For the Moments I feel faint...

Interesting article...

2008-10-23T09:59:00.002-05:00

I found this through a friend of mine that I highly respect and look up to. The article is quite interesting. It might not sway your ideas or votes, but I hope people from all parties and walks of life will read this with an open mind.

Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?
By Orson Scott Card
Link To Article: http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081017light.html

Editor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.

An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America:

I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.

This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.

It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.

What is a risky loan? It's a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay.

The goal of this rule change was to help the poor — which especially would help members of minority groups. But how does it help these people to give them a loan that they can't repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can't make the payments, they lose the house — along with their credit rating.

They end up worse off than before.

This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people did foresee it. One political party, in Congress and in the executive branch, tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules. The other party blocked every such attempt and tried to loosen them.

Furthermore, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It's as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)

Isn't there a story here? Doesn't journalism require that you who produce our daily paper tell the truth about who brought us to a position where the only way to keep confidence in our economy was a $700 billion bailout? Aren't you supposed to follow the money and see which politicians were benefiting personally from the deregulation of mortgage lending?

I have no doubt that if these facts had pointed to the Republican Party or to John McCain as the guilty parties, you would be treating it as a vast scandal. "Housing-gate," no doubt. Or "Fannie-gate."

Instead, it was Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, both Democrats, who denied that there were any problems, who refused Bush administration requests to set up a regulatory agency to watch over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who were still pushing for these agencies to go even further in promoting sub-prime mortgage loans almost up to the minute they failed.

As Thomas Sowell points out in a TownHall.com essay entitled "Do Facts Matter?" ( http://snipurl.com/457townhall_com] ): "Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury."

These are facts. This financial crisis was completely preventable. The party that blocked any attempt to prevent it was ... the Democratic Party. The party that tried to prevent it was ... the Republican Party.

Yet when Nancy Pelosi accused the Bush administration and Republican deregulation of causing the crisis, you in the press did not hold her to account for her lie. Instead, you criticized Republicans who took offense at this lie and refused to vote for the bailout!

What? It's not the liar, but the victims of the lie who are to blame?

Now let's follow the money ... right to the presidential candidate who is the number-two recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae.

And after Freddie Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae who made $90 million while running it into the ground, was fired for his incompetence, one presidential candidate's campaign actually consulted him for advice on housing.

If that presidential candidate had been John McCain, you would have called it a major scandal and we would be getting stories in your paper every day about how incompetent and corrupt he was.

But instead, that candidate was Barack Obama, and so you have buried this story, and when the McCain campaign dared to call Raines an "adviser" to the Obama campaign — because that campaign had sought his advice — you actually let Obama's people get away with accusing McCain of lying, merely because Raines wasn't listed as an official adviser to the Obama campaign.

You would never tolerate such weasely nit-picking from a Republican.

If you who produce our local daily paper actually had any principles, you would be pounding this story, because the prosperity of all Americans was put at risk by the foolish, short-sighted, politically selfish, and possibly corrupt actions of leading Democrats, including Obama.

If you who produce our local daily paper had any personal honor, you would find it unbearable to let the American people believe that somehow Republicans were to blame for this crisis.

There are precedents. Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11, you could not stand the fact that Americans had that misapprehension — so you pounded us with the fact that there was no such link. (Along the way, you created the false impression that Bush had lied to them and said that there was a connection.)

If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression.

Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That's what you claim you do, when you accept people's money to buy or subscribe to your paper.

But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie — that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad — even bad weather — on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.

If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth — even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate.

Because that's what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don't like the probable consequences. That's what honesty means . That's how trust is earned.

Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time — and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing.

Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter — while you ignored the story of John Edwards's own adultery for many months.

So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means?

Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for?

You might want to remember the way the National Organization of Women threw away their integrity by supporting Bill Clinton despite his well-known pattern of sexual exploitation of powerless women. Who listens to NOW anymore? We know they stand for nothing; they have no principles.

That's where you are right now.

It's not too late. You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there.

If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices.

Then you will print them, even though every one of those true stories will point the finger of blame at the reckless Democratic Party, which put our nation's prosperity at risk so they could feel good about helping the poor, and lay a fair share of the blame at Obama's door.

