Peace

   There is a ton going on at any given moment in this world today. There are plenty of countries in political battles, wars, and even economic downfalls. In the midst of all of this, there are alot of people who seek peace, for their souls, their countries, and this world.
   For the past few days, we have been discussing the subject of patience. We have said that practice basically makes patience, but lets go deeper. Why do we want patience? Being patience brings and maintains peace. If there is anything that we can learn from the life of Jesus is peace.
   The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, loved all of us better than we could ever love each other or ourselves. And one of the greatest things that He showed us was peace. Jesus was absolutely and perfectly truthful all of the time, for the opening of spiritual eyes of people on life. Sometimes He was dissapointed by the actions of those who claim to follow His Father in Heaven. Yet even in this Truth, Jesus still had both patience and peace beyond belief. So my challenge for this week and this new year, find new ways to work peace and patience in your life, so that the year of 2012 will be one of the most growing and fulfilling years in your life. Remember: The Best is Yet to Come! Happy New Year from H.O.P.E. Ministries of the Upstate! God Bless!

Practice Makes Perfect

   Today I went out to a golf course with a very close friend to the family and started on the driving range, then I moved on to the course itself. We played around six holes. On the driving range, my swing was corrected, as well as my contact, and things went great.
   I learned how to take a much better shot with a much better approach, and general things to make me a much better golfer as a whole. My grip was altered, and my swing relaxed. Now the practice that needs to take place is consistency.
   In life, practice on the small things also makes a much stronger person. For example, lets take patience. In this subject of patience, practice really does help. For example, if one has worked up the patience to not get angry or frustrated over the small things, like spilled milk or something small of those sorts, then when we have big tests in life, like when our boss really tests all of our patience and we have to use all within us to control our emotions, we will have the practice to deal with it. In life, practice reflecting the image of Christ so that at all times, we will show it the most consistent and strongest way possible.

Always Be There

   Have you ever seen the super ironed TV shows about the spies of the CIA tailing someone? You see them in their extremely fast car chasing their target but trying not to be seen by them so somehow they can retrieve some very valuable information that they need.
   So they follow the person for hours, days, weeks, and even months until that very valuable information is found. But the person that they are following never knows that they are there, and that is the key.
   The person that they are following feels all alone and unsuspecting, not knowing that they are being followed or tailed, but instead going through their life as normal, but they were never really alone.
   I know that sometimes, that is how the Christian can feel. We at times feel as if we are just going through our everyday lives alone, sometimes even lonely. But we should know that we are never alone.
   God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that He lives within us, always being there right beside us, no matter where we go. So in those times in this life and this spiritual battle when you feel completely alone, always remember that God is right there by your side.

Greater than Money

   This Christmas, I received many various large and small gifts. Some of them were clothing apparel, which i thoroughly enjoyed, and I also get to go to Passion 2012 in Atlanta as part of a Christmas present.
   I also got my parents some neat little random nick nacks this year. Just little somethings of little monetary value to put smiles on faces. After all, that was the goal of the Christmas presents anyways.
   But even after all of that, those would have meant nothing if we only spoke that day when we were giving each other gifts, and the rest of the day, we barely realized that each of us was there.
   My point is, sometimes the greatest gift of all is shared time. God did not just create this beautiful Earth and walk away for eternity for us humans to figure everything out so that He may one day return, but God sent His Son Jesus so that we may come to Him, and He be a part of our everyday lives, sharing time as we know it with us.
   God knew the importance of time building relationships, that is why Jesus did not leave us alone, but the Holy Spirit came on Earth. God wants to be with us, not just give us creation, because we need to understand that one of the most important aspects of life is our time.

Savior in a Manger

   I really hope that this Christmas was great for everyone! I hope that you all got to spend great time with family and friends, and even maybe enjoy a few gifts. But when we think back on this day, and let us not only remember the family, friends, and gifts, but the reason for the day in the first place, to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
   Born of a virgin impregnated by the Holy Spirit, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was born in a manger. That is why we celebrate, the sweet child, you was born to die, was now on the Earth. The Messiah had then been born.
   He would go through His ministry with the trade of a carpenter and eventually be put on a cross, better yet, nailed to the cross, and crucified, all so that we could be saved from our sins. So that we may come to God without blemish for eternity.
   The One and Only God and man who came to die was born and we celebrate that very special birth on this day called Christmas. As we think back, let us remember that Jesus is the True Reason for that day!

Light

   It is our calling from the Great Commission to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, that is the wonderful news of Christ dying on a cross and being Resurrected from the dead so that our sins may be given and we may be with the Father in the end.
   It is also our calling to be holy, that is different in pursuit of the life of Christ, which was Holy and sinless. This is what I want to focus on. In our pursuit of holiness, it is great to tell people why we choose to live a life that is Holy unto God, but saying that alone is quite powerless without a life that is actually Holy.
   What if one day, God decided to take your lips away from you forever? What if He decided to take your tongue out of your mouth so that you could no longer speak? Would people around you still say that there was something different and Christ like about you? Would Christ still say that your life models His?
   The Light of Christ should shine in your life whether you have words to say or not. You wont get a chance to talk to every person you see at your local Walmart, but you can show all of them an example of the Heart of Christ in your actions. Let the Light of Christ shine through your richly!

