Discoveries

Acts 4:12 is a verse I'm very familiar with, but the 11th verse is what caught me tonight. I stand in awe of how I can look past a verse so many times, and then the Lord draws my heart to it at just the right time.

This [Jesus] is the Stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which has become the Head of the corner [the Cornerstone].

And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved. 

As I read it, I saw that Jesus is the first - the Alpha, He does not change, and He remains at the foundation of all we do - the Omega, for all time. He is the beginning and the end; He knows not change. He is the rock on which our very lives need to be built. 

Peace, Joy, Freedom

The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers is the best Christian fiction series ever. I read the 1500+ page trilogy in less than 24 hours last year when I first read it. The story is tremendously gripping. It takes place in the Roman Empire, not long after Jesus' crucifixion. Judea has just fallen, and a young girl, Hadassah, is sold to a wealthy Roman family to serve their passionate and finnicky daughter. In a time when Christians are being persecuted, Hadassah struggles with her desires to serve God, her new family, and remain safe. The first time I read the books, I was caught up in the drama of the story, but this time, as I read more slowly and less concerned over the plot, I find myself drawn nearer to the Lord through this writing. Hadassah's love for the word of God and the testimonies of those who had walked with Jesus is so sweet, so beautiful, that it pulls me into my own Bible. (Warning: if you're going to read these books, it is imperative that you have book 2 nearby so that when you finish book 1, you can jump right into it. You might explode otherwise. For real)

The older brother of the family she's called to serve learns she is a Christian, and as he thinks about her, he tries to figure out what her deal is:

Everything she did mirrored her faith. It was as though every waking hour of every day she was devoted to pleasing her god by serving others. This god she worshiped consumed her. It didn't ask for a brief visit to a temple, or a small votive offering of food or coin, or a few prayers every now and then. This god wanted all of her. And what did she get from him? What reward had she received for her devotion? She was a slave. She had no possessions, no rights, no protection other than what her owners gave her. She couldn't even marry without her master's permission. Her life depended on the goodwill of her owners, for she could be killed for any or no reason at all. She received one small coin a day from his father, and that she frequently gave away. He remembered the peace on her face as she had stood with her face to the wind. Peace...and joy. She was a slave and yet she seemed to possess a sense of freedom he had never felt. (page 377)

Isn't this exactly what it means to be in the world and not of it? To serve the people of the world by loving them with Christ's kindness and patience, but not to serve the passions of the world itself. Though we are held to the earth, away from our Father and our true home, we have eternal peace, joy and freedom that cannot be taken from us.

Congrats

My younger sister graduated from high school yesterday. It's been a long difficult road; in many ways I feel that these last 6 months have been longer and harder than any of the previous years. But she made it. As I listened to the various speakers and well-wishes given to this class of 2012, I thought of my own graduation 3 years earlier. I heard the students being told that they were now equipped to achieve anything, to go forth and really start something. I had heard similar things when I sat in their shoes, and I had latched onto them.

Now, at 20, I found myself sitting there cynically, fully aware that few things turn out the way we plan and expect and hope. I have learned that I don't need to be so proud of my strengths, that it is in weakness that I am made strong. I've learned that not having a plan is ok. I've learned that asking for help can be the bravest move one can make. I've learned that there are a million more possibilities than I'd ever imagined, and that what I know will never be but a small fraction of what I don't know.

I thought about what I would want to tell the class of 2012. I decided that it would be: don't play it safe. There are two parts to this idea in my mind:

1) Try something new. For example, running cross country was the craziest and best decision I made as a college freshman. From it flowed not only a new sport, but a team that became my family, friends in the form of competitors from around the midwest, a life long lesson in time management and decision making, being able to force myself to do things I didn't want to do, and some of the best quiet times I've ever had. If you can't meet God on a 12 mile run through the forest, I don't know where you will. I protested even our 20 minute runs in high school, and now I've achieved runs hours long. Taking this chance has made my college experience absolutely unbelievable.

2) Go with all your heart. I don't believe in sort of committing. I believe in putting my heart and soul into life, and for me, that's been giving it to Jesus and letting Him take control. You might think you're in control of your life, but you must worship something. Worshiping money will leave you lonely, worshiping fame will leave you lost, worshiping pleasure will leave you constantly looking for more, and worshiping a person will leave you disappointed. Only worshiping the Lord will leave you satisfied.

Try something new, go with all your heart, don't play it safe.

God's Favorite Color

Are Vikings fans the best?

Isaac, age 20: "God's favorite color is blue"
Pastor Tim: "What makes you say that?"
Isaac: "Look at the sky"
Gabby, age 8: "But the sun is yellow. Packers!"
Pastor Tim: "And Vikings. And purple is the color of royalty"
Isaac: "Actually the sun is orange"

What are the two biggest issues facing our nation today?

Gabby: "We need more Packer fans?"

26 Hours of Crazy

Voting, coffee with a totally finished senior (my sister's done!), a run/dinner with a friend, meeting with a new friend/potential future employer, staying up too late with my mom, a delicious breakfast, and a LOUD car ride home.

British boy band
Country pop princess
Worship album from 2000
Spontaneous worship
Jesus rap
Spoken word

Roadtrip playlist...good thing I was by myself...

What's At Stake

What's At Stake - Adam Cappa

A million faces everywhere, a million reasons not to 
care, I get so caught up inside my own little world
Choosing what I want to hear, seems I'm bound by my own 
fear, desperate for a change, so why am I just sitting 
here?

While everyone is searching for a truth we found, why 
do we keep it secret even from the ones we love? Are we 
too afraid to speak up?

Chorus
And I don't know why we let lives pass us by, can't we 
see all that's been broken inside?
And I am so tired of another selfish day's end, these 
people who are lost, will face eternity one day
Can't we see what's at stake?

Another day has come and gone, another life confused 
and lost, I have been so silent for far too long
It's up to me to share the hope that I have found

Chorus

Sooner or later, this world will end, nothing else will 
matter but the life we've lived
One day we will stand before the throne and answer to 
the one whose name is Love

Chorus (x2)

Can't we see what's at stake?
There's so much at stake




Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 

The In Crowd

I was always fascinated with that popular group at school. They wore the right clothes and listened to the right music and always had something cool to say and never got caught doing anything uncool.

I was thinking about how sometimes it feels like the "good Christian" is like the popular kid. We have ipods full of Christian tunes and go to church and can quote the Bible.

And unfortunately, in the same way that the popular group was exclusive and invite-only, a lot of our churches feel that way. It's like we want to keep Jesus for ourselves - "those" people certainly don't deserve to join our club.

But it's funny because we forget that we don't deserve it either. What have you done that makes you worthy of the death of the living God? Do you really think that going to church and cracking open your Bible once in awhile merits Christ's crucifixion? Do you think that having hymns on your ipod will earn you a place in heaven?

Jesus has a warning for those who feel that their good works and right living are enough:

I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.  Revelation 2: 2-4


The love for the Lord has gotten overtaken by love for money, for right reputation, for popularity.

And what will become of those who are not truly in love with the Lord? Jesus makes things pretty clear:

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Matthew 7:21-23


Jesus is going to say to those who appeared to have lived well, "I never knew you" And if Jesus doesn't know you, if you don't know Him, He's not going to be your advocate on judgment day. Christ isn't going to stand in that gap for you, and you will be eternally separated from God.

Those who are in now will be out and those who stood out, radically living for Christ, will be in. In those days, those who lost their lives in Jesus will find them again, and they will walk the narrow paths of life.