You will also tell the truth about John McCain: that he tried, as a Senator, to do what it took to prevent this crisis. You will tell the truth about President Bush: that his administration tried more than once to get Congress to regulate lending in a responsible way.

This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion.

If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe — and vote as if — President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie.

If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats — including Barack Obama — and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans — then you are not journalists by any standard.

You're just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it's time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a news paper in our city.

What do you think?

What's going on?

2008-09-23T19:30:00.003-05:00

Something is happening right now. Something that is bigger than you or me. People are dealing with some extremely tough things: pain, suffering, death, baggage, school, family, financial needs, spiritual needs, spiritual droughts, spiritual attacks... the list could go on. There are people who I know and see every day that are dealing with things that are often beyond our control.

Personally, I am feeling like God is really tugging at my heart. He wants me to open myself up and fully lay my life down at his feet. I feel God moving in me. Little stories, devotions, songs, sermons, and Psalms often move me to tears because they are hitting this little part of my heart that longs to know Jesus more and be a better disciple, but moments later I can be as hard as a rock and as stubborn as a mule not showing any emotion and not letting Jesus or other people in. In the moments of tears and longing I feel closer to God than ever and right then I feel like I nothing could stop me from living for Jesus and walking like Him. Minutes later I will feel fear and shame and not feel bold enough to even say that I attend a Christian university.

What is going on?

I have friends who are fighting the evils of their past because for some reason Satan has brought them back. I have friends who struggle making ends meet because there is not a consistent and well paying job in their reach...but why not...she has a Master's degree everyone should be begging her to work for them. I have friends who are just at a hard place in life and do not know which way to go from where ever they are.

What is going on?

I don't know what to do or say. Maybe this doesn't hit home with you...maybe it does. I realize that there is nothing new under the sun and that everyone struggles with different things, but never have I been right in the midst of so much pain, stress, and struggle. Never have I honestly thought that things are genuinely bad right now. I just have a feeling that something bigger is going on and its real folks. I suppose all we can do is pray. Pray that it is God moving through His people making them stronger. Pray that the devil does not find a foot hold in the weakness of one of God's children. Pray that the stronger brothers and sisters will help lift up their family. Pray to the only one who can overcome these obstacles and ask that the ones who cannot will lean on Him.

Psalms 3

Oh LORD, how my adversaries have increased!

Many are rising up against me.

Many are saying of my soul,

"There is no deliverance for him in God" Selah.

But You, O LORD, are a shield about me,

My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

I was crying to the LORD with my voice,

And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.

I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.

I wil not be afraid of ten thousands of people.

Who have set themselves against me round about.

Arise, O LORD, save me, O my God!

For you have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;

You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the LORD;

Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.

Salvation belongs to the Lord.

BigStuf...is big stuff.

2008-07-05T12:25:00.002-05:00

First of all, it has been almost four months since I have last blogged...sad.

Anyway, I just returned from BigStuf at Panama City Beach! I went there along with 57 other people (adults and students) from the high school ministry at Connection Pointe Christian Church. It was awesome! Everything from the music, to the speaking, to the videos, to the group time, to games, was top notch. I saw God in many different ways and was able to see God work in the hearts of the students. That in itself would have been enough to make the trip worth while, but there was so much more! I was able to build friendships, create new friendships, play on the beach, and just have a great time! I have to say, my favorite part of each day was the quiet time. There was a schedule time each day where everyone was to take thirty minutes or so and just spend time with God. In the camp booklets that they gave us, there were a couple devotionals that we were to read during that time. I absolutely loved them. They were insightful and provoking. I really felt connected to God in those times. Just for you, I am going to put one of those quiet times here:

I love watching you. The way you move. The way you smile. The times you are so excited about life. Even the times when you are lonely and sad, and wonder what life is about. You might think it's a bit weird that I would like watching you during those times, but frankly, those are the times when you are most open to catching a glimpse of me. Th e times I want most to grab hold of your heart and open up your mind and warm your soul. You see, I made your heart and your soul and your smile. I formed your eyes and the way they glimmer sometimes, and the tear ducts that seem to work more often than I would have preferred. Everything about you is partly a reflection of me. I would still like to cut off some of the rough edges and take away some of the barnacles that have collected on you soul. In many ways you are like a block of stone that a sculptor works with, he always sees the beauty in the piece before he starts whittling away the parts that don't belong. Whether you know it or not, I am always working on you. Working in you. I have in mind a final sculpted piece that you will be amazed at someday as you look at your reflection. And it's because of that, you will see me. I understand why you sometimes are not excited about me, and why you ignore me and leave me out of your life. Why you aren't interested in my word or my place in your life. It's because you haven't really seem me yet. You've heard stories, you've read books, you've been to church and you heard sermon after sermon...but you haven't seen me. If you had lived only under a gray cloud all your life, you couldn't understand a sunset or a sunrise. But once the clouds moved away and you see for the first time, the beauty starts shining with all its glory on the earth as your part of the planet spins to meet the bright horizon, all your thoughts about what a day can be life begin to change. My desire for you...is to really see me. You might glimpse part pf my reflection in the ocean, the sky, the mountains, or the trees. You can see it in some of the people around you and feel my shadow shine its light on you through the love of my kids that are close by. I am all around you. I am inside of you. And yes...I love watching you because I made you. I can't wait for you to look really closely and see me. Because then I get to watch your eyes glimmer and your smile erupt.
Me...watching you... watching me. That makes me smile too.

Dominican Republic Trip 2008

2008-03-11T21:53:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody!

Here are some pictures from the mission trip I went on this past January. I am sorry it took so long for me to do this. The trip was amazing for me and everyone else. We had a lot of fun, did a lot of work, and most importantly we showed a lot of love. Thank you for all of prayers and support! You are amazing.

A 3 days walk into the wilderness...

2008-01-30T15:26:00.000-05:00

There are times in life when we feel like we are at the end of our rope. We feel like we have to "reach up just to touch rock bottom". We are drained, stressed, depressed, frustrated, confused, mad, hurt, annoyed... ANYTHING.

Ive been at that point in the recent past. I was living in Georgia and had a pretty good set-up if I do say so myself. I had good friends, a church family, and a wonderful girlfriend. Life was grand. Right after I graduated, however, my family had to move to Indiana. I had to leave behind a lot of people and things that I loved...including my girlfriend. I did not know why it was happening. I was frustrated, sad, mad, and confused. Eventually, things worked out. The only thing that really remained difficult to deal with was a long distance relationship. Things got really hard. I was at school, she was working, and because of things related to that, keeping our relationship together and strong was unbelievably difficult. We continued to work through the stress and made it a point to not give up. I asked God many times why we had to go through this mess. Things would have been so much easier if I had never moved. I wanted to be with her so bad, but obviously, God had different plans.

In Exodus 15:23-25 we read about the Israelites who have just traveled for 3 days into the wilderness just to discover that they have no water to drink. Now let me give you a quick background... Right before their 3 day journey, they were having this amazing worship service with singing and dancing! The Lord had just delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians. They had just walked across the Red Sea on dry ground. This massive group of people had just witnessed one of the most amazing miracles ever and because of that they were praising the Lord. So, they are in the wilderness, presumably three days after walking through a massive body of water, and they instantly begin grumbling to Moses for leading them into this wilderness with no good water to drink. Moses hears their complaints and then takes his request before God. God told Moses to put a log into the bitter water and immediately it was sweetened and able to drink.

These people were in a great position one day. Then three days later they are led to a place that has bitter water that is unfit to drink. Why would the Lord lead them to this place? Why were they in this wilderness?

Job found himself in a "wilderness" too. He had everything a man could ask for... wealth, family, a house, land, and God. But before he knew it, it was all gone. Now, it was not something God did, but God did allow it to happen. Job was taken from a position of honor and greatness and ended up pretty much as low as a man could get. Why? It doesn't seem fair.

Jesus... God's own son. God himself in human form found himself in a "wilderness". He was going to die for the sins of the world. He knew it was going to happen. Still he was in the garden on his knees in desperate prayer asking God to rescue him from this situation. He did not want to go through the excruciating pain of crucifixion and die. He knew he had to though. He obeyed his Father even in His wilderness.

