In my own backyard

As many of you know about a week ago a tornado hit the Silver Valley area, which is south of Thomasville on 109. This happened roughly a mile from my house many of my friends and neighbors were affected by this storm. Not knowing exactly what had happened I went to work the next day and talked with neighbors who knew first responders. Between that and the News I soon realized the vast destruction that had taken place in my community. For me it was a site that I had seen before in other places at other times. To keep to the point I had spent time just after graduating High School doing some disaster relief with the North Carolina Baptist Men (NCBM). I had worked at a recovery warehouse and have been part of two call outs. That was almost 10 years ago. So after receiving information about the damage and that the NCBM have had a call out to the area, I knew I could help. There were a few things I knew about helping with disasters. 1. Don't be a lookie-loo or a rubber neck! I understand wanting to know what is going on, but when you are just looking in a disaster site you are only getting in the way of those who actually are helping. 2. No Degree or higher education is required to help. Find a group who knows what they are doing, then find a need and help. 3. It is never about just the damage. I know for me that was one of the things that dug at me a bit. I would hear people ask me about where the damage was and how bad it was. Was it about the damage and the aftermath?.....
Building can be rebuild and things replaced, but lives are what makes it important. As I was helping give driving directions to the assessment team, I had the unique opportunity of putting faces with people affected by this storm. I stood and talked with a family known as the Daniels. I talked with them as people, not as customers or rednecks or something else. These were people with souls and lives who Jesus cared about and died for. It was such a sobering reminder that we have to be personal in a world that isn't.

Sometimes we have to take baby steps

Well as those of you who follow me know, I have not written a blog in over 2 months. The reason for this is just lack of inspiration and clarity in many ways. This blog is more about being a general update on things going on in my life. First of all after evaluating decisions, progress and godly advice, I have decided to return to school to become a biomedical tech. Practically it should take me no more than a year and a half. The long term goal with this is to pay off my school loans by the time I am 30. This will then free me to walk into almost any country in the world and work bi-vocationally as a missionary, opening doors that a currently unavialible at the current time. Secondly there are things that will and have changed at home with the current health of my Father after having a stroke. The doctors are expecting him to make a full recovery. How all this will change things is currently unknown, but after all we don't know exactly what tomorrow will bring.  

Oh, the 90's

I find it funny that most of the people I hangout with were born in the 90's. Yeah that is right, that makes me just a few years from 30.  Well as far away as that decade might seem it brings a very familiar time to my memory. In fact I think 1999 was one the most life changing years of my life.  It  was long before Bible collage, working a job to pay bills, and ever getting a date. At the time I was a bit of a nerdy kid, very quiet, didn't really care much about school, just went to church because it was what I had always done and I liked the people there. That was until one night in November that year, I believe it was the 8th or the 18th. It was the night I decided to make Jesus my personal Lord and Savior. I remember walking out of church that night. I didn't feel a whole lot different, as far as anyone else could tell I was the same young man on the outside. Little did I realize that there were changes going on inside of me of the spiritual kind. I noticed that as the days passed and the process of sanctification and maturity worked, my thought process was changing. I realized I had to actually do my homework if I was ever going to pass High School. I also realized that being popular was not all it was cut out to be. As The years began to pass and I began to learn more about the Bible and how God was moving in the world around me. In those few short years while still in High School I learned something so basic, that it still sticks with me today. That would be "loving others because Christ first loved me." Something that can only be accomplished through Christ in me. Oh, how that has stuck with me and flowed out of the opportunities that I have been given. I believe it will remain so, even in times of waiting, misunderstanding, impatience, and direct rebellion. I know that in God's time Africa is not just a dream, it is a reality. So what do we believe? http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10339&lpos=lft_txt_Emergency-Aid

Don't make him stand up!

