Good and Bad

Good News: I intend to start blogging again.

Bad News: I don't know when.......

Thats all I got right now.....

Since I havent updated in forever.

I havent blogged in a long time... I get that...
Check this... odds are I wont be blogging for a while.....
Suck it up....... Till then glean what you can from this....

Matthew 28:19

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

NIV

If you can, listen to the song "Go" by Christian Stanfill. Its on his CD "Attention" track 4.

I'm going to quote my good friend Aaron Peters when I say...

"You cant make an Impact without Contact."

Go out. Make friends. Invest your life in them so that they might have Life for themselves.

I Love you All, check back (not often but enough to know that I'll still blog some.)

"Purple Backpacks, Yellow Hacky Sacks"

So this hit new band is taking Charlotte by storm everybody should check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rawFmIkjYU

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Purple-Backpacks-Yellow-Hacky-Sacks/127073564371?v=wall

www.myspace.com/purplebackpacks

How Bad?

Last night I was sitting in the first InterVarsity meeting of the year. We hosted Kinetic Church's Worship team and Pastor. It was great. Pastor Dave had a great message but there was one part I wanted to share with you all in particular.

Dave showed a video blog done by Teller of Penn and Teller. Brief rundown on Penn and Teller, they are both avid Athiest who have toured the country doing a sort of comical magic act. They have a TV show on SHOWTIME called Bullshit! where their entire purpose is to expose fakes and frauds. (My personal favorite is when they shame PETA)

Well anyways back to my purpose in blogging. The point of Teller's video blog was to talk about an encounter he had. Long story short there was a man who went to their Vegas show and was apparently used on stage in one of the acts the night before. After the next nights show he was able to approach Teller and was very complimentary of the act. He gave him a Gideons Bible with a note written inside it.

Teller is a man who wants to disprove Christianity and show it as a fraud much as he does for many other things. He said that if Christianity is real and what Christians stand for is real then why arent they acting with a sense of urgency? How bad do you have to Hate somebody not to tell them something like that? "If you're about to get hit by a truck and dont know it, there comes a point where I tackle you, and this isnt even as severe as the consequences of not following Christianity." He said I'm not a fan of religious people but that guy that confronted me and showed that he cared. He was a good man, that guy was a good man.

So to end off this first short blog of my Junior year.....

Guy's we gotta start living it, we cant go on like we have been anymore, either we live it and tell people with urgency the Good News deserves or we just dont care.

The lack will continue much to the dismay of many

I havent Blogged in FOREVER, I know ok....... But I worked 44 Hours this week none of which were in the church office and havent been able to blog a lick. Next week I'm at the Beach all week Woot! So no blogging then at the internetless house. Sorry. Love you guys and hope to be blogging again soon when I get back home.

Youth Trip

So I've been here in Orange Beach since last Friday with the Youth Group. Its been awesome and I love it. That would be why I havent blogged in a while however I've been "in the field" for a while so there will be a good bit of blogging to be done when I get home. Might even put my message notes up on here or something. We'll see. Anyways I spoke last night, and I'm speaking tonight and tomorrow as well so continue praying friends! I Love You All!

*And any parents who might read this. Your Children are fine. I promise.*

Willing to Choose.

Exodus 2:11-15

¹¹ One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. ¹² Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"

¹⁴ The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

When Moses helped the Hebrew Moses chose God over Pharaoh. He chose to help one of "his own" over the riches of Egypt. Moses Chose to Identify himself with God.

You have to be willing to tell people about what you are, and if you're willing to tell people its going to cost you something in this world. It might even be something you like. In Moses case it was Status and Riches.

We've all given up something for the call at one time or another. But we've also ignored the call at some time or another. Don't ignore the call. Evaluate the cost but anticipate the payout. Because Christ pays out more than you'll ever pay.

No I Didn't

I totally didn't jack Hebrews 11 from Steven Furtick..... Just glanced at his blog for the first time in a week and realized he blogged on Hebrews like 2 days ago............

http://www.stevenfurtick.com/uncategorized/faith-is-substance/

If you don't get anything out of my blog. Get something out of his.

By Faith

Hebrews 11:1

"Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do no see."

Verses 3-10

³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ⁴By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

⁵By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

There seems to be a recurring theme here..... Lets look a little further in.

Verses 11-40

¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he^a]"> considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." ¹⁹Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

²³By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

²⁴By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. ²⁵He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

²⁹By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^e]">

³²And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

People keep asking themselves "What can I do with God, What can I do for his kingdom?" I would ask that you ask yourself this...." What Can't I do with God?" If you need more proof that through God you can do anything then I don't believe you truly read Hebrews 11. Glean what you can from it but it speaks volumes for itself.

For real the blogging will begin again soon...

I've been uber busy the past week and have neglected to blog. I should be blogging again soon after I get the kinks of the youth trip out of the way and am not running around taking care of Mom as much. Much Love and keep checking back guys.

Lack of Blogging.

So for the chosen few... I'm referencing those who actually keep up with my blog. I'm sorry for the lack of Blogging the past week or so. The reason being is because I've been out of the church office doing other work, as well as on a youth trip and maintaining a social life with those that I enjoy being with during my summer break. I promise I will get back to blogging Pronto! Its just not going to be till probably Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.... So sorry! But bear with me... Im not like John Bishop and I dont just up a quit my blog..... *low blow* I'm just kidding........ John probably wont even read this so really I could say whatever I want. Like that he immensely enjoys it when people call him "Hott Pants" and "J Nasty"....... Love You John....

No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regret.

The past week has been a very good one. A lot went down and I was running around a lot. I drove down to Charlotte Monday night of last week and crashed at my small group leader's house. Woke up early Tuesday and met John Bishop and Jared Abel for breakfast. Then proceeded to UNCC's campus, and changed my major. I ate lunch with a studly Wynne. I researched a lot of things in the library for like 4 hours, then drove to Carowinds to pick up some tickets for the youth. Took a Mr. Adam Shinn along for the ride and had good time of conversation. I later went back to my small group leaders house for small group, and got to hang with my boys. Love those guys. Then after small group I was sitting around with my Small Group Leader and decided I wanted to drive another 2 hours or so to see somebody very special. This is where the title comes in.

They didnt want me to drive because it was storming which is a valid reason. However I was thinking about it, and if I hadnt gone to see them I would have regretted it immenseley because I had the time, money, and ability to go see them crash and then hang out the next day a little. Again this person is very special to me, so I really wanted to see them. Yes I frustrated them and yes I probably should have just waited till morning but I drove on. I ended up crashing (as in sleeping) in Greensboro at a friends house. This was a blessing in itself because again this was somebody I care greatly about and I greatly enjoyed my ..... like 5 hour stay at their house.