I think there are times when God himself calls us to a wilderness. He leads us to a place of desperation. We are depressed, confused, stressed, sad, and perhaps downright mad at God for taking us to the wilderness with no water to drink. I also think that he always has a reason for what he does. For the Israelites it was a way of showing them that he was in control. He was going to protect them even when it seems as though there is no hope. Job was restored. His faith was pushed to the max but still he trusted in God. Jesus died. But he died so that you and me could live. God knew what he was doing. He had a plan... and still does.

I realized later that God lead me to Indiana for a reason. I have experienced some great things here. I am at a great school learning more and more about God and his word. I have been involved in amazing youth groups which have taught me a lot and given me experience in the field which I am going into. I have made amazing friends that I will always hold dear. I have a lot to be thankful for and I doubt any of it would be this way if I had not moved. The distance strengthened my relationship with my girlfriend. We fought long and hard to make it work and eventually she moved up to Indiana too. As a matter of fact we are engaged and are planning a wedding now. God has taken me from a desert, a wilderness with no water, to a place where I can see his over all plan. At least so far. Who knows what He has in store for me!

I do know that He can and will bring you out of the wilderness too. He will give you water to drink. He will protect you. He will not leave you. Stick to him. Trust him. You may not see why things are happening the way there are right now, but when you get through the struggles you will realize that God had your hand the whole time.

Wish I could sing like..

2007-12-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

I found this today... Its pretty fantastic.

Further from the beginning, but closer to the end...

2007-12-13T13:23:00.000-05:00

Another semester here at CCU has come and gone. Today was the last day of final exams. Now I am packing up most of my belongings and getting ready to go home for Christmas break. I am definitely ready to be home and not have to worry about school work for a while. It just wears you down. As I reflect on this semester I realize that it was probably my most productive one so far. I have been in a college setting for three and a half years now and I finally feel like i'm starting to make some progress. I do believe I will feel as though next semester will be my most productive one when it is finished. I do not necessarily know why, but from looking at my class schedule, I think I will have more relevant and informative classes in the year(s) to come. I have approximately 4 semesters left. Seems crazy to me. I have a lot to learn. I don't know if I will be ready in 4 semesters, but I guess I will have to be.

Preparing for full-time ministry is not easy. No one ever said it would be, but we all kind of hope it is. The more I think about it the more I realize that I am not ready. I am not ready mentally or spiritually. Like I said a minute ago, I have a lot to learn still. I am going to have to seriously apply myself and strive to learn everything I possibly can. As I am sitting here thinking about how I think about how I am not ready for the ministry, (read that again and you might get it... :-P ) I wonder.. "is anyone ever ready?" Sure, when my four final semesters are over I will be ready to get out of here and begin my ministry, but will I be fully prepared for what I will have to do and go through for the rest of my life? ...I don't think so... Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think anyone is ever ready. There is always more to learn, more to experience, more to do, more to say, more to study, more to love. Four years of specific studying will not prepare me for everything. Oh, my professors will try to instill all of their knowledge onto us students, but it will never be everything we need to know. The way I see it, life is one long class full of a bunch of field trips and special speakers. There is always something else to learn and we need to be ready to absorb every last piece of information we can.

Its been a while...

2007-11-12T11:59:00.001-05:00

Hello All...

It has been a while since I have posted anything on here. Typically I post neat things or devotional type things etc. but today I dont really have anything like that in mind. I thought I would just write about my life right now.

For starters, this is probably the busiest week of school all semester. I have a lot to do over the next week. After next Monday everything should be smooth sailing until the end of school.

My girlfriend is moving into her first apartment next weekend. That is pretty awesome! Its a great thing but along with it comes a lot of stress and worry. We know everything is going to be just fine, but it's those natural feelings which start to overwhelm your mind.

I am starting to prepare for my mission trip to the Dominican Republic. It is not until the first week of January, but there is a lot to do still. Money is not as much of an issue as I thought it would be, but I still need a little more. Prayer for our trip is much appreciated.