In context this phrase makes me shutter with every fiber of my being. My teacher and mentor Casey Hearn had us study a wonderful passage Hebrews 10. It deals with sacrifices in the Old Testament being repetitive and only a temporary. Then as Christ comes as a perfect sacrifice, He does it once and for all. No longer is there a need for a sacrifice. The step that happens next is what I want to talk about. In verse 12 "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God" (ESV) Read it for your self....he sat down! I realize that seems a bit odd that I'm excited about Christ sitting down at the right hand of God. My reasons for being excited are as follows: He is done with his work as far as the payment for sin, That is where he currently is, He is waiting. Waiting? For what? Wrath and Judgement is what he is waiting for. What we see in scripture is that when Christ returns it is going to be for his Church and to deal with sin once and for all. Now that we know what his is going to do, lets take a look at the Current place of Christ. As we see in Hebrews 10:12 he is seated at the right hand of God. For us that is great news! Here is why. Christ being currently seated is a act of Grace! That's right I said it Grace. It is Grace because Christ has not come yet to judge sin once and for all. It is Grace because that means there is still time for us to share the Gospel. Many times we consider Grace this thing you get one time at the point that you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. The truth is that it is so much more. God pours out Grace and Mercy for us every day, it is like a fountain that never ends. Yet there remains a reality that God, in his Sovereign Good Pleasure has a day appointed that Christ will return to take home his bride and judge sin. As I shared this idea of Christ being seated as a act of Grace, Casey said during our discussion "Don't make him stand up!"( As if anything I did would ever make Christ stand up. I do realize that in Acts 7:55 Jesus was standing to receive Steven as he was being Martyred. )The only thing I could think of is the Theological implications of Christ standing up and stepping down preparing for battle. It will be with Power and Wrath in Righteousness. There is no running, no hiding, no escape from the Judgement of God. I can only approach such a thought with Fear and Trembling. In the mist of the thought there is also hope and triumph for those that have trusted him. The hope in the end of suffering and sins reign in this mortal body. Possibly the only word to sum up what this thought really means is intense. That includes both the intense love of God and the intense wrath of God.

The Christain life through the eyes of a Black Smith.

If you didn't know, I have taken up a new hobby. It is being a Black Smith. I enjoy it so much, I get to play with fire and metal, with sweat and strength as I mold metal into what ever I desire. I have had fun learning about how it all works and make useful tools and knives, on rare occasion something decorative. As I have learned and worked, I have seen a few similarities in the Christian life and working with the Metal. Just as the parable is about the potter and the clay.....I see God as the Black Smith and us as the metal. The first part of smiting that you need to know is how to pick the metal for the purpose. They all contain carbon and it is boned with different elements to make a metal. Just like Metal we are all made in the image of God and bonded with different abilities and skills to allow us to do different things. In case you didn't know not all metal will work for the same purposes. For example Aluminum has a lower melting point and is very good for casting, but iron has a much higher melting point and works better for making tools. Just like that we are different and gifted in different ways which makes us better for one job or another. The second step is to proceed with the plan that you have for the metal. It takes a bed of coals, very hot coals. You know the things we know as trials and test. Only when the metal is hot enough can it begin to be molded. Then comes the action...the hammer and the anvil. As the metal starts to be molded a scale starts to fall of these are the impurities in the metal. A Black Smith must constantly clean to get the scale off. After a time the metal become cold again and must be heated again and again as it is being molded. Sometimes it takes hundreds of hours to get something to perfectly fit its purpose. The metal may be punched ( make a hole in it), bent, and usually cut off....the metal that does not fit the purpose. Once the metal is in the basic shape that is desired it is then quenched in oil or water. It helps to harden that shape. Maybe even used for one purpose at that time, then reheated and made into something else entirely. I have felt like that so many times in life.....one purpose at one point in time, then being molded into something different for a different task. After the Smith is satisfied with the tool, he may choose to temper the metal. It is a process of throwing it back into the fire until it glows yellow. At that point he lets it air cool in order to let the carbon realign its self, this makes the metal much harder and more resistant to breaking or changing. Now to a different option that a Black Smith has making Damascus Steel. Sounds cool and it is. It is a process that I see much like the church. It was started to save money by combining more expensive and cheaper metals to save money. The end product was much better than expected. The metals were layered and forge welded together to make one piece of metal. Metals like Nickel and iron just as an example. The process made some of the sharpest swords they had ever seen. It is because it combined the properties of both hard and soft metals. Scientifically it made more microscopic saw blades and thus more efficiently cuts. 
Here in my new favorite Black Smith quote "I'm a Wordsmith, it's kinda like a BlackSmith just without the fire and Anvil and stuff."

