A Faith Tested and Proven

If you are like me, or any other human being for that matter, you deal with struggles in life. Things are difficult and don't always go your way, and sometimes it feels like you are the only one. I often begin to have thoughts of doubt on whether I'm doing the right things because often times it can feel so hard just to go through the day to day.

I have posted before on my struggles with just time in the day alone. About how much of the time it feels like I am burning a candle at five ends. With college, work, and then my internship at First Baptist Clarksville (that I consider my real job, regardless of pay or not), it can begin to feel like too much. Sometimes I feel like I just want to be done with it all and be in full time ministry, but God has his subtle ways of keeping me humble in my place in life.

Just today I was supposed to preach to the high school students in our student ministry, but a kink was thrown in when I was scheduled to begin my new paying job during the time of the service. At first I was frustrated, getting angry at my situation and wondering why things have to be so difficult, but then one of those subtle reminders from God came. In the very passage that I was preparing to preach on tonight (1 Peter 1:3-25), through His word, God had a message for me.

In 1 Peter 1:6-7, I was reminded that trials in life are meant to test us, to strengthen our faith and give glory to God. I praise God for the reminder, that I seem too often to forget, and I pray that through the trails in life my faith is proven.

God's Calling Transcends Musical Genre

In a post earlier in the summer I said I would post an article describing my musical influences and other things relating to that. This post is kind of something like that.

Music has always been a major part of my life. Ever since I was a child it fascinated me and I participated in it any way that I could, mostly in singing. I listened from country to classic rock, and Christian Contemporary as well. In and around the 5th grade I listened to a lot of alternative and pop-punk, eventually finding my way to real punk music. Around the 6th grade I found an interest in playing bass and trying to start a band, even as young as I was, and began to learn from my older brother. My musical tastes started progressing and I became really into hardcore, along with all of the metal and alternative variations of it. A particular type was post-hardcore, a very progressive style mixing ideas of punk and metal, and a few other things.

I realize that this type of music does not appeal to the masses, but this all is just some background to begin my main point in this post, which is essentially the video above.

I began listening to the band Underoath when their third album, The Changing of Times, came out in 2002. They quickly became, and have remained, one of my all time favorite bands, despite member and sound changes. It still amazes me how this band has thrived in a genre once scarcely populated by Christians. One of my favorite parts about their music was the melodic hooks of drummer/singer Aaron Gillespie. Then in 2007, Aaron came out with the debut album from his side project, The Almost, consisting of melodic/alternative type of music, of course I was on board! After leaving Underoath last year he has been focusing on The Almost, as well as ministry opportunities, and this video explains much of how he goes about songwriting and ministering within music in Underoath and The Almost.

P.S. I like all types of music, not just those mentioned. If anyone would like to know more about my musical influence and/or my testimony, all you ever have to do is ask.

A Word to the Wise

Wisdom…, it’s something we look at, strive for, yet few seem to grasp what true wisdom is. The end of James 3 teaches us that true wisdom is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” This is the wisdom from above, or from God in other words. James also teaches us that there is another type of wisdom in this world.

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” – James 3:14-16

See, many leaders in our world feel they have wisdom, but take a quick look at their motives. Many, though not all, have some selfish motive behind their so-called wisdom. This is shown throughout history in many different stories of corruption. Countless occasions of people not doing what is best, but most profitable for themselves. People often rely on their own discernment, revealing the corruption of the flesh, rather than discernment from above, which is always good, as described in James.

Another aspect of Godly wisdom is the comprehension of the things of God. So often we try to engage our minds, striving to understand the mysteries of God. Scientists try so hard to understand the workings of nature, developing theory after theory. We as Christians even try to understand things that may not be fully clear to us, though the Bible teaches us that we should try to comprehend these things by the wisdom of the spirit, not of the wisdom of the world.

“For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:11-16

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him…" That statement right there sums it up. When we try to comprehend the things of God by our own understanding we fail, but through the spirit God reveals them to us.

Time and time again I find myself learning more and more. Even when I begin to feel I have some understanding, God reveals through his word new thoughts and ideas and I am completely in awe of the vastness of God. Strive to seek out the wisdom from above, not the so called “wisdom” of this earth, for not only understanding, but discernment in all things.

Home for the Holidays!

It's been just over a week since I made the trek back from Clarksville, Tennessee to my home in Midlothian, Texas. I have had some great times catching up with family and friends and seemed to very seamlessly pick up right where I left off in when I left for school at the end of August. It's a great feeling getting to see everyone when it feels like it has been so long, and it's only been three and a half months. I'm first off excited to see my family, as well as a few friends it's been almost unbearable to only have talked to via facebook or phone.

In the midst of all of the enjoyment I do wish to remain thoughtful of why this time is important to me in my faith. I am so grateful that I was able to travel safely through the long stretch of road between Texas and Tennessee, that I drove through without stopping except to refuel, but I am even more grateful in this time because of the reason we celebrate. I know it seems almost cliché this time of year, certainly in our day and age, to say "Jesus is the reason for the season" or "Keep Christ in Christmas", but these seemingly over-used phrases are an attempt to remind our society why, and for whom, we celebrate. See, Christmas isn't about the presents, decorations, and over-crowded shopping malls, but it is a time to celebrate the coming of Christ, Jesus, whom is our only way to salvation. Without Christ our fate is that of men (and women) who alone cannot overcome their fallen state. Celebrating and spending time with friends and family is great, enjoy it, but remember the coming of hope that we celebrate this day, that through Christ we may glorify the Father.

Merry Christmas everyone!

An Act of Faith

This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to speak to the students at First Baptist Clarksville. It also was the official announcement of me as the Student Ministry Intern (This was not on purpose, just happened to work out on the same night). Even in the few months I've been here I've already gotten so much out of it. The students are a great group and Jeff and Josh are some of the greatest guys to serve the Lord with. I look forward to what God has in store for me here.

When it was decided that I was to speak to the students on the final night of the "Rebel" series, something had already been laid on my heart for a good while. When I think of a rebel, in the sense of a rebel for God, one of the first to come to mind is Daniel. Now, Daniel, throughout the book of the same name, shows many instances where he rebels and takes a different path to follow God and not his surroundings. The passage on my heart was Daniel chapter 6, the story of Daniel and the lion's den. Now this story is something that we learn early in the church, but I wanted to go farther than the story of it, and on to the sound biblical truth contained in it. Daniel's reputation was that of one who followed his God above all, and this fact was taken into account by those who were out to get him because he favored highly by the king. These men set a trap for Daniel that anyone who makes petition to any king or god besides Darius, the king, should be thrown to the lions. Verse 10 tells us that Daniel knew full and well the law had been passed and the consequences of it, yet prayed to God anyway. Most of us know the story, Daniel was brought before the king and, even though the king tried to save him, Daniel was thrown in the lion's den. The next morning, after a sleepless night of God weighing on the king's conscience, he goes to see what has come of Daniel.
"Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God." - Daniel 6:23

After this all of the accusers are killed, God is glorified through the king's proclamation, and Daniel prospers. The part I focused on, and caught my attention the most, was the way Daniel followed God unwaveringly, and acted completely on faith. We know that he knew the danger, yet he followed God anyway. This is something that we as Christians don't fully grasp today. We don't do things for God because they may seem dangerous, crazy, or stupid. Or maybe the world tells us that something has too big of a risk, when the reality is we should step out on faith. Our God is too great and has done so much for us, if we feel God's leading in a situation we should act out of faith and not worry about if the world thinks it is crazy or stupid. Our God is bigger than our own view of things and has a much greater plan than what we can foresee.

"Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: 'Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.'" - Daniel 6:25-27