I have been reading Psalm 27 for a couple of days. This morning I was encouraged by the first verse, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
In my job (as with any job) I have superiors in whom I am to submit. Although this isn't the exact historical context, I see this verse having deep application to my interactions with my bosses. The application is this: God is my salvation, not my kind compliments (which were intended for my personal gain), not my purposeful silence during imperfect executive decisions, and not even my perfect new shirt (which I wore with the intentions of looking good to others not to God).
God has brought salvation. Not me. Not my bosses. Not any other thing in this world. God is Powerful; idols are PowerFaux
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Man That Hurt!!!
So the other day I was accused of some pretty nasty things. That's all I need to say so that I don't follow my heart's temptations to slander and gossip about the person. Honestly, it hurt. It really hurt. I know I 
am proud and that is the reason it hurt. If I weren't so wrapped up in how much awesomeness I have, I wouldn't have limped away so wounded, but nevertheless I am. And now I'm struggling in my mind to not replay the scenario over and over and over again with all the alternate endings cued up. It's now over. The fog has cleared a little and it's just me and Jesus.
Although the jury is still out on if the person is a true Christ follower, the recent article I read by Dr. Mike Milton put the healing balm of the Gospel on my wound. Please read this excerpt. I think it will help you, dear reader, if one day you are hurt by a person meaning to hurt you.
This is for anyone who is a believer hurt by another believer, for a loved one hurt by another loved one, for anyone feeling like a victim of another person, or maybe just feeling betrayed by life. In order for you to move from victim to victor in dealing with the pain of betrayal or suffering of any kind, drastic steps must be taken. The hurt person, who is not embracing that pain as a means for God to do something in his life, is the person who is stuck and for whom the clock has stopped. He is not denying himself. In fact, the very thing he wants to do is feed pain: "They hurt me, they said this about me, and I was offended." But Jesus says, "Take up your cross, follow Me, deny yourself, whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
We want to think about cross-bearing as physical pain, and it is. We also want to think about taking up our cross as standing up for truth and maybe taking some hits for it, maybe even being a martyr for it. Throughout church history may have done so.
But the context of the cross is betrayal. The context of the cross is the pain of being hurt by those close to us.
Zechariah 13:6 speaks of "the wounds I received in the house of my friends." This is the pain you may feel in your heart. This may be where you are living today.
God does not call us to live in distrust, but to live by faith in Christ. It is not that I implicitly trust all men; it is that I trust God in all situations. And this makes life sweet.
Will you say, "I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and share in His sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may rise again"? Will you believe that though "they" meant it for evil, God meant it for good? Will you go on and live this risen life that Christ offers you right now?
This is from Dr. Milton's booklet Hit by Friendly Fire: What to do When Christians Hurt You.
am proud and that is the reason it hurt. If I weren't so wrapped up in how much awesomeness I have, I wouldn't have limped away so wounded, but nevertheless I am. And now I'm struggling in my mind to not replay the scenario over and over and over again with all the alternate endings cued up. It's now over. The fog has cleared a little and it's just me and Jesus.Although the jury is still out on if the person is a true Christ follower, the recent article I read by Dr. Mike Milton put the healing balm of the Gospel on my wound. Please read this excerpt. I think it will help you, dear reader, if one day you are hurt by a person meaning to hurt you.
This is for anyone who is a believer hurt by another believer, for a loved one hurt by another loved one, for anyone feeling like a victim of another person, or maybe just feeling betrayed by life. In order for you to move from victim to victor in dealing with the pain of betrayal or suffering of any kind, drastic steps must be taken. The hurt person, who is not embracing that pain as a means for God to do something in his life, is the person who is stuck and for whom the clock has stopped. He is not denying himself. In fact, the very thing he wants to do is feed pain: "They hurt me, they said this about me, and I was offended." But Jesus says, "Take up your cross, follow Me, deny yourself, whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
We want to think about cross-bearing as physical pain, and it is. We also want to think about taking up our cross as standing up for truth and maybe taking some hits for it, maybe even being a martyr for it. Throughout church history may have done so.
But the context of the cross is betrayal. The context of the cross is the pain of being hurt by those close to us.
Zechariah 13:6 speaks of "the wounds I received in the house of my friends." This is the pain you may feel in your heart. This may be where you are living today.
God does not call us to live in distrust, but to live by faith in Christ. It is not that I implicitly trust all men; it is that I trust God in all situations. And this makes life sweet.
Will you say, "I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and share in His sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may rise again"? Will you believe that though "they" meant it for evil, God meant it for good? Will you go on and live this risen life that Christ offers you right now?
This is from Dr. Milton's booklet Hit by Friendly Fire: What to do When Christians Hurt You.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Friendship
In a recent sermon series, we have been confronted with the truth that not all relationships are worth having. At least, they should be filed in the appropriate sector for the good of our souls.
My years in college were filled with many relationships, but I'll never forget the relationships I had with the new freshmen who just arrived to TTU's campus.
The campus ministry I was involved in would make every effort to get connected with people early in the year. We would swarm the dorms on move in day just to meet and help out people in hopes to share the good news of Christ with them. We would then proceed to wave bye to their moms and dads and show them around campus. Our tour would always involve a trip to the UC.
On the path from the dorms to the UC there is a belly-button high bush about six foot in length and 3-4 foot wide. The bush is pretty, nice and green, and groomed properly. Every year we would pick the most athletic guy hanging out with us and peer pressure him into jumping the bush. Before you start hurling your stones of judgment at me, let me tell you the bush is jump-able. I've seen several people clear it with no problem. The part that is sooo funny is that not everyone clears the bush.
I left out (as I did when I would challenge the freshmen) the description of the 2 inch needle like thorns the bush had hidden in its clutches. Waiting to claw their way into the freshman's flesh as they were trying to show off their athleticism at their new home. Many guys found the thorns after the landing!
I have to be honest, I did this for the enjoyment of pulling a prank on the new guy. I loved it! I wasn't really a good friend to these guys. I was using them as a selfish form of entertainment. This story is connected to the sermon we heard.
Our pastor made several points about the differences between having friends, counsel, and evangelistic relationships. We as Christians have friends who are Christians (or at least claim to be) in whom we wouldn't confide in. And our relationships should look that way! We should properly confide in older more mature Christians that will help us on our marathon to Jesus. I need to watch out for those who would talk me into "jumping the bushes" without my good in mind. My counsel will point out the thorns when my friends may not even know the thorns exist.
And be sure the strongest warning is against confiding in those who are non-Christian. I think this is the most tempting for those who aren't involved in a strong church. Where the advice of the members is not that different from that of the non-Christian. Sad, huh? I've seen it. People turn to non-Christians for their thoughts and get crazy answers like, "Just follow your heart," or, "Do what you want," or the advice comes through the lifestyle of the person being questioned. Let's be honest...non-Christians have idols like: Self satisfaction, Materialism, and Comfort. Why do you think Oprah and Dr. Phil make so much money? They will tell you what you want to hear so that you will watch their show. DON'T Listen to the LOST over GOD's wise counsel in your life. The result may be worse than the thorns of the freshman bush.
Do you have any thoughts about this subject? Have you proven these truth from experiences on either side?
My years in college were filled with many relationships, but I'll never forget the relationships I had with the new freshmen who just arrived to TTU's campus.
The campus ministry I was involved in would make every effort to get connected with people early in the year. We would swarm the dorms on move in day just to meet and help out people in hopes to share the good news of Christ with them. We would then proceed to wave bye to their moms and dads and show them around campus. Our tour would always involve a trip to the UC.
On the path from the dorms to the UC there is a belly-button high bush about six foot in length and 3-4 foot wide. The bush is pretty, nice and green, and groomed properly. Every year we would pick the most athletic guy hanging out with us and peer pressure him into jumping the bush. Before you start hurling your stones of judgment at me, let me tell you the bush is jump-able. I've seen several people clear it with no problem. The part that is sooo funny is that not everyone clears the bush.
I left out (as I did when I would challenge the freshmen) the description of the 2 inch needle like thorns the bush had hidden in its clutches. Waiting to claw their way into the freshman's flesh as they were trying to show off their athleticism at their new home. Many guys found the thorns after the landing!
I have to be honest, I did this for the enjoyment of pulling a prank on the new guy. I loved it! I wasn't really a good friend to these guys. I was using them as a selfish form of entertainment. This story is connected to the sermon we heard.
Our pastor made several points about the differences between having friends, counsel, and evangelistic relationships. We as Christians have friends who are Christians (or at least claim to be) in whom we wouldn't confide in. And our relationships should look that way! We should properly confide in older more mature Christians that will help us on our marathon to Jesus. I need to watch out for those who would talk me into "jumping the bushes" without my good in mind. My counsel will point out the thorns when my friends may not even know the thorns exist.
And be sure the strongest warning is against confiding in those who are non-Christian. I think this is the most tempting for those who aren't involved in a strong church. Where the advice of the members is not that different from that of the non-Christian. Sad, huh? I've seen it. People turn to non-Christians for their thoughts and get crazy answers like, "Just follow your heart," or, "Do what you want," or the advice comes through the lifestyle of the person being questioned. Let's be honest...non-Christians have idols like: Self satisfaction, Materialism, and Comfort. Why do you think Oprah and Dr. Phil make so much money? They will tell you what you want to hear so that you will watch their show. DON'T Listen to the LOST over GOD's wise counsel in your life. The result may be worse than the thorns of the freshman bush.
Do you have any thoughts about this subject? Have you proven these truth from experiences on either side?
Monday, May 9, 2011
Public Education
The Demise of Public Education
Recently, I have been reading a ton of articles on public education I gathered up for some research. Honestly, I was discouraged. This slug of a public education system we have is struggling to keep its head above water. While the blame for the failure is placed on the teachers, the real problem is the foundational beliefs driving public education. I am a teacher; I have 3 certifications and I'm working on my Master's degree, but public education may not be the best work in the future. I think it may end up like the US Postal Service, which is slowly grinding to a halt as people figure out how to go purely electronic. Its demise may have began not too long ago.
These things are related because there is a plethora of education materials out there for students of all ages. Just check out wolframalpha.com some time. While you're at it, look at owl.perdue.edu. These are just a couple of sites dedicated to knowledge. Public education mainly follows the Greek philosophy of learning. Simply put this is the idea of an expert imparting knowledge to non-experts. Basically the transition of knowledge is the essence of education. In the schools it is the teachers transmitting knowledge of a subject to a student. This seems like a great idea if the information wasn't already floating around cyber-space ripe for the picking. So my thought is this: we really don't have a need for teachers, just a basic understanding of how to get information (and motivation to do so) and the process is complete. I guess I'm saying my job is useless... You can find what I know by looking for 10 minutes on google! I hope the system doesn't figure this out soon!
The failure of the public education system has been in the spot light for a while now. I know this is an unprovable thought but I think it is because of what God teaches in the Bible. I get this from my recent reading in Proverbs. Chapter 1 says this, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7 ESV). Logically, then it is true to say Fear of God= beginning of knowledge. Then the inverse is true No Fear of God= No beginning of knowledge. Obviously, there is no fear of God in public education, so there is no knowledge, right? Well, there is knowledge at school, but knowledge my point is that it has no real value if it doesn't deal with the fear of Him. I suppose all knowledge is from God, but He is the source of true and valuable (as He defines value) knowledge.
"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—" (1 Corinthians 1:4-5 ESV). I think this teaches in grace through Christ our knowledge is enriched to true knowledge of God. The knowledge of God is the only truly valuable knowledge because it leads to the salvation of one's soul.
For some further reading on some of the problems with Public Education:
http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/03/004-reforming-education-a-whole-new-world-20
This is just scratching the surface of the gigantic problem of education. I would love to hear some of your thoughts (reader) about it.
Recently, I have been reading a ton of articles on public education I gathered up for some research. Honestly, I was discouraged. This slug of a public education system we have is struggling to keep its head above water. While the blame for the failure is placed on the teachers, the real problem is the foundational beliefs driving public education. I am a teacher; I have 3 certifications and I'm working on my Master's degree, but public education may not be the best work in the future. I think it may end up like the US Postal Service, which is slowly grinding to a halt as people figure out how to go purely electronic. Its demise may have began not too long ago.
These things are related because there is a plethora of education materials out there for students of all ages. Just check out wolframalpha.com some time. While you're at it, look at owl.perdue.edu. These are just a couple of sites dedicated to knowledge. Public education mainly follows the Greek philosophy of learning. Simply put this is the idea of an expert imparting knowledge to non-experts. Basically the transition of knowledge is the essence of education. In the schools it is the teachers transmitting knowledge of a subject to a student. This seems like a great idea if the information wasn't already floating around cyber-space ripe for the picking. So my thought is this: we really don't have a need for teachers, just a basic understanding of how to get information (and motivation to do so) and the process is complete. I guess I'm saying my job is useless... You can find what I know by looking for 10 minutes on google! I hope the system doesn't figure this out soon!
The failure of the public education system has been in the spot light for a while now. I know this is an unprovable thought but I think it is because of what God teaches in the Bible. I get this from my recent reading in Proverbs. Chapter 1 says this, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7 ESV). Logically, then it is true to say Fear of God= beginning of knowledge. Then the inverse is true No Fear of God= No beginning of knowledge. Obviously, there is no fear of God in public education, so there is no knowledge, right? Well, there is knowledge at school, but knowledge my point is that it has no real value if it doesn't deal with the fear of Him. I suppose all knowledge is from God, but He is the source of true and valuable (as He defines value) knowledge.
"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—" (1 Corinthians 1:4-5 ESV). I think this teaches in grace through Christ our knowledge is enriched to true knowledge of God. The knowledge of God is the only truly valuable knowledge because it leads to the salvation of one's soul.
For some further reading on some of the problems with Public Education:
http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/03/004-reforming-education-a-whole-new-world-20
This is just scratching the surface of the gigantic problem of education. I would love to hear some of your thoughts (reader) about it.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Brazil and God's Goodness
God is so Good! He has been teaching me so much about Himself and His mission.
About five years ago I began my relationship with Christ and He began to teach me about who He is and what He desires to be done in the world. He wants to know me and guide me because He cares about me and He wants me to tell others about His coming and their purpose as He defines it. About three years after I became a Christian I had an oppourtunity to learn about His desire for me to tell others with Campus Outreach (www.campusoutreach.org). We went to Belo Horizonte, Brazil for 8 weeks. I didn't know it but God had a bigger plan in store for me the whole time.
So we fast forward through the last two years and now I am about to graduate from Tennessee Technological University May 5th, 2007. As I look out across the gulf of my future I am amazed at the oppourtunities God has given me for my future (Jeremiah 29:11). I will be spending one year in Belo Horizonte, Brazil as a missionary for the Gospel of Christ. Praise God!!! He is surely the author of this!!! I will be raising money the next 29 days so I can leave on May 15th, 2007.
My work there will be with Campus Outreach Brazil Team. I will be on staff working to share Christ's Love with recent graduate students from the local University (Federal University of Minas Gerais, UFMG) and using English as an oppourtunity to teach the Gospel to students. I am really excited about Brazil and the gospel of Christ being spread where He wants it to go. I listed some request below.
Please Pray:
-That GOD would move people's hearts to join with me in Brazil
-That the Graduate Communities would fall deeper in Love with Christ
-God will prepare my heart to share and Brazilian's hearts to be shared with
-GOD will supply all my needs as He promises to do in His word
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