Thoughts On Marriage...Please refrain from stoning till after the post. Thank You.

So I've recently started an endeavor to read through all the books Paul had written and so far it has been amazing. I love the way he writes and his thoughts on life and just his honesty about certain situations without worry about how it will upset people. He wrote truth as it came from God to him and he let that be enough which is something to envy.

But one passage in particular seized my attention. It was First Corinthians 7 where Paul takes an entire chapter to talk to the church of Corinth about :pause for emphasis: marriage. :) Now I had heard bits and pieces of this passage but never really ever read the chapter in its entirety and in context with the chapter before it in which he touches on avoiding sexual immorality. It's also very interesting that Paul basically says that if you cannot control your desires then please for the love of God get married because it's better than sinning.

I have to say that this is one of my favorite chapters because Paul really lays out his ideas on marriage which I found to be very comforting because basically he's saying it's okay to be single. And it is equally okay to be married just be prepared because it's tough. You not only have to give yourself to the Lord but you also have to give yourself to your spouse.

Paul also talks about divorce which makes complete sense to me. I don't know why there is a big fuss over the divorce topic when it is laid out right here. The next time anyone brings up the question of the Big D I will simply write down '1 Cor. 7: 10-16', hand it to said person, and walk away. There really needn't be an argument because it's in the Bible. Done.

And Paul also lays out my personal favorite: that if you are single, do not worry about being married. The Lord has you single for a reason and that is to do His work and if the thoughts of marriage are keeping you from doing the Lord's work then you need to surrender it to God. And he says that if you don't have a desire to get married that it's okay. Marriage is a gift and it is not given to everyone. Paul himself wasn't married and there was nothing wrong with it. I have a personal attachment to this statement because I myself do not have the desire to marry. There are many people who hear that and immediately judge which is especially sad in the Church. Paul clearly states in 1 Cor. 7:37 "But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry."
I think I fit the bill just fine. :)

Now, before you send me angry comments about God and marriage and hurling stones at me, please know that 1. I am not a Bible scholar nor a seminary student, nor a pastor, nor do I have the desire to be any of the three. I may be missing some things here or there but that is for the Lord to reveal to me in His timing. And 2. I believe marriage is a beautiful thing. My parents have been married for 20 years and I have watched their marriage flourish. I also have the privilege to know couples that have such a wonderful marriage and, if the Lord should change my heart, would love to have just a shadow of that sort of bond. I also know the value of it and I know that the Lord values it highly. His entire redemption plan is basically a marriage ceremony for crying out loud! I would be severely daft to ignore that.

So all in all, it's okay to be single. Just know that the Lord holds you accountable for the freedom you have and desires you to use your freedom to serve Him. And it is okay to marry because the Lord cherishes the union between a man and a woman. :)


Till Next Time...

It All Comes Down To The Bottom Lines (Post-KidJam)

Hello reality! Didn't see you there. Have you been there all this time?

So I, along with 4 other awesome leaders, just came back from Camp KidJam in Winston-Salem at Wake Forest University and to say that it was insane is an understatement. Haha! The camp was non-stop and I'm pretty sure there's some sort of time fluctuation machine being built on campus because I'm sure 3 weeks had passed.

Anyways, throughout camp I just kept getting smacked in the face. No. Not by a rambunctious child but by God. See, I always go to camp. It's what I've done since I've joined the children's ministry. There's never been an 'if' (except that one time I was on vacation :P) it has always been 'go'. But there was just something about this year at camp that was different. It was really weird because it was the first time that I really thought about camp and was so close to backing out for no real reason other than that I thought I was falling into a routine. Luckily, I didn't back out because I ended up being so blessed by the kids and by the message they were being taught. It was on this trip that I actually felt somewhat confident about leading a small group. I've always felt as though I was a horrid teacher (still think that) but knowing that although the kids were moving about, they were absorbing what I was saying and able to say it back to me. I know it was God because there was no way in heck that was coming from me! But God knew that was what I needed to hear. I needed to realize that my voice is important and that what I say has impact. It was just remarkable.

Another thing that just blew me away about camp was the way all of the bottom lines were applicable to my life.
Me.
A 19 (almost 20 :D) year old adult person.
I will list the bottom lines from camp:

God wants to do something in me that is bigger than just me...
I have to keep depending on God's power in my life...
What is important to Jesus should be important to me...
When things get hard don't forget what you know...
When I trust in Jesus He promises He will always be with me...
God wants to use me to show others the power of forgiveness... 


What. The. Crap.

When I heard the first one, I will never forget it, I was on my blackberry and when the storyteller (who tried to steal my Starbucks....) said that from the stage my head snapped up and stared at the screen. It was what I needed to hear and it took everything in me to not cry on the spot. And then it just kept going with each bottom line.

Then I got to thinking about what powerful Christ followers we are helping raise up. These kids are learning truths that I still struggle with which is awesome because they have all their lives to learn how it applies to their lives. It makes me a little jealous because I believe that if I had their knowledge about God at their age, I would have grown up with a lot less doubt in my life.

I thank God everyday that I have been put in a position that I am able to convey these truths to our kids in a manner in which they will be able to retain and gain confidence in God. I try not to think about it too much because I will start to feel unworthy but it is such an honor and I'm so grateful for Journey for allowing me to be involved. :)

Till next time...

I'm Not A Theologian But...

Well this is an interesting thought/question and maybe I can get some feedback from my readers?