Strength

   In the eighth grade, I progressed like any other middle school boy back then. That was the year that I started being interested in females, and started wanting to be a big superhero type macho man. I started wanting to have the coolest clothes and the most popular friends. And like the cooled and most popular back then, a guy named Matthew, I wanted to be physically big and strong.
   So I started lifting weights for the first time. I was naturally a little strong but not nearly as strong as the ones who had been lifting weights for two or three years. The first time we were in the weight room, our quarterback lifted about 150, and matt was at around 275. Our principal was still over 300 as far as bench press goes. Big man.
   After a few days, I quit lifting and just thought I would do it later or at home. I got no bigger and by the end of the year I had joined the wrestling team the same size as I was on the football team. I depended on genetics alone for my strength.
   I know some may think that idea was crazy, but its what we all do sometimes. We forget that the Joy of the Lord is our strength, and depend on ourselves for strength to conquer the world, but its the Lord where our help comes from. Depend on the Lord in All of our ways, for His Joy is our strength!

It doesn't matter

   Im sure that if you surf through the channels on your television for an hour straight, you will find something blatantly against the teachings of Christ and the Bible. This could be morally related, sexually related, or whatever else. That is because sin has obviously become an accepted principle in today's lifestyle among the world.
   It has become normal to have pre marital sex, to go and lose control while drinking, to do a little bit of drugs, skip school and go party, etc. Those things are always seen as bad, but sometimes normal among some. At least normal enough to advertise.
   That is why the title is "It doesnt matter". We as Christians are not called to do what is normal, but we are called by God to be Holy, that is different. We are the ones who are always going against the grain of this world to do things that are acceptable unto and mirror the image of Christ.
   So my challenge, throughout the rest of this week and the rest of your life, find different ways to go against the culture of the world and do things that explicitly serve Jesus Christ.

King

   For a second, I am going to go back to the subject of my mom. Over the years, my mothers has become a pretty good friend. She may not be as daring as I am, or quite as young, but she has become a great friend. One to laugh with, joke around with, etc., just as any other friend would be.
   But when it comes down to it, at the end of the day, she still has the title mother, and no matter what, as long as I am under her roof, what she says goes. No discussion, she holds the cards over me, if you will. And if I ever forget that, I am quickly reminded.
   It is a great thing that the Lord calls us friend. It is amazing that we can come to Him as we are, and just talk to Him like our friend or our brother, telling Him about all that is going on in our days and in our lives.
   But God is also our Sovereign King, the King of the Universe, to whom's name every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. So while we consider Him friend, also remember He is Lord over ALL, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who reigns forever! Its fine to think of Him as friend, but also remember, He is the one and only Living God of All, the Lord Almighty!

Passion

   When my mom comes home from work everyday, I hate to say it, but most of the time I am all in her face, joking, laughing, and sometimes even getting on my moms nerves. It is not because I havent seen her in a long time, I just saw her the night before and we live together, but I love my mom so much that every day my love shows in a close, exciting, sometimes annoying way.
   On the other hand, my mom shows her love for me in a more subtle approach. She might offer me some of her apple cider or tell me a joke of some sort, or just kid around with me. She does not have to be in my face all of the time and in fact most of the time, she is not.
   Which one of us loves the other more? Can you really judge? No, you cannot. We both have love for each other, just shown in different ways. So do I shun her for not being an in your face type of person? No. Does she shun me for that? No. The point is, do not just someone's love for God by how much they are yelling as they preach, or how high they jump during worship. Not every sermon has to be loud, and not every worship has to contain a jump. Some in the bible we very physical about their passion and worship. Some others were not so much. As long as your passion and love for Christ and His renown is genuine, that is what matters.

Full Time Love

   One day, this guy, we will name his Gold, woke up for work and he had just had one of the worst nights of his life. His wife had recently left him and their kids were given to her as well. He only had one more week to work at his job before he had to try and find a new one, which he hadnt even started to do yet.
   Gold was a believer in Jesus Christ and a great servant in the Church. Gold was a man of God who had made some mistakes that others just did not want to forgive him for. He was ready to start over, this time only trusting in Christ as his guide, and not himself.
   But at this moment in time, he just felt sort of down. As he gets dressed and walks out the door to get into his car, his neighbor stops him, as he does everyday, for a hello and encouragement to start his day. Now the neighbor did not know what exactly was going on in the life of Gold, but he did not need to.
   The point is, we never really know what is going on in the life of someone else, that is why we are to encourage others, no matter what, in the good and bad, as a CONSTANT reminder that wherever they are, the Lord is with them and watching over them. That encouragement that morning gave Gold the strength to persevere and trust, and no Gold's life shine the light of Christ, just as his neighbor's did. Encourage others.