Oh the things I learn......

As a blog post for this month, I would like to give a few of the lessons I have learned in life.
1. The surpassing Holiness, Love, and Mercy of a Great Savior.
2. The vast depravity of who I am as a sinful man, likely to rebel, choose second best, and to seek the very things which would seek to destroy me.
3. Which leads me to understand even more how much I need a Holy, Loving, and Merciful Savior and how much that time with him really means.
4. Wise people really are those who learn form the mistakes of others and even many of their own.
5. Love is one of the most beautiful things that God has ever created. It is strong and fast, it comes and it goes, and for that very reason we should love with all we have.
6. There is no more amazing or awesome or worshipful moment, then when you see a soul pass for death to life @ the moment that someone accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
7. There are few things that  irritate me like mindless Legalism, You would not belive how many people I have had talked with that about.
8. Open and Honest answers always get you further in conversations than just telling someone "you just need to have faith."
9. When God calls you to something, he might ask you to jump of a cliff in a spiritual sense, but he always is there to supply what needs arise. Examples for me are Bible collage and my Kenya trip, and I know that he is able to do it all over and over again
10. I have been gifted with unique abilities that allow me to do so much fun stuff.......I just have this thing about finding answers and learning about things. I know that some of it I will probably never use, but hey. If I need that information about things they are there.
11. Times of hardship and trials are the things that will test you and tell you character of who your are and who those around you really are.
12. Friends are some of the most influential people in your life, so choose them wisely. Along those same lines.....your mentors might actually know a thing or two about life.
13. Life is short.....I mean I have grey hairs already.....lol.
14. Proverbs 31 really is the best standard for a woman......at least for a good one.
15. Hurt, Pain, Loss and Deviation are a universal language, but so are Hope, Love, and Compassion.
Oh, I could go on and on, but it could be a very very long list. The cool thing about it, is that I continue to learn and God continues to teach.

Just goes to show how much I care.....

I'm starting to see a trend here. Recently most of my blogs are inspired by questions or discussions I have had with other believers. Well this one will be no different. I find that other believers are one of the most under value:36d asset in the Christian Faith. Before I get into that I would like to give you a quick update on my life. Still work the same Job, I feel that spiritually I have started the climb of another mountain. I have also decided to start a beard....it is getting nice and thick, also to start black smithing. So to the next blog: Like I said before after a talk with another believer to whom I highly respect and is also going into missions. The question was asked: "Do you ever feel apathetic?" My answer was a mixed one. It was Yes to the people in Kenya, but a honest No to many of the people I serve in my current job. Part of the issue I think for me is for me to care for people who continue to make the same kind of dumb decisions and expect some different kind of out come. Yet, there are two things I have been reminded of after the weeks after that conversation. One is as John Piper explains so clearly in his book "Slave", everyone is a Slave to something in this world. It either has to be to Righteousness or to Unrighteousness. So just by sin nature alone man kind will choose to act in Rebellion towards God. The second is this, in scripture Jesus clearly cared for people. Scripture clearly shows us countless times throughout scripture that he had Compassion "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9:36. I calls believers out, because he is our example. So here I am faced with another Biblical truth that I need to work on. I pray that God works on that in me and am very thankful for grace. I will tell you that first hand it is not always easy to have compassion everyone, but I cannot help but be reminded of the song lyrics "Everyone needs Compassion.....". Do I believe that?

Toys "R" Us Kids!

