The Narrow Path

Is This How "Adults" Act Now?

2011-10-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a trailer for a movie called "Young Adult". For those who have not seen it yet, the main premise of the movie centers on a woman who, after getting divorced, returns to her hometown to try and rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend, who is now married with children.

If by now two red flags haven't gone up in your mind, you probably won't enjoy the rest of this writing.

After the final seconds of the trailer played, the only thought that entered my mind was, "Really? THIS is a movie?" This is not a movie review (I haven't seen it, and take a guess as to whether I will). This is a post about how acceptable is has become in this country of ours to break other people in order to live the life we want. I hear it everywhere: radio, TV and movies. Enrique Iglesias' profane song "Tonight I'm Lovin' You" is based around a man at a club who is trying to cheat on his girlfriend with a woman he's been lusting over. This movie "Young Adult" centers on a woman who has no problems potentially breaking a family to pieces in order to fulfill her selfish desires. It's this kind of media that makes me angry to the utmost degree. These are only two examples of a poisonous ideology that is deeply rooted in our culture: infidelity is something to joke about, something to brag about and perfectly acceptable as long as you're not caught.

If you're rolling your eyes right now, let's look at some statistics from 2006:

53% of American marriages end in divorce
In 41% of marriages, one or both spouses admitted to physical or emotional infidelity
36% of men and women admitted to having an affair with a co-worker or on a business trip
57% of men admitted to having an affair in any relationship they've been in; 53% of women admitted the same
The average length of an affair is 2 years
74% of men and 68% of women say they would have an affair if they knew they wouldn't be caught

The numbers don't lie; infidelity is a huge problem in America. As you can see, even without looking at the people that HAVE had affairs, almost 75% of men and 70% of women in America WOULD do it if they had the chance. But how could so many people think and act this way?

Unfaithfulness ultimately stems from a mindset of apathy towards other people's feelings and a prioritizing of yourself above all others. There is no denying that cheating affects the person cheated on. Even if they never find out, cheating on them will affect your relationship for the worse. These negative effects are never portrayed in movies or music though. Infidelity is viewed as edgy, exciting and something that can be good and enjoyable if you can get away with it. This mindset is pathetic and destructive.

In the trailer for the movie, the main character confronts her ex-boyfriend with her feelings. When he shockingly responds that he's married, her reply is, "So?" That right there sums up a general attitude towards marriage that it does not mean anything. That is another post altogether. The point is that the concept of commitment has been entirely lost in our culture and it is destroying our nation one person at at time.

Isn't "destroying" a strong word? Maybe, maybe not. If you've been waiting for the point of this writing, this may be it: infidelity is one of the best ways to damage a person emotionally, psychologically and even physically for years after the offense.

This is the fact that so many in our nation won't own up to. If you were to look them in they eyes and bring to light the people they've left broken in their wake of self-gratification, I doubt they could look back at you. When you cheat on someone, you are taking away the one person in the world they thought they could trust. Even if they don't have loving parents, even if they have no friends, when you are in a relationship with someone, there is an expectation that you care about them enough to respect their feelings and there is an expectation that they can trust you. When that person stabs you in the back, the implications can be severe. They can develop trust issues and future people, good people will pay prices they shouldn't have to because of an incident in the past. There is also an immense pain in being betrayed by the one person you thought you could trust. I hope that this is seeming like less and less of a joke.

I'll pause to address some positives. There is grace and forgiveness, as with any sin, for those that have fallen, repented and turned their ways around. 31% of marriages in which an affair has been discovered still last, a testament to the power of true love and forgiveness. No one is perfect and I'm not coming down on those who fall and get back up again.

I'm coming down on those who don't believe they have fallen. I'm coming down on the two-faced liars who can look at themselves in the mirror every day and see nothing wrong. I'm coming down on the ones who are perfectly alright with breaking hearts and causing pain if it means they get what they want. I'm coming down on the ones who made a commitment to someone and don't take it seriously. The ones who don't have the decency or the spine to break up with a significant other but instead keep them in their back pocket as a safe option while they live a double-life of backstabbing. It's wrong. It's selfish. I'm tired of the media making it trendy and fueling the epidemic. If someone makes a lifestyle out of trampling over other people eventually they will collapse and they will live life alone, unable to hurt other people. Make the choice to live with integrity, take the high road, and sacrifice for someone else.

Men, be true men. Love ONE woman for your entire life. Don't be a coward and buy into the lies of the media; find absolute happiness, pleasure and fulfillment in the woman that God set apart especially for you. Women, if you don't know what you want, figure it out and don't play games with people's hearts. If you aren't ready for a relationship or a commitment, don't enter into one. God has high standards for us when it comes to love. The marriage commitment here on Earth is mean to model God's relationship with his bride. God loves us perfectly, is always faithful and always does what's best for us. All I want is to see a nation that values what God values: family, trust, honor and true, self-sacrificing love.

How Do Christians React To "Tolerance"?

2011-05-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Mostof the readers probably noticed that the word "tolerance" as itappears in the title is in quotation marks, the reason being that while mostpeople have a good sense of what the word means, it can be interpreted slightlydifferently. It's certainly a buzz word in today's culture and is preached tothe masses more and more as America continues to grow more diverse in opinions,practices and ideologies. Before I continue, this is not me pretending to knowthe answer to the query presented in the title, nor do I assume that all mypropositions are correct or sound. These are simply my thoughts on what I feelis something that all believers should think about; I've simply been thinkingabout it.

Toleranceis defined in the dictionary as "a fair, objective and permissive attitudetowards those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, ect.,differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry; a liberal, undogmaticviewpoint". At face value, tolerance seems like a very good thing and theonly right way to behave in society. When we think of intolerant people wethink of Al-Qaieda and Westboro Baptist Church; people that genuinely hateothers that are different, resorting to violence and terrorism to somehow provea point and advance their ideology. However, it is not always these kind ofpeople that are labeled as "intolerant". That is why I want todissect the definition and also look at what our culture's expectations arewith regards to the word.

Thefirst definition is pretty straightforward and really needs no furtheranalysis. Note that your attitude must be fair, objective and permissive,objective meaning that you have a goal in mind that you are working towardsattaining and permissive meaning that you must allow others to do what theywant regardless of differing opinions or ideologies. The next definition simplystates "freedom from bigotry". Bigotry is generally a very negativeword and is used as a label for someone who is stiff-necked in their ownbeliefs. The dictionary definition of bigotry is essentially "intoleranceof a differing creed, belief or opinion". This definition is circular butthe point can be seen. Unfortunately the word bigot is very subjective becauseit could be applied to anyone from a terrorist to someone who simply won'tcompromise their beliefs. I find the last definiton to be the most interesting,however: "a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint". Here, being dogmatic isportrayed in a negative light. However, the definition of dogmatic is"charaterized by or given to the expression of opinions very strongly orpositively as if they were facts". In our culture this is perceived as abad thing, and at this time I will digress for a moment.

Letme paint a picture of the country we live in. We live in an "I'm ok,you're ok" society. I'm not hurting you, you're not hurting me so let'sjust all get along. We also live in a culture that strongly dislikes theconcept of truth. Having a belief and sticking to it is discouraged (onlysometimes though, and I will digress again to come back to this). There is noright or wrong, there is only "you think" and "I think".Truth is bad. Truth is bigotry. Truth is intolerance. Unfotunately, this isn'ta fantasty world; it's the real world. You can't create truth. Not matter whatyou think that truth happens to be, you can't create it. It is already thereand you have to live your live around that, not the other way around. This kindof thinking is dogmatic and this kind of thinking is what's discouraged inAmerica. Actually, truly living your life according to what you believe to betrue is perceived to be ignorant, foolish and arrogant. Why? Because it'sconvenient for everybody to be right and nobody to be wrong. Without truth thereis no right and wrong. If everyone creates their own reality and no oneinterferes with anyone else's we can all be happy.

Thatis why being dogmatic is painted in a negative light. However, there is adouble-standard in place that I will digress for a moment to address. There arecertain groups in America that are allowed to be right and others that aren't.I will give a few examples. The ACLU is a group that preaches tolerance likenothing else but they only protect those they agree with. The differingopinions are painted as the "bad guy" and silenced. They said it bestduring the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers: "We mustchange the climate overall from one where abortion providers are vilified andassualted to one where they are honored and upheld as the heroes theyare". How is this tolerance? What about the people that oppose abortion.According to the ACLU, the whole country must change to accept this worldview.This is only one example of hypocrisy among the "tolerance" camp. Apparently,anyone who votes against gay marriage hates gay people. THAT is about the mostignorant and arrogant thing anyone could ever say, claiming to know the heartof someone else. I voted against gay marraige and I most certainly do NOT hategay people. I love them like I love anyone else. I simply am living my lifeaccording to my beliefs, just as they are. But why are they allowed to and I'mnot?This is my problem with tolerance today. I don't see it as what it'sproclaimed to be. For many, the word is simply something to hide behindand make people feel guilty into siding with their opinion. This is one way toview what tolerance means.