Second Chance

   If you have accepted Christ, there is tons of good news for you in this life and the next. If you have not, there is good news, you still can! But for now lets focus on if you have accepted Christ. Among the tons of good news for you, one thing that is really good news is that our sins have been forgiven, the ones that we have commeited, and the ones that we will commit.
   Now that does not give us the right nor the excuse to sin whenever we want with the justification that it has already been forgiven, for that is still rebellion against God, and will not go unpunished. But that does mean that God is the God of many chances and we are not cast away from Him for eternity just because we sin, for we all have sinned and fallen short of His Glory.
   What this is saying is that our works, whether we sin or not, does not determine our entrance into the Kingdom of God. We do not have to mourn for five days and drink salt water for a week just because we have sinned, but we ask for forgiveness from God knowing that through Jesus dying on the cross, our sins have been blotted out for eternity. Not that is some second chance!

Life Inside

   I speak Spanish. In fact, I am very close to being fluent in Spanish. I am not exactly fluent yet, but I am at the rate where I could be dropped of in a Spanish speaking country without food or clothing or money and still survive.
   So one Sunday morning during worship band practice, as a joke, I told one of our singers that I was from Colombia, because our leader joked and told her that I was not from the US. So she asked me and I said, "Soy de Colombia."
   I spoke a little more Spanish for a convincing effect. I spoke it fast and perfect, and for that moment in time, she thought that I was actually from Colombia. But the only truth in that story was that I actually said it. The content of the story was not true at all.
   When people look at our lives, they should see that the Gospel truly lives in us. They should see a forgiven spirit and a heart after God because His forgiveness reigns in us. Don't let the Gospel seem hypocritical in our lives to where the only truth seems to be that we are saying the words. But live a life grateful of the Gospel of Jesus, so that it may be shown that it reigns as truth in your life.

God Gave Us

   Spiritual growth towards Jesus and a reflection of the life of Christ in our lives is definitely our goal! Taking time to think and process situations in a Godly manner using the Wisdom that comes from the studying of His Word and His guidance of our lives is surely a sign of our growth in Him. We spend time with God, pray to him, Worship Him, and obey Him.
   We want His Will to be done. Yet also remember that we were created in His image. I say this to bring up something that some may not think about, God gave us common sense. Naturally, he gave this to us. We lean not on our own understanding but the knowledge of God. So in this I am not saying to just follow our own way because we were made in His image, but I am saying that we do not need to pray before every time we go to the restroom. This also does not mean that one prays to God in question of doing something that we have been commanded to do, as such as worshiping and obeying.
   If the Bible, the Word of God, instructs me to do something, then it is my responsibility given to me by God to do it. Basically the point is to let God lead and guide us in ALL that we do, and at the same time, dont take the common sense or the responsibilities already given to us for granted.

Not Alone

   So many out there try to run the Christian race alone. I remember when I first started really playing soccer. I would watch some videos here and there. I would maybe even sometimes go out and kick the ball around by myself. I would kick the ball to one side of the yard, run, and chase it at the other side of the yard, and then do it all over again.
   Yet in that era, every time that I would go to play with my friends, I would do terrible. I was good compared to what I was the week before, but still not near where I would need to be to play at a competitive level.
   In fact, it was not until I started practicing with some of the ones that I would be playing against and having them train me that I would become pretty competitive to the point where I was someone wanted on a team.
   I realized that even though kicking the ball alone in the back yard did improve my fundamental skills and was much needed, practicing together with others turned out to make us ALL better players in the long run.
   So as a Christian, alone time is important, but fellowship helps us ALL grow together towards Christ. So remember that you are not in this race alone, but take some time to fellowship so that you may grow and learn together.

A Pushing Trust

  When one excersizes, some things that they do are to work on power/ thrust, and other things that they do are to improve endurance. If you imagine, its sort of like some work on the initial force it takes to push an object, and some work on the force it takes to drag the object somewhere. A lot of preachers in this generation love to talk about power, or the initial force, or breakthroughs in life. Like is an excellent and necessary thing.
   Yet it is not the only aspect. Another aspect is the endurance, pushing when the going gets tough. Not just gaining strength, but keeping it. This is a much missed thing, especially with the younger generation, to not only gain our strength, rather physically or spiritually, but to keep it in the long run.
   Here are some situations where you may need to just stop and trust God so that you may have endurance in your Faith to trust the Lord to get you through:

• When you feel as you are by yourself/ no one understands you
• When you feel as you have no money for yourself or your family
• When you feel as you, your family, and God are miles away from eachother

   Basically, when the going gets seriously tough, that is when your endurance for trusting in the Lord is tested, and grown. So endure in your trust so the you may grow in Christ!

