Hello weird internet world.
If only America
Cared.
So many people
So many needs
So much
Suffering.
It is not the world anymore;
It's here at home that the trouble lies.
A trouble rooted in selfsihness
Jealousy
Greed
Gluttony.
From the mind of Enemy.
Just as the physician ordered...
If only America
Cared.
So much hatred
So much anger
So little
Agape.
Since it's here now
We must fight; but not the fight
You may think.
We must fight fire with agape;
Hate
Anger
Malice
Rage.
Agape wins over all
If only America
Loved.
Too hard
Too easy
Too
Unpractical.
Our calloused hearts do not know of such things
For we are a culture immune to emotions
That do not produce a tangible end-result.
Like dying organisms we wait
As the vulture of the Enemy circles
Waiting for our guards to let down to strike.
We watch for the coming;
but until that day...
The call to agape is upon us all,
What will you do with that.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Random Thoughts
Have you ever gotten so excited about something that when the time came for this thing to happen you weren't as excited as you thought you would be?
I wonder if that means that I shouldn't be doing said thing...
I wonder if that means that I should turn and flee from said thing...
Or maybe, I have just over-excited myself and am on this downward spiral until said thing occurs?
I wish sometimes that I did not have to think and rethink everything I do, because this happens a lot.
But on a lighter note, I do not think that I can be too excited about coming home in under a week now. My work days in MD are coming to a close and I am hoping that they end really well, but I am way too excited about this next school year at Milligan and what it may bring in terms of my future.
Take it or leave it. Holla!
In Christ,
chase
I wonder if that means that I shouldn't be doing said thing...
I wonder if that means that I should turn and flee from said thing...
Or maybe, I have just over-excited myself and am on this downward spiral until said thing occurs?
I wish sometimes that I did not have to think and rethink everything I do, because this happens a lot.
But on a lighter note, I do not think that I can be too excited about coming home in under a week now. My work days in MD are coming to a close and I am hoping that they end really well, but I am way too excited about this next school year at Milligan and what it may bring in terms of my future.
Take it or leave it. Holla!
In Christ,
chase
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
God Means It For Good
I attended Passion 2010 this past January. While I was there, I had to privilege to hear Beth Moore speak. If you have never heard Beth Moore speak, then you do not know what I am talking about, but have you ever listened to a speaker that was just so on fire, so passionate, so transparent, they were so difficult to understand? Well, that was Beth Moore. Her voice was so high and loud that it actually was hurting my eardrums.
Fortunately for me and for those who are reading this, I bought the DVDs of all the main sessions and I was able to go back and listen to what she said last night. Here is my take away:
Hebrews 13:21: May the God of peace...equip you with everything good to do His will. Equip was a word back then that had a much, much broader meaning, which includes things like to prepare, to repair, to restore, to mend, and the list goes on a few more words. So that one root word for equip meant so much to the Christians back then.
God's plan and God's will for you are not the same. His will is the end result of your life, and his plan is how He gets you there.
With these two concepts in mind, what does that mean? Well, the largest chunk of time Beth used was to talk about how our past experiences were used by God to PREPARE us for the ministry that lies ahead. She uses the abuse she had in her life, and tragedy in her husband's life as examples of how, without those things happening to them, they would not be the people that they are today.
For many of us, we think of the awful things we went through growing up or that we are currently going through and we think of them as unfortunate, aggravating, "why me" moments and we tend to have those things weigh us down. But what God does is He takes those bad circumstances and teaches you the things you NEED to learn before you can do the ministry he has called you to.
Don't. Let. Your. Hardships. Bring. You. Down. Ask yourself instead, how is God using this situation to reshape, rework, restructure, or mend me? Are you finding joy in your circumstances (James 1:2)? I pray that, if you are finding it hard to accept this thought, that you find God in your trials. Whether it is financial, or your family, or a relationship, or your job situation, or if your pet died, or if you have a fever, or if you lost someone you love, God wants to shape you into the image of his Son.
Remember Joseph in Genesis 37? The story of betrayal and slavery that ended up in Joseph's reign in Egypt culminates to this lovely line in Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Whatever life shoots at you, I hope you memorize and rise up to this verse everyday, and from now on you may see these hardships as an opportunity to be more like Jesus.
Being equipped always,
chase
Fortunately for me and for those who are reading this, I bought the DVDs of all the main sessions and I was able to go back and listen to what she said last night. Here is my take away:
Hebrews 13:21: May the God of peace...equip you with everything good to do His will. Equip was a word back then that had a much, much broader meaning, which includes things like to prepare, to repair, to restore, to mend, and the list goes on a few more words. So that one root word for equip meant so much to the Christians back then.
God's plan and God's will for you are not the same. His will is the end result of your life, and his plan is how He gets you there.