Here'sthe other view. Before I go any further, here is the worldview that I'm comingfrom. I believe that the Bible is the revealed and perfect word of God. That ismy truth and that sets the standard and the stage for my life. I believe thatit is the only truth. In our society, that makes me dogmatic, a bigot and, youguessed it, intolerant.

Howshould I, a Christian, react to my culture's demands for tolerance? How shouldI behave towards others who believe different than me? Based on my beliefs, mybehavior should have two main aspects present: the presence of love and the theunwavering of my beliefs. These two things can exist at the same time and thisis what many people do not understand. You can disagree with someone and nothate them.

Romans12:18 says that "if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceablywith all". Pretty straightforward. God's standard for his followers isthat they are peacemakers and that they love all people, regardless of theirdifferences. This behavior was demonstrated by Christ himself all throughoutthe Bible as a model for how we are to live. Romans 5:8 says that "whilewe were yet sinners, Christ died for us". That verse in itself sends astrong message of how while we were enemies of God, he chose to make us friendsof his. That is the standard for all believers. We are to love our enemies, andif we are to love our enemies, how much more are we to love those who we simplydisagree with? This is the presence of love in our lives. It is to be presentin us every day towards every one that we come in contact with.

Great!So that means that we agree with everyone and conform our beliefs to the world,right? Not exactly.

Scriptureis clear on loving others but the main problem with God and man is that we bothhave different perceptions of what love means. In America, love implies theabsence of conflict, at least in a general sense. If I refuse to change what Ibelieve to fit your beliefs, there could be no way that I could have love foryou. It's that "I'm ok, you're ok" mentality. Any sort of differenceor conflict is viewed as hostility. Claiming to "know" something isarrogant and living in accordance to that knowledge is insensitive towardsothers. This brings me to the second aspect of my relationship with others: theunwavering of my beliefs.

Notethe clause at the start of Romans 12:18: "if possible, so far as itdepends on you". This implies that sometimes, it will just not be possibleto be at peace with some people. At least not possible by God's standards. It'spossible to be at peace with just about anybody if you conform your worldviewto theirs but the minute that happens, you've just disowned your own. Godstates in Romans 12:2 to "not be conformed to the image of the world butbe transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discernwhat is the will of God, what is good, acceptable and perfect". This versethrows a wrench into the world's thinking. It implies that there are thingsthat are NOT good, acceptable and perfect. It implies that there IS right andwrong. And most importantly, it makes a powerful statement to not change yourbeliefs to fit the worlds.

Thisis the difference between worldly and Godly tolerance. The world doesn't justask you to be at peace with them, they demand that you say that they are rightand you are wrong, or at the very least, agree that everyone is right and noone is wrong. God says to live in peace with men but to never compromise whatyou believe. The priorities are clear. Yes, peace among men is good but ourculture has made it a god, throwing truth and anything certain out the windowto acheive it. In my worldview, God is God and everything else works aroundthat. I believe that we can respectfully agree to disagree and that is whattolerance means to me. But if you ask me to vote yes or no on something, I'msticking to what I believe. There was a time when standing up for what youbelieve in was a good thing. In today's world, it still is, but only forcertain people. Why can pro-choicers stand up for what they believe butpro-lifers can't? Why can those who want to change marriage stand up for whatthey believe but traiditionalists can't? Why can other religions haveprevalence in the public square but Christians can't? Because tolerance in ourworld isn't tolerance at all. It's name-calling. "You're mean, you're abigot, you're arrogant because you don't agree with me". Sorry. I live inthe real world, not a fairytale. I'm not writing to advance an us-against-themmentality. You're missing my point completely if that's what you're gatheringfrom all this. I will sum it all up in this last paragraph.

Ihave a lot of friends and family that believe different things that I do. Iknow this. And yet, I can say with certainty that I have the best family andfriends I could ever ask for. I have never fought with any of them; to thecontrary, the best times of my life are spent with them and I love them allvery much. I would do anything for them. I just wish the culture could be thesame way and I believe that it could be. If I vote no on a ballot and you voteyes, why take it so personal? It doesn't mean I hate you. It means I thinksomething else. Tolerance today seems to mean that I need to change to fit yourworldview. I disagree. I think it means that we can all be civilized and getalong in spite of the fact that we disagree. Disagreement does not equalhatred. You can genuinely love someone even if you don't believe the samethings they do. If I or anyone presents a different opinion on something orvote against something, call it dogmatic, call it bigotry, call it intolerance.I'm call it living according to what you know to be true.

Held Out With Open Hands

2010-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Lately I think God has been trying to show me something and today I think I've made the realization. It's been causing me to do some thinking and this is all that is: my thoughts right now.

The other day, my laptop completely died. It wouldn't turn on at all. I still don't know what's wrong with it, how much it will cost to fix it, if I still have all my memory or not or even if it's fixable at all. In God's providence though, it broke at the perfect time: right after I had used to to finish and turn in all the work that was due that day. That same day, due to my own stupidity, I jammed the CD player in my car. I didn't realize there was already a disc inside when I went to insert another one and the whole thing jammed up. It's since been fixed but at the time it was yet another thing that broke. Just this morning I realized that I haven't seen my iPod since I last used it, which was yesterday while walking back to my car from the bus stop. I've looked everywhere: in my backpack, in my car, in my room and around the house. It's gone. It got to the point where I was looking in the same places again and again even though I knew it wasn't there. The only thing I can possibly think of is that I set it on the roof of my car while putting my stuff in it and forgot about it. I don't think that's what happened but it doesn't really matter. The bottom line is that it's nowhere to be found and I don't expect to see it again.

From a humorous point of view, one would probably wonder what else will break or go missing. At this rate, my phone will probably spontaneously explode any day now without warning. You might be thinking how I was able to use the word "humorous" in a post about having no computer and no iPod. Well, I don't think it's funny but it's definitely not the end of the world. In fact, I distinctly remember losing my iPod on the bus last year. Miraculously, it was returned to me, but that's not the point. I remember how I felt. It sucked! I was really kind of sad that I lost it and I was stressing about getting another one. This time feels different though.

Yeah, my laptop is broken. Yeah, I have no iPod now. It sucks. But it's ok. In fact, it hasn't really phased me all that much and there's a reason for that. They're just material things. Even more than that, they're luxuries. Conveniences. Right now, I can only listen to music that I have on CD, in my car and in my room. Is that anything to complain about? There are people in the world that don't have cars and have to live outside. Forget about music!

Material things don't define my happiness and I think God is trying to remind me of that. I need to remember to not try to hold on tight to all the stuff God has blessed me with, but rather hold it out with open hands, ready to lose it if I have to. Will my computer get fixed soon? Yes. Will I get another iPod again? Who knows when, but yes, probably. But as for right now, all that matters is my reaction. If this is a test, I hope I pass. I'm really no less happy than I was a few days ago and I'll you why. The things that are most valuable to me in this world are the people in my life that I love and that love me. You can't put a price tag on a loving family. Loyal friends will always be there for you when your stuff breaks and gets misplaced. Shealin means more to me than anything and everything in the world. That's something that meaningless possessions could never compete with. Losing these things the past few days hasn't been fun and I really do need my laptop fixed for school, but it's been more of a positive experience than a negative one. I think about it this way. How often do I entertain myself with music throughout the day when I could be praying and spending time with God? I could be thinking about important things regarding my faith and school instead of filling my mind with song lyrics to the point where I've memorized more songs than Bible verses. Maybe this is all God's way of drawing my attention to that fact. He'll do whatever it takes to get our attention when he needs to and in the grand scheme of things, this isn't all that bad. I can live without all my crap. I can't live without God and the ones I love. If I have that, I have everything I need.

June 2nd, 2010-Romans Chapter 3

2010-06-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

The topic of faith once again comes up in chapter 3. The chapter starts off where chapter 2 left off, speaking about salvation being a matter of the heart and not about anything external. This theme is continued in the later verses, saying that the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law through faith in Jesus Christ. The law, however, still bears witness to it. All have sinned and fall short of God's glory and we are justified in grace as a free gift through Jesus Christ. We receive this gift in faith. What is the purpose of the law? We know that the purpose of the law isn't to justify, but rather condemn. We can't see our sin unless we have the law to condemn us and once it does, we understand the concept of grace and forgiveness. The law doesn't save us, it shows us our sin.