One way time

   As we have aknowledged before, there are alot of things that go on in our everyday live now a days. With all the new technology available to us, cellphones, computers, internet, it has never been easy to access information easier and faster, For example, when I need to access this blog for the daily post, it takes about ten seconds total after the computer has successfully booted.
   So one may think that time management must be easier than ever, as it takes less time to do the common day to day task. But it seems that as the world is today, even with the advances in technology and all, we still have more to do that our time will allow. Or at least we think we do because of the way our time may be poorly managed. Here are the important things that our time should be spread across- everything else is second.

• God
• Family
• Work
• Friends
• Meditation/ Free Time

   When all of these things are accomplished, then everything else will fall into place, for your time will fall into place. Not forgetting the continual things such as our calling to be holy all of the time, as our calling to be full time ministers all of the time, taking these other things into consider may make your day go by alot smoother and easier.

GO!

After you have accepted Christ into your heart, and you are starting to grow in the things of God, it is important to remember that we are called to go forth unto all nations and make disciples, showing others how to build a personal relationship with the Son of God. It is great to be disciples and to help strengthen others in the Faith but it is also important to go and Spread the Faith to those who may not believe. Here are some practical ways to open up that chance:

• Speech- Thinking and watching your words as not to indulge in as Paul would say "mindless chatter"
• Actions- Being considerate and wise in our decision making, as we realize it affects more that just us
• Response- Responding to situations with patience, knowledge, and Christ like Wisdom

The list goes on and on but the point remains the same, we are to be Holy in our actions and everything that we think, say, and do so that we may influence others maybe just enough for that little ray of light, that chance to spread life saving and changing message, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Guaranteed Acceptance

A while ago, I applied for a college in the city of Spartanburg entitled Wofford College. In these parts it is a very nice, yet sadly expensive school that many love to attend. Some would consider it being even hard to get in to. The point is that, upon application, acceptance is not guaranteed. It is not one of those things where if you accept Wofford terms, realize that it is a good college, and commit to put all that you have into Wofford, you will be accepted.
Instead you must go through the application process and wait. You wait for months to hear back from them until that final triumphant day when you receive your admission decision.
The good news is, when it comes to Christ, there is even better news. If you acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior, and accept Him into your heart as the Son of God, to change and grow you for eternity so that His will may be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, guess what, that is guaranteed acceptance.
And not acceptance for four years, but for eternity, you shall forever be a child of God. If you feel the tug from the Lord on your heart to come into His Kingdom forever, accept the call, and be a child of God!

Precious Impact

   Last summer, as I attended a summer camp in Cleveland Tenessee entitled Student Life Camp, one of the most impactful moments was not necessarily during worship, it was not during a teaching, and it was not even during a game, but it was after all of those things when we were walking to lunch.
   You see, a day before, we had a day at SL entitled water day. This day, during our game time, we literally played in big tubs of water, along with hoses, wet sponges, etc. And afterward, we all got together as a team (SL had four teams) and we would talk, share, and pray.
   After all of that was done, one man asked me for my name. I gladly gave him my name and to his not thinking too much about it, thinking that with all of the people that went to SL Camp, there is no way that he would remember my name anyways, but it was very nice of him to ask for it.
   The very next day during recreational time, we played another game and afterward we huddle to talk, share, and pray. After this was completed, he called me by name. He remembered my name.
   That moment still sticks to me to this day. Sometimes the smallest things with the most compasstion have the most impact! Think of the little things today, see the trees and the forest as a whole, and do something small that could possibly make a big impact in someone elses life!

Overcomer

   As mentioned before, it is a great day when you can consider your enemies as footstools. It takes a lot but it can lessen your tension and or anger towards others when you stop considering people as your enemy, but rather seeing Satan as your enemy using them and consider him your stepping stone, to great opportunity in Christ.
   In this, it is great to also realize that we are over comers, more than conquerors. So in this, we put together the fact that our enemies are used to promote us and we realize that when we face opposition in life, it is only to make us stronger. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. This only adds to the pot. Not that we should go looking for opposition, but we should try to see God in every situation when it comes to opposition because we know that He is there, opportunity for promotion is present, and this thing works for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.
   The point, do not run from opposition, but instead run to Christ, for He is provident and is with us every step of the way. So continue to love the Lord, and he shall continue to work things together for your good.

Footstool

   With the mindset of today's society that continually seeks comfort and shuns any form of adversity, we tend to either hate our enemies, or want to seek absolute revenge on them. It seems that we have yet to realize that our enemies are what are used to advance us in aspects of our lives like patience and wisdom, and are footstools for the springboards of our advancement.
   Take the example of lifting weights. Rather you lift weights for leisure, to stay in shape, or bodybuilding, you know one important principle. When you lift weights, you only gain muscle and grow when your muscles face the strain, or opposition, from the weight. Sometimes, the strain even gets to a point where it hurts, but one knows that the act of powering through it is when the growth begins.
   So I challenge you all to continually abide in Christ daily, so that your enemies may be your footstools and that you may take the strain and test that they may bring, to promote in experience, wisdom, and patience and become more and more like Christ daily. Remember, strain brings growth!