With that being said, I want to say thank you to my friend Madison and her small group who have been praying for me and my trip. What is neat is that I never mentioned anything to Madison. She found out I had this blog through a mutual friend from camp (I didnt know the friend even knew I had a blog) and she read about my trip on here. She brought it up in her small group and now they have been praying. I just think that is so cool. Thanks again Madison and her small group at CPCC!

Well, that is it for now... Maybe I will start posting more often.

Later.

Going to the Dominican Republic!

2007-10-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

Hello all...

I have been given the awesome opportunity to go the Dominican Republic for a short term mission trip from January 4-11. The team that is going is made up of Cincinnati Christian University students and faculty. We are going to be working along side the permanent missionaries Rick and Suzanne York. Our team will be doing multiple Vacation Bible Schools, construction work, and general outreach. This is a great chance to share the good news of Jesus Christ to the the downtrodden of the DR.

Please pray for me and the entire team as we prepare physically and spiritually to go to the Dominican. There is a lot of planning that still needs to take place so please pray for guidance as well. Also, pray for Rick and Suzanne as they are already down there obeying the call God has put on their hearts. Pray that their efforts will continue to bear fruit and bring the lost to Christ.

If you can help financially, that would be greatly appreciated as well. The cost of the trip is $1,150.00 a person. This takes care of airfare, supplies for the construction and VBSs, and compensation for the families that will be housing us. If you can help in this way, send me an email (it is on my profile page) or leave a comment on here and I will get back to you a.s.a.p.

This is going to be an amazing trip and great things are going to be accomplished for His Kingdom. Thank you for praying for us!

Uncanny?

2007-09-20T12:02:00.000-05:00

Less than 24 hours after I published my previous blog, I was sitting in chapel, listening to the guest speaker who happened to be talking about Reaching th Unredeemed. In his message he mentioned how the church tends to not connect with the culture around them which actually keeps them from bringing people to Christ! (pretty much exactly what I wrote about yesterday!) The speaker quoted Martin Luther King Jr. when he said this: "11 o'clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week." Dr. King said this a few decades ago, but sadly, the truth of the statement still remains.
In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, The apostle Paul is explaining to the Christians of Corinth how he changed in order to connect with the culture or environment with whom he was dealing. Now that does not mean he conformed his actions or conduct as a Christian. He did not compromise the word of God. He lived as a Christian and did what was right in the eyes of God.
So I guess my question still remains... What do we do now? How can we step out of our cultural and social comfort zones and connect with the people who are not like us?

I wish I had a good answer to that question. I don't really know yet. But I do know that God is tugging on my heart about this. It is hitting me from every direction. My prayer is that when an opportunity comes my way to address this situation, I do not let it fly right by and miss my chance.

No title... I dont know what I am going to write:

2007-09-19T19:31:00.000-05:00

This is a blog that I started way back in April or May. For some reason I didn't quite finish it then, so I finished it today. Hopefully it isn't too sporadic. It was difficult to get into the mind frame I was in when I originally wrote this. Let me know what you think...

So, I am sitting. I am sitting in a coffee house. I am sitting in a coffee house named Sitwells. (I know, you are intrigued.) I shan’t lie… this place intrigues me. Everyone in here is different. All of them probably like coffee, but then again, they might not. That was an assumption. The atmosphere in here is quite relaxing. The lighting is dim, the chairs are hard, the coffee taste slightly burnt, and there is a lot of random art and photographs hanging on the walls. There are people studying, chatting, eating, and reading. There are a few different nationalities represented in here too. (By the way, I just took a sip of my recently refilled cup of coffee and it still tastes burnt) (I added some creamer… it is a little better.) Here are some quotes which line the top of the wall here at Sitwells: “Blood moves our skin” “We bend alive around cup and cloud.” “Is passion only revelry?” and “Lust warms our lips.” Are you really intrigued now or did I kill your intriguedness. (I know I know, that is not even a word, but deal with it) As I sit here in Sitwells being intrigued, I wonder… do these people know Jesus like I do? I would venture to say that at least half of them do not. That may even be an underestimation. (The coffee is getting better with every sip) I know that I do not know Christ as much as I could or should, but do the people in here even know Him at all? (…Right now, I would not be surprised if you are thinking “I’ve heard all this before” or “this is a cliche blog”… I know I would be. It seems like people are always thinking “I wonder if all these people know Christ?”. If you are thinking that, then oh well. That is what this is about. I have never blogged about it, and I am sure we can always use a reminder) Back to the point… As a Christian, it is my job to share Christ with people. People everywhere. People here in Cincinnati. People here in Sitwells. They are all loved by God. They were created to love Him. He deserves their love, and He deserves my devotion to turn them to His love.

