Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Stop and Hear the music

Joshua Bell is a world famous violinist. Several months ago Josh takes his 3.5 million dollar violin to the Washington D.C metro station during rush hour and played for and hour to see if anybody would notice him. He usually makes $1000 a minute. In total Josh made $32 and only 7 people stopped to watch him. People pay hundreds of dollars to see this guy!!

The point:How is it that we can be running so fast through life the we can completely miss the most beautiful things our world has to offer. What if Jesus was standing in our midst would we notice His beauty and stand in awe. Everywhere we look everyday God is making his beauty and wonder present, have you missed it?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw&hl=en&fs=1]

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Faith in a Faithless world

God has really been challenging me lately when it comes to the size of my faith. I so often pray for a deeper faith, yet completely miss or fail at the opportunities God puts before me to gain this deeper faith. In scripture Jesus is always challenging his disciples to leave behind what we so often cling to for comfort and safety and venture into the unknown.

Matt 16:24-25
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
NIV

Everywhere I look I see people with a passive faith desperate for something more. Could it be that the very comfort and safety we are so bent on finding is actually robing us and leaving us void of the authentic active faith we long for and were created to experience!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Small God syndrome




Complaining is a sign of small God syndrome. When we recognize just how huge our God is our complaints fade, and our faith grows!!

· Complaining steals our joy
· Complaining destroys our ability to have a God centered life.
· Complaining focus’ more on us as victims and not on what God is trying to do in your life
· Complaining causes us to live in a me bubble
· Complaining causes us to be blind to the good in people and our world
· Complaining is full of pride and selfishness

Phil 2:12-15
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

May you experince a life of joy free from complaining!!

Monday, February 2, 2009

A Heart of Flesh




Here is a verse that I has been on my heart lately:


Ezekiel 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."


I really don't have the ability to be the man God has called me to be,to love people beyond my selfish motives, yet I am so thankful that he has all the ability I need. What an amazing God, who loves us so tremendously to give us a heart that can love him in return. Everyday I need to rely on Him to breakdown the hardness that this world places on my heart, in order to fully love the way god intended.

Monday, January 5, 2009

It's a New year

Well I haven't posted a blog in a long time, so I figured i would start off the new year with an update.

Quote that has been in my mind lately:
"If you keep Jesus at a safe distance, you will end up safe and distant."

Books I'm reading:
Youth Ministry 3.0
The relentless tenderness of Jesus
A Shepherds view of Psalms 23
Sustainable Youth Ministry.


Prayer for the new Year: Lord I pray that I may completely in trust my life to you as my shepherd, you are the only one worthy to own my life. Lead me as only you can.

Oh yeah, we are having another baby!! we find out this Friday what it is.