Missing It

   It's great and absolutely necessary and wise to take out of your day to examine your time, your motives, your desires, your heart, etc, and it is truly a great help in everyday life. With all of the various thoughts and events that may go on in any given day, it is a great tool to take inventory of these sorts of things.
   But lets go on a little adventure. Say that you are in a college classroom and you have a huge mid term that accounts for half of your grade. This means that even if you have a perfect 100% average, if you make a zero on this test, you still fail and subsequently get kicked out of college. So you sit in your classroom and get prepared to take the test. You receive that test and write your name. You skip the instructions, and immediately go to answering one of the three hundred questions because you have a time limit. You answer the questions perfectly.
   But if you had only read the directions, you would have seen that you were supposed to leave the questions blank and simply write your name to pass.
   The problem is, you may examine all of the physical aspects of your life all day long, but if you miss the most important part, when this life is over, you still have failed. The most important part, the directions if you will, is Christ. Accepted Christ into your heart, soul, and life after believing that He was crucified, died on a cross and rose again from the dead three days later so that your sins may be forgiven. These are the directions and are absolutely necessary to pass the test.

Rightful Thanks

   As stated before, it is extremely easy to look at all of the horrible things that may happen in this world on a daily basis. Its true, there are a variety of things that go on daily that may be heartbreaking, or even startling to think about. There are murders, robberies, suicides, drug use, etc. that seem to happen all of the time.
   With all of these things that happen, it may be quite easy to forget or overlook the blessings that God has placed in your life on a daily basis. For example, one might forget that breath is not a right, but a privilege granted by God. Here are some common blessings that are frequently overlooked. Not all of these may apply to you, but even in that there should be rejoicing, because all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His Purpose.

• Walking
• Talking
• Breathing
• Hearing
• Thinking
• Seeing

   These are common senses and activities that you may be able to do. But do not take this for granted, these were given to you by God Almighty, so even in these things, give Him thanks!

Impact

   Have you ever had a friend, or maybe this is you yourself, who is or was a complete blabber mouth? Have you ever known that person who could never keep their mouth shut about anything? Its one thing to have something to say about everything and what is said is meaningful and has eternal impact or meaning, but I am referring to when someone always has something to say and what they are saying has seemingly no meaning at all.
   Well let us use that person for this example. What if one day, you and that person were at some social event, and that person said absolutely nothing to entire time while on the way to the event. In fact, the entire ride there, the only thing that was heard in the car was music. You two arrive at the event. You are greeted by the host of the event and you start socializing with others. Your friend socializes but keeps his words very light. On the way home, your friend says absolutely nothing until you turn down his street to drop him off. All he says was that the social was great and he thanks you for the transportation.
   Even though what he said was not that spectacular, you will probably always remember it. It was simple, but its background was pure. The point is, sometimes if you keep humble and quiet, when you do finally speak, what you say has impact and power more so than if you were to simply babble all of the time. So be humble, think, and have impact in your speech and influence to better reach others in spreading the Gospel

What are you looking for?

   Its a tough thing to think about, but when one goes into any situation or circumstance in life, what does on really seek? That is to say, with what motive do they want to fulfill at any given moment? What our answer should be is that we plan to seek holiness as we do things, holiness over happiness.
   In this, true Joy will come out of our holiness which comes from our relationship with Christ, hence the Joy of the Lord is our Strength. Meaning that when we focus on our call to be holy, rooting from our relationship with Christ, then the Joy of the Lord with abound anyway.
   So this Thanksgiving, as we sit with family and remember of ways that we are thankful and joyful, let us remember that in all things, we are to be holy, and out of that shall come the Joy of the Lord, the Ultimate Joy.
   Let us also remember the Ultimate reason to be thankful, that is Christ coming down to Earth, dying on a rugged cross, being raised from the dead, ascending into Heaven, and sitting at the right hand of the Father, so that as the years start showing on our faces and our strongest days are gone and we leave this Earth, we shall be in the presence of the Almighty God, because our sins were forgiven. Let us be thankful and joyful!!

Do Hard Things

   One of the challenges to our calling to be holy that many of us face daily is the desire and natural tendency to follow the crowd of the flesh and react to things in a way that the world would. That is, not separating ourselves from the world in the way that we do things, thinking, saying, and doing. Here are some areas to think about when it comes to responding to our calling to be holy:

• Speech- we do not say whatever comes to mind, or speak with haste or anger, but with patience, wisdom, and understanding
• Thought- we do not stay distracted with ungodly thoughts, lusts of our eyes and minds, that keep us from fully pursuing the will of the Father
• Actions- we continually do things that spread the Love of Christ and advance us and others in our spiritual walk so that others may see Christ through our actions 

   My challenge to you is to simply monitor these areas and make sure that in everything that we do, we are responding in a way holy to the world and pleasing in the eyes of Christ.

