Revolution Reality

The last time I wrote anything about myself, school was just starting.  Now I’m writing at the conclusion of the school year.

I hope to have a part time job sometime before summer classes start.  I want to start saving money for the future, and building my résumé a bit more.  I’m hoping to graduate sometime either next May or summer.  After that, I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do, though I do have a few personal ideas.  Right now, I would like to find a job with Internet programming and things like that.

Katharine and I have been together for nine months now.  Ten months ago, I’m not quite sure I knew the number of interesting and adventurous places there were around this area.  I mean, there’s an Animal Safari an hour away and Callaway Gardens has a great Christmas light show.  There’s also the zoo and many parks, seadooing, and then there’s the Georgia Aquarium.  There’s been a lot more too, and describing it all would fill many pages (and quite literally has!).  I really can’t wait for another fantastic year.

Everything this year has been different. God is doing something that, right now, I just have no idea what the complete outcome will be.  I can look back and see pieces of a puzzle appearing to be put together, but there’s still a lot to be put together.  If the puzzle was put together in a day, I’m not sure that it would be the right puzzle.  I know that my future is in His hands. I can see, though not with perfect clarity, things that He’s putting together.  It’s beautiful.  It’s wonderful.  It’s perfect.  There’s no other way it could be put together.  Trust is something that can be difficult — whether with God or people — but it is vital to life.

There was once a little girl who had no home.  She had no one whom she could look up to, and no one loved her.  That was when, on a cold November morning, a young lady came and spoke Words of Life to the little girl. At sixteen, the love that was lacking was suddenly filled.  The father she never had was found.  The homeless, fatherless little girl was now homebound and deeply loved by the one who gave His life to love her.  Who the darkness left for dead, the light restored to life.

The summers now over, and classes have started back.  Most of my classes have been okay so far.  There are two classes I am definitely not very excited about right now, but hopefully they will end better than they are beginning.  Business law is one of those class that I could sit through all day, while classes like communication I could rather just not even go to them.  Most of my classes I see as at least a little bit of value for the time and money — but communication class just isn’t one of those classes.  Like I said, I hope it gets better towards the end.

I worked the entire summer, which was great for many reasons.  This year was quite possibly the best summer I have had working over there.  I worked in one spot the entire time, where there were a few mix-ups of staff, so I was able to actually do things that mattered.

A little over a year ago, I started talking to Katharine.  On August 13th we went to a movie, and we’ve met up a few more times over the last two weeks.  We went to the lake this past Saturday and watched a movie — pretty much just made a whole day of getting to better know each other.

That’s all I have for now!

I read Psalm 2 tonight, and then it was crossed referenced with Acts 4:23:31. Using the NKJV this time.

And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

‘Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the LORD and against His Christ.’

“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

The Amplified says, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage.” Earlier in the prayer it says with full freedom to declare God’s message. That is what I want, full freedom and boldness. Christ has called us to proclaim His name, and spread his love and glory everywhere. There are those in other countries literally laying down their lives, and we’re often times too scared about what a classmate or coworker may say if we proclaim Jesus name. We have to become knowledgeable about the things of God — ignorance is no excuse, especially since we have the Word of God.

We need a passionate army for Christ.

I heard a few months ago someone say that we, as Christians, are often times easy on the Christians and/or church goers, but we’re hard on the non-Christians.  It’s true and I’m wonder why that is?

I’m not really sure.  We’re easy to judge the “big” sins and easy to excuse the “little” sins.  You know what I mean, another Christian friend says, “it’s not really a lie, it’s just ‘extending’ the truth a little”.  Or “it’s like driving on the highway — everyone speeds, so it’s perfectly fine if you lie — everyone lies”.  Wherever did holiness and truth go?  However, we’re quick to judge those of the world (those not a part of our church, or the church as a whole).  We even judge people before we know if they’re guilty.  Every day on the news, someone is being accused of something — and we go right ahead and judge them, saying they should be locked away for life.

As for me, if I am doing anything that is sinful, I want someone to tell me and push me to remove it from my life.  Paul went as far as to say they should be removed from the church if they continue to live in sin so that they may return to the truth (read 1st Corinthians 5 for one of the times this is mentioned).  I’m not saying we should throw out everyone in our churches for sin — because we all sin — but we should be striving to remove it from our lives.  In 1st Corinthians 5:11, Paul says that we should not “associate with people who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin”.  He even made it clear that he did not mean those who were not claiming to be a Christian, but those who were claiming to be.

But this brings up the other point, why are we so hard on the non-believers?  We have to love them and show them the love of Christ, so that they will see who Christ is, through us.  We can’t remain in sin and try to lead others to Christ (then you’ll have a liberal-Christianity that does not follow the Bible, which is another topic in itself).  We have to show them love.  We have to show them what we believe what we believe, and why.

Now am I saying we have to do works to be a Christian?  No.  Actually, none of this is a work.  Christ said to the rich young ruler that he had to sell all of his earthly possessions to receive eternal life — that’s a “work”, but why did he say it?  He said that because Christ wanted to man to change his heart, to love Christ.  A mind change can’t get you to heaven, it’s a heart change.  It’s like a marriage, when you get married you aren’t going to have a few people on the side still.  The spouse should now have your heart.  In the same way, when we accept Christ, we have to change our hearts.  When you give Christ your heart, it will motivate you to want to remove those sins in your life.  There’s a quote in the book I read a few months ago, “When Heaven Weeps” (Ted Dekker) that says, “If you say you love Christ, but are not driven to throw away everything for that pearl of great price, you deceive yourself. This is what Christ said.”

Anyway, I’ve just had that on my mind for a while.

It has been a short five months since this semester began, and now it is about time to move on. I have decided to take a summer class the year after work. I have two more finals tomorrow, and then I start work on Thursday. It was a good semester, and not as difficult as the last. Many good things have changed in these last five months though.

I have been going fishing this year. I have been reading more books this year. I have been drinking more water lately. Lately, I have been eating less chocolate (partly because I forget until late at night). I have been learning that some opinions are better kept silent, while others may be better voiced – though most people think I am “normally” silent anyway. I have been doing more things that are random. I have been thinking more positive. With all that, I am still learning.

I think all of what I have really been learning can all boil down to one thing and that’s trusting God no matter what.

In a final quick closing, I rewrote the entire backend for MinistryTalk.com and added a few more features. I opened the new site up to the public yesterday, and I think it will greatly help the churches involved. Anyway, I have a book I started several weeks ago that I should start trying to finish …

Nichole Nordeman did a great front page article for CCM magazine about the pressures of outward appearance even in the Christian music industry and how even the artists struggle to remain real sometimes. Nichole Nordeman interviewed thirteen popular Christian music artists, some of which include Bethany Dillon, Chris Tomlin, Krystal Meyers, Natalie Grant, Bebo Norman, Mark Hall of Casting Crowns, and Rebecca Barlow of Barlow Girl. What’s more, the article has several pictures of the actual artists in their high school years.

I stopped receiving CCM magazine a few years ago, but all is not lost. Anyone can read the article thanks to Nichole Nordeman and CCM. Her website states:

CCM has partnered with Nichole Nordeman to bring this special digital issue to you, their fans, absolutely FREE! Just click on this link and use the login listed below:
Username: freeissue0704 & Password: name417

Like what you read? Spread the word and pass it along - it’s free for your family & friends, too!

This is one of those articles I recommend that everyone check out because it is good to know that it is not just everyday people who face these issues. This article starts on page 48.