So moving on, I got up around 5:30 and then drove on toward my next destination. I got there and was able to hang out for the morning and eat breakfast and spend some much needed time with this person. I then left arond 11:00 and got home about 2:30.

I tell you all of this because....

I Reserved no resources, I used every means I had (and then some) to get to where I wanted to be.

I did not Retreat even when that person told me to stay in Charlotte and not travel and that I could just come see them another time.

And I wasnt about to not go because of the Regret I knew I would have if I didnt go.

What does this have to do with anything spiritual?

Well in our daily walk with Christ we should live it out in just such a manner. We shouldnt Reserve ourselves we should get out of our comfort zone and love the unlovable, care for the needy, and pour out our lives into those who dont have anyone investing in them.

We cant back down and Retreat from what God has called us to do. We have to boldly go out and proclaim what God has layed on our hearts and live out what he has commanded of us.

And finally we need to live life in a way that would leave us with no Regrets. This last one is hard because we have to always be vigilant and open to the will of God. We have to be seeking opportunities and actually accepting them once they are presented. I was always bad in highschool to pray and ask God for the opportunity to do something, and then when it presented itself I would back down or turn the other way. Not always but I Regret it and wish I hadnt.

So my wish for you all today is that you would live life with no Reserve, no Retreat, and no Regret.

The Magnitude of what you Say

Magnitude: Extent of dimensions; size;

Yesterday morning at Church was a bittersweet time. It was the commissioning service for my friend and mentor Durl. Hes moving for at least a year and we had a commissioning service for him. During the first service I was given the liberty of sharing a 3 minute testimony of how Durl impacted my life. This was a very hard thing to do because he had done so much in the past 10 years hes been here at Mt. Calvary.

As I was sitting towards the back I started to get a little nervous, which is weird for me because I never get nervous when talking to people really. If you know me I like to talk and I'm not very bashful. But for some reason my gut was just wrenching. I didnt know why I felt this way and then it hit me. I fully understood the Magnitude of what I had to say. I was trying to compress 10 years of impact into a 3 minute mini-testimony.

I delivered my testimony after we prayed for Durl and Jaime, and it went fine. I hit very quickly on the big things that were very evident in what Durl had done in my life and for me. Of course with limited time comes the "Oh I should have said" or "I could have said" or "I wish I had said"s but the more I thought about it giving my testimony about Durl's impact was a lot like Giving my testimony about how God shaped and changed my life. That sick to my stomach feeling I had when getting ready to talk about Durl was the same feeling I used to get when I talked about Christ just on a lower level.

I started thinking shouldnt I always get that feeling when sharing about Christ with others? And the answer to that question by the way is yes. But how? I think that I should treat every opportunity with the urgency that I treated yesterdays situation. But first and foremost I should understand the Magnitude of what I am trying to say and the message I am trying to convey.

The Message of God is one that shouldnt be taken lightly. The Magnitude of the Gospel is so high that we should carry it out with the utmost urgency and care.

Share Your Father

Many years ago a buddy of mines Father passed away. My friend and I were both still quite young and I had about 2 years on him and I couldnt be much older than 7 or 8. Well a week or so after the funeral as you could imagine my friend was pretty bummed being very young and now without a Father.

That is when I woke up one Saturday morning to my Dad saying, "Brett get up we're gonna go out in a bit so get dressed." I got up and ready and then we set out to pick up my friend. I had no idea this was coming but we then went to Fun'n'Wheels which if you dont know what it is. It is a place where you can race go karts and such.

Well we spent a good hour or so racing. I drove my own car and Dad drove with my friend riding with him. It was a really nice day and we all had a lot of fun. It really took my friends mind of the situation for a bit I think. After we rode go karts for a bit we stopped then we went back home.

We dropped my friend off at his house with his Mom who thanked my Dad and I for taking him out. After we got back in the car and drove a little Dad turned to me and said. "Thanks for Sharing your Dad today, it was a really good thing you did and I'm really proud of you. You helped your friend out a lot by doing this." Now, no going to Fun'n'Wheels wasnt my idea and no I didnt feel like I did anything special but I did share my Dad when I could have spent the day alone with him I shared him with somebody who desperately needed a strong male figure in their life at that point in time.

You might be wondering why I wrote out this story. well to be honest I was driving tonight and I remembered what my Dad said to me when we had gotten back into the car and driven a little bit.

"Thanks for Sharing your Dad today, it was a really good thing you did and I'm really proud of you. You helped your friend out a lot by doing this."

It kind of made me think about what I would want God to say to me, and how I would want him to be proud of me. I started thinking about how I could go about giving God reason to say that to me and it reminded me of the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20). If I want God to say "Thanks for sharing me with somebody today." Then I need to be telling people about him in the first place! If I want to achieve this then I need to be living out the Great Commission.

If you're like me and want God to be pleased with you and say. "Thanks for Sharing your Dad today, it was a really good thing you did and I'm really proud of you. You helped your friend out a lot by doing this." Then you need to start living out The Great Commission as well. Take this nugget for what its worth but personally I'd like to share my Father with my friends who need him in their lives.

He Must Increase I must Decrease.

Theres something I've been running into over the past week over and over. Its best summed up in the verse John 3:30.

"He must Increase, and I must Decrease."
American Standard Bible

Another Translation Reads:

"He must become More Important, and I must become Less Important."
International Standard Version

Yesterday I was weedeating for a friend, and while I was weedeating I started thinking. What are some ways that I can Decrease and allow for God to Increase in my life? I think thats a pretty valid question everyone should ask themselves every day. It keeps you in check and can help you in bettering your life.

For me This might look like being a better steward of my time and resources. If you would let me, I could sleep 15 hours then wake up and eat and play video games for the remaining 9 hours every day for the rest of my life I think. That would be silly and there would be no glorifying God in it. So even though I dont play THAT much and sleep That long I should still monitor how long I sleep and not "sleep the day away". And I should take into moderation my gaming. That would leave more open time for things such as going to an 8th grade graduation for some of the youth from the youth group I work with. Or being able to wake up early and lead a discipleship group because I got enough sleep and didnt stay up all night playing video games.

We as humans have this instilled desire to promote "Self" and make "Self" Happy so we tend to leverage our time and resources to benefit ourselves. But like John 3:30 says I must decrease but at the same time He must increase. Evaltuate your life see what needs changing and then invest what you need to where you need to. God gave you Gifts and a desire, put them to work. Don't waste them.

Goals

In life you can do one of two things....

You can Progress or you can Digress.

I'm not the same person now that I was two years ago. Heck I'm not the same person today that I was 2 weeks ago and as a matter of fact I dont want to be the same person in 10 years that I am now. You will always be progressing your life or digressing your life in some manner.

I had the opportunity to sit in on a lunch meeting today with my friend and Mentor Durl and one of the Elders of our church Ernie. A little background on Ernie, he has been in sales all his life and currently does a lot of work with The Haggai Institute founded by Doctor John Edmund Haggai. The meeting was to talk about Durl and his moving plans but I got a little bit of info out of it for myself as well.

Ernie made the comment "In life you have to set goals. If you don't you will digress." he also made the comment, "How much passion is in your life?" I started thinking about people I admire and hold in high reguard and evaluated their lives a little. They all are very successful and its because they work very hard at the things they want and set goals and reflect on them daily.

Ernie asked "Do you review your goals daily?" well in my case no not really cause I suck and to date I havent set many goals. And then I think to people like John Bishop, Caroline, and Durl. Eveyday John goes to Elevations church office and reviews his goals as he begins the day. Every day Caroline thinks and dreams of the day shes going to be a Radio City Rockette, Every day Durl is taking steps toward raising money and gaining support to reach his destination in July. All these people set goals, reflect on these goals and take steps to carry out these goals which is evident to me in their everyday lives.

So if you're like me and you suck (that is in not having many if any goals and you fail at reflecting on them.) then evaluate your life and set some goals to start off with. Then review your goals daily. After that start asking yourself questions like "What are you doing better this week than you did last week."

Be bold in your goal making too. I'll end on this quote that I hope will encourage you in your goal making.

"Attempt something so great for God it's doomed to failure unless God be in it."
-John Edmund Haggai

Doubt

I had a conversation with Caroline about a year ago. It wasnt a normal conversation per say but it was fruitful for both of us. Caroline seemed to be a little down and being the nosey boyfriend that I am I pursued an answer. That is when Doubt came into the picture.

Caroline said "I don't know why but sometimes I just doubt God, I want to be as strong as people like you and Aaron but sometimes I just Doubt." That is when I responded and strongly enforced the idea that I Doubt sometimes too. This came as a surprise to Caroline, which was kind of encouraging because I guess it seems like I have it all together. (guess what I don't) Anyways We started talking about Doubt and how it can effect you. It can wear you down and tire you out.

We then started talking about why we believed in the first place and how we believed. The Verse Hebrews 11:1 came to mind and has been a big encouragement ever since I first heard it in High School.

Hebrews 11:1
Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cant see.

So if you've ever Doubted or are Doubting right now take heart in that verse. Sometimes having faith is hard but the best way to hold onto God's future promises, is to remember his past Faithfulness.

Also food for thought, before I was saved Satan never told me I wasnt saved, he never tried to make me Doubt. That only began After I got saved. Maybe its just me, maybe theres a connection there. But again just food for thought.

Great Healing

Theres something that I've been thinking about the past few days and that is about the Great Physician that is our Lord. It never really matters what I'm going through, but once I hit the brink of breaking or get (in what feels like) shattered into a million pieces I feel a peace that can only come from God.

I started thinking about the different times I've received this peace and in my mind the varying sizes of healing I'd received. And this statement occurred to me:

The more it hurts,
the bigger the wound,
the deeper the cut,
The greater the Healing.

With that in mind I relized that the more we are healed by God the more of a living testimony we become for him. Not only is God glorified IN our healing he is glorified BY our healing if we use it to relay the message of his great Love. Naturally he is glorified in our healing because he is the healer, but if we let others know of how he has healed us in our lives we glorify him by putting concrete evidence along with his message of Love.

He washed their sins away too.

So I've been faced with a few situations in the past week or two and they havent been easy and are far from over. I cant really go into specifics because that would be unfair to the other people involved but heres the gist of whats going on.

*Disclaimer* The person I describe here Isn't anyone I know but I'm sure it could be a real situation somewhere.

Lets say that I befriended a guy and for a good week he's seemed like an upright fellow (or fella as we say in Avery County) but then come to find out hes murdered someone. Now, my initial reaction is: Get away, stay away, and you live. That is bad.(not in every situation but in this one it is) My initial reaction is to go on the defensive, and protect myself which in turn I would bottle up and probably not talk to this person anymore.

At this point somebody has read and said "Thats a valid reaction you should protect yourself, and your friends by being defensive and not being vulnerable." Now let me tell you what you dont know. This man, this Murderer as society has labeled him wasnt a Christian when he killed someone. But now he is a blood bought saint of the most high God.

Does that excuse what he did and make it right? No. But does that mean we condemn him for the rest of his life? No again. While what he did may have been wrong, what he is now doing (which is trying to live a righteous life, one after God's own heart.) covers his past fault and I should look at him as God does.

The point of all this is, I know that by God's Grace I am forgiven, but I dont always remember that by that SAME Grace, so is everyone else who accepts it. I confess, sometimes I dont honor my Mom like I should. Everytime I dishonor my mother I might as well be killing someone, lying, stealing from the poor, or {Insert any sin here, try your sin because all sin is equal, even though we've developed ranks in our society}. So try to Love people through their imperfections, bad pasts, and shortcomings. It will more than likely be hard to start off with, but as time goes on I believe it will become easier and strengthen you as a person.

In Weeks to come

So I'm aware that I havent blogged in a bit. Yes my blogging has been as consistent as that of John Bishop.... which for those of you who dont know that is few and far between. But in the coming weeks I feel that there will be much blogging to be done of what I'm learning and such! So dont forget about me and check back soon!

Method to the Madness

So I've been going through Jeremiah lately and heres what kicked my butt the other day.

Jeremiah 3:11 “The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous then unfaithful Judah.”

First thing I did when I read this was take a double take. “Did I read that right?” Unfortunately I did and that was a problem because I didnt know what to make of it. How on earth could a group of faithless people (people without any faith whatsoever) be MORE Righteous than a group of Unfaithful that are at least being faithful to some extent.

I chewed that all day long and It was really kicking me hard. Then at last nights session in my track People of the Word I sat next to a preacher that was visiting with us named Collin. And at some point during Session we were asked to talk to the person next to us about how what we had learned would improve our bible studying skills. I said well I will be better about learning the context of what I am reading before I dive in and confuse myself like my reading that morning had. Then I explained to him what had stumped me and he proceeded to enlighten me about a few truths of the Old Testament.

First off in Jeremiah where I was reading he asked if I even knew why Judah and Israel split. I honestly had no idea that they were once one. He told me that after Solomon was king the kingdoms split. 19 kings in Judah and 20 kings in Israel (I may have that backwards so sorry if I do) ZERO kings in Israel were currently following God, 8 were in Judah. This explained the faithless and the unfaithful descriptions.

He went into a lot more detail with me in the short time we had but honestly it triggered something in my head. I need to have a method to how I go about reading God's Word. I cant just dive into something when I have no idea whats going on.

So in this little nugget I'm really just trying to say that you should have some knowledge of what is going on before you read or else you're lost and you wont benefit from what you are reading.

Year 2 Fin

So Im standing over my laptop with a chord in my mouth as I'm packing up my room taking a brief moment to say.... That I immensely enjoyed my 2nd year of college however it flew by. Im ready to start my internship this summer but I will miss all my Charlotte friends from School and Elevation! I Love You Guys!!

As for my Banner Elk Boys, Cant wait to see ya and lets get this summer started !

Forsaken

So I recently started reading through the book of Jeremiah. I got about 2 chapters in and started thinking and reflecting a little on chapter 2 which starts off titled Isreal Forsakes God.... Now this isnt the first time Israel has done this and it sure as heck isnt the last time they do this.... So I'm sitting here thinking

"Man those morons cant they freakin see how awesome God is? I mean come on hes sent prophet after prophet to them. delivered them from trial after trial and everything is fantastic when they are following him. Why on earth would they be so stupid as to turn their backs on him?"

Read back over that last paragraph. but modify it a little... Instead of Israelites put your name in there and read it a little more like this. Like always I'll be the example, your rereading will look a little different.

"Man Brett is a moron cant he freakin see how awesome God is? I mean come on Gods sent teacher after teacher his way to invest in him and build him up. Hes brought Brett through trial after trial and when Brett is following God life is good, its not always easy but its good and Brett is happy because doing the will of the Lord completes him. Now, Why on Earth would Brett be so Stupid as to turn his Back on God and fall back into a sin pattern or not be steady in his quiet time, or even when he goes back home this summer and after his Mom has her surgery not have a cheerful heart as he cares for her needs? Why? Gods Been so good and so faithful and still Brett puts him on the back burner sometimes. What good is that?"

I know that Jeremiah wasnt written to me or about me and that these were all faults found in the Israelites of the time, but I felt that the truths I pulled from it were to good not to blog about. I'm not trying to guilt trip anybody into going overboard with following Jesus, I'm just trying to say that if God really is this Awesome Entity we proclaim him to be (and he is) then why dont our lives constantly reflect it? and why do we continue to keep falling back into the motions of everyday life not being fueled by him?

Get the HELL out of your HOLY Huddle.

So there are few things that really get me going but I gotta vent a little on this one. Before I get started offending people let me put a disclaimer. *This is NOT directed at ANY specific INDIVIDUAL or ANY specific GROUP!!!* This is just something that in the future if I feel I have the authority to say so I will speak out against it and restore anybody that does it gently and with Love. However I wont let it stand anymore.

Holy Huddles, we've all got them and we find comfort in them and they build us up when used correctly. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. However if that gets in the way of your ministry or your fellowship it needs to stop and it needs to stop now. I'll try to pull some examples from different scenarios I've personally experienced so that you can see it from a few different angles in a few different settings.

To start lets get one premise set, in our Christian meetings whether it be Church, Youth Group, a Campus Fellowship, or some form of Church function (i.e. a pot luck or picnic or information session) we typically have some form of Ice breaker or meet and greet or games or something that the objective really is to build community, and through building community with the people there we build community in our _____________ <<<< Insert church, fellowship, club, youth group, whatever.

Lets take meet and greet for instance we do that at the campus fellowships I've been to, and my church back at home does it. So heres what you're aiming for...... Pastor or person directing the flow of the meeting says something to the effect of "Meet someone you dont know" or "Get up and shake someone's hand". Alright well lets pretend that we as Christians arent perfect and that doesnt quite happen... Lets say person in charge says their line and then this happens.....

(*Disclaimer again* I'm talking to myself too, if i were in a room preaching this to a group of people I would leave a seat open on the front row in the middle to represent where "I am sitting" to show the image that I need to learn this stuff too I'm no better than anybody. I'll also use myself as an example)

I turn to my right say hey to my Girlfriend because thats easy and I enjoy getting hugs as it is, so thats easy..... however I know her very well ... at least I'd like to think I do. Then I turn to my left shake Dannys hand...... ok hit the people in front of me and behind me, thats easy it varys from week to week but its still comfortable. Then I sit down.....

Heres what wrong with that picture if it didnt jack you in the face yet, I DIDNT MEET ANYONE! 5 minutes ago we had first time guests raise their hands and we said "Hey Thanks for coming out! We're glad to have you here!" WTF IS UP WITH THAT!?! (WTF - stands for What The Friggincrap and yes Friggincrap is one word) Now there obviously would have been a couple of people who would have gone over and introduced themselves which honestly is what I try to do but even that is a little shallow, we need to let people know we want to invest our lives in theirs because when they get that, understand that and, experience that they will want to be a part of what we are doing.

Honestly this is just a short blurb of something thats been eating me for about a year and a half now. So if you catch this, feel its valid, and think it can benefit your _____________ <<<<< (Insert - Ministry, Church, Fellowship) Pass it on to your friends or Church Family. Again this just a blurb and if you wanna know more about my heart on this matter email me JesusFreakDH@gmail.com and we can talk or if you're in Charlotte/Banner Elk we can do that in person but I know one thing for sure. I'm not gonna get to heaven and have God ask "Why did you want to be comfortable in your clique, when it would take a second of awkwardness to breakthrough to a lifetime of friendship and benefit?" Maybe its just me but I'm not into letting God down. Do us all a favor, and Get the HELL out of your Holy Huddle.

to be continued at a later date probably....

THR3E

So, its been a little while but heres what up. Yesterday I skipped the last day of classes with my friends Aaron and Kirstin. Sounds horrible right? Well it was amazing, we went to Carowinds rode roller coasters puked on people and Kirstin got in a fight and won! ok so thats all a lie......

In actuality we volunteered all day at an Event titled THR3E. It was hosted by Elevation Church and brought in 175 Church leaders and planters from over 20 different states. It was nothing short of Mind-bottling. (You know, like it has your mind in a bottle?) A lot went down in a 12 hour day and I took 10 pages of notes for just 2 of the 3 sessions. I'm a crappy note taker so I can only imagine how many pages good note takers took in there.

Anyways, in volunteering my role was simple. We had one rule really, which was Honor. Honor these leaders in any way shape form or fasion and do it with the Love of Christ. The day started out with a quick briefing by Elevation's very own Larry Brey. (He Loves loud (as in its very apparent that he Loves Everyone) :) I like him a lot.) After that a large group of us stood outside and looked on watching and waiting for these church leaders to show up wearing our THR3E shirts armed with notebooks, pens, and Krispy Kreme Donuts.