With these two concepts in mind, what does that mean? Well, the largest chunk of time Beth used was to talk about how our past experiences were used by God to PREPARE us for the ministry that lies ahead. She uses the abuse she had in her life, and tragedy in her husband's life as examples of how, without those things happening to them, they would not be the people that they are today.
For many of us, we think of the awful things we went through growing up or that we are currently going through and we think of them as unfortunate, aggravating, "why me" moments and we tend to have those things weigh us down. But what God does is He takes those bad circumstances and teaches you the things you NEED to learn before you can do the ministry he has called you to.
Don't. Let. Your. Hardships. Bring. You. Down. Ask yourself instead, how is God using this situation to reshape, rework, restructure, or mend me? Are you finding joy in your circumstances (James 1:2)? I pray that, if you are finding it hard to accept this thought, that you find God in your trials. Whether it is financial, or your family, or a relationship, or your job situation, or if your pet died, or if you have a fever, or if you lost someone you love, God wants to shape you into the image of his Son.
Remember Joseph in Genesis 37? The story of betrayal and slavery that ended up in Joseph's reign in Egypt culminates to this lovely line in Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Whatever life shoots at you, I hope you memorize and rise up to this verse everyday, and from now on you may see these hardships as an opportunity to be more like Jesus.
Being equipped always,
chase
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Haha...what a night.
8:40 Left Staten Island Ferry Place
8:50 Got on train to get to Brooklyn Bridge
9:00ish Got off of what was we thought was stop to get to Brooklyn Bridge, and we ended up at the Williamsburg Bridge...probably one mile north of Brooklyn. Decided to walk the bridge anyways...
9:45ish Got off the bridge and into the completely un-air-conditioned subway to realize that the train we need to get on is closed for THIS WEEKEND ONLY lol
9:55ish Finally got on a train just because it was too humid underground to sit and think anymore (at this point, my shirt is soaked just by StAnDiNg, like I was playing basketball or frisbee)
10:27 Got on train to get back from where ever we ended up
11:14 Got off that train to get to 125th
11:20 Saw an altercation across the street in Harlem/got on a bus
11:33 Got a large freakin' Coke cause it is an average 104 degrees outside
11:55 I am in an apartment on 128th blogging about what possibly could have been the most interesting past 4 hours of my life
How was your night?
Finding joy in all of life's curveballs,
chase
8:50 Got on train to get to Brooklyn Bridge
9:00ish Got off of what was we thought was stop to get to Brooklyn Bridge, and we ended up at the Williamsburg Bridge...probably one mile north of Brooklyn. Decided to walk the bridge anyways...
9:45ish Got off the bridge and into the completely un-air-conditioned subway to realize that the train we need to get on is closed for THIS WEEKEND ONLY lol
9:55ish Finally got on a train just because it was too humid underground to sit and think anymore (at this point, my shirt is soaked just by StAnDiNg, like I was playing basketball or frisbee)
10:27 Got on train to get back from where ever we ended up
11:14 Got off that train to get to 125th
11:20 Saw an altercation across the street in Harlem/got on a bus
11:33 Got a large freakin' Coke cause it is an average 104 degrees outside
11:55 I am in an apartment on 128th blogging about what possibly could have been the most interesting past 4 hours of my life
How was your night?
Finding joy in all of life's curveballs,
chase
Friday, July 16, 2010
CIY MOVE Closing Thoughts
My voice is hoarse; my head hurts from so many bright, flashing lights; sweaty clothes; ...no more clothes; late nights and early mornings; did I say my voice was hoarse?
But because of the life change that took place this weekend, the leaders and I would do it all over again, and again, and again, until every one of these students knows God and how great He is.
There have been many students who have decided to rededicate their lives, which basically means that they realized that they have messed up and they want to publicly admit their sin and continue on the right path.
Many students have taken their faith one step further. A number of these students openly requested to join the youth group leadership team; a number of these students are wanting to partner with other organizations to help spread the word about other people's misfortunes.
And even some say they also want to spread The Word and get involved in vocational ministry. Music, missions, and students ministries were the ones that were the most popular.
And, hopefully they will seek the assistance of their peers and their parents. There were multiple challenges to accountability (Hebrews 6:1-2) and to strive and train for godliness. Our prayer is that they not leave what they have learned behind here in Cleveland, TN, but they boldly proclaim the name of Jesus in their high schools, their college campuses, their families, and their friends.
In Christ,
chase
But because of the life change that took place this weekend, the leaders and I would do it all over again, and again, and again, until every one of these students knows God and how great He is.
There have been many students who have decided to rededicate their lives, which basically means that they realized that they have messed up and they want to publicly admit their sin and continue on the right path.