I'm reminded of my youth and seeing the toy books and watching the commercials. One thing stands out to me more than anything related to the store. It is the giggle or song in the commercial.  I can remember it like it was yesterday and from time to time I see it on tv. It goes something like this
♫ I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys R' Us kid.
A million toys to choose from, that I can play with. ♬
♪ From bikes to trikes and video games,
its the biggest toy stor there is. GEE WIZ!
♫ I don't wanna grow up, cuz baby if I did....
I wouldn't be a toys r' us kid! ♫ ♬♩♪♪....
The entire idea of that song is to not grow up. I started to dawn on me the other day how this applies in a spiritual sense. So many believers are just satisfied with being born again and looking at the bible as a toy book, to see all of the cool things they are going to get when they get to heaven. They buy into to the idea of "I don't wanna grow up." It just adds up to "doing my part", helping when I'm needed, and filling another pew. After all with that line of thought that is all I'm required to do....right? Growing up and becoming mature as a believer requires work. The Bible makes it very clear that much more is desired for a believer to be doing God's will. Let me just give you a short list of what happens when believers "don't wanna grow up.":
The Word is not written on their Heart....
Pray is a 'In case of Emergency' Tool.....
Giving to the Church when it is convenient to me......
My Faith is my own business.....
Ministry positions are looked at as a Job rather than an opportunity......
The Holy Spirit will never be able to use me to change the world for the name of Jesus, like he wants to.......
I understand that these statements are very powerful and the reason I list them is I have failed at most of them at one time or another. Yes, my point exactly is that maybe it's time to grow-up in a spiritual sense.

Write it on your hearts.

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8. Such a sobering verse, it calls for all who read it to be alert that the devil is seeking to destroy whom ever he can. Post Kenya this has been a very present reality, I have not ever felt so attacked on a spiritual and emotional level. It must be because of the fear that Satan has that through the Power of Christ I seek to change the world. If Satan can stop anything of this nature, then he surely will try. So, I will just say it. I have struggled to stay in the word, to not be discouraged, and to be focused on him. Yet, in the mist of this struggle I have seen something beautiful happen in my life. The writer of Proverbs writes about God's word "Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart." Prov 7:3. In the mist of my struggles because of commitment to the word in the past; in scripture, song, and prayer it has just flowed out of me. "for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45c  It is so amazing to me that once you ingrain truth so deeply into every part of your being, it will begin to just flow out when times are hard or great. It has become so much a part of who your are that the Gospel becomes unforgettable, inescapable, just part of what defines you. So praise be to God for his Word that even Satan cannot remove.  

If it cost me nothing, then it has cost me everything.

So here I am preparing to go on another mission trip. I plan to go back to Honduras and don't think for one second I have forgotten about Kenya, I still long for it everyday at it crosses my mind. I know that day will come, but I also feel that for right now I can invest in others and grow if my faith as I embark on another trip to Honduras. I hope that in this trip I use my skills in investing in individuals and am able to take more of a leadership role. Now to the title of this post. The statement seems in many ways to be self contradicting. Yet I believe that this is a idea that is clearly made through out the entire New Testament. Allow me to explain. Just from the simple idea that Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins should validate the idea. If he would have never went to that cross, then his entire purpose would have been lost. His coming to this earth would have been miraculous, but he would have been know as just another teacher, healer, and prophet. Not that I am ever saying that would have happened. God in his Sovereign Good Pleasure both allowed and foreknew it was going to happen. We also take what the disciples and the early church leaders went through. Most of them were persecuted and exiled from their communities and families. If you have not figured it out by now, Yes this is another post about suffering. I wanted to say something about it again for two reasons. One I believe that it is so foreign to the theology of the average Christian today and two part of me longs to be called worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. It is not like I like struggling and hurting in many ways of my life, but I have started to understand that through scripture, life experience, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit that suffer for his glory is a way for the believer to strengthen his or her identity with Christ. Now back to the idea of another trip and doing missions long term. I still have bills to pay, things I need and not a whole lot of money. These things cost money and always seem to get provided for, but what if they didn't, what if one trip to share the Gospel with people I don't even know would cost me every last penny after selling everything I have on this earth. Would it still be worth it? Yes! You will never be able to put a price on a soul and you can't put a price on faithfulness. Using reverse logic we can make the statement say this: "If it cost me everything, then it has cost me nothing." This is true, because at that point it is all about God's Glory.

