Do you like bizarre old men with guns? How about polka dotted horses? What about creepy guys with with video cameras? How do you feel about ridiculously albino women? Regardless of your answer to any of these questions I have a video for you.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Encouragement to Mourn
Ecclesiastes 7:1-2
...The day of death is better than the day of birth.
It is better to go to the house of mourning
than go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind
and the living will lay it to heart.
It is better to go to the house of mourning
than go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind
and the living will lay it to heart.
Birth is about potential. Death is about completion. Live in reality. Walk in truth.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
On Ruin
So once again it's been embarrassingly too long since I posted a blog. It's not really the new year and I don't know if I want to make this my resolution, but I definitely need to post more often.
Story time... Many of you who know me or have talked to me in the past couple of months know that I am currently working with a church plant in Midlothian, VA, which is right outside of Richmond (check us out @ http://www.villagemidlothian.org/ ). Shameless plugs aside, I was sitting at the apartment in Richmond yesterday thinking about how much the gospel has ruined my life. All right, I know that's a weird statement. Stick with me and let me unpack it.
The gospel has indeed ruined my life. Whatever selfish, self-serving plans I have, had, or could have had about my life have been tossed aside in order to follow God's direction. For example, in middle school after I had been playing guitar for a few years I really wanted to make a live touring with a band. That would be awesome and maybe it could have worked out. As poor of an example that is, I had to give that dream up to follow God's direction. Perhaps a better example would be this. I will by this time next year have graduated college with a respectable degree in worship and music. With this degree and some good connections I could get a great job in some mega church somewhere. I'm not being over confident. I've seen it happen to the majority of the seniors in my department. But instead, I am choosing to continue to work with The Village Church in an unpaid position. Rationally, this is probably the worst choice I could make. It takes up a good deal of my time without any financial return. This is the direction the gospel has taken me.
I don't write this to be self-gratifying. There are many other parts of life that I still live in disobedience in. I am not an example to look to. I write this to challenge whoever may read. The gospel should ruin you in the same way. If it is not, you should really step back and determine whether the gospel is truly the driving force in your life.
For my Christian friends, take a look in your own life. Are you completely given over to the God's will? How are you actively pursuing unity with Christ both privately and corporately? In what ways has the gospel ruined you and what is it pushing to change next?
For my unbelieving friends, do not misunderstand me. This "ruining" of my life is actually God giving me life in abundance. God as completely sovereign knows what is best for me better than I do. So what I want to do must always take a backseat to God's will. This is not an easy sacrifice but it is the only way in which life can be lived in abundance. This is the best life I can live.
Story time... Many of you who know me or have talked to me in the past couple of months know that I am currently working with a church plant in Midlothian, VA, which is right outside of Richmond (check us out @ http://www.villagemidlothian.org/ ). Shameless plugs aside, I was sitting at the apartment in Richmond yesterday thinking about how much the gospel has ruined my life. All right, I know that's a weird statement. Stick with me and let me unpack it.
The gospel has indeed ruined my life. Whatever selfish, self-serving plans I have, had, or could have had about my life have been tossed aside in order to follow God's direction. For example, in middle school after I had been playing guitar for a few years I really wanted to make a live touring with a band. That would be awesome and maybe it could have worked out. As poor of an example that is, I had to give that dream up to follow God's direction. Perhaps a better example would be this. I will by this time next year have graduated college with a respectable degree in worship and music. With this degree and some good connections I could get a great job in some mega church somewhere. I'm not being over confident. I've seen it happen to the majority of the seniors in my department. But instead, I am choosing to continue to work with The Village Church in an unpaid position. Rationally, this is probably the worst choice I could make. It takes up a good deal of my time without any financial return. This is the direction the gospel has taken me.
I don't write this to be self-gratifying. There are many other parts of life that I still live in disobedience in. I am not an example to look to. I write this to challenge whoever may read. The gospel should ruin you in the same way. If it is not, you should really step back and determine whether the gospel is truly the driving force in your life.
For my Christian friends, take a look in your own life. Are you completely given over to the God's will? How are you actively pursuing unity with Christ both privately and corporately? In what ways has the gospel ruined you and what is it pushing to change next?
For my unbelieving friends, do not misunderstand me. This "ruining" of my life is actually God giving me life in abundance. God as completely sovereign knows what is best for me better than I do. So what I want to do must always take a backseat to God's will. This is not an easy sacrifice but it is the only way in which life can be lived in abundance. This is the best life I can live.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
The Magician's Nephew
So I just finished reading C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew. In case you didn't know, this is the prologue of sorts to The Chronicles of Narnia. It is to be read as the first book, but it was actually written after all the other books were released. All of this to say C.S. Lewis is a genius. The amount of theology that he can fit into a children's fiction book is astounding. So I thought that I'd share some of my favorite passages.
page 185 "But I cannot tell that to this old sinner, and I cannot comfort him either; he has made himself unable to hear my voice. If I spoke to him, he would hear only growlings and roarings. Oh Adam's sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!"
I love this quote. The balance between Calvinism and Armenianism is found right here. Aslan chooses not to speak to an "old sinner" because Aslan can see that he will be unresponsive. God calls we answer. We cannot answer without God calling. God will not call if we will not answer. I hope this makes sense to most. I don't feel like laboring over this point. What can I say? I'm a lazy author.
The part of this section that I liked the most is the end. Humanity has become quite adapt in being able to defend ourselves against the joy we were created for. This is the "old man" that we must fight day after day. In the words of John Piper, we must fight for joy. Freedom in Christ is something that is to be sought after harder than precious stones or pearls. Remember the words of Christ, "where your treasure is there your heart will be also".
page 189 " 'Son of Adam,' said Aslan, 'you have sown well. And you, Narnians, let it be your first care to guard this Tree, for it is your Sheild. The Witch of whom I told you has fled far away into the North of this world; she will live on there, growing stronger in dark Magic. But while that Tree flourishes she will never come down into Narnia. She dare not come within a hundred miles of the Tree, for its smell, which is joy and life and health to you, is death and horror and despair to her.' "
The witch represents evil, which I'm sure you probably grasped. The tree represents the gospel, at least in my eyes. This passage reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1 where it talks about the way of the cross being foolishness to those that are perishing but to the saved it is the power of God. God must break our hearts in order for us to become receptive to salvation. We were dead in our sins. Dead people don't try to make themselves alive. God awakens our hearts to His gospel. If He had not done so for me, the gospel would still seem foolish (not that I truly understand it now). All glory should belong to Him, the Author and Protector of my faith.
page 190 "She has won her hearts desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess. But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want; they do not always like it."
This quote is about the evil witch that we talked about earlier. This passage breaks my heart. First it reminds me of the fruitlessness of sin. If it is what we desire we will obtain it, but we will never be satisfied. We will only end up living a life of misery. It also reminds me of the horrifying verses that talk about God turning people over to the consequences of their sins. We do not understand how big His hand is until He takes it away. This horrifies me because I constantly find myself "driving around the same cul de sac of stupidity" (Marc Driscoll "Death By Love").
Well, it's almost 11 and I must go to bed. Farewell.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
You Can't Tell Me Nothing
Just in case you haven't seen this, watch. I thought you might be in need of a good laugh in the form of farmland fun and Kayne West. Zach Galifianakis is a genius. That is all I have to say.
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