The end of chapter 3 starts with the statement that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. This doesn't mean that there will no works at all, however. It's saying that we aren't justified simply by obeying the law. There has to be a faith in Jesus Christ. The works of faith are implied in that. We saw earlier in the book that faith demands action. Those who truly have faith in Jesus will obey him and follow him. Those are not necessarily the works of the law but the works of faith in Jesus. It also says that God will justify both the Jew and the Gentile by faith. Finally, it addresses the law. Do we throw out the law entirely by our faith? No, but rather, we uphold the law with our faith. Once again, our faith will bring about our works of faith and hence our obedience of the law.

June 1st, 2010-Romans Chapter 2

2010-06-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Romans chapter 2 speaks to God's perfect judgement of man and man's inability to judge others due to his own sin. Only God is perfect and able to judge the hearts of men. It says that on the final day God will judge each man according to his works. Those that are patient in seeking for honor, glory and immortality will receive eternal life and those that are self-centered and obey evil instead of the truth will receive the wrath of God. It also makes the note that every evil human being, Jew or Gentile, will receive wrath and every person who does good, Jew or Gentile, will be blessed. This emphasizes that God is not partial to a certain chosen people any longer. Everyone is on a level playing field. Chapter 1 established that everyone has the knowledge of God. Each person is responsible for his accountability to the Lord.

The chapter goes on to talk about the law and man's responsibility under the law. It isn't the hearers of the law that are made right before God, but the doers of the law. Basically speaking, talk is cheap. Our obedience to the Lord is what matters to him. This passage also says that the law is written on the heart of everyone. Even those that don't have the law are a law to themselves when they work out by nature what the law requires. Man knows by nature not to kill other people, not to take what doesn't belong to him, ect. The passage finishes by recapping the concept: the law is written on the heart of man. This could also be called a man's conscience.

The final part of chapter 2 talks about hypocrisy, specifically someone in the Jewish culture of the time who boasts about how much they know the law and teaches others about it, but doesn't obey the law himself. In that time, the chosen people of God, especially the Jewish religious leaders, were sitting on a high horse. They found their salvation in their adherence to and knowledge of the law of Moses. They were circumcised, they kept the Sabbath and they knew the law by heart. They put all their stock in that. But there was often much hypocrisy in teaching the people and following the law themselves. Not only that, but they focused too much on the external and the ritualistic. They didn't realize that salvation was a matter of the heart. This final passage of chapter 2 addresses this. It says that if an uncircumcised man keeps the law, he is regarded as circumcised and vice versa. In ancient Israel, circumcision was instituted by God as a physical indicator of his spiritually set-apart people. After the new covenant, it was still highly regarded by the Jewish community, but God says in chapter 2 that circumcision is no longer a matter of the external, but the internal: the heart. The chapter ends with verses 27 and 28 stating that "he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God."

This concept shook up the religious community at the time. My lessons to be learned from this chapter are that I need to live consistent with what I know to be true because at the end of my life, God will judge me based on the way I live. The Bible says that if you know the right thing to do and do not do it, it is sin. I have the Bible, God's revealed word, to show me how to live. My job is to follow through and do it. Easier said than done, but the Lord promises to be there every step of the way.

May 31st, 2010-Romans Chapter 1

2010-05-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

In starting up my devotions regularly again, I decided to start with one of my favorite books, containing also some of my favorite verses: the book of Romans.

Chapter 1 is chock-full of important content. The book starts off with a greeting of the apostle Paul. It is emphasized in his greeting that he was set apart to spread the gospel of God in the name of our Lord, Christ Jesus, and through Christ Jesus we have received not only the commission to spread the gospel, each one of us, but also grace. Paul then expresses his longing to go to Rome, for the purposes of preaching the gospel, imparting spiritual gifts to the faithful and in order to reap some harvest from them as well. Something in this section struck me. I think the fact that Paul realized that he had something to gain from them as well speaks volumes to the importance of Christian fellowship. We just got done being reminded that Paul is an apostle; one of twelve men appointed by God to spread his message to the world. In essence, Paul is a giant of the faith. But here we see that even he has something to gain from having fellowship in Rome. This passage is a great reminder to me that the fellowship and building up of believers is so important because without that fellowship, it's easy to wander off the path and go astray. We need that encouragement and accountability so badly.

The next passage of chapter 1 speaks to the importance of the gospel and also the importance of faith. Romans 1:16-17 is a well-known passage that proclaims the gospel as the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes and that in it, the righteousness of God is revealed. It also says that the gospel starts and ends with faith and that the righteous live by faith. This concept of faith keeps coming up; earlier in verse 5 it talks about bringing about "the obedience of faith". Faith really is what the Christian life is all about; we really do live by faith. Every day we have an opportunity to go against what makes sense to the world and follow the Lord. That takes faith. We see the Bible equates faith with obedience and that is so true. If I'm not following God, do I really have faith in him? How could I? Why would I disobey someone I don't trust? If I really have faith in God, wouldn't I follow him without hesitation? Our faith in God demands action; faith is not some abstract, magical, foolish thing as the world makes it out to be. In theory, you can see it before your eyes.

The final section in Romans is pretty harsh but vitally necessary. It talks about God's wrath on sin. The gospel has two main parts: you're a sinner (addressing sin) but there's a way out (God's way of redemption). I notice that in verse 16 Paul covered briefly one of the parts, proclaiming the gospel as the way of salvation for those who believe. Now, for the rest of the chapter, Paul shows us the evil nature of humanity and how a holy God must have nothing to do with it. It says God's wrath is revealed to all the sin of man and that man suppresses the truth of God. And as if to answer to anyone that would say we don't know the truth, Paul writes that God has revealed himself to all men. His attributes and nature have been clearly seen in what has been made and that no man has an excuse. It goes on to write how man, even with this knowledge, pushes God away and follows their own path of idolatry and sin. Starting from verse 24, it speaks of how God has given such people up to their sin. That is a scary thought and at first I didn't know what to make of it. Even Christians fall into spells of disobedience but as he promises God delivers them from their sin. I think that the people talked about here are those that know the truth of God and his plan of salvation but reject it to stay in sin and that they are the ones that God has not called to himself before the foundations of the world. In any case, jumping to verse 28, these final verses of chapter 1 serve as a reverse role model of sorts, showing me what my life should not look like. It lists the sins of those who reject God, with a debased mind: unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossip, slander, hating God, insolence, haughtiness, boasting, inventing evil, disobeying parents, foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness and ruthlessness. The book finishes by reemphasizing that although "they know God's decree that those that practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them".

This passage really hit me hard because I can think back to times and see my life in this position: knowing the right thing to do and instead, walking the other way. For me the main thing to take away from this passage is that sin is serious. It's a big deal. I know that at times I've used the promise of God's forgiveness to justify indulging in sin. That's wrong and Romans chapter 6 addressed that very thing. The difference of course is the heart. Although sin continues to plague our lives, it is our adversary, not our friend. We sin from time to time but we cannot practice sin, and if we are there's a big problem. When I pray I not only ask God to help me love him more but to also help me to hate sin more. I want nothing of that old life and I thank God for that desire. Looking back on Romans chapter 1 I see how heavy it is with the gospel message. It really explores the depravity of man's condition and the consequences of that but not without mention of God's free salvation for everyone that believes.

What is love?

2010-02-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

What is love? What does it mean? How do you do it? Is itopen to interpretation?

All age old questions that no one knows the answers to. Noone in the world knows what love is. Only one person does and He is teaching us.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogantor rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;it does rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things,believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

That sounds like no feeling I’veever felt. We equate love with that feeling you get when you see her walk byand when he says hello to you. It’s a broken equation. The love that Christ proclaimstakes so much work. And don’t think I’m on some kind of soapbox. I’m the firstone on the sign-up sheet. I’d be lying to you and myself if I claimed I had aclue how to love like this. But gosh, do I want to.

I enjoy a pretty face and longwalks and holding hands just as much as any other guy but how many of us arelooking for something beyond that? What happens when all the butterflies areset free? What happens when life throws you a curve? What happens when lifegets serious? Are we just seeking out a lot of feel-good times that fade awayor are we seeking a future, something lasting? What does it really mean to lovesomeone else? How much do we love her without makeup, when her hair isn’t justperfect, when she first rolls out of bed? In turmoil? In struggle? What if you’renot the one? Do you love her enough to let her go? How many of us are in it forthe long haul? Is there a future in sight?