Kicking and Screaming all the way.....

Recently I ran across this commentary that really stuck out to me. We were reading through Romans and I was reading up on somethings in a new study bible I had. The text was Romans 7:24 "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" ESV. The verse is straight forward for the most sense he is wretched and needs to be delivered from his body. If you dig deeper into the original meaning of the text we find something more. So what does it mean to be delivered? As with many words in the Bible this Word comes from a military term/ idea. In the original Greek it gives the idea that someone is pulling a wounded solider out of the battlefield. With that picture in mind I find it comical, strange, and just plain stupid how we react to being delivered. I'm reminded of the classic scene in the movie Forrest Gump, it is when the "Charlie" hits his platoon. There are guns shooting everywhere. Forest begins to brings others to safety. Then he comes upon Leutinet Dan, wounded and calling in a air strike he pleads with Forrest just to leave him there. Forest picks him up and starts to carry him out, on the way Forrest gets hit the both fall. When the dust clears Forrest drags Lt. Dan out by one arm, as Dan is shooting back with all the fight he has. Later in the movie we learn that Lt.Dan's plan is to die on the battlefield. We act just like Lt. Dan far too often. We fuss and complain, for some stupid reason we think we can face sin all on our own (in our own ability). Before we know it we are in a battle and we are surrounded. We finally call on God to help us (Pray, when he has been taking the bullets the whole time) and when he delivers us, we go out kicking and screaming like the temper tantrum of a 3 year old. I know to some the imagery I used might be a bit of a stretch, but to me it makes all kind of since. Sometimes I just want to be Lt. Dan wounded, helpless, running low on ammo, the enemy is gaining, calling in help and upon helping pulling me out, well I just grab stick and rocks....anything I can that won't even phase the enemy. All while live bullets are being fired in my direction. Can you see it now, you are dragged to safety and your savior collapses on the ground, rittled with bullets all of which were intended for you. Dying you see his face and he says: "I love you this much!" Anyway I want to retell it, or relate it, or straight up proclaim it, the end is always the same. Jesus died on a Cross to save sinners in a lost and dying world.

Uniquely created

So, as I have posted last month I have 2 yappy little birds, they are both a little over a year old and are a mated pair. Almost ever since I have had them, they have been attempting to reproduce. Well, all of this work has payed off for Simba and Paka. There is now a little nest in the box that I provided for them, it now has 5 eggs as of right now. From candling (holding a light up to the egg to make the inside glow) It seems that at least 3 of those eggs are fertile. You can see little veins on the inside of the egg. You make ask what is so amazing about an egg? Well the birds can now not have to carry around all that weight for one things, it helps them fly. On top of that I learned something really cool from watching a video on creation. As soon as the momma bird gets pregnant she starts to develop a small spot on her stomach where she losses feathers. Then that spot starts to increase by 5 times the number of blood vessels. The mother then uses this patch not to just warm the eggs, but some how get a reading on the temperature of those eggs. Then she can make adjustments according to that information. So don't get mad when I laugh at you when you tell me things evolved.    

Danger, danger......

Sometimes there are those talks that inspire post and this is one of those times. Recently a friend and myself were having a very relaxed discussion on the TULIP debate. It was one of those debates that reminded me of one of the hidden dangers of taken certain theological views to the extreme. This would be the extreme view of becoming a fatalist. In lighter terms it would be the idea that as humans we are like a software programs that will only do exactly as we are pre-programed to do. I feel that this is a non-biblical idea and if this we so, then what would even be the purpose of Evangelism? I may now have the entire debate completely figured out, but I do have the understanding that there are (as I understand it) theological errors in holding to tightly to "man's" understanding of how God works. As Francis Chan illustrates. "Attempting to understand God is like standing in the ocean with a water bottle, filling it up and then saying 'that is what the entire ocean looks like'." The truth is that God is so much bigger than I could even understand him to be.

Is Winter saying good bye?