Speaking of loving Him… How amazing would it be if all these people WERE Christians already?! It could be a glimpse of heaven. All kinds of different people, representing different nationalities, representing different languages, but all representing the same saving faith. Too cool. I believe that is what Christ wants for us here on earth. It is represented in Revelation 5:9, and it is represented in the Antioch church in Acts 11. Along with these passages, it appears that Jesus had unity of all peoples in mind when he prays in John 17:20. God wants us as believers to live in harmony with one another. It shouldn't matter what race we are, what language we speak or what political party we adhere to... in Christ we should be ONE. I think the church in general really struggles with this idea. Too many times churches are not flexible enough to meet the needs of their community and it results in a "segregated" church. It isn't like the church does it on purpose, but sometimes we are too concerned about changing or adjusting that we end up keeping "different"(i.e. race, language, clothing style, preferred music, etc.) types of people out. Its a sad reality and we should be ashamed.

What is the solution?

Can we be ONE?

2007-05-09T14:00:00.000-05:00

School is out for the summer. I am quite happy. :-)
If you are interested, the entire "Top Joe" video will be on Youtube sometime this weekend. Ill let you know.

Joe

Top Joe...

2007-05-06T15:09:00.000-05:00

Here is the intro video from the "Top Joe" Competition we had here at school. I hope you enjoy. The rest of the video will be available soon.

Christ... tian or follower?

2007-03-30T11:01:00.000-05:00

I was in the school bookstore this morning and I came across a book that was all about doing church right. I glanced through the table of contents to try and get the gist of this book and I noticed that the first chapter was titled: "No more Christian"

Hmm... I went to that chapter to read a little more.

Right off the bat it said that we need to totally drop the name or label of "Christian(s)"

It got me thinking.

Why should we drop that name? Is there something wrong with it? The book made the claim that a lot of people claim to be Christian, but don't act any different than a non-christian. I believe that is a valid point. A lot of Christians "blend in" with society and the non-Christians. That is a sad fact.

So, the point is that we should now call ourselves Christ-followers to show that we are different.

Personally, this whole movement is bothering me. I am a Christian. I am a Christ-follower. What is the difference? They are both a name. I see Christ-follower as the definition of Christian. I understand that true believers want to be different and stand out in the crowd, but a name change will not necessarily accomplish that. To stand out, you have to act differently. If people begin calling themselves a Christ-follower but do not act any different, what good is done? Society sees Christian and Christ-follower as one in the same.

I understand that the Christian name doesn't mean a whole lot to most people because of the fact that we don't act any different. And I understand that with a different name Christians have a second chance to change societies view of the Christian faith. I am glad that there is an effort to be different. At the same time, however, I am scared that too many people are going to jump on the band wagon, call themselves Christ-followers, and NOT change the way they act in their everyday lives. If the name is all that changes about a person or a group, non-Christian's perspective on them wont change.

I am not bashing "Christ-follower" and I am not promoting "Christian". I am calling for reform of our ways. To change the opinion of the on-lookers, give them something new to watch.

Call yourself a Christ-follower?... act like Christ.
Call yourself a Christian?... act like Christ.

I would love to hear your opinion about this topic. I know there are a lot of different thoughts about this and I want to know what you think. :-)

Advancing the Word

2007-02-27T14:31:00.000-05:00

(This is a mini speech I had to write for my education class, so dont let the references to a skit and "we" confuse you) :-)

"There was a traveling evangelist who was aboard a flight one September. During his flight he noticed that a flight attendant seemed to be having some trouble breaking ice for passengers’ drinks. He offered to help and struck up a short conversation with her about God. Before returning to his seat, he gave her some evangelistic literature to read.