Rejoicing

   In life, there are many things that we can look at wish were better. For example, anyone can go outside to a street corner and see things that are not even accepted in worldly standards, yet align themselves in accordance to the bible. For example, we may go driving around almost any city and see someone smoking marijuana or something of that sort, and are quick to judge that person, and or be disappointed with the status of the world. That is easy, too easy in fact, to do.
   But how about we be rebellious against the tide, and instead of  seeing people doing sin all of the time, we see the potential to spread of Jesus Christ. After all, our calling is to go and make disciples, that is people following in the pursuit for a real relationship with Jesus. When we look at the glass, and see it as half empty, there should be the joy that there is potential for it to be filled!
   So instead of only seeing the troubles and flaws of the world, I challenge you to see the world as an opportunity to be filled with the Gospel and the Spirit of Jesus Christ. So go out, see potential, and Spread the Gospel and Love of Christ to the world!

Sensitivity

   Jesus was one of extreme, total, and absolute truth! All of the time! The was extremely helpful in that it helped those whom He came into contact with know what on a personal level it took for them to grow closer to the Father. Yet, if you notice, Jesus was never discouraging to the point of someone wanting to give up on their race to the Father. In other words, Jesus never did things to make others to not follow God because a representative of Him was so non encouraging. Jesus always pointed people in the right direction, He did not just tell others that they were doing wrong. Here are some ways that we can make sure we are sharpening our Brothers in the Faith, and not just tearing them down:

• Speech
• Kindness
• Examples in our Lives
• Actions/ Words that may offend on a personal level
• Actions/ Words that may offend on a general universal level

   Let us examine our words and actions and attitudes towards ourselves and others to make sure that we are showing sensitivity that we may not tear each other down, but build them up in the Faith.

Exclusive!

   When it comes to the subject of growth, lets take a second and think about a yard. I know you may not see why growth is something of repetition in this blog, but growth is what we are called to do in our relationship in Christ so that when we spread Him, we will also be an example of Him because of our growth in Him. So back to the yard.
   If you take an old yard, where all kinds of plants have started to grow, and you plant grass, tell me, what happens? Grass grows. Perhaps even beautiful, stunning grass, but it is soon tainted by the overgrowth of surrounding of weeds.
   This at times can become our spiritual lives. Jesus is stronger than sin, or any past. But when we seek to grow in Christ, we should also seek to root up bitter roots and things of the past that may hinder us, or take our focus away from Christ, so that now that the weeds are gone, the grass may grow exclusively.
   Some refer to this as getting to the bitter roots. This is a much needed aspect when it comes to giving our ALL to Christ! So let us be ever watchful of our lives, and dig up roots so that our growth in Christ may be exclusive!

Full Trust

   In this influence of a lifestyle of American comfort, it is easy, in fact too easy, to let our trust confide in our possessions or abilities. We know in the back of our minds that our trust should be solely in the Lord, but sometimes when we examine our lives, we find areas where this is the exact opposite. The opposite of trusting God is not only openly denying his ability to provide and be God, but to undermine it, even a little, by doing things that say that you dont Fully trust in the ability of God, that you know He is in control, but that you still want a backup plan, as if God could possibly fail. Here are some areas in our lives where we should examine our trust in the Father:

Money: In this economy, it is easy to put our trust in our savings account instead of God's promise to provide. We may tend to put money in our pockets for emergencies instead of giving to the Kingdom.

Time: We spend our days constantly on the run, as it takes more nowadays to make a living if you will. But do we trust God with time that we should give Him every day, do we even take time for Him daily?

Future: Do we try to plan everything from our day to the rest of our lives without even considering what God may want us to accomplish in a given day, or even in our lifetime?

   These are just a few aspects to think about as you go through life, analyzing where your true trust in the Lord stands, and always pushing to let your trust in the Lord become greater and greater.                                                                                                                      

Keeping it Rolling

   A huge aspect mentioned in this blog is growth. The reason is because growth is an essential part of Christianity and a core aspect of Hope Ministries of the Upstate.As Shawn Parker, the founder of the ministry, put it, "Growth in the knowledge of Christ is a key aspect in Hope Ministries of the Upstate."
   So lets take a look at an ant. An ant starts out as a egg, hatched from the queen. The ant is then let to grow to a certain size, work, and then die. Before the ant is able to truly work, it must reach a certain size, whether that be in a short period or not.
   Another example, ancient Roman society. A boy grows to a certain size and then is allowed, if not mandated, to fight in the army of his territory. Yes, it takes time to get to that size, but once he is there, he is there and it is time to defend his territory.
   But here is the thing about growing in Christ. For us humans, there is no "there." This means that we do not have intentions of growing in Christ to get to a certain tangible point, and then quit because we think that we have arrived, no, we continue to seek Wisdom and Growth, running with perseverance towards the knowledge of Christ and the Word of the Father! Never give up or stop in the quest for growth in Christ, always work to keep it rolling!

