One of the new things that I am experiencing this year is Advent. To tell the truth, I wasn't all that sure what Advent was until I started reading about it online. The internet is the bastion for all knowledge nowadays. But, when I want to learn about something, I go to Wikipedia. Their article on Advent is pretty good. It doesn't give a Christian perspective, but it gives the facts. I didn't see where it mentions fasting from something during the season of Advent, but that is something that me and my wife are doing (along with others we know). My family's sacrifice this year is sodas of any nature. Thats tough since I am used to drinking like 3 a day and my wife is the same way. One of my close friends, Drew, mentioned that not only is he trying to give up something, but start something new. I have taken that to heart as well. So, not only are we giving up sodas, but I felt the desire to recommit ourselves to seeking God. I have always been mindful of prayer and its importance as an intimate moment that we share and have done so every night since we have been dating. However, when we got married, I never focused on a morning prayer time for us to commit our lives to God's service for the day. Thats something I feel very drawn to and hope to make that something new for us to do.
The other major even this time of year is Thanksgiving. I am very thankful this year. I don't think its cause I have more than I have ever had. I think it has more to do with the fact that I acknowledge God's grace a little more than I ever have though. I am blessed with a loving wife and a wonderful new marriage. I will have that for the rest of my life and I know that I will be thankful for that for the rest of my life. While I have always been thankful for my parents and their loving nature, I am even more appreciative of them for all that they have done. Its like the light finally clicked for me. It was always this gut reaction to their goodness, but I never understood as well as I do now. And I am sure that I will look back on this moment a few years from now and realize how little I got at this point. That is one of the amazing things about parents, you are always finding new levels of respect and admiration for them, at least I am. There are numerous examples of this type of revelation going on with me recently. Of course, the most prevalent is about God and His desire for us. I never realized how great the path of God could be. I heard it and thought that it might be true, but its more wonderful to experience it.
Ok, I am basically rambling, but we all tend to do that when we are excited about something. Thats new to me as well, being excited about God. There are so many times in the past when I allowed God to use a revival or a youth trip or whatever to help ignite the fire inside me. I would be so set on following him and slowly the embers faded and I was back to wondering where it all was and if it was all worth it. However, with new understanding, I am developing something more real and more constant than I have ever had before. Its great. I am never proud of the life that I used to lead, but am thankful that it makes me appreciate the desire of God for me.
So, while the Thanksgiving season is here and we all take a few moments to say our thanks, I just wanted to reflect on those things that I am utterly floored by this year. I will be suffering without any Mountain Dew or Pepsi or any sodas of any sort this year, but I will be seeking God each morning with my wife. Have a great holiday!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Studying
One of those "dirty little secrets" that I have had for a long time is that I very rarely study the bible. You would think that as a person who was very keen on getting back to where God wants me the past year plus that I would whole-heartedly run toward the scripture. However, I have known that I should dive deep into His word.
I attempted to jumpstart myself in that manner earlier this year by reading the whole bible in 90 days. Yes, I actually completed it. The problem is that I went from wanting to do this to see it as a full story and a complete illustration of God to a person who was slowly just desiring the goal to be reached. There is no learning going on when you are just wanting to "get done". Then when you are finished with the whole bible, you feel like you have just completed a novel. How many people when they are finished with a novel goes back to reread a chapter that was just read? None that I know of. So, I hindered myself in this regard. I started the task with the wrong intentions. I wanted to accomplish reading the bible. It wasn't some spiritual journey that I was taking, but a reading assignment that I gave myself. Thus, I have struggled since wanting to dive back in.
I finally got around to trying something new. A friend pointed out to me a new method. They suggested that I started reading one chapter a week of any book. During that week, you read that chapter every day and you read whatever commentaries, histories, etc about that chapter and that book. What a great concept! I loved the idea. Where to start was what filled my mind. The next Sunday or so our pastor was talking about Zechariah and used it in his message. I thought, that sounds cool, maybe I will try there. I didn't think much about resources since we are now in the information age and can find pretty much anything on the internet, right? Well, that was a mistake. I lasted about 3 weeks. I gave up trying to find stuff online to read. I basically felt defeated. I felt like I failed. However, I do know the truth. If I had continued on, without trying to admit my mistake, that would have been worse.
Instead, I am starting all over. I don't just mean with a new book, I mean with a new outlook. I am starting as if I am a new Christian. Rather than just believing what I have been taught all these years about, "just read the bible", I started by listening to a sermon by Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle. What a powerful message. I don't care how long you have been part of God's kingdom, this message will open your eyes at least a little. To me, its a lot. I won't go into a lot of what he says but just a few points.
The question that you have to ask yourself is what is your motive for studying scripture. That question will change why or how you are doing it all by itself. Just thinking about why you are doing something causes you to pause. It causes you to delve into your desires for the exercise. Driscoll points out that the purpose for reading the bible is relational and not functional. Just let that sink in. You read to bring more depth to your relationship with God. From that relationship, you will get the functional aspect that you were searching for, though it might not be in the manner you had originally thought.
Once you figure out your motive, then you worry about the method. This really helped me see my desire to read Zechariah not as a failure but as a challenge. Im not ready for it. I can admit that. There are things in that book that later in my spiritual walk will be useful to me, but I don't get them yet. Instead, God has something for me elsewhere in His word. The point that stuck out to me here from Driscoll is that you must pray. Seems pretty obvious, huh? Well, when you think about it this way, its revealing to me. He says that all scripture is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit and is made so that you need the Holy Spirit ministering to you for understanding. If you don't pray and get that ministering, you might miss the point of it. By praying, you are relying on God for your understanding instead of what you can come up with. I tend to think that God is a little smarter than myself.
I don't know if this encourages others or just is a great way for me to vent this all out as I learn it, but its something good to think about. If you would like to listen to this sermon, its on Mars Hill's website in the media library.
I attempted to jumpstart myself in that manner earlier this year by reading the whole bible in 90 days. Yes, I actually completed it. The problem is that I went from wanting to do this to see it as a full story and a complete illustration of God to a person who was slowly just desiring the goal to be reached. There is no learning going on when you are just wanting to "get done". Then when you are finished with the whole bible, you feel like you have just completed a novel. How many people when they are finished with a novel goes back to reread a chapter that was just read? None that I know of. So, I hindered myself in this regard. I started the task with the wrong intentions. I wanted to accomplish reading the bible. It wasn't some spiritual journey that I was taking, but a reading assignment that I gave myself. Thus, I have struggled since wanting to dive back in.
I finally got around to trying something new. A friend pointed out to me a new method. They suggested that I started reading one chapter a week of any book. During that week, you read that chapter every day and you read whatever commentaries, histories, etc about that chapter and that book. What a great concept! I loved the idea. Where to start was what filled my mind. The next Sunday or so our pastor was talking about Zechariah and used it in his message. I thought, that sounds cool, maybe I will try there. I didn't think much about resources since we are now in the information age and can find pretty much anything on the internet, right? Well, that was a mistake. I lasted about 3 weeks. I gave up trying to find stuff online to read. I basically felt defeated. I felt like I failed. However, I do know the truth. If I had continued on, without trying to admit my mistake, that would have been worse.
Instead, I am starting all over. I don't just mean with a new book, I mean with a new outlook. I am starting as if I am a new Christian. Rather than just believing what I have been taught all these years about, "just read the bible", I started by listening to a sermon by Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle. What a powerful message. I don't care how long you have been part of God's kingdom, this message will open your eyes at least a little. To me, its a lot. I won't go into a lot of what he says but just a few points.
The question that you have to ask yourself is what is your motive for studying scripture. That question will change why or how you are doing it all by itself. Just thinking about why you are doing something causes you to pause. It causes you to delve into your desires for the exercise. Driscoll points out that the purpose for reading the bible is relational and not functional. Just let that sink in. You read to bring more depth to your relationship with God. From that relationship, you will get the functional aspect that you were searching for, though it might not be in the manner you had originally thought.
Once you figure out your motive, then you worry about the method. This really helped me see my desire to read Zechariah not as a failure but as a challenge. Im not ready for it. I can admit that. There are things in that book that later in my spiritual walk will be useful to me, but I don't get them yet. Instead, God has something for me elsewhere in His word. The point that stuck out to me here from Driscoll is that you must pray. Seems pretty obvious, huh? Well, when you think about it this way, its revealing to me. He says that all scripture is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit and is made so that you need the Holy Spirit ministering to you for understanding. If you don't pray and get that ministering, you might miss the point of it. By praying, you are relying on God for your understanding instead of what you can come up with. I tend to think that God is a little smarter than myself.
I don't know if this encourages others or just is a great way for me to vent this all out as I learn it, but its something good to think about. If you would like to listen to this sermon, its on Mars Hill's website in the media library.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Right out of the Gate
I guess its been a good 2 mnutes since I started this blog. I should try and make some sort of declaration as to why I would want to spend the time on here typing. Boredom comes to mind. But more than that, I have felt the desire to actually put some meat to the words of my thoughts.
The bulk of my writing so far has been a blog on MySpace, which is barely writing anything. To me, MySpace is sort of a "kiddie" pool for some one who might want to share their thoughts with the world. It is a safe environment. There are a group of your friends who will read what you post cause they are your friends. Also, it acts as a broadcast for the mundane things that go on through your life. There is little to no real depth to what is being discussed. So, in order to actually see if anything that I say is worth the time it takes to read it, I have ventured out.
However, that is the smallest of the reasons that I have placed this new blog on here. The more important one is to breach subjects that I felt confined from on MySpace or any other avenue that I have pursued with online writing. There are a bevy of thoughts that go through my head on a normal day. Most having to deal with questions of myself and my direction in this life. Almost all those questions have to do with what I feel or think God is leading me to. Thus, thats going to be the main focus of my writings on here. That is what I felt most was lacking in my MySpace blogs.
Well, that doesn't sound horribly serious now does it? Of course this blog will be a more serious approach to writing what I am thinking. It will be a chance to stretch out my own words and my own ideas. It will be an avenue where I want to be able to talk about how God is using me or is speaking to me through His word. Whether or not that will be accomplished is to be determined. But it will also be a place to vent the frustration that I have with myself on a normal basis.
Whether any or all of that sounds interesting to you doesn't matter as much as the chance that I feel that I can actually do that. So, that is my focus. That is my desire for this new blog. I named it "Freedom from Above" because we always think of God as being "above" us somewhere. When the word Heaven is mentioned, you automatically think of somewhere beyond the clouds. When you are deep into worship, you often lift your hands to God, above you. Thats the general concept behind the name. God's freedom is accepted here and His love will be talked about here. Thats my blog. Thats what I want to do. Come back and check it out if you want.
The bulk of my writing so far has been a blog on MySpace, which is barely writing anything. To me, MySpace is sort of a "kiddie" pool for some one who might want to share their thoughts with the world. It is a safe environment. There are a group of your friends who will read what you post cause they are your friends. Also, it acts as a broadcast for the mundane things that go on through your life. There is little to no real depth to what is being discussed. So, in order to actually see if anything that I say is worth the time it takes to read it, I have ventured out.
However, that is the smallest of the reasons that I have placed this new blog on here. The more important one is to breach subjects that I felt confined from on MySpace or any other avenue that I have pursued with online writing. There are a bevy of thoughts that go through my head on a normal day. Most having to deal with questions of myself and my direction in this life. Almost all those questions have to do with what I feel or think God is leading me to. Thus, thats going to be the main focus of my writings on here. That is what I felt most was lacking in my MySpace blogs.
Well, that doesn't sound horribly serious now does it? Of course this blog will be a more serious approach to writing what I am thinking. It will be a chance to stretch out my own words and my own ideas. It will be an avenue where I want to be able to talk about how God is using me or is speaking to me through His word. Whether or not that will be accomplished is to be determined. But it will also be a place to vent the frustration that I have with myself on a normal basis.
Whether any or all of that sounds interesting to you doesn't matter as much as the chance that I feel that I can actually do that. So, that is my focus. That is my desire for this new blog. I named it "Freedom from Above" because we always think of God as being "above" us somewhere. When the word Heaven is mentioned, you automatically think of somewhere beyond the clouds. When you are deep into worship, you often lift your hands to God, above you. Thats the general concept behind the name. God's freedom is accepted here and His love will be talked about here. Thats my blog. Thats what I want to do. Come back and check it out if you want.
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