Later in the flight she stopped by his seat and told him he was the sixth person in the past few days to talk to her about God or give her tracts about salvation. She confided that she was beginning to wonder what God was trying to tell her and what he wanted from her.

The evangelist replied simply that God wanted her life. As a result of their conversation, the flight attendant became a Christian."

We are here on this earth for many reasons. One of those reasons is to serve God. He wants us to serve Him in and through everything we do. (In the skit you just watched, Bob served through standing up for Billy and going to sit with him) Check out Philippians 1:12-14, 21-24.

From this passage, we saw two major ways we can serve God. One way we can serve God is by advancing the gospel. Paul is in jail when he is writing this. He has been beaten, spit on, and chained up. Yet, he still focuses on how the gospel is advanced through his persecution. People see the joy and hope he has even while in jail, and that speaks loudly to their hearts.

Paul did a lot of "advancing" when he was in tough situations. That is a great example for us, however we do not HAVE to be in a tough situation to advance the Gospel. Every where we go there are opportunities to seize in which we can share God's love. This is what we are called to do. There are all kinds of different ways we can advance the gospel. One example would be standing up for someone, as in the skit we performed. That may not be a direct form of advancing, but you may build a relationship that will give you an opportunity to share.

"A few weeks after that evangelist's flight, the names were released of the people who were on the airlines that crashed on September 11. The evangelist found that flight attendant’s name on the list. She had been on American Airlines Flight #11, the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center that Tuesday morning.

That Christian man was not in the midst of a crisis when he spoke to the flight attendant about the love of Jesus Christ. His life was not in imminent danger that day, and neither was the flight attendant’s. And yet he knew that, just as Paul was in chains for Christ, he was on that airliner for Christ, and took advantage of the opportunity to advance the gospel."

What are you doing to advance the gospel?

In Christ <><

**Story taken from "The Best of Times, the Worst of Times" article by T. R. Robertson.** VIEW ARTICLE

Wants vs. Wants

2007-02-20T13:29:00.000-05:00

I'm standing in the shower this morning and randomly I start thinking about goals and things I want to do. I have some big ideas. I have a desire to do great things in the ministry. Those goals are not necessarily specific, some are, but most are levels that I want to reach.

I want to be involved with an amazing church that is committed to growth.
I want to have a youth group that is on fire for Christ.
I want to be a great communicator.
I want to write a book.
I want to be influential in the lives of everyone I talk to.

I see a problem. Do you?

I want...

Those are not bad wants. They are true and genuine. They are full of good intentions. But still... I want.

Does God want me to follow those paths? What if His plan for me is totally different?

Today in chapel, our President, Dr. David Faust, introduced a plan that had been put together to "upgrade" our school. Its a great plan. There are going to renovations, constructions, deconstructions, and remodels. Some people may say, "The campus looks great and everything is functional, why spend more money on things we don't need?". But the point of doing is all this work is not for people to say "WOW, what a school!". The point is to influence millions, by teaching thousands. With all the new building, students now and in the future will be better equipped to "serve the church and shape the world". I think CCU is on the right path.

God is going to bless me with my wants. What I need to do first, however, is to give my wants to Him. If I allow my wants to be shaped into His wants, then I will be blessed with the desires of my heart. If I am going to be a true follower of Christ, I need to put MY wants aside. It is as simple as that. There is a small catch... God's over all plan may not be what you want after all. The good news is that His plan will undoubtedly be better then what you can imagine. Part of letting Him have control of your wants is to be willing to follow.

"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

Luke 14:33 (NIV)

I encourage you to follow your wants and goals, but make sure God has control of them. You will be amazed to see what will happen with God backing you up.

"I want God's wants for my wants."

2007-02-04T22:25:00.000-05:00

Dang it. ignore previous entry...

Da Bears

2007-02-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

So, I know that this blog isn't inspiring...or amazing...or even that interesting, but I think it should be know that......

THE BEARS ARE IN THE SUPER BOWL TODAY AND ARE GOING TO SMOKE THE COLTS.

Sorry to all my friends at my church in Indiana who are undoubtedly rooting for the Colts...but I have to go with my heart, and my heart lies deep within the city of Chicago.

