Never shaken! Definitely Stirred!

"We are the chosen generation! Rise up holy nation!
God we live for you!
You have called us out of darkness into life so glorious!
God we live for you!"

Passion rocked my socks. In anticipation of the 2011 Live Link on Monday, I am very excited to get some details for next year. Despite the fact that I'm too old to attend I will definitely be there as a volunteer. I also rally behind the idea that those of us 18-30ish are a part of a generation ready to make some changes. We've got our work cut out for us, but we're prepared to wake up this nation around us. It's time to show everyone the awesome God we serve! I'm ready to live for God, time to make him famous! Besides like the song says if we can't figure it out my God can't be moved or shaken, and I'm convinced he has big plans for us! Do you feel the stir??

"Our God will not be moved. Our God will never be shaken!"

If you're interested in hearing some of the music we experience at Passion this year check out this link:
http://new.music.yahoo.com/programs/earlyedition/#

Michelle needs a piercing!

Ha! Ha! This blog is going to be fun. ;)

Okay so I was looking back through some of the things I've read so far in the Bible and one part stuck out to me. Moses was talking about how after a servant has served for a six year period you are to let them go in the seventh year. If for some reason the servant chooses to stay to remain under his masters protection, the master would pierce the servants ear to show the strength of their relationship. It says, "This is my beloved servant or I am perpetually his beloved master."

In the daily walk section it says, "Have you pierced your ears for the Lord yet? Are you the property of the father, ready to do his will as a living servant? If not give God your ears--and life--right now."

I'm not in anyway doubting Michelle's dedication to living for God. She's the most faithful servant of God that I know. It's just her ears. I'm pretty sure one of them closed up on her, but that doesn't in anyway reflect on her "piercing status" where it comes to Jesus! Just couldn't resist!

Holy Blog Worthy Batman!

Today I was finishing up my reading in Deuteronomy and I felt like every time I turned the page I thought I need to write about that! So here it is my random thoughts as I finish Deuteronomy (finally)!

I found this verse very motivating and felt everyone should make notice of it:
Deuteronomy 31:8
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

God doesn't just plan to say Hey go ahead figure it out, I'll catch up. He says don't worry I got this. I got your back and your front! :) I'm bizarre I know!

In chapter 33 Moses was delivering a message to each of the tribes expressing how God felt about each of them or telling something about what God plans for them. For instance Moses said this to the tribe of Reuben, "Let the tribe of Reuben live and not die out, though they are few in number." Or to the tribe of Benjamin, "The people of Benjamin are loved by the Lord and live in safety beside him." Or to the tribe of Naphtali, "O Naphtali, you are rich in favor and full of the Lord's blessings; may you possess the west and the south." What would he say about me or my peeps? Puts a little perspective on the way we live.

I've heard so many people refer to the idea that God is unfair and controlling when it comes to the Ten Commandments. People think he's all rules and no fun! I challenge those people to think about the Highway Patrols expectations of drivers. They require drivers to drive within the speed limit, not to endanger other drivers, keep their car under control, and have a valid license. No one says they are unfair or controlling. Their purpose is to ensure that everyone can use and enjoy the highway to the fullest. That is God's plan too. He wants us to enjoy life to the fullest. He's not just this overbearing killjoy. His commands are for ultimate good. He wants to give "a rich and satisfying life" (John 10:10).


I think those were all the points I hoped to make! Hopefully I didn't make anyone too dizzy trying to follow along! :)

Where are you camped??

As Moses and his people were traveling from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land it was necessary for them to travel through the wilderness. The trip should have only taken 11 days, you figure if they are slow travelers maybe 12 or 13, but because of their disobedience they would end up camped their for what became a 40 year nightmare.

Wilderness is never pleasant. It's not usually comfortable. Everyone will experience it. Moses did. David did. John the Baptist did. The apostle Paul did. But its not necessarily a bad thing. Something I recently discovered was that during a dry season in the wilderness it causes the roots of the trees to go down deeper in search of water, which usually causes the tree to be stronger and better able to weather a storm. Is that true for us? When wilderness strikes and it will, how do you react? Don't let it make you bitter or disobedient toward God. Use your wilderness to give you deeper roots, and to make you better able to weather the storms of life!

If you're in the wilderness right now, where are you camped these days? In Disobedience or at His feet?

The final score is...

Imagine this:


With eyes riveted to the television screen, a group of Cardinal fans yell with excitement as they watch the game. When the Cardinals fall behind 2-0 in the third inning, the fans are delighted. When the score goes to 3-0 in the 5th inning, the excitement grows. As the team moves into the 8th inning the Cardinals still trail 3-1, and the fans go crazy with joy. Okay you're probably thinking what in the heck?!? It's because they are watching a videotape of the game, they already know the final score is going to be 4-3 in favor of the Cardinals. The fans are confident their team is going to win. So where am I going with this? It's just a reminder that when the battle is the Lord's the outcome is already certain and we should assume the same confidence!

Grandma Move It or Wait Stay Right There

Okay so my reading today encouraged me to look back at the first part of this year to see when God's sovereignty was at work. It said Sovereignty was God reigning in the affairs of his people. He often does this by guarding, protecting, and keeping from harm. Just in our trip to Passion alone we made it there in Melissa's car which apparently had issues, but gave us no problem. The weather was beyond cold, but we avoided the snow by less than 24 hours. As far as the past few weeks go, I'm not sure of EVERYTHING God has kept me safe from, but on a side note there was something I was curious about. Do you think when that annoying old lady cuts you off on the highway forcing you to do like 50ish in a 60, that God is trying to keep you out of harms way? Earlier this happened to me, and my first instinct was C'mon lady are you serious? But then I started thinking about today's reading. What might I have just been spared from, and suddenly I was actually a little thankful. I don't know that its true, but what if it is. God can put slow old ladies in front of me, whenever he would like if that's his intention!

Future Tennis Pro

Okay so the other day I posted a facebook status that said,

"Life is a lot like tennis- the goal is to learn to serve best!!"

It really helps me focus. It's not about making a ton of money, or having a bunch of friends or things, but its about serving God. More often than not serving God happens by serving others. When we were at Passion 2010, Louie had a meeting with all the volunteers before our job assignments were passed out. He basically said its not about the job, because whether our job was to watch the forks behind a curtain it would be just as important as holding the door that 21,000 college kids were walking thru. I was on the touch team, but more specifically the directional team. I thought no big deal I can tell people where to go, I'm good with directions. Little did I know that I would really just be an insanely cold sign holder. I held a few doors, screamed loudly about bags, acted as a human orange cone, but my main job was The No Bag Line Sign Holder! Sounds pretty lame right?!? Well it freaking rocked! It was an amazing experience, and it was nice to serve God and all those kids in that way. I knew that by giving them the directions getting them from place to place, I was playing a small part in the awesome things God was planning to do thru them as a result of the conference.



But what now? What is the next step for me to become a future tennis pro? How can I serve best?