Category Archives: Life

Feb 3 2012

Been thinking about Hurting.

“In this world, you will have trouble…” – Jesus

Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus comes to this world, spends his life spreading the Good News, performing healings, flipping the occasional table, pressing people to know God as their Lord, tells people of this Kingdom of God that seems to be like the utopian society that their government was telling them they could have, and yet he tells them that they will still have trouble.

Seems a bit off, doesn’t it? I mean come on, “If our God is for us, then who could be against us?” Right? Doesn’t that mean comfort? Doesn’t that mean whatever I want, whatever I think I need, it is taken care of? Jesus comes, dies, rises again, sends the Holy Spirit to live in us, and reminds us that we will have trouble; that things aren’t going to be so “peachy-keen” after all. Continue reading →

Twitter-Facebook
Feb 1 2012

Conflict on Facebook and Twitter is Dumb

It’s funny to me how “drama” seems to follow people like a cloud of gnats on a hot summer day. But, more than that, recently I have been watching as more and more people have been jumping onto Twitter for its streamlined and  seemingly more “private” home. But, there is something that I can’t get over and find it somewhat troublesome when it comes to how people are using it.

The use of Twitter for resolving conflict or sharing a beef with someone is becoming more and more prevalent. And I have one question to ask in response to the idea that Twitter might be a positive way to share your personal issues:

Why give something from your heart to a world that doesn’t care when you could give it to someone who cares the world for you?

I just struggle with it. For a couple reasons:

  1. Who, through Twitter, really cares? Let’s be real honest with ourselves. When I swipe through the posts on Twitter, when I see someone complaining about someone else, I typically keep skimming on by. Maybe that is just me, but it just doesn’t seem profitable for me to get involved with someone else’s “drama.”
  2. Is public profession of frustration the best way to handle the situation? As I look at it, every situation that I have ever had in life where I was frustrated with another person, never (or very rarely) became resolved by telling everybody else about it. Most times, it took me “manning up” and approaching that person or persons about the problem that I had with them. There is just something about talking with a person one-on-one instead of slandering them to the world.
  3. It’s self-promotion and self-pity. If we are honest with ourselves, all we are doing when we post something that is rooted in our frustration with someone else, is fishing for affirmation of our position. And most times, that position is rooted in our own desire to be right or justified in our emotions. That’s not healthy, it’s not beneficial, and does nothing to resolve the situation.

So there are some thoughts. I just don’t see the value in trying to handle conflict through social media. It’s not loving. It’s not fruitful. And frankly, I think it’s just plain dumb. There I said it.

Jan 29 2012

At The Center of It All…

It’s 10:15pm and my buddy Joe just called me. That has nothing to do with the rest of this post, except to cite when this took place.

I had a shift in my heart tonight. It goes to the tune of this:

At the center of Freedom, is Joy. A Joy that passes all understanding and completely releases a person from the bondage of what they were, who they were, and ultimately into the character of who God has created them to be. Continue reading →

Jan 20 2012

My Next Few Months

It’s been a pretty crazy couple of months the last few and the next few are typically some of the craziest months of the school year for us in Student Ministries. But, it looks like I will be making it even more crazy. I’m so pumped because the “crazy” of the next few months is going to be full of ministry opportunities, places I have never been before, doing some things I have never done before. I’m more excited than ever because of the vision that I am beginning to have regarding the next couple of months.

It’s pretty clear some of the things that are next in my life. What about you? What are the things that you are going to be heading into in the next few months?

Leave it in the comments!

Jan 19 2012

What If You Stopped Thinking About It?

Psalm 37:4-6 says,  ”Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” I guess I just wonder what it would mean to commit our ways to the Lord, to trust in him, to take him at his word. To allow him to shine on us and reflect His Glory, reflect His Power, His Presence, shine to all those around us. Continue reading →

Jan 18 2012

What If You Are Right?

So, what if you’re wrong? But, what if you’re right?

What if that thing that you have been driving toward, that thing that you have constantly been talking about, bringing up and thinking through, what if that is right? What if you are actually dead on with what needs to be done and what should go forth? What are you going to do with that knowledge? What are you going to do with all of that passion that comes behind that “right” idea/answer/thought?

And maybe more than what are you going to do with it, but how are you going to know?

But maybe that’s not the most important question. Cause you know when you know, right?

Jan 18 2012

What If You’re Wrong?

I’ve been told that I don’t like to be wrong; that I like to be right and when I am right I will make sure that you know it. But let’s be honest, Who likes to be wrong? I mean, if we’re honest and look at our lives, do we ever really want to be wrong? we live in a society that is based on the idea of debate and being right. If someone can be right more times than they are wrong, they are a trustworthy person and probably worth more than the person who is always wrong.

And when it comes to “life” things, we are almost conditioned to think that we should never be wrong about things in life, or have any regrets for the things that we have done. To make a bad decision in life is to regret it and to regret anything in life is to admit failure. Lord knows we don’t want that to be the case!

But, what if you’re wrong? What if the things that you thought were right were actually wrong and the way that life is actually isn’t the way it was supposed to be? What if you were wrong?

Sure, I don’t like to be wrong. But maybe that’s ok.