It was just a few weeks ago that we had more snow here and probably less than that for fulries. I know that it has been some time since I have posted anything, so sleepless I write. I know I should have stayed away from the Mellow Yellow so late at night. Here are a few updates in life: Kenya: really at a stand still right now, meetings have been a challenge to have. There has been working around work schedule, being sick, and just getting them scheduled. Communication has also been a challenge on the other end of things, but the good news is that I will see Chris and Lindy in a matter of weeks. I will be nice to talk face to face for guidance, questions ( at least 20), and a little push. On the Home front: Still working and working out @ about 95% my shoulder has been giving me a little trouble recovering from injury. My friends Casey and Kristin are now married and yes they went to Winter Jam after the wedding, I met them there. I now have new pets as a result of my new board-em with a lot of things, I decided to trade me fish and get some birds. They are called Parrotlets, the smallest known true parrots and I may have baby birds soon.... Like I said I have had a trend of board-em lately, with almost everything my interest and obsessions are changing in many areas, this includes work, people, games, pets. It seems that a certain part of my personality is beginning to become more dominant in preparation for the task that will be ahead of me. This would be the Learning or "mental stimulation" part of my mind. I think soon enough I will be able to exercise that part of my mind. March is looking on the up side. March Madness, Chris and Lindy, Spring Break (for various reasons), D-Now......Who knows what else. Hopefully more post to come with a bit more to think about. 

And you thought this was going to be easy.......

So in making this post, it is not to be complaining, but to share a bit of truth. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."( Eph 6:12 NASB) There are somethings that are prime indicators that you are on the right path in the Christan faith. One of these indicators is the presence of conflict and struggle. In correction to what the "prosperity gospel" will tell you, Jesus said this would happen. I feel that it is even more evident the closer that you get to doing something radical for God. So, ever since I have made the continuous decision to make steps to go back to Kenya in a full time basis, I have seen this to be true. It still amazes me how it all worked together and how just a few months ago I was there sharing and pouring into people I had never met before. I see no need in going into detail on this post. I will tell you that as I have made that decision there has been an increased intensity of a spiritual nature in and around my life. I will also let you know that it has become even more challenging to raise my personal intensity on the other side of things. It is certainly one of the most valuable assets that we have people praying for us and those who would dare to challenge how we are growing. I will say I am very blessed by those who I am surrounded by. I know that presently I am being tested and growing in my battle readiness. The question is: How Equipped are you?     

Pursuit of what?

A word we hear so often, when I hear it I think about recklessly chasing after something. I think about a movie with Will Smith and his son. Yet, how often do I think of the practical aspects of that word? The word indicates that I am chasing after something and when it stops, where will I be? Will it be at all where I intended to be? There are a lot of things currently that I feel I am supposed to be doing in the future. As I have grown in my faith and in life. I have began to understand how important the answer to this question is. There is a saying that I enjoy quoting "You will only be tomorrow, what you are becoming today." So what do you want to be tomorrow? And just in case you didn't know the Christan Faith is simple. Passionately pursuing the One that Died for me.  

It's just stuff

So here I go thinking again. Well, Christmas it just happened! What did it leave behind for you this year? Probably somethings you wanted, some you needed, and one or two you didn't want. It seems that this holiday leaves behind many things. Most often it is that it is over and a new year is on its way. It seems to me that in the time and place where we live, we hardly stop to even be thankful for what happened that first Noel. Something happened that no one could have bought, earned or purchased. It was a gift, not just something tangible, but something eternal. Life that is. Yet, in these times we always get caught up with stuff. When it comes down to the whole scheme of things, that is all it is, just things. When we stand before the throne, I'm quite certain God is not going to say "That was one sweet car you had!".  A more appropriate response that he might give is "How have you changed peoples lives for eternity with the money that I allowed you to have?" There is a change going on in my life, one focused more towards less stuff and more changing the world for Jesus. This makes is very changing for me to understand why people worry with the things on this earth, my this, my that. Hey, I will just say it. If I could give up everything I own and move to Kenya right now, I would tomorrow. I feel there are 2 reasons I can't do that right now. Growth and leaning Stewardship. Even with that being said, It's Still Only Stuff.