I swear, it can’t be aboutfeelings. It’s just not true. They sweep us off our feet like a rushing riverbut we always end up washed up on the bank gasping for air. In twenty years’time all of a sudden you find that you aren’t as hot as you used to be, youhave kids, and you’re settled down. What difference did all those feelingsmake? Sure, enjoy them, but live for them? Are they the end in itself? Howcould they be? After they’re gone, what remains? Something lasting? Does truelove fade with the color of hair and the tone of skin? Does it shrivel up withour faces or does it remain in our hearts?

I’m looking for something morethan what this world has to offer. I want something of meaning, to live forsomeone else than just myself. How much meaning does a life lived for yourself containanyway? Jesus Christ, help me to step up to the plate right now while I’m stillyoung and be the man you want me to be.

Shaken and Stirred Up

2009-11-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Matthew 7:21-23

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

Someone I know posted a blog post about this verse tonight and reading it impacted me. If anyone is interested, that post can be found here. I felt something shaken and stirred up inside me, as if something was calling me to action. I believe it was the Holy Spirit. This post isn't going to be long, and it's not intended to be weird, but I just felt something. I meditated on this verse and looked at my life and realized that my "Christianity" isn't even close to good enough. It's something I've always known but had seldom realized. Tonight, God hit me with this verse like a pile of bricks, so much so that all I could do was put my face to my bedroom floor and cry out to God to take my life and use it because I don't have the strength to give it away. But I want to. I want God to take it from me and use it for Him. I don't want to live a mediocre life. I want to bring my relationship with Jesus to the next level. I want to love righteousness and my Master, Jesus Christ, and hate sin and my adversary, Satan, even moreso than I do now.

I guess I'm sick of saying "Good enough". I want change. I want my faith to be shaken and stirred up.

The Unfaithful Bride

2009-11-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

My love, how can you look at me? An unfaithful bride I’vebeen to thee
I swore to love you and always stay, but when you’ve pulled,I’ve pushed away

My spirit is willing your way to seek, but my flesh is poisoned and weak

With my mouth I give you praise, but with my hands I disobey

My heart is wicked and full of dirt; my mouth is vile andprone to curse

My feet are swift to take revenge and my hands are twitchingto avenge

In selfishness I live my day; not often enough do I pray

I’m often selfish, rude, and snide. I don’t thank you when youprovide

Whenever I don’t get my way, I shake my fist and disobey

When trial comes I doubt your plan; I’d rather face itmyself instead

My mind is overrun with greed and in me vanity sows its seed

I spread gossip, trash, and lies. Other’s feelings Idespise.

I love the world and look like it too; they cannot see atrace of you

At the altar we shared a kiss, but all my vows have goneamiss

You’ve always kept me from attack, but I’ve plunged a knifeinto your back

I nailed you on a cross to die; my wickedness is all toblame

And as you hung there in the sky, I hung my head in piercingshame

I’ve done nothing to deserve your love; more like your wrathfrom up above

To take this ring off from my hand and toss away into thesand

To let the ocean swallow whole, just like the sin thatplagues my soul

I feel it still inside my spine, a weed that wraps its twistingvines

Around my heart and does its best to never offer my spiritrest

And strives to choke out any sign of any righteousnessdivine

It is you that my heart longs to love, but in temptation Ijust give up

And tunnel deep into the ground so that my sin may not be found

Among the maggots and the filth, all my sinfulness and guilt

Is all I feel when I’m away and cheating on you with thegrave

But somehow this is not the end; my loving husband, you descend

Down to me, your cheating bride. Regardless, you rush to myside

You pull me up from off the ground and slay the demons allaround

But I fall again at your feet, and beg my husband his brideto keep

I whimper for the thousandth time to pardon me for all mycrimes

Then you leaned down and held me close and witnessed mysincere remorse

You traded all my filthy rags for a pure white gown of grace

You kissed my cheek and calmed my fear and whispered softlyin my ear

That I’m forgiven yet again, and I feel your love comepouring in

A third time I fellat His feet and thanked Him desperately

For his immense amazing grace that saved a wretch like me

I had His word that whenever I came begging at His feet

He’d pick me up and sanctify me, and complete His work in me

He promised me that He’d be there until the end of time

And no matter how far that I strayed, He’d be forever mine

Jesus loves us; this we know. His holy Word has told us so

On a cross our Savior bled; His precious blood has paid ourdebt

He descended to the depths of Hell and laid waste to thegates

He kicked in all the prison doors to save the human race

As he reached down to pick us up we tried to bite his hand

But Christ’s love overpowered us; He had another plan

He carried us out of that place in front of Satan’s face

And all that he could do was watch as Christ walked out thegate

Through Him we know the Father’s love; in Him we arecomplete

Free from sin and death we now can worship at His feet

Yet sin still wages its cruel war against our frail souls

But in Christ’s strength our fight is won and we are notalone

Not continuing in rebellion that His grace might abound

But fighting the good fight of faith, pressing on toward thecrown

And when we draw this fleeting breath our mortal lives willcease

And we will fly up to the Bridegroom and His wedding feast

Free from sin and free from death, free to live with Christ.

Our loving Savior paid it all to save His precious Bride.

Ambition

2009-10-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

This week has been really hectic for me. Just finished up an exam today, with another exam tomorrow and another one next Monday. Homework doesn't care how many exams you have either, and sure have that too. But as busy as I've been, I've really been liking school. I'm not sure what my point is with this but I was just thinking about what God wants me to do in life and how what I'm pursuing right now lines up with that. Also, I know that a lot of kids are in the same position I am tonight: stressed, discouraged, and possibly ready to quit. Read on.

I believe the best that I could possibly do in life is to conform daily to Christ's image and share Him with the world, work hard as unto the Lord and avoid being lazy, and be a good husband and father. I'm only 19 and nowhere close to having a family, so as for right now, my studies are my full-time job. I believe that it is my Godly responsibility to work hard in life and make something out of myself, to bring further glory to my King. I am very thankful to Christ for all the opportunities and gifts He's given me. I may be busy but I can understand higher-level math and actually enjoy some of it. It seems like just yesterday I was in high school, not knowing what my passions were, and now here I am at a university studying physics, mechanics, and high-level math. Only in Christ's power could I do this. Additionally, I have a huge passion for music and if I had it my way, I would spend a good portion of every day playing piano because I'm terribly addicted to playing it. I think that I'll end up buying a piano before a TV when I move out. Where am I going with this? Kids, find what God has made you passionate about and run with it.

I am passionate about many things, but in the end I had to settle on something. Airplanes seems like a random thing, but a lot of factors went into picking my major. I want to have a hand in building the next generation of military aircraft that will keep our nation safe from attack. There is something breathtaking about hundreds of thousands of pounds of steel arcing through the air at incredible speed. Fighters are a marvel of engineering; elegant, yet deadly. It takes a lot of work to get through the aeronautical program and only a handful each year graduate. It takes a lot of long hours in the library, a lot of prayer, and a lot of ambition.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bragging about being smart or having a lot of drive. Everything you're reading is the truth but that doesn't meant that I'm the smartest or the most determined. I'm nowhere near the smartest kid in the program and there have been many nights where I've questioned if I'm cut out for this. I'm not a straight-A student like I was in high school, but I've realized that in this major, that is extremely rare. If you can get an A in Physics II or Calc III, that is really an achievement. What I'm getting at is this: there have been many days where I've felt like I'm not good enough, and I've felt like giving up. Kids, don't. If you have your eyes set on a goal, chase it. If God has set something on your heart, see where it leads.

You can do anything you set your mind to.

Determination separates those who succeed from those who don't. The next time you feel discouraged about school, work, or anything else, cry out to God and press on towards the goal. One thing that college has taught me is to rely on God in everything, even things we don't think He'd care about, like school. The fact is, He does care. Cry out to Him.

Don't give up.

Not Good Enough: Our Culture's Sick Devaluation Of Women

2009-10-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

This has been stewing around in my head since Sunday. I really hope it doesn't come across as angry, although I must admit, something made me extremely angry. I have been passionately against this worldview ever since I was old enough to have worldviews myself, and this is getting out of hand.

I was reading Time magazine at my grandpa's house, and under the quotes section was one by fashion designer Karl Lagerfield. Apparently, a German fashion magazine has declared that in the future, they are "planning on not using professional models but women with 'normal' bodies." This garnered a response from the designer, who said,

"No one wants to see a round woman."

He went on to say that people only want to see skinny models and that the only people that disagree are "fat mothers."

I don't believe anyone asked Mr. Lagerfield what his depraved thoughts were on women. What he said is completely outrageous, not to mention shallower than a dry lake. This represents only one person out of an entire culture that has made women into objects worth nothing more than face-value. The fact is, God is the one who created all of us, and the world can't take a woman and slap their own value on her. Some would say I'm overreacting. I'm not. This isn't about something a stupid old man said. His comments stem from an underlying worldview and sick doctrine of our culture, and it has to be put to an end.