American Comfort

      As Christians, we are called to be Holy. This word literally means "Different." Seems simple enough, except for the fact that we are surrounded by and engulfed in the American Society Mindset of standard sin and comfort. Do not misunderstand me, I am not saying that all comfort in American Society is sin, but some if not most of them are not what God calls us to participate in to live a Truly Holy life.
   Think of the American Dream for example. A nice mustang or Chevrolet living in a big house with a nice white picket fence, two kids, a boy and a girl, and a nice wife/ husband with plenty of money for necessity and pure comfort. Seems pretty appetizing.
   Yet the thing that isn't really thought about in this picture is the father with his son two blocks from you guys who has absolutely no money and is barely keeping his child clothed and fed, yet himself. So tell me, in this story, would you just drive past them in your Mustang, or stop and help? I bet you're thinking, "Well I would stop and help." Well think of this, your church is in dire need of someone to help say clean up after services every week, or help with parking. Yet you have the option to just come and enjoy service every week from your pew, and then simply go home. What's the difference between the two stories? I tell you nothing. Comfort and the decision to simply accept an unnecessary comfort or do work to help others or the advancement of the Kingdom of God is present in both stories. So tell me, are we living Holy, going against the grain of American comfort in being different to advance God's Kingdom?

Breaking Boundaries: Selfishness

   Have you ever ran into some extra money, enough that you could theoretically give some away to someone in need? Ok, I know that in this tough economy, it is not common to have alot of extra money, but lets say that you do.
   So one morning you are passing someone on the street corner who needs a couople of bucks for a place to stay that night. She goes to your church every Sunday with her child, who is also with her there in the cold, and they just need enough for one night.
   On the other hand, there was this cool computer at Walmart that you really want. It has been just sitting there for months and you have dreamed of having it for the longest. Its a 62 inch HD plasma for the exact same amount of money that it would take to help that family out.
   My point is, it takes breaking the boundaries of personal comfort and selfishness to be able to hold off on that television in which you did not really need, especially then, and help out this family that desperately need it for one night. It has to be extremely difficult at first until you imagine yourself in that family's shoes. But it takes building to that point to be there. It takes breaking all of these other boundaries everyday to overcome the one of selfishness, the motive of all sin.

Breaking Boundaries: Discipline

It took alot to be a disciple. Imagine having the privilege of getting to follow Jesus wherever He went, watching His every move and response to every situation encountered in life, so that you may have the Wisdom to derive a Holy and Acceptable response to every situation in your life, that must have been amazing!
I bet that it took alot as well however. It must have took the patience to develop discipline. Discipline enough to not only see what Jesus did, but to follow in His footsteps when it comes to the Father. It must have taken reading the Word every day, and having the Discipline to spend time with God in Prayer, Worship, and Admiration.
Wait! Are we not supposed to be disciples of Christ?
Then maybe we should, no we definitely should, develop the discipline it takes to stay in the Word of the Lord, (the Bible), and in Prayer and personal time with the Father, always drawing closer to Him. The point is however, this does not just happen. You do not just wake up one morning with the Discipline to continually seek the Father. It takes pushing those personal boundaries that keep us apathetic, and pushing to come to God daily, to develop the Discipline that it takes to be a True Disciple.

Breaking Boundaries: Forgiveness

   Another are in our lives where boundaries should be broken in order for growth to take place is forgiveness. In this, Im not just referring to the "Oh its alright, I guess Im not mad, so I forgive you" forgiveness, but true forgiveness, both exampled and motivated by the Father.
   It is quite easy to say that we forgive someone or something, especially in the event where others are present, (of course alot more goes into that), but it takes the pushing of boundaries to be able to truly forgive someone, and it does not start out easy. It is sort of like learning how to ride a bike.
   At first, one may use training wheels for an extended period of time, and they are content not to move on without them. So the second that they come off, they continue to fall until they practice long enough to get the hang of how truly riding a bike must be done.
   Forgiveness can sort be just like that. You start off just saying the words, "I forgive you," and are content with that totally, not knowing the true definition of forgiveness. Then, you stretch your boundaries a ton, with endurance, wisdom, and patience, until you learn slowly how to respond with true Forgiveness, and Jesus did and does to us every time we sin.
   So my challenge, stop, be patient, and start to respond with things as if your intention was to stretch the boundaries of your forgiveness.

Breaking Boundaries: Patience

      It is very easy to get mad at the man next to you when you are on the highway and they completely cut you off and stop almost right in front of you. Youre driving down the road, following all of the rules and all of a sudden the guy just cuts in front of you. Whats the first thing that you want to do? Probably let out your anger. It takes forgiveness to move forward but it takes patience to forgive. Patience is the key to make you stop and think of what Jesus would do in a particular situation, thinking how He would move forward. Impatience leads to massive self centeredness, while patience leads to acknowledgement and surroundings. Here are some things to think about when it comes to patience:

• Have I taken the time to see what God would want me to do?
• Is what I am doing lining up with the Word of God?
• Have I reacted to something or have I actually responded
• Have I taken time to calm down, evaluate, and think

   These are just some things to think about when you are in a situation and the last thing on your mind is the Love of Christ, which should be the first thing that you show. So stop, think, pray, and show patience.