I was talking to one of my good friends like literally 20 minutes ago just about life and the reality of it. And I brought up the question: Where do we draw the line between being complacent and ungrateful?

I've actually wondered this for a long time because I've made it no secret that I have no desire to live where I'm living anymore. My heart is in Europe, a place I have never lain eyes on but feel so drawn to. But when do I stop and say, "Whoa. Let's stop here. I'm beginning to be ungrateful."

I hear all the time that we should be happy where we are in life. But I refuse to be complacent. I will not, I repeat, will not be satisfied by staying in one place for the rest of my life. I can feel it right now and it is as strong now as it was years ago. In fact, I'm feeling it stronger. Like my head is bouncing against the ceiling.

I think that being ungrateful would mean that I was taking advantage of everything and everyone around me which I'm most certainly not doing.
But what is wrong with wanting something more?
Something better?
Something new?
Is that too much to ask?
And how would one go about leaving everything and everyone they know to pursue a life that is unclear. Where is the line between faith and foolishness?

Faith is clearly stated in Hebrews 1:1-3 (ESV) "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible..."
See? And weren't those champions of faith seen as foolish carrying out things that they were complete unsure of? I believe it's merely a manner of perception. The world will see is as foolhardiness but a Christian should be able to look at it and see faith at work. But I feel like there are a lot of Christians who will look at me and see a foolish boy hoping for many things and ungrateful.

A part of me wants to say "Screw you" but there's another part of me is wary of my decisions...I don't know. I feel like I start blogs with a thought and it carries into a rant. But who cares. It's my blog. I do what I wants! Haha!
But let me know what you think in the comments. I never ask for comments but I'm interested to hear what other points of view there are. If I don't see comments, I will assume that all my readers agree with me completely. :)

Till Next Time...

Now That I Have Seen...

I'm such a jerk to God sometimes. 

At the beginning of my Berklee...let's say "adventure" because it wasn't anything less than an adventure, I suddenly became very interested in God's plan for my life. My prayer life began to flourish and I felt like I was really getting to know God in a way I hadn't before. 

Then came the curveball that I wasn't expecting and I just kind of rolled with it, trusting in God that He was going to take care of me. 

Fast-forward to now and I'm back to where I started. And I feel like such a jerk looking back. 

I feel like I screwed myself over and I feel like an idiot now seeing that I was only interested in getting close to God because I was hoping that if I said the right things and presented this "willing heart" that He would give me what I wanted. 

And that's really lame. 

I am ashamed that I even thought that I could hide anything from God. I should know better than that. He sees everything in me. And God brought me right back to where I began. Sure I learned a lot from that experience but I can see that I was trying to play God and "sweet talk" Him into morphing His plan to suit me. 

How could I do that?!

Then I began to think, "How many other people are doing that right now?" 

I'm sure I would be astounded. People, especially type-A control freaks like myself, will do almost anything to get to what they want and it's really sad. But God is so completely just and merciful that He (for lack of a better statement) went along with my selfishness. Because although I had a subconscious agenda, God still listened to me and God still spoke to me. He even dropped in my spirit a few times what was going to happen but I thought it was the enemy trying to discourage me. 

It's astonishing that God, even through all of my crap, still shows Himself strong and revealed myself to me.

 

Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead

That's one of the lyrics to Brooke Fraser's song Albertine and it resounds through me all the time. Now that God has revealed my heart to me, I am responsible with what I do with this knowledge and how I move on from this point. 

All in all, God is relentless. He will not rest until we are reflections of His Son, Jesus and that is a beautiful thing to think about as a Christian. He will dig through ourselves and show us what we have overlooked. I just believe that we need to be open to see our faults and own up to them. Otherwise it's pointless. 

I know this post was more of a rant than anything but I hope this gets to the right people. 

Till Next Time...

Bobbing In The Current...

It's so wonderful when someone looks at you and sees something that you have overlooked.

I was talking with my friend who just got back from her studies at IBI for the summer and we were just catching up with the times. We got to the part where we were observing how much people have grown. I of course have seen tremendous growth in her as a person. She's seeking the Lord in such a way that I'm envious (the good kind, I promise) and she's snuggling in to her new adult life. Then she turned to me and told me that she's seen my maturity and I'm one of the most mature people she knows. 

Now granted, I've heard that from a lot of people since I was little. I've always felt like an older person. Always. It's just how I've been. But something about the way she said it really touched me. I started reflecting, later on, about what has been going on since the beginning of the year and to me, I feel like I'm a complete mess. There are times that I feel like people look at me and are disappointed in the choices I've made. But to know that someone has seen my growth is kind of remarkable and encouraging. 

It's also gotten me thinking about what God is going to do next. He's always working and I can see that now but there are moments in life where He seems more prominent. Kind of like a current. You don't really realized it's moving you until you look around and see the landscape changing. 

I can see that God is shifting. He's bringing people back into my life in a big and wonderful way and there must be a reason. God does nothing without a reason and a purpose. I'm totally stoked about it and I just pray I'll have the faith and trust in God to let Him take the reins. It's never good for a blind person to take the reins of a life that isn't his to begin with. Right? 

In case you didn't catch that, I'm the blind person in this analogy. Are you tracking? Okay good. :)

Till Next Time...

P.S. Hopefully God will give me a less expensive lesson to learn. Plane tickets to Boston aren't cheap. Ever. lol