Our culture is shoving a poisonous worldview down our young women's throats, telling them that their value is determined by how they look. These girls become slaves to the pressure to always look perfect: perfect weight, perfect makeup, perfect this, perfect that. The mass media chains them down and makes then believe that if they tip the scales too far and don't fill out a shirt to their standards they will never be loved. Please excuse me while I vomit. Not only are lives taken over, but lives are taken. Between 5% and 20% that develop anorexia nervosa eventually die from it. It is classified as a mental disorder and also the most deadly of all of them. I have compassion for these people because they are victims of our culture. If you tell someone something long enough, they will start to believe it. The way our society determines the value of women has become exactly like the Kelly Blue Book. All you have to do is enter in your height, your weight, and your proportions and the world will tell you what you are worth and what you have to do to improve yourself. This is what a girl living in our modern world faces. I see it everywhere, on TV, in magazines, and in comments like Mr. Lagerfields and others.

If you are a girl reading this right now, you have to know that this is not the truth. It is all a lie. If you have been fed this lie, read on. That makes all of you.

Your value is not based on anything you can see in a mirror. It is not based on anything anyone else can determine. It is not based on your personality, your achievements, your failures, your jewelry, or your body. No one in this world can tell you what you are worth. Jesus Christ is the one who created you, and you are made in his image. You are a human being with an eternal soul. That is what separates you from a beautiful flower in a field or an elegant animal. You are not simply an object that looks beautiful; you are a human being with a God-breathed soul inside of you. You are beautiful inside and out because God made you in his image, and he is the author of everything that is beautiful.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. Many of todays men have degenerated into ravenous dogs only seeking a piece of meat to satisfy their hunger. They only look at the outside. They care nothing about you and certainly don't love you. They only care about looks. That is all they ever think about. Anyone who has ever ridiculed you for how you look should be ashamed of himself. They have no idea what true beauty is all about. I am not against looking nice. I am not saying to have to neglect how you look. I am not saying that makeup, eyeliner, and time spent looking nice in the morning is wrong. I am not saying to completely neglect your body's health; it is, after all, a temple of God, and we honor Him with how we care for it. There is nothing even wrong with looking "perfect", by whoever's standards those are. I am saying this: none of that matters in the end. Don't waste your time worrying about it. It's not worth destroying your life over. The people that need help are not the ones that are content with themselves, it is those who believe that they are worth less because they don't look the same. This is the message: beauty is not an external thing. The most beautiful a girl could ever hope to be is to love the Lord her God, not conform to a twisted world standard.

Proverbs 31 states, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

The ultimate anyone can achieve in life is to know the one that created us. Jesus is the author and purpose of life. Don't waste another second of your life crying in front of a mirror because you don't look like a photoshopped, starving model. Don't spend another second of your life in despair at the hands of the world that tells you that there's something wrong with you. That is not what life is all about. One hundred years from now all our bodies will be rotting in the ground and will mean nothing. You have a person, a soul that will live forever. Live for Christ, not for the world's demands of you. The world does not love you. Christ loves you.

The world feeds us all lies, telling us what we need to look like. Girls are supposed to weigh in at a certain number of pounds and be perfectly proportioned, and boys are supposed to have six pack abs and ripped arms. Says who? The ravenous dogs? I don't answer to dogs. I answer to Christ. Don't cast your pearls before swine, because the swine will criticize them. Keep them to yourself and treasure their beauty. Don't waste your time trying to get the world to love you. There is more to life. Please know there is so much more to life. Everything you see around you, including what you see in the mirror, is fleeting vanity. It means nothing. Don't let society dictate your joy and your life. When you are fed the lies, know the truth. The truth is that God made you beautiful and He loves you.

I'm sick of sitting back and letting society call the shots. I'm tired of letting the world create an army of mindless drones with nothing to show underneath the glitz and the glamour. Men like Mr. Lagerfield need to grow up and snap out of their false reality. The normal women of planet Earth are not in danger of dropping dead of undernourishment and that is the way it is meant to be. Women of substance cannot become endangered, but the truth is they are in danger each and every day. The world is holding rulers up to them every day and telling them "not good enough", and it makes me sick because in time many start to believe it. Well having a pacifist attitude towards the culture is not good enough for me. It's time to stand up for truth and say enough is freaking enough.

Men, this falls to us. We know what the truth is. Preach it. Bring it. Be a light in a dark world. Stand up for the oppressed and shame the oppressor. Tell a downcast girl she is beautiful, inside and out, and that Christ loves her the way she is, not to make her feel good about herself, but because it is the truth.

And the truth will set the world free.

Regarding Capacitors and Electric Potential

2009-10-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Are you confused already? I don't blame you. However, you probably aren't as bewildered as I was earlier today. Bewildered might even be an understatement. But at the end of all of it, a verse popped into my head on the drive home, and my day wasn't totally ruined. You're probably even more confused now. Allow me to rewind.

I had my second physics exam today. Are the wheels turning yet? Probably faster than mine were at 3pm this afternoon. For the rest of you, I'll cut to the chase: I think I bombed it. Now for some commentary.

First of all, this is not me venting about a bad day. I have resolved to keep all things political, opinionated, and generally negative out of this blog. This blog is for me to share what God is doing in my life. Today, in the midst of a bad day, God appeared yet again to minister to my heart.

Anyway, I really studied hard for this thing. I knew all the equations, although I won't take the time to write them out here and spare you all some headache. I really knew what each one did. To find capacitance, you divide the charge by the electric potential. To find the electric potential, you take the integral from a to b of the electric field vector dotted with dL. For those of you who are about to stop reading, please don't; I promise I'll stop! Bottom line: I knew a lot of stuff going into this and I felt confident that I would do pretty well. But when I sat down and started taking it, things just fell apart. I really don't need to ramble on because I want to get to my point, but lets just say that I would apply equations over and over but would never get one of the multiple choice answers. So, now to my point.

Afterwards, I just really felt down about it because I knew I probably failed it and I have always taken school very seriously. Here are some of the things that went through my head though. I thought that I could either shrug it off, or dwell on it. If I shrugged it off, that would make it look like I didn't care about it, which I obviously did. On the other hand, dwelling on something that's over and done with would change nothing. Now, of course I'm going to look at the answer key when it's released, but I'm having a hard time letting my failure not get me down too much. Another thing: I really felt stupid. I know it sounds dumb because I know I'm a smart kid, but I really felt stupid. I felt like I should be better than this. I felt inadequate. I felt kind of depressed that I did so terribly and I guess I beat myself up about it. And so that's the scene. On the way home, all I could think about was "not good enough". Then a verse popped into my head.

1 Peter 5:7 "...casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you."

So I just prayed. I was in rush hour traffic on the freeway so I prayed with my eyes open and hands on the steering wheel, but I prayed nonetheless. I was just reminded that no matter how big of a failure I experience, I can take it to God, and perhaps more importantly, no matter how small a failure. I really appreciate God's ability to minster to us perfectly whenever we need it.

Today has since gotten better. I'm doing well in my other three classes and I just finished up some math homework for differential equations. I actually like that class. The homework has never been hard for me and additionally, I find it a little interesting. That reassured myself that I'm not as stupid as I would sometimes have myself believe. After all, God created math and physics. If he can atone for all of mankind's sins, He can get me through Electricity and Magnetism.

In Christ,

Jeremy

This Movie Looks Interesting

2009-10-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is going to be short. I do in fact have some stuff on my mind but I'm studying physics tonight for exam #2 tomorrow, so it'll have to wait. I just wanted to share this. Thanks to Mark Whiten for first posting a link about it on Facebook today.

This movie looks really interesting and I can't wait to see it. Personally, although I like a good movie from time to time, I really don't watch a lot of them. These more 'intellectual' movies always seem to capture my attention though. If you want to watch some more footage from it you can visit http://www.collisionmovie.com.

In Christ,

Jeremy

Christ Is Not A Fashion, Fleeting Away

2009-10-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

Those familiar with the band Norma Jean may recognize thisline. Indeed, sometimes it seems that being a Christian is a little trendy. Isay this because now, coming alongside the Christian community in the past few decades is the Christian ‘scene’.

Firstly, let me clarify a few things. This is not a postabout fashion. There is nothing at all wrong with being fashionable. This isnot a blog judging the sincere motives of believers; that is never justified.This is a blog that has this basic message: the day that following Christbecomes nothing more than wearing Christian shirts, listening to Christianmusic, and going to Christian youth groups will be the day that it means nothingat all.