Out of the Comfort Zone

   If you have ever lifted weights, you know that in order for your strength to increase in any length, or in order for your your muscles to grow at all, one must literally break them past the point that they were before, so that when they grow back, they will be bigger, stronger, and more durable.
   In the same concept, if you have ever tried to decrease the time it takes for you to run a particular distance, you know that in order for you to break that time, you have to break the barrier of the time you had before, to gain the endurance and speed it takes to complete the race at a faster time.
   Its all about pushing the boundaries of our previous comfort zones in order to achieve a higher level of possibility. When comfort zones are not broken, growth does not take place. Over this next week I will be describing different areas in our lives where comfort zones must be broken so that growth may take place. The first one for tonight is evangelism. Tell me, how can one expect to reach others with Christ if they never communicate outside of the Fellowship of Believers? How can one expect to reach the lost if they never take the time to even talk to them? How can someone say that they want to love others the way that Christ loves them if they do not even give the time of day to those who may have never heard the Gospel? The answer: they cant. Here is my challenge, grow out of your comfort zone in this aspect by talking to someone you never have before, and if you are not totally positive they have heard about or understand the Cross, take the time to try to explain it, you may be surprised how much you grow yourself.

Only if it lasts Forever

   Lets go on an imaginary adventure. Say someone works their entire life for the sole goal was to make money to buy a huge house. This person wants a three story, six bedroom house with a pool. The specifics do not really matter, the point is, they have set the goal of their life to have this gigantic house. You make think that this is quite far fetched, but think of the American dream. That is work hard, get paid, have a big house with a great husband/wife, a pool, and a dog. Sometimes us Americans can live our lives for comfort, and not the eternal effects of the Power of Christ. So think of these ways that we can ignore comfort and do something that lasts for eternity, example:

• Sharing the Gospel
• Encouraging Words
• Listening to Others\
• Kind Gestures (Picking up someones trash, etc)

   Simple things like this may sound cliche, but in reality that can be the seed to plant something that lasts truly for eternity. My challenge, evaluate your actions and time to see if what you do in how you spend your day actually lasts for forever.

What We Say

   Most people, especially in our younger generation, dont really analyze or even briefly think of what we say before we say it. We like to just say what comes to mind thinking that whatever comes out must be appropriate because we thought of it. Here is the thing, we frequently say vastly inconsiderate, hurtful things unintentionally, just either talking too fast, or not considering fully who we are talking to or what we are really trying to communicate. Here are some things to think about during our daily conversations:

• What is the Holy Spirit leading me to think/ say
• What am I really trying to communicate
• Who am I talking to
• What might their past experiences prohibit me from saying
• How can Christ be shown in our conversation  
• Are my emotions dictating my speech, if so, I need to reevaluate

   I honestly cannot say that I think of this every time I have a conversation, but I really should. I think it is a great gift from God and a teacher of patience to learn how to control the tongue. I am working on it every day, so lets work on it together!

Take a second and...

   I bet if you talked to the average sane person on the street corner and you asked them if they would either like to or think that they are going to heaven, they would say yes. I think that if you went a little further and asked why they think they know this, some would even go as far as to say because Jesus forgave them for their sins and accepted them into His Kingdom, therefore they are going to Heaven inevitably.
   Assuming that there is no real relationship between that person and Christ, the world at least knows that the reason that we justify our "entrance" into heaven is because we have been forgiven from our sins by the Love and acceptance and relationship with Jesus Christ in our lives.
   So if we, and the world, expect to be forgiven by Jesus from our sins, that we continue to commit daily might I add, then why can we not forgive others when they do wrong against us or other people? Jesus gave His earthly life so that we may be forgiven, and yet we still stab His back when we sin against Him. Yet someone says one harsh word to us, once, and there is absolutely no forgiveness in our hearts? Something is wrong with that picture. My challenge to you: take a second, and forgive.

Fruit

   Healthy things make healthy things. Fruit bears after itself. The seed of an apple has the ability to produce another entire apple tree. The seeds of a pumpkin can easily produce another healthy pumpkin to add to a beautiful pumpkin patch.
   As Christians it is true that we are called to share the Gospel and the Love of Christ to those who have not accepted Jesus as the Lord of their life. As Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost. So lets think of another aspect.
   If fruit produces itself, then is it not important that we continually help to grow and to nourish ourselves and other Christians so that when we do produce (sharing the Gospel with those who do not yet belong to Christ), we produce others that go out to follow Christ for themselves healthily.
   Basically what I am saying is, we want to be at the point where we can produce others who want to seek Christ for themