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.