The gospel cannot get lost in the sea of materialism andfashion, but I believe that in some ways, it has. Once again, I’m not questioningthe good intentions of sincere believers, but I feel that sometimes theChristian scene places too much emphasis on being hip and trendy. For example,I’m not saying that wearing a shirt that says “Jesus is Lord” is a bad thing,but I think there’s a difference between that and a shirt that says “JesusRocks” in Rock Band lettering. Not only do I find the latter somewhatirreverent, but I feel that it’s taking Christ, combining him with a currentfad, and then selling it to the kids. I’ve been to at least one church where Ifelt like the worship time placed more of an emphasis on the people up on stagethan on glorifying God. I’ve been to a few youth groups that tried too hard tolook like the world. I believe that for every retailer slapped with a Christianlabel that’s just in it to profit off of the faithful, there’s another one that’ssincere about God. I believe that for every Christian band that sells out andjust makes music for the money, there’s another with a message to spread. Wejust have to remember: it’s not about Christian stuff. That’s not where we findour identity. We find our identity in Christ. Our life’s purpose is to spreadthe gospel, not keep up with the latest Jesus trend.

There is nothing wrong with listening to Christian music.There is nothing wrong with wearing a “Christian” shirt, or bracelet, ornecklace, or whatever. Truthfully, it doesn’t really eternally matter whetheryou wear a Jesus Rocks shirt or not; after all, it’s only a shirt and nothingmore. But let that not be the attitude of our hearts. I for one don’t want togive the world that impression of Christ. To me, Jesus Christ isn’t a rockicon, my homeboy, or someone I chill out with on Sunday morning. He is someonethat I should worship everyday in reverence and obedience. Never forget that stuffdoesn’t make you a Christian. Flashing a WWJD bracelet at the pearly gates won’tget you in. Jesus doesn’t love you more because you only listen to KLOVE. The strengthof your faith isn’t gauged on how many Jesus t-shirts you own or whether youhave a Christian fish stuck to your car. When you die, you will be asked togive an account of your life. What did I do to further the kingdom of God? Howmany people did I reach out too? How much time spreading the good news of thegospel, and how much time did I waste trying to perfect the Christian look? Manlooks at the outward appearance, and God looks at the heart. Our heart is allGod cares about, and that’s all that really matters.

Jesus transcends time. The message of the gospel transcendstime. The gospel has never been trendy and it never will be. Christ was never afashion, fleeting away. He is the truth: timeless, absolute, and eternal.

Overwhelmed By Undeserved Grace

2009-10-01T23:25:00.000-07:00

I was sitting alone last night after everyone else had goneto bed, doing some work, and a feeling, a realization came over me. The samerealization came over me today, in a stronger way.

I was at school in Tempe, walking to the bus stop. It wasbeautiful out. I was done with classes. I was in a good mood. But nothingaround me had anything to do with it. All of that stuff paled in comparison towhat I was reminded of. God loves me.

God loves me. WhileI was still a sinner, Christ died for me.We hear it all the time: Christ died onthe cross for our sins. Personally, however, it impacts my heart the mostwhen I understand two things:

Who Christ is, and who I am in comparison.

Again, I say in amazement, that Christ died for me? I am a new creature in Christ; I amfree to serve Him all my life. I have been set free from the bondage andslavery of sin and death, which I 100% deserved to be chained to for not onlythe rest of my life, but all of eternity. But Christ set me free, and while Iwas kicking and screaming the whole time, He rescued me with strength, yetgentleness. He showed me who I really was when I couldn’t see for myself. Hesaved he who was powerless to save himself, from something that he never wouldhave desired to be free from to begin with.

Christ saved me.

While I was walking today, this truth overpowered me. Sure,I had always known it in intellect, but today, for a moment, I saw myself forwho I was in comparison to Christ, and that made it all the more meaningful andpowerful. For a moment, everything else faded away. My physics homework, mybank account, my dreams, my desires, and my cares grew strangely dim in thelight of God’s glory and grace in my life. I felt that I needed nothing else inthe world save for that, and I know that to be true. I could lose everything inlife, but nothing will ever be able to separate me from the love of Christ.

This is why I just can’t help but choke up during communionevery Sunday. It’s why I want to sell out to Jesus Christ. When I think aboutwhat He did for me, it incites an inevitable reaction; a reaction of obedience,devotion, and contentment.

Today I not only felt a feeling of extreme gratefulness, butalso of contentment. I am genuinely satisfied and content with where I’m at inlife right now, because I am experiencing the blessings of God.

It’s a hard feeling to describe. I just feel like I can seeGod taking my life and piecing things together before my eyes; things that werebroken apart. Allow me to offer some background.

Admittedly, freshmanyear did not go as well as it could have gone. I was still quite immature andunsure as to how to deal with such a large transition as going off to college.I tried to do it myself. I don’t ever remember one time consciously making thedecision to leave God out of the mix, but nevertheless, it happened. I reliedon my own strength. I tried to deal with the workload and the stress myself; itended up backfiring. I couldn’t handle it on my own. Here’s the kicker: Goddidn’t break down my door one February day and flog me for being disobedient.He did something more effective. He came to me in a quiet moment and whisperedin my ear, “Remember me? You’ve beentrying to live life in your own strength; how’s that working out for you?”

I had one of those what-have-I-done realizations. I felt soashamed of myself. It was like a fog was lifted. I wondered how I had gottenwhere I was. Arrogance? Ignorance? Disobedience? Probably a combination of allthree. But the bottom line was: sin. I was a sinner, and I have never felt thatreality more strongly. But now that you have that background, this is where I’mgoing with this.

All that is the reason I feel the way I feel now. The personwho appreciates grace the most is the one who recognizes his own sin for whatit is. What God is doing in my life right now humbles me and crushes me becauseI realize now more than ever that I don’t deserve any of it. All I can thinkabout is how many times I’ve failed God, and yet He showers me with life andblessing. Allow me to elaborate.

The first and most valuable way that God has blessed me isspiritual maturity. I don’t want to be the one to gauge how mature I am, but Ifeel a closeness to the Lord that I haven’t felt before, and I think that itcomes from knowing His grace that much more. I want to seek God. I want to knowHis teachings, His promises, and His commandments. Perhaps it is not so much of a spiritual maturity as it is a genuine desire to reach that next level. I am still only 19 years old and have a long way to go in the matters of God, but I look forward to every step of the way. I know that it will be a long road worth traveled because you can't put a price on knowing God more.

God has also brought some amazing people into my life, aswell as blessed me with some incredible opportunities and circumstances.Specifically, one of the first people God brought into my life was my goodfriend Daniel Doestch, who has really become my closest friend at school. I satnext to him in biology class second semester, not even realizing that heattended my old church. Since then, we’ve conquered two classes together,including a summer physics class, invented lots of really nerdy jokes, andreally enjoyed a blessed friendship. I really couldn’t imagine school right nowwithout such a good, edifying friend.

An additional blessing and massive answer to prayer came afew months back in the form of a random Facebook friend request by CameronKeith; he, as well as his sisters Jenna and Delaine, had been at a going-awayparty that I also attended. God used that one friend request to introduce me toan entire new group of friends, through which I met even more new friends.Never could I have imagined all this happening in my life, but God made ithappen. I have the privilege of interacting with my newfound friends the Keithsand Steven several times a week: having a guy’s study and discussion withCameron and Steven, teaching Cameron and Delaine guitar, and being a part of acollege group on the GCC north campus. I was searching and praying that Godwould lead me to a place, a group where I could meet with other believers. Heopened up not one, but two such groups: Men of Honor and Fellowship of CollegeChristians. Steven, Cameron, and I are meeting biweekly, discussing spiritualmatters and how we can better live for Christ. I was praying that God would give me an opportunity to use what I had toserve Him. Delaine and I lead worship music at GCC.

All this in the course of a few months. Who does this? God does.

It’s overwhelming what He does. It’s overwhelming what He’scapable of doing. It’s a powerful thing to realize just how much God does forme, who can do so little for him. It’s a powerful thing to know the perfectlove of God. That that overwhelming love pushes me to love Him back. It putsthings in perspective. It gives me peace and joy. I don’t care what happens inlife, I’ll always have God. I could lose all my family, friends, andpossessions, and I’d still have God. That is enough for me. It’s a good feelinggoing through life knowing you have everything you need. That is why today, Ifelt peace. I felt joy. I felt complete contentment.

It’s because I have Christ.

Be Still

2009-09-23T21:58:00.001-07:00

It seems that no matter what I’m going through in my life,even day by day, God has a verse that is exactly what I need to hear. Do you knowwhat I’m talking about? It’s as if God knows exactly what you’re going throughand exactly what to say. That’s because He does, and the best part is that whatHe has to say is always perfect in wisdom and encouragement.

Yesterday was by far the longest day of my semester so far.It was one of those days in which you have a lot of work to get done and youjust work non-stop all day. I spend six straight hours in the library with mybuddy Dan after class, and given the amount of time that I worked, didn’t reallyaccomplish all I had hoped. In fact, quite recently my days at school have beengetting quite longer in general. I always leave at 6:30am but lately I haven’tbeen getting home until 8:30pm. Such is the life of a full-time student, andsometimes, that life can really overwhelm you. That’s where God stepped in.

Last night I was at home continuing my work after a long dayat school when this verse came to my mind.

Psalms 46:10 “Bestill, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will beexalted in the earth.”

It was as if God was saying, “Jeremy, take a break for a minute, take your eyes off of school, andjust think about me for a minute.”

So I did.

I started thinking about what God was trying to tell me withthis verse, and it led me to realize a truth that sometimes I just plainforget. Things like school are important, but everything else in life pales incomparison to the glory of our God, who is exalted on high and on earth. Ourlives are busy but sometimes it’s good to take a moment to slow down andrefocus on what life is about. Yes, we have responsibilities at work, atschool, and at the home, but sometimes I forget that I’m supposed to be doingmy schoolwork for the glory of God, not the glory of Jeremy. Sometimes I forgetthat it’s ok to pray to God other times throughout the day rather than rightbefore (and during) and exam. Sometimes I forget that my purpose and identityin life isn’t found in school, but in God.

Sometimes it feels like my life is about getting good gradesand learning the material. Spending so much time at school really makes me feellike my identity is a full-time student. I know that to be false, however. Inreality, I am a full-time follower of Jesus Christ cleverly disguised as anengineering student. That can be easy to forget. Thankfully, I serve a Godloving enough to gently remind me with His Word.

The Spirit of Timidity: A Deterrent to the Gospel

2009-09-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

It seems that wherever I go, whether it be FCC on Mondaynights or Saturday nights at my buddy Cameron’s house for Men of Honor, thesame topic of discussion will eventually arise: engaging with people. Tonight wasno different. We had a great speaker come and offer some insight about not onlyusing prayer to be thankful to God, but using prayer to be alert and watchful. Our speaker looked at Colossians chapter 4. Inverse two, it says “Continue steadfastlyin prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” In verse five, Paulwrites “Walk in wisdom towards outsiders,making the best use of your time.” I personally found this very convicting.

Recently I have made a realization about myself. I am notall that brave of a person. I’m not referring to the bravery associated withbattle or heroics. The bravery I’m thinking of could hardly even be calledthat, because it involves something completely pathetic and stupid. I just don’t engage with people. Now, Ican chat up a storm with my friends, but when it comes to reaching out tostrangers, I just don’t do it. And I know a lot of people, many of whom I havehad encouraging conversations with, that do likewise. But why?

We were talking tonight and I mentioned that I went to ASU.The speaker said he was there recently and he noticed that everyone just walkedaround like they were dead; like everyone was on a track or something. And it’stotally true; everyone has their own routine and it’s just kind of commonknowledge not to disrupt it. Sometimes I feel like it’s rude to even say “Hello”to someone or ask them how their day is going. I know for sure if I did thelatter, the majority of my responses would be strange or questioning glances atbest. It seems a lot of people are content just to be left alone. But I thinkthat while it may seem that way, there are a lot of people out there that justneed someone to talk to. Everyone has something that they are going through.How many conversations have I missed out on because I just won’t say “Hello” tosomeone? And why won’t I anyway?

I’ve really been thinking a lot about this. I used to be areally shy person. Not so much anymore, but I used to be a really quiet guy.Now, some may say that shyness is a personality trait, and that it’s an outcomeof environmental factors or lack of socialization. I’d rather not get into thehumanistic ‘psychological’ side of it (I’m always very wary of that kind ofstuff), but rather I’d like to share some things that I’ve been thinking aboutand realizing.

I think that at a certain point, for me personally, myshyness can almost become a sin. As much as I’d like to blame it on ‘personality’,I’ve really realized that maybe I’ve been using that as an excuse just not totalk to people. I think that at a certain point, my shyness might be arebellion against what God wants me to do with my life. And He’s really notasking a whole lot, both in perspective to what other believers in the worldface, and what He did on the cross. I think that sometimes I can just care somuch, too much, about what other people will think about me. I mean forgoodness sake, sometimes I won’t say “Hello” to the person that sits down nextto me on the bus, or in class, because for some reason walking around beingsullen all the time is the cool thing to do and I don’t want to be that weirdguy that actually cares enough about people to talk to them. But God hit with somethinglast week that was just so convicting and it’s really driven me to reevaluatehow I go about my days.

I thought about believers on other parts of the world, likein China, where Christians are hated and your faith could get you killed. Thosepeople really do have something to fear about, and despite that fear, theycontinue to boldly live out their faith in the face of death every day. Here inAmerica, I have absolutely nothing tobe afraid of, and yet I refuse to share my faith or even engage with anyone inthe face of maybe a weird look. Maybe. I’ve got to tell you, I started thinkingabout that last week, and that’s just pathetic.I mean completely shameful. I’mworried about what people think about me? What about the Christians in China?What would they think about me? Whatif they could see me, so timid, refusing to talk about Christ or even say helloto someone because I’m too wrapped up in my own self? They would probably notbelieve it. “Are you kidding me? We fearfor our lives every day; what are you scared of?” I wonder if mystupid ‘fears’ might even insult them.

After God hit me with that, I really realized that somethingneeded to change. And tonight was really what I needed to hear. Additionally, Ireally love 1 Timothy 1:7, which says “ForGod has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Thisverse is what I use to push myself to step outside of my comfort zone, which inand of itself is ridiculous because how big of a deal is it to just talk topeople? Yes, it has become abnormal to introduce yourself to a random personand start a conversation with them. But since when are we Christians supposedto be normal? I know that I’ve been guilty of being perfectly content withliving a safe, normal life, but that is not the life that God has called hispeople to. We are supposed to be standing out so people can see something differentabout us, and then ask us what we’re all about. So what if we come across as alittle weird? I’m betting that the majority of people will be nothing like wefeared. People like to know that someone cares about them. People like to talk.Everyone is struggling with something in their life, everyone is stressed aboutsomething, and everyone is looking for a way out. Imagine what a simpleconversation could lead to.

Sometimes I wonder how many opportunities I’ve missed out onover the years. How many people that needed someone to talk to was I not therefor? How many other Christians has God had to call upon because I refused toanswer the call? How many blessings have I missed out on? How many friends haveI missed out on? I’m not sure if I’d want to know.

I’d rather look ahead.

Optimism: Choice or Belief?

2009-09-19T23:37:00.001-07:00

Optimism is not achoice. It’s a belief.

I heard this line while listening to a CD recently. I’velistened to the disc countless times and the line is nothing new to me, yetthis time it stood out to me. All other times prior, I assumed it was anattempt by the band to say something introspective and deep, but I never probedthe meaning further.That is, until last week, when, upon hearing it once again,I started to dissect what it was asserting.

Optimism is not achoice. It’s a belief.

What is this saying? First of all, it’s saying that onecannot simply choose to be optimistic. Secondly, it is saying that rather,whether one is optimistic or not is tied to what that person believes. I foundthis proposal interesting at the very least. And then I started to wonder: isthis statement true?

Well, Christians are (hopefully) not unfamiliar with theconcept of that a person will always live consistent what they actuallybelieve. Do you agree with that statement? If someone believes in sin,damnation, Hell, and yet Christ’s grace and offering of forgiveness, I dobelieve that they will live their life accordingly. There’s just no escapingthat. On the flip side, if someone, perhaps even a professing Christian, isliving a life of constant sin and rebellion against God, they must not believethat He will punish sin, or even exists altogether.

With that said, I now return to the phrase. Now, I am notsure if I can come to a black-and-white conclusion about whether the phraserings true. However, that is actually not even the point of this writing. Thephrase mentioned earlier prompted some even more important questions in mymind: if optimism really is tied to what a person believes, what about mypersonal faith?

Does my faith in JesusChrist even allow for a pessimistic outlook in life? What does the Bible haveto say about being pessimistic?

That is the question that I sought out to answer. And I dobelieve it matters because in this time in our nation, there is a lot to bepessimistic about. But I believe that Christians are called to a higherstandard when it comes to, well, everything in life, and that includes dealingwith stress and crisis.

Now, it might help to first define what optimism andpessimism are. Optimism is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “a tendency to expect the best possibleoutcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation”. Thedefinition of pessimism is quite a stark contrast. It is defined as “a tendency to stress the negative orunfavorable or to take the gloomiest possible view”, “the doctrine or belief that this is the worst of all possible worlds andthat all things ultimately tend toward evil”, and “the doctrine or belief that the evil in the world outweighs the good”.

In regards to optimism, one verse comes immediately to mind:Romans 8:28, which says “And we know thatfor those who love God all things work together for good, for those who arecalled according to his purpose.”

As followers, we should ideally be living in the reality ofthis verse each and every day. Do we really believe that no matter what happensin this life, God will work it all out for our good? I find it very hard tobelieve that as a follower of Christ, I could live in the truth of this verse,while still holding a pessimistic outlook on my circumstances. Now, it is importantto note that the verse says “work together for good”, not “work together forthe easiest and most comfortable situation”. I personally believe that the “good”in this verse is our spiritual good, only because what we perceive to be thebest for us is always the opposite of what God knows is the best for us. God isnot concerned about our comfort, but rather our souls. Therefore, in whateversituation in life, I do believe that pessimism is not an option as a Christian.To be pessimistic as a Christian is to undermine the sovereignty of God.

Let’s return to take a quick look at the definition ofpessimism. For example, the first one.

A tendency to stressthe negative or unfavorable or to take the gloomiest point of view.

A few verses come immediately to mind.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true,whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anythingworthy of praise, think about these things.”

I do not see “negative” listedanywhere in that verse. Now, something important to note. This is not to saythat a follower of Christ can never perceive that something negative ishappening. This is not to say that we live in a nice Christian bubble and that wealways have to feel happy. But thereis a difference between feeling happy and feeling joy. Happiness is circumstantial,but we have a joy in Christ that exists apart from what goes on in our lives.Happiness is a feeling, but joy is knowledge; it is a perception and acknowledgementof the truth of our salvation in Christ. Now, remember that pessimism isdefined as an outlook; it is an outlook on life. It is one way that someone canview the world they live in. It is the gloomiest point of view. I have a hardtime believing that a faith in Christ and a knowledge of all that He has donein our lives leaves room for us to have a negative outlook on life. Rather,aren’t we supposed to dwell on truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness, andexcellence? I believe that a true perception of what Christ has done for us, aswell as a true belief in the sovereignty of God allows for no other suchattitude towards life.

Now, we remember that pessimismis also defined as:

The doctrine or belief in life that the evil in the world outweighs thegood.

I only need to draw from oneexample in the Bible in regards to this aspect of pessimism: Christ died androse again. He conquered death. Anyone that thinks that whatever good in theworld is outweighed by evil has no idea who Jesus Christ is, what hedid, or what he is about. He used twelve people to change the entire knownworld and spread the gospel throughout the world.His power is sufficient to accomplish his mission and Satan is already defeated;he can do nothing to stop Christ and the Bible makes it clear in John 16:33,where it says “I have said these thingsto you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

What does it look like to livein the reality of that fact, that Christ has overcome the world? What does itlook like to live life knowing that God will work everything out that happensin your life for your good and His glory? What does it look like to dwell onthe truth of the Bible? It certainly is not living life expecting the worst ineverything. That is expecting God to fail. That is not living in the joy ofChrist. It certainly is not stressing what we believe to be the worst aspectsof our lives. We can’t live in the joy of Christ with that kind of mindset. Idon’t even believe we can continue to live in that mindset if we are followingChrist and dwelling on his truth.

With all of that said, thisquestion has really leaded me to evaluate my own life. I’ve not always been themost optimistic person, especially when it comes to matters that seem to haveno hope for improvement, like politics. But I’ve come to realize that my faith inChrist doesn’t allow for perpetual negativity in my life. I’m going to make anhonest effort to think about that fact throughout my days now. I’m going tomake an effort to live life more and more reveling in the reality of Christ’svictory over sin, death, and the world. There’s nothing negative about that.

So, optimism: a choice, or abelief? You be the judge. Can anyone just choose to be optimistic about life (remember,about life, not isolated situations. Optimism and pessimism are outlooks), ordoes optimism (and pessimism as well) stem from a person’s personal beliefs,whatever they may be? We can, however, come to a few concrete conclusions. Infact, two:

1) A practical, living, breathingfaith in Jesus Christ and a true realization of all that he has done for ourlives leaves no room for a negative outlook on life, but rather, the opposite.

2) A person will always liveconsistent with what they believe.

One final verse to illustratethat last point: Luke 6:45

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good,and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of theabundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Whatever is in someone’s heart will eventually come out.What we say, what we do, and how we approach life is inseparable from what isinside of us. If we have the truth of Christ inside of us, we will have the joyof Christ in our life for a negative world to see. If we have faith that Christhas conquered the world, there is nothing to be negative about. For followersof Christ, optimism stems from our beliefs; it is a part of our belief andfaith in God’s promises and power. Jesus, give us the strength to live in thatreality and overcome a downward pull of negativity in the world.

2009-09-13T21:12:00.001-07:00

I’m currently reading a book called The Bravehearted Gospel, by Eric Ludy. The tagline reads: The truth is worth fighting for. I wholeheartedly agree. So far I have found it to be thought-provoking, convicting, and insightful. The forward starts off:

Brown is the new black; emergent is the new reformation-of at least so some would claim. Like it or not, something new is afoot. After decades of defending the status quo, a cry is now being raised from every quarter, from both young and old alike, for a living, breathing, authentic rendition of the Christian faith that will stoke the fires of the soul, bring back the meaning of life, and revive an ailing church to its very foundations.

That is what the book is about: returning to what being a follower of Christ really means. Confronting the inconsistencies and compromises that we all know exist, but eventually ignore as if God will look over them. Now, in the very next paragraph, a line says “This book could very well be labeled ‘emergent’”. Some of you may flinch at the mention of that word, or perhaps narrow your eyes in suspicion. I admit, I did. But as I read further, my doubts were dispelled as the author made very clear that this “emerging from the ghetto of religion” is not about finding something ‘new’ or ‘revolutionary’, or changing the gospel to ‘fit the culture’. Rather, he writes, when we do emerge from our twisted view of God and what it means to follow him, we will not find something new, but something old. It is returning to the roots of the faith, not trying to ‘update’ it. He writes further and looks at the person of Jesus Christ, inviting the reader to compare his current view of Christianity to how Jesus lived, and although he never explicitly stated it, I got the feeling that he was making a strong contrast to the modern day American church and implying that it, in fact, does not follow Christ’s example.

He did this by examining the attributes of Christ, and started with the undeniable fact that Christ not only loved, but was love in and of itself. He came to this world and led a life of serving and healing others. That is the Jesus that our culture has embraced; we love that side of Jesus. “We have wholeheartedly embraced the sentimental, watercolor Jesus that seems to spend most of His time holding lambs and patting children on the head with some faraway, glazed-over, dreamy look in His eye. And we seem to shy away from, or altogether ignore, that man who spoke the truth of God so boldly that conspiracies were entreated to bring about His painful and public execution”, writes the author, which brings him right into his next point: Jesus not only embodied love, but truth and light. We like love. Love deals in relationships, while truth deals in cold hard facts. But Jesus never compromised one for the other.

However, we have. We use clichés like “speak the truth in love”, and while there is nothing inherently wrong with that concept, so many use it as an excuse to water down the gospel and give people false expectations of what being a follower of Christ truly means. We emphasize the love half of the gospel while completely cutting out the part about sin and repentance. This gospel is not helping people. It is sending them to Hell. They stand clueless before the judgment throne of God bewildered because they read a prayer off a cue card and thought they were ok, and they never knew any better, because they look at the church and that’s what they see.

Applying and integrating the truth of God into my own life is a struggle. Hypocrisy is so easy to fall into. Speaking the truth in love is tempting because it allows us to preach the ‘gospel’ and still have people like us. But here’s the kicker that the author brings up: All Jesus ever did was love and serve people, and yet they killed him. Why? Because he was more than love; he was and is the truth and the light, and the world has embraced lies and darkness. This has caused me to examine my own life. Am I too loved by the world? Do I look too much like the world? Have I been rejected enough lately? Have I been hated on or ridiculed enough lately? It’s not that the Christian is out looking for these things, but the Bible makes it clear, such things are inherently part of following Christ. This leads me to conclude that the absence of such things in my life is a problem.

I look forward to digging deeper into this book. After only one chapter I have so many things to think about as far as real-life application goes. I admit that there have been times where indeed I have left the truth out of my life instead of letting it permeate it. I must let the truth define my life, as opposed to letting myself define what is true. As of late, my pastor has been using the phrase as of late “What did Jesus do?” because “What would Jesus do” is completely open to our own interpretation. I need to start looking at the model that Jesus was for the truth, because only the truth will set me free.