From there as we began leading people/groups in, we became their hosts for the day which meant we gave them a card with our name and phone number on it. If they needed anything, like oh say I dont know maybe a Big Mac? We would make it happen. (that did happen and I thought it was funny but we'll get to that part in a little bit) After we got them to Booth Playhouse in the Bank of America building we would assist them in getting checked in, and show them to the food or bathroom or anything they needed. Then run downstairs and start it all over again. I got to host 6 awesome Guys! (even got to tell one of them they had a little bit of shaving cream behind their ear, and yes I did this in the nicest most tactful way I knew how.)

After we got everyone checked in and seated we started session 1 which I sat out of and helped set up lunch stuff and move tables and such around. Had a blast just hanging out and serving with Elevation's Finest. I garuntee you will not find a better plethora of volunteers at any other church in the world. I was even reunited with some friends that I hadnt gotten to talk to in over a year because we go to different campuses and what made our paths cross in the first place was a student event Elevation used to do called "Pulse".

Lunch was fun the girls who delivered the food talked to us a little and one even said she would come try out our Providence campus. (a day of victory all around is what yesterday was. We really couldnt lose.) I enjoyed catching up with my guys seeing if they needed anything and seeing how the session had gone for them. Had a nice time running around checking on everyone and anyone and taking trash for them and just all around trying to see if there was anything that could or needed to be done for them.

After Lunch I sat in on Session 2 which made a solid 5 pages of notes and put a lot of insight into what I intend do with my life in the coming years. Who knows I may post later on what I've been able to flesh out and digest from these sessions in coming days. Later there was a break I caught back up with my guys checked in on them and did a little run through checkin on people and such. Then went in to sit in on session 3 was all settled and ready to go then I get a text. it read.....

"Scott wants a big mac...... is this possible?" so I text back... "Are you serious?" but before getting an answer I decided who cares lets make it happen if nothing else it will at least be funny and I can eat it. So I ran outside asked where the closest McDonalds was and proceeded to take Jamie's phone which I used as a GPS and credit card and run around the block searching for the McDonalds. well long story short after asking about 3 people and running around for about 10 minutes I got back and ran inside and made the delivery to which Scott was very delighted. Funny thing I learned after this is that Scott didnt even have a phone on him at THR3E he asked the guy next to him to text me.... thats hilarious. But I loved every minute of it and I wouldnt trade that day much less those 10 minutes for the world. (this story isnt to go "Oh look at how high and Holy Brett is [I'm not I promise but I love people so its pretty easy to serve them])

After delivering the Big Mac I got totally thrashed by Pastor's last session. It was all about "The Cost of the Call" and what it takes out of you being in the ministry. I'm not to the point where this is applicable yet but its good to know whats coming so I can prepare for it to better myself and eventually hit the challenges head on.

That in a BIG nut shell was my day at THR3E. I'll be unpacking all that went on for a while to come. I'm pretty sure it was probably one of the best days of my life. I doubt I will ever be a part of an event that will be executed as well, as powerful as as Honorable as yesterdays THR3E was.... that is unless Elevation puts on another event in 3 years....... Thanks Elevation for all that you do and like Pastor always says. "The Best is Yet to Come!"

The Harvest is Plentiful, The Workers Are Few....

Over the past few weeks I've been traveling across North Carolina a lot and in the past Month I cant say that I've seen the same preacher speak twice. As I've been moving around for various occasions such as the wedding I attended Yesterday here in Raleigh, Easter last week in Wilmington at my Sister's with my mother and my cousin and her fiance, and the weeks before either being in Charlotte for Elevation or volunteering with Motion, I have (as you could imagine) seen many people and done a lot of things.

The reoccuring theme that keeps coming to my head though as I see so many different people in so many different places is The Harvest is Plentiful, The Workers Are Few....

Luke 10:1-8

[1] After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. [2] He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. [3] Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. [4] Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

[5] "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' [6] If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. [7] Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. [8] When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you."

With this theme reoccuring in my head I also started to wondering about what God would have me do with my life and where he would have me live it, such as when I am done with college where am I going to go?

Home? I dont think so at first personally (sorry Mom).

Stay in Charlotte? Maybe... I do enjoy Elevation but theres no designated Ministry for what I want to do really.

Seminary? Sounds cool but where?

And then I started thinking. The Harvest is plentiful the Workers are Few. And (though not audible) God kinda told me through the voice in my head, I'll use you wherever you are and whatever you do. The Harvest is plentiful anywhere you go so be my worker and reap the harvest. So through the coming years I intend to do God's work "as I go" and I look foward to seeing where I end up.

Recap on last night

So last night for those of you who don't know, Intervarsity hosted Mack Brock for Worship and Nick Cook brought the word. It was nothing short of Epic. It brought in a nice crowd to Woodward 106 and already some new people have dedicated to come back to IV Next week! (WooHoo You Guys Rock!)

If you missed it, heres what Mack and his Buddy James laid down for us.

Set 1:
Glory To God
To Know Your Name (chorus only)
A Reprise
How He Loves

Set 2:
Savior King
Mighty To Save
You are Holy (chorus only)

Then Nick bringin the word preached his sermon on:
"Synergy Within The Ministry Breeds Unity Within The Body:.. A Recipe For a Radical Revolution." Base Scripture 1 Cor 12 (However it didnt stop there, I don't think I've ever heard so many bible pages turning at IV.)

Again it was a great night for Worship fun and fellowship. Hope everyone who came out enjoyed it. And next semester we're gonna do it again! So if you missed it you get another shot and if you came, get pumped cause round 2 is next semester!

The Barbarian Way

When I was a senior in High School I read this book by Raphael Erwin McManus. It was titled "The Barbarian Way" and it changed my life for the time being. However its hard to maintain good change these days. I was looking through my old Bible a while back and found some note cards I wrote on. They reminded me of some values I gleaned from the book and reminded me of honestly how crappy a Christian I've been lately. The whole purpose of being a barbarian is having a raw untamed faith that lets God work in and through you. Neither of which I have been doing efficiently if at all as of late.

So heres a few of the things I'm relearning and trying to re-implement into my life.

The Barbarian Way is about Love, Intimacy, Passion, and Sacrifice.

Barbarians Love to live and live to Love.

Barbarians are guided by the wind of God and Ignited by the Fire of God.

"Unleash the Untamed Faith within, live life The Barbarian Way."

"Fight for the Heart of your King!"

"Live Life with no Reserve, no Retreat, and no Regret."

Have an "Untamed Primal Faith."

"Dont just be a Believer, be an Experiencer."

"Being a Disciple was never intended to be the equivelent of being molded into a steriotype"


I hope that these little nuggets will either encourage you in your life, or encourage you to buy the Book "The Barbarian Way" its a good read. Definately worth your money.

If God Isnt in it Get the Hell Out!

It's kind of self explanitory. Pastor Furtick said it a week ago from yesterday in his sermon. And I could give you this sweet paraphrase that correlates to it and explains it like Pastor did, however I'd advise you watch if for youself. its a good one.

http://www.elevationchurch.org/mediaPlayer.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elevationchurch.org%2F

Fruits of Labor

I thought I would just share this with all of you that read my blog. This is an email from a girl that went to Disciple Now this past weekend and I thought it was pretty cool. The premise for me posting this is even if you play a very small part in something everybodys input adds up in the end and the payoff can be amazing and impactful.

Dear all,
Last night, the night of March 21st, 2009, something huge happened to
me. I
was on a church retreat called Disciple Now. We were in a service and it
was
very dark and I was thinking,"Why is it so dark in here?" Suddenly the
service started and a song started playing. Usually, I don't participate
or
sing at all in church services, but suddenly I found myself singing and
crying for joy. I was just so moved. I saw God in that service. When the
service was over, we went outside to have a bonfire. Our youth minister,
Mr.
Jim Scott, was talking about how to accept Jesus Christ as our savior.
We
were praying, and he said, "If you want to accept Jesus Christ right now
as
your Savior, make eye contact with me." Suddenly, I felt the presence of
God
rise in me. I made eye contact with Mr. Jim, and boy was he happy. He
hugged
me and said, "Welcome to our family." My life has changed so much in
just
one day, and I just feel so overcome with the greatness of our Savior
Jesus
Christ. My heart was moved, and now my life will revolve around our
Savior.
I will go to Youth Group, pray, and try to show as many people as I can
that
God is great! I encourage all of you to go out and try church. Jesus is
the
reason you are on this Earth. He is so great and it is just so wonderful
to
have him here with you.
With Jesus, you are never alone.
Amen.
With Love

I took her name out just for privacy purposes but this is very real and from a very young girl. God can work in many ways. "The Harvest is plentiful the Workers are few." Luke 10:2

Disciple Now

This weekend I had the awesome opportunity to go up to Greensboro NC with a group of College friends to help lead small groups for an event many of you may have heard of called Disciple Now. I had co-leader Trent, and a group of 5 awesome guys that were ready to learn and just overall happy to be there. I prayed for them all last week leading up to the moment I met them and even after the event I'm going to continue praying for them. They took in a lot of info in 4 sessions which were based off of Joshua's Life and the things he dealt/struggled with.

Last night we had a bon fire with worship and a brief alter call kind of deal with the youth pastor. Emotions were high and I was glad to be part of a group that got to watch as 7 students accepted Christ into their lives for the first time. Now I've seen it happen before, time and time again really but its always a joyous occasion to welcome in new Family members :D Overall it was a good weekend and this was just a small recap.

Sometimes I Fail ... (I guess this is my first FailBlog)

A good friend of mine, and hugely influencial mentor in my life through Middle and High School once said... "Brett, how can you be faithful in the big things if you cant be faithful in the little things?" I replied "I dont know."

That being said lets reflect on the little things for a minute. What are the little things?(keep in mind that the little things can also be very big) Reading your bible, prayer, going to church regularly, etc etc.... Well what are the big things? Planting a Church, Leading people to Christ, Revolutionizing your school...

I'm gonna share something... Last night at the 6 pm worship service for Elevation (www.elevationchurch.org) I was sitting maybe 5 or 6 rows back on the right side. Pastor was Preaching and doing quite well if I do say so myself when he said.... "I want someone to come up here and read this passage." (note theres around 1000 people in the auditorium at this point it is a packed house.) At that instant my heart started BURNING I was like I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to do that. A second or two more and I see in my peripheral vision about 20 hands shoot up some people actually jumping up and down... but Pastor wasnt looking at them. I looked up and made eye contact and we maintained this Dead Lock of Eye Contact for what I counted in my head a good 3-5 seconds but sempt like an eternity. I was being stared down by Pastor Furtick, my heart was Burning and I knew what I was supposed to do.....

This is the part of the story where I would love to say "so I raised my hand went up on stage read the passage from James and because of my faithfulness 8000 people in the 900 seat auditorium got saved"...... however it didnt quite go down like that..... I choked. I froze. I couldnt move, breathe, or think, much less raise my hand walk up and then speak in a clear voice.

So I sat there I stared at Pastor and after a brief few seconds he looked away... He didnt show any hint of dissapointment however there had to be some underlying. I know how long we made eye contact and I know he was looking at me..... (I mean Im 6'5 Im a focal point in any audience, I garuntee he was looking at me.)

So he then turned picked someone else and I sat there for the rest of the night kicking myself. "Why on earth couldnt I move?".... Today however I've been evaluating my life as I frequently do and it dawned on me. "How can you be faithful in the Big Things (Like reading in front of a big Church) if you cant be faithful in the small things?(reading your bible praying and overall being a good steward of your time.)"

Are there any BIG opportunities that passed you by because you didnt have the faith to act because you're activity in the SMALL things was lacking?

The Beach

So I'm at the beach this week visiting my Sister! *cheers of joy* I'm excited and ready to relax a little. I have my zune, my books (the bible being among them of course :D) and my beautiful Girlfriend. So all that being said If I dont blog say.... at all this week. Forgive me. I will pick up pronto hopefully with some good insightful things later on. I Love you all.

Perseverance

James 1:2-4

2. Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3. because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

4. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.

This is short sweet and to the point, and Its what I'm learning to do. Pastor Furtick is currently talking about "The Dip" ( http://www.elevationchurch.org/mediaPlayer.php ) which refers to our trails in life. Persevere and push through "The Dip" it will develop your abilities to do God's will, and as Pastor said Sunday, "On the other side of The Dip lies Victory." I dont know about you but I enjoy Victory. Thats something to get excited about, and when you're in The Dip, or look back on it you might even "Consider it Pure Joy"

Book List

I'm back in my hometown till Saturday Night so I'm taking this quick break I'm starting my recommended book list.....

- "The Barbarian Way" Its by Erwin McManus, and its about having an untamed "barbaric" (in a good way) faith.

- "Seizing your Divine Moment" also an expanded, revised, and retitled (is that a word?) more recently to be titled "Chasing Daylight" by Erwin McManus.

- "Wild at Heart" By John Eldridge, A kind of live your life to the fullest book but very impactful.

- "The Myth about a Christian Nation" by Gregory Boyde. I'm currently reading and its very good and whether or not you agree with the author it at least makes you think and evaluate what you label as "Christian". For the record when he preached a sermon series at his church about the premis he wrote the book on, I believe a tenth of his congregation left, but he says hes more concerned with the Truths of God, than your happiness. (again a hard read no necesarily for its pages but the things it makes you think about.)

- "I Sold my Soul on Ebay" by Hemant Mehta. Very good book changed my life in how I think about Church and reaching the unsaved. A definite must read for any Church leader or anyone that wants to reach others for the Kingdom.

-"A Man After God's Own Heart" by Jim George, another I'm currently reading through. Shows great principles for being a man of God.

*More to come but I'm at home and dont have my books here with me.*

If I'm not Writing. I'm not Learning.

The concept is simple. If I'm not avidly seeking to expand my knowledge then theres no way I could write on it. So that very well means that if this blog goes a month without being updated maybe I'm just incredibly busy, but more than likely I'm just not in the word. Or I dont have my whole heart in it. and hopefully if thats happening theres somebody heckling me till I get back into the game.

You may not "Blog" I do just because it works for me. I dont journal or anything like that because I feel it kind of senseless to writing something in a book because it just sits there. If I blog at least I get to hit send and its going somewhere. So this might not seemingly apply to you but maybe blogging isnt your thing, but I would encourage you to take notes or have a prayer journal or just journal in general to look back on what you've been learning so you can re-apply it later on.

Also make sure you have someone or multiple people to hold you accountable for your quiet time and your personal life. Aaron Peters keeps me in pretty good line when it comes to my personal life and though we're both a little shaky on reminding each other to be in the word we at least still remind each other. Caroline keeps me in line the rest of the time when it comes to school work and anything else for that matter. Its good to have accountability in your life as well.

And for the record I have just been busy the past week with tests and such. I've been reading more into "A Man After God's Own Heart" and I restarted reading (because I hadnt picked it up in so long) "The Myth about a Christian Nation". Both good reads so far. Maybe later on in the week I will post a book list of good books I've read. (I say that like I read a book a week or something.... I dont but I have read a few good ones.)

Worship

Last night I led Worship. This was the first time I had led Worship for Intervarsity in over a year. I had my reasons for stopping last year and was a little skeptical about doing it at first when my friend Aaron asked. However it went off without a hitch (Thank Jesus....) and the best part is I kept my eyes closed so I didn't have to look at anyone the entire time. Really it was great.

But seriously the basis for this post is to encourage people to go out and do things that they don't do anymore. I used to really enjoy leading worship but its been over a year since I really exercised it and when I finally did again I was reminded of my love for it.

So if there's something you used to love doing that for whatever reason you just don't do it anymore. Pick it back up and give it another try, even if you're nervous it couldn't hurt. I mean if you used to love it why shouldn't you still feel the same way?

Spiritual Growth

I'm kind of stealing this from the book I'm reading through with my small group, its called "A Man After God's Own Heart."

"Just as water is the only thing that can relieve thirst in the desert, the provision of God's Word is the only thing that can satisfy our spiritual thirst. It's the only thing that can give us encouragement in times of trial and direction for our busy lives."

-Jim George

Why should we Grow?

"We naturally tend to consider it a tragedy when somone doesnt physically grow. but equally tragic is a Christian who is not growing spiritually or whose spiritual growth has been stunted."

-Jim George

2 Peter 3:18 - "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

And isnt it Human nature to try to "better" ourselves overall?


How Do We Grow?

First off, Seek God.
-Be in the Word.(yea thats hard I know I suck at it too.)
-Obey his commands.(.... ditto....)

In the Bible Growth is a naturally occuring By-Product of walking with God. I don't really see how someone who was walking intentionally with God wouldn't have growth.

At first glance yea the Bible may seem like any ordinary book. its got pages.... black ink, (and no the red ink doesnt make it special ... well not in the point I'm trying to drive home but you get what I'm sayin...) and white paper. However what makes the Bible different and special is that it is:

1: The Word of God, which would make it the best possible way to learn the ways of God.
2 Timothy 3:16 - "All scripture is God-Breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in rightousness."

2: Perfect. Psalms 19:7 - "The law of the LORD is Perfect."

3: Alive. Hebrews 4:12 - "For the Word of God is Living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joins and marrow; it judges the thoughs and attitudes of the heart."


In closing we need to be growing spiritually because when we become spiritually stagnant we shallowly root ourselves which slowly but surely chokes us and leaves us thirsting and starving. So in a pathetic attempt to fill it we put things that are not Christ oriented in our lives which leech the very life out of us.

Do yourself a favor and don't be leeched dry. It's a bad place and I don't intend to go back.

Wear Your Own Armor.

*This may be a little rough around the edges, I'll smooth it out later when I have more time and sleep.*

1 Samuel:38-40

"38: Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39: David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. 'I cannot go in these,' he said to Saul. 'Because I am not used to them.' So he took them off."

I was reading a book the other day for my Liberal Studies class on European History between 1400-1800. The book is titled "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli and in a short sentence it is summed up as, "How to dominate a principality and maintain it should you go conquesting....." It came to a section of the book where the writer referenced David, and Saul. He spoke of the instance above where Saul offered David his armor, yet it was to big and not suited for David so he didn't use it.

He went on to make a parallel to war and types of troops you should have to fight your battles. He claimed that Mercenaries, and Auxiliary troops are what you should use if you want to lose.... (Those being hired troops, with no bond to the country, land, or city state they have been brought in to defend.) These types of troops are only so effective because in times of peace, "yea sure I'll join your army for a nice pay check every week.", but first sign of war and they "peace out." And if you were to succeed in your conquest and obtain what you are driving for then how long will it be before somebody turns them against you, or they desert?

At this point I'm sure you're wondering.... what on earth does that have to do with David and Goliath? well its this, if an aspiring leader wants to accomplish something with war, Niccolo writes that he is best off using his own countrymen. Or weapons that he is used to, that wont betray him because of common interest. When David put on Saul's armor that was "foreign" to him it was big on him it was uncomfortable it hindered his ability to act on the task at hand. So David said "No, I'm gonna use what God gave me" which in this case was Grace, Blessings, a sling, some rocks, and the ability to slay things which quite frankly no kid should be slaying. (earlier on David tells Saul of how he had killed a Lion, and a Bear while watching his sheep.)

Let me finish bringing this full circle. When God made you he had some very distinct features that he made a little more dominant than others. These features, or abilities, or in the context I'm relating them to "weapons/armor/equiptment" are what you have to work with.

I have a good base knowledge of scripture, I grew up in the Church and I was discipled all through High school by my youth pastor Durl, and now I'm continuing that with my meetings with John Bishop. You however might not have a strong scriptural base, but you might be really good at encouraging or nurturing.

When God puts a "Goliath" in your life say a friend is mourning a loss. YOUR gift of nurturing would be very effective because that person needs to know somebody cares and is there for them, my scripture base could potentially help but honestly if you came to me after Dad died and said "4th John such and such says that God did this for a reason...." I probably would have hit you in the mouth. (Not saying anyone would or did that)

Ultimately what I'm trying to get at is this. Wear Your Own Armor, David didn't wear Saul's armor because He wasnt used to it. And quite frankly had he worn it he would have been mauled and wouldn't have lived to be King. Use the gifts God hand crafted specifically for you to benefit his Kingdom. Because if you try to use "foreign" weapons/armor/equipment theres potential you are setting yourself up for failure.

Sorry for this being so lengthy but Thank you for reading.

Stereotypes

I'm sitting here in my Special Education class, and the teacher is talking about Stereotypes. Since I'm ADHD I started to think about stereotypes of the church..... This reminded me of a 4 part sermon series that a church in Raleigh, NC once did about misconceptions of Jesus check out the videos if you havent already. They're quite comical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDSj8sv0uKs (*Notice* These are misconceptions of Jesus he isn't like that.)

The videos speak volumes about multiple different views people have of Jesus, which insto-facto (no thats not a real term, and yes I stole it from a movie.) can lead people to believe things about the church that are far from true.

It was funny yesterday, I walked by a table that was set up on campus and they handed me a flyer, and I just so happened to have about 8 Elevation Party Bus cards with me in my backpack so I made a trade.... I took their flyer and gave them all my Party Bus cards the 3 girls looked over a card and put the rest on the end of their table. The girls were also kind of taken off guard that someone would be so outgoing and nice about Church. They said "Thats a really cool idea with the Party Bus and even cooler that a church would support it. (John will appreciate what I thought next.) "Take that Devil." *moderate fist pump included* Elevation is breaking stereotypes such as "Church can be fun and cool." however its also facing stereotypes such as the "Megachurch" and all that comes with being huge.

In closing, I feel the Church has a lot to work on in a lot of areas but I think it would be wise in this world today to clear up some of the bad stereotypes that are looming over us not necesarily first but in due time. Because we need to eliminate some stereotypes in people's heads before they will even begin to listen to us.

Quick side note

In my desires to impress John, I also realized this. This man is a spiritual leader in my life now. I desire acceptance from him and I wish to impress him. This is a constant feeling so far and it has not ceased.
That being said, why on earth do I not always feel the same about my relationship with God? ... I'll say it again... Why on earth.... would I desire to greatly all the time acceptance from a Man, yet more times than others Fail to keep current in reading my bible? or even worse Communicating with the Creator of the universe?
Just food for thought. Its something I have to work on. Maybe you don't struggle with it but for now I do, but we're making progress.
As Steven Furtick said in one of his more recent sermons. "Between the Promise and the Product there is a Process."

Does the Desire to Impress cause you to Digress?

So, as I recently stated I have begun meeting with John Bishop the Ministries Pastor at Elevation Church in Charlotte NC. Tonight I was sitting in my Girlfriends living room reading over the first 3 chapters of Nehemiah again, and doing my "Homework" of finding decisions that Nehemiah made.
At one point I turned to Caroline as she was working on a paper of her own and said "I'm fairly proud of myself." After something had dawned on me that I don't believe many people would think of just generally reading over Nehemiah. I then proceeded to say...... "I hope John likes my answers." to which Caroline responded "I'm sure he will and I'm proud of you as well. (to which I smirked and to be honest was kind of full of myself for. but she didn't stop there...) Just don't do this for the wrong reason."(Pride sucks and definitely is the fall of every man..... but having a Woman of God in my life that "Gets It" is Amazing.)
This is where I kind of brushed off that statement. I mean there's no way that I'm doing this for the wrong reason. But the past hour or two I've been thinking and maybe the desire for this man of God to accept me might get in the way of what God has to teach me if I don't bring the desire to Impress under control.
So addressing the post title, Yes the Desire to Impress can cause you to Digress, if you allow it to. But it has been addressed, it has been set straight, and I appreciate the people that pour into my life.I'm very thankful for people like Caroline that speak truth to me, and I'm still very excited about my meetings with John and I'm ready to dive hardcore into what God has in store for me in these meetings.

Coffee starts off things Nicely.

So yesterday I met with John Bishop for the first time. Not gonna lie (and you can ask my Girlfriend Caroline) I was like a giddy little school girl all week leading up to this. And you can ask John, I wouldn't leave him alone till he set a date for us to meet. (which may have been pressumably earlier than he had originally anticipated.)

Anyways with all that being said..... We kicked off today discussing a little about Nehemiah. Now I dont know how familiar many of you are with Nehemiah but he was an ambitious and God fearing man I would dare say.

13 chapters in a nut shell, Nehemiah is cup bearer to the King. He recieves word of the current state of Jerusalem (the wall has been destroyed, and "the gates have been burnt with fire." The people have been scattered as well) and there are claims that he is the only hope to save it. After Nehemiah gains knowlege of this he pretty much breaks down and weeps for a couple of days. After this he decides that he will ask the king permission to leave, when he goes before The King the King sees how sad he is and asks whats up. (this is dangerous. The king can kill you. He doesnt need a reason and he doesnt have to be kind about it either.) But God softens the Kings heart, and the King asks how long Nehemiah will be gone. Nehemiah tells him and he lets him go giving him letters of safe passage to Jerusalem.

Nehemiah arrives at Jerusalem and well its just wasted to say the least. Nehemiah begins gathering the people who were once scattered and they begin rebuilding the wall. But there is opposition to this because many of the Nobles and leaders of the surrounding areas had grown accustomed to walking all over the Isrealites and Didnt like Nehemiah coming in and trying to fix everything. So they threatened him but Nehemiah didnt back down he upped his guard and pushed foward even harder. In all the process of rebuilding the wall took between 50 and 60 days. After that people begin to rebuild on their ancestors lands and they restored the temple, and when Nehemiah had gotten everything straightened out and in order he returned to the King as he promised he would. some time later the King allowed him to return to check up on things (this wasnt much later) and already the Isrealites were back to their old ways.(which is what got Jerusalem destroyed in the first place.) Nehemiah was furious and quickly put that to an end.

In all reading through Nehemiah has been a good experience. I've looked a lot at a man who God raised up to be an Incredible leader. A leader to such a magnitude that he organized and motivated the reconstruction of Jerusalem. A leader to such a magnitude that I hope to one day attain myself.

I really have enjoyed this book, I've also enjoyed my meeting with John and I am very thankful for his time, and effort in investing in me. I'm truly blessed that someone might see the potential in me that they would believe me worthy of their time. Thank God for those who teach the ones who wish to learn.