Many students have taken their faith one step further. A number of these students openly requested to join the youth group leadership team; a number of these students are wanting to partner with other organizations to help spread the word about other people's misfortunes.
And even some say they also want to spread The Word and get involved in vocational ministry. Music, missions, and students ministries were the ones that were the most popular.
And, hopefully they will seek the assistance of their peers and their parents. There were multiple challenges to accountability (Hebrews 6:1-2) and to strive and train for godliness. Our prayer is that they not leave what they have learned behind here in Cleveland, TN, but they boldly proclaim the name of Jesus in their high schools, their college campuses, their families, and their friends.
In Christ,
chase
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
What I Learned Again Today
No matter how you feel about yourself
whether you are big or small
book smart or practical old or young
Be who God wants you to be,
Because
He
Will
use you.
And He will
shine
through you. And He will be made
Known.
whether you are big or small
book smart or practical old or young
Be who God wants you to be,
Because
He
Will
use you.
And He will
shine
through you. And He will be made
Known.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Unexpected Comparison
II Timothy 3:2-5 says this:
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
The end of time will be a long and painful process that I do not know where, when, and what will be happening, but God through Paul here gives us a little bit of insight on those times. And really, they are not that far away when we read texts like this.
In those days, there will be people who are lovers of themselves and money. Has anyone been affected by the economy lately? Why did that happen? Because some people loved themselves and money more than the integrity of their companies or their customers.
People will be brutal, and haters of the good, slanderous, unholy, and unforgiving, disobedient to their parents and ungrateful. Have you been to high school lately? Suicide rates among teenagers and early 20s are on the rise; gangs and cliques in school make many others feel insignificant. Movies like "Mean Girls" are not too far off from the truth. More and more teens are runaway from home or are being kicked out of their homes at a young age.
People will be boastful, conceited, and rash. Enough said; there are plenty of people we know at the workplace or are our friends who are boastful and pompous. Enough said.
But the thing that really catches my attention is the last one: people will hold on to the outward form of godliness, but deny its power. In all this chaos, in all this turmoil, in all of this negativity and as we are left with this imagery that is just dark and unholy, Paul shoots us all with these words. Peterson paraphrases it like this, "They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals."
People may be looking up to you; they may think you are a super-Christian; or they see the works that you do in the church, in the youth group, on the mission field; but how many more of us fit into this last category of people? It almost seems like Paul was writing to the non-Christians in verses 2-4, and then verse 5 was for the Christians.
I see this a lot in myself. I have been serving and actively a part of the spiritual life of my campus, you know when people are looking. But, I continually drop the ball sometimes when it comes to my personal life, or when it comes to leading my girlfriend, or when it comes to being around the guys.
So here is the challenge: Let God be God, and not just of your activities, not just of your predicaments, not just of your circumstances, but of YOU, and every part of you: your relationships, your friendships, your workplace, your personal life, everything.
Let's give it all to the One who did give it all!
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
The end of time will be a long and painful process that I do not know where, when, and what will be happening, but God through Paul here gives us a little bit of insight on those times. And really, they are not that far away when we read texts like this.
In those days, there will be people who are lovers of themselves and money. Has anyone been affected by the economy lately? Why did that happen? Because some people loved themselves and money more than the integrity of their companies or their customers.
People will be brutal, and haters of the good, slanderous, unholy, and unforgiving, disobedient to their parents and ungrateful. Have you been to high school lately? Suicide rates among teenagers and early 20s are on the rise; gangs and cliques in school make many others feel insignificant. Movies like "Mean Girls" are not too far off from the truth. More and more teens are runaway from home or are being kicked out of their homes at a young age.
People will be boastful, conceited, and rash. Enough said; there are plenty of people we know at the workplace or are our friends who are boastful and pompous. Enough said.
But the thing that really catches my attention is the last one: people will hold on to the outward form of godliness, but deny its power. In all this chaos, in all this turmoil, in all of this negativity and as we are left with this imagery that is just dark and unholy, Paul shoots us all with these words. Peterson paraphrases it like this, "They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals."
People may be looking up to you; they may think you are a super-Christian; or they see the works that you do in the church, in the youth group, on the mission field; but how many more of us fit into this last category of people? It almost seems like Paul was writing to the non-Christians in verses 2-4, and then verse 5 was for the Christians.
I see this a lot in myself. I have been serving and actively a part of the spiritual life of my campus, you know when people are looking. But, I continually drop the ball sometimes when it comes to my personal life, or when it comes to leading my girlfriend, or when it comes to being around the guys.
So here is the challenge: Let God be God, and not just of your activities, not just of your predicaments, not just of your circumstances, but of YOU, and every part of you: your relationships, your friendships, your workplace, your personal life, everything.
Let's give it all to the One who did give it all!
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