Goodnight.

HELP

2007-02-02T15:32:00.000-05:00

So, I have to do an eight page paper and presentation on the topic of Pentecost. Does anyone have any ideas/resources I can use? I'm struggling here to come up with anything of major intrest. I could use pictures or video clips... ANYTHING!

Thanks...

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

2007-01-31T16:43:00.000-05:00

"If you sweat in preparation, you wont bleed in battle"

hmmm...

Got that from my Education for Adolescents professor. It makes sense when you are putting together a lesson for youth group.

I wonder though... What else can you apply that too?

Flee for Freedom?

2007-01-30T16:15:00.000-05:00

Why is it that people run from their problems? Everyone does it at some point in their life. They hit a "bump in the road" and feel like they have to give up and run away to be free.

This is what Cyprian thought when persecution began in Carthage. Cyprian was the Bishop of Carthage in A.D. 248. His job was to teach people the message of the bible and to stay strong in the faith. So what does he do when persecution of the church began in A.D. 250? He runs. They very thing He told the Christians of Carthage NOT to do, he did.

There is a story about the Apostle Peter doing a similar thing. Peter was in Rome preaching the word of Christ, but when his life was threatened, he left. Ran away from Rome and the people to whom he was supposed to be an example.

We have a special theme for this week here at CCU. Its "Mastered by Nothing". The verse to go along with that theme is 1 Corinthians 6:12. It says this: "Everything is permissible for me-but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me- but I will not be mastered by anything." The whole point is to no longer be controlled by the addictions in your life... it could be ANYTHING. Food, Porn/Sex, Lying, Cheating, Stealing, Tickling...ANYTHING. Now, talking about addictions may seem off subject when it comes to talking about running away from your problems, but hear me out. To conquer your addictions, you are going to have to face them head on. You cant hide them away and hope they disappear. You cant pretend they arent real. You have to admit to the problem then tackle it. No running away.

There are two points, which I took from our president's, Dr. Faust, sermon today, that go with this pretty well.
First, Remember struggle is Normal. It may be a struggle with an addiction, or it may be persecution. Either way, struggles are unavoidable. Secondly, Victory is Possible with God's help. You will be able to over come the struggles as long as you give it all to God and allow him to work in your life to free you. Even if that struggle means being persecuted for your faith. God will be with you and allow you and help you overcome. "God can turn your misery into a ministry, your struggles into strength, and your troubles into a testimony."

Cyprian, shortly after running away, realized the problem of what he was doing. He was running away from persecution... the OPPOSITE of what he told the church to do. He went back. Going back wasn't so bad. He was able to continue teaching an preaching for a few more years. He was persecuted though. In A.D. 258 he was executed for his faith and what he taught. But you know what he said when he heard he was being sentenced to death? He said "Well thank God!"

Peter, while resting the first night after leaving Rome, was said to have had a vision. In the vision, Jesus appeared carrying His cross and heading toward Rome. Peter asked Him, "Where are you going, Lord?" Jesus answered him, "To Rome to be crucified anew". Upon waking, Peter realized that his job was in Rome spreading the word of Christ not running from his problems. Shortly after his return, he was arrested then crucified. Sounds like a pretty lousy ending, but now He is in with Christ. It cant get any better than that.

Don't be scared of your problems. Don't Flee in hope of Freedom. "...Do not be mastered by anything." Trust God with your problems; allow Him to have control. Do that and you will experience more freedom than you can ever imagine. True freedom can only be found in Christ.

My new theme verse:

"Everything is permissible for me-but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me- but I will not be mastered by anything." I Corinthians 6:12

Welcome...

2007-01-29T20:15:00.000-05:00

Hello Person...

Here's the deal. I am going to try this whole blogging thing out. Ive been wanting to write recently and I think that writing a blog is a good way to get started. I am going to be putting all kinds of stuff in here. I hope you enjoy what you read... It may be challenging, it may be funny, it may be sad, or it may even be dumb. No matter what, I hope that in some way shape or form you are effect by what I have to write. Thats all I am going to put for tonight, but come back and check every now and then to see what is happening on my end of the spectrum.

Until then...