2. my grades rocked
3. i'm going to heaven when i die
4. Christ loves me
5. i have a 12 pack of fruit roll ups (tie-dye berry style!)!
6. AMERICA ROCKS


AMEN AND AMEN

so it's 6:15 and i'm studying for exams. is something wrong with this picture??

Visa Shmisa

filthy brazilians...at least the ones at the Brazilian embassy in Miami. OK, so in part i jest, but not really. here's the scoop:

At approximately 3:45 yesterday I receive word that our visas to go to Brazil must say on them "valid for 1825 days (5 years)." SO, since I had gotten mine last year, I figured, GOOD! I'm safe. But in the pit of my stomach something screamed at me to go check it out. LO AND BEHOLD, there it is....NOTHING?!?!?!??!! OK, starting to have that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I now have entered the frantic email mode, sending my coach a ton of emails with lots of questions. He tells me not to worry and just to swing by in the morning and he'll check it out.. Let's pause the story for one second..

you know that feeling you get when someone you trust starts freaking out?

SO, coach starts freaking out..."well, check your email a lot because I know you'll be hearing from me." is the last thing he says as I walk out the door. It's OK I tell myself...NOTHING IS RANDOM!! so...i go on about my business. At 12:50 I check again, the email reads "you need to go get two money orders, one for 100 and one for 10. OUCH! also, you need to go get your picture taken for your visa. OUCH! and then bring it to me and we'll see what we can do. These are not promising words considering I just paid 120$ last semester for the same thing! After class, I start speeding around this town trying to get everything accomplished. Well, I get it done, get back to my coach, fill out a visa application, fill out the money orders, tape my picture to the application, and ask 1000000 questions. My main concern was why in a two year period do I have to pay 240$ for something that should have lasted me 5 years?? Here's the brilliant brazilian answer: "sometimes it just turns out that way, one guys could get approved for 5 years, some for 90 days." Guess what mine was...90 days. Well, coach found a man to overnight my passport too and he's going to go stand in line, get it approved and overnight it back. So in the end, I believe it will all work out.

My first response was to call them filthy brazilians...oh wait...i did, and that was probably the wrong choice. But as I was moping around, feeling sorry for myself, wondering if i'd ever see my visa, i saw someone who will not be named that brightened my day with a scripture passage I needed SOOOO much!

Romans 15:13
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

I have a hope that the God of green is going to work all things for my betterment and for His glory.

11:00 Convo's

I was talking to a friend today, and this was their part of the conversation. I thought it was beautiful, yet simple.

11:21
I was actually thinking about it today

11:22
I don't remember what made me think about it - I don't think it was this

11:22
but...I'm pretty sure that God didn't mean for "Christianity" to be as complicated as people make it

11:23
I mean obviously there are some things that we need to figure out in our hearts...but when I see some people getting into deep theological debates about things NO ONE except The Lord REALLY knows....I don't think thats what He really wants.

11:24
It's really simple: Believe, Love, Teach.

Are You Ready For a Challange?!??!?! (Part 2)

don't forget you're "challengee." keep praying

i think you know what i'm getting at

And know that I don't hate you
And know that I don't want to fight you
And know I'll always love you
But right I just don't...

like you


i didn't write that, and i can't tell you who did, but it's how i feel. ( i guaruntee it's not about who you think it's about )

He lifts up the fallen

Psalm 146

Hallelujah! O my soul, praise GOD!

All my life long I'll praise GOD,

singing songs to my God as long as I live.

Don't put your life in the hands of experts

who know nothing of life, of salvation life.

Mere humans don't have what it takes;

when they die, their projects die with them.

Instead, get help from the God of Jacob,

put your hope in GOD and know real blessing!

GOD made sky and soil,

sea and all the fish in it.

He always does what he says--

he defends the wronged,

he feeds the hungry.

GOD frees prisoners--

he gives sight to the blind,

he lifts up the fallen.

GOD loves good people, protects strangers,

takes the side of orphans and widows,

but makes short work of the wicked.

GOD's in charge--always.

Zion's God is God for good!

Hallelujah!

WOO HOO

just wanted to share my delight in thunderstorms!

Three words

He is risen!

Your love is extravagant
Your friendship it is intimate
I feel like moving to the rythm of your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in a secret place


Spread wide in the arms of Chist is the love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
You considered me your friend
And captured my heart again


Your love is extravagant
Your friendship it is intimate

My favorite part is: "spread wide in the arms of Christ is the love that covers sin." HE COVERED MY SIN!!!! One of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis sums it up best:

"Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it."

Because of Christ and His "extravagent love" ... we're worth it.

Are You Ready For a Challange?!??!?!

After a few interesting discussions today, I got burdened for a challange. If you chose to accept. PLEASE follow through. I know we can change this world through prayer.

Here it is folks:

Chose one person to pray for on a regular, faithful basis. What's so hard about that you say? I do that everyday some of you say! Here's the catch:

The person you pray for MUST be some sort of "star." Whether it be a movie star, tv star, music star, or sports star, pray that that person would come to know the Lord as their personal savior. As a good friend of mine said "so many times we just write them off." And it's true! They have souls too. So accept the challange!


Here's my project: Tim Burton

rumor's are mean

don't ever talk about someone to anyone unless you have that someone's permission. it's that easy.

Why?

Why do we sleep? Why do we eat? Why do we breathe? The answer to all these is simple and obvious. To keep us alive...right?

Those aren't the questions that have been bothering me lately because those are clear...right? The ones that are invading my thought life are: Why do we look down on others because their different? Why do we laugh when someone messes up? Why do we rejoice when sinners are judged? Are these things right? My selfish answer is YES! These are completely right and justified. If a person doesn't meet up to my standard and way of life, then they are obviously inferior and deserved to be mocked.

WHAT?!?! If this was the way life should be lived than an all mighty, loving, unchangeable God would be laughing at us! He would sit back in heaven and mock us to shame everyday of our lives. But does He? NO. There is a standard that no human being can attain, but our wonderful Savior sits in heaven and watches over us, not mocks us! When we are different, Christ is helping us change. When we mess up, Christ picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us back on the right path. So, if we're here on earth to bring glory to God and be more like Christ, than why do we feel like we can laugh at, scorn, and mock others?

So why do we eat, sleep, and breathe? To live? NO. To bring glory to our God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do. Do ALL to the glory of God.

So Go Rest High

My Great Uncle, Robert Pyle, went home to be with the Lord yesterday. He was 93.

Uncle Bob served the Lord completely until the day he died.


Our God is good.

His Love Endures Forever

Just when there was a time in my life when I needed it most...it came.


Psalm 136

be basic...

To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.

Colossians 1:28 - do you even have to ask what version?

American-style Prayer

this was written by michael gembola. we need this

American-style prayer

When I was a little kid in Sunday School, we used to sing the spiritually hollow but physically engaging song "I'm in the Lord's army."

Of course there was the main verse listing all the army-related things that we would act out--march in the infantry, ride on the cavalry, shoot the artillery, etc.

But I also remember other versions, like Mexican style or Cowboy style. These versions had their own stanzas with their own motions (e.g., "I may never wear a big sombrero, ride a donkey oh so slow, eat a cheesy taco...").

If you have sung it before, I'm sure you can finish it for me. But perhaps we all could use some brushing up on the words and motions for American-style prayer. It's familiar, so I’m sure you'll all recognize it.

What everyone needs to know to pray American style:

1. Stay distracted. Continually strive to reduce your miniscule attention span by constantly letting your mind chase rabbit trails so that you forget that you were even praying and then suddenly realize it 10 minutes later.
2. Pray on the go. If you miss the time when you had planned to pray, try to make it up while driving and apply the same ADD techniques from step 1.
3. Be brief. This is integral to praying American style. Try to do it in less than a minute. If it's a confession, remind yourself that asking for forgiveness or repenting is all you need to do to restore fellowship, and that those who are too heavenly minded are of no earthly good--and you sure have a lot of earthly good to do.
4. Don't think of anything doctrinally demanding. This takes too much time and effort.
5. Avoid listing or rehearsing characteristics of God. This generally applies to any of the -tion words as well. But this is not an absolute. Just make sure that if you use them, don't explain them, rehearse them, or remind yourself of what they mean.
6. Ask for things. You obviously have needs or at least you always need something. And you definitely know someone who is sick. These can be a quick prayers. Make these count for your daily prayer.
7. Use archaic words that sound good to you. Cliches are great. Choc your prayers full of them.
8. Be vague. Ask for God to be "with" someone.

9. Fill in the gaps. So that you can pray without stopping to think, insert God's name whenever you might pause if you were in a normal conversation.
10. Use stock leads. Another way to avoid stopping to think is to start with a phrase like "we thank you for..." or "we pray that..." even if you have no clue how you'll end the sentence.
11. Say something about the weather. It's easy, it's always there, and it doesn't require much thought. Referencing weather like this is a lot like any other superficial conversation people have, just more wordy.
12. Close your eyes. Just do it. You don't need to know why.
(read more)

Group Prayer
1. Power nap. If you're sitting down, rest your head on your knees. You might actually get in a power nap if it’s a decent sized circle or a long invitation.
2. Stock leads for the group. Start out the prayer with a phrase like this: "I just thank you for this time where we can come together and..." Everyone else has already said the phrase, so it will be familiar and you won't have to think about it.
3. Go solo. Don't pray along with the person who is praying. (Side note: This is where American style prayer may get confusing: even though you're not really supposed to be thinking about what you're saying, you need to say something that sounds good. For this reason you might have to think about what you will say while the others are praying).
4. Yawn a lot and rub your eyes
5. Bow your head. You don't need to know why about this, either. It's just something we do.
6. More stock leads. Start out with the phrase "Thank you for this day." Be careful, however, because you will be tempted to say "Thank you for this food" right after that since it’s your stock lead for your pre-meal prayer, too.

Important Final Note
This list should put you well on your way to American style prayer. But remember, just because you follow the letter of the law on these steps won’t guarantee that you are praying like an American. Many people who do not pray American style will ask for a blessing on the day or the food or “to be with” sick a person. They may bow their heads or use a stock lead. They may even do most of the things on the list. The key difference is this: you have to ignore the actual meaning of these phrases and use them only in the cliché sense.

Essentially, American prayer can be reduced to these 3 axioms: don’t think, be distracted, and be brief.

alone time with Him

i've never needed time alone with God like i needed tonight, so i took it. and sure enough, it was exactly what i needed. i need to be plunged into the deapths of his love and overtaken by his mercy. he is God! and i had to crawl up to him, and tell him what i needed.

eph. 3 folks...eph. 3

Major Prayer Request

if you see this post...pray for a young man I know. his name is scott. the Lord needs to get a hold of his life/heart. please lift up a young man in prayer, if he doesn't turn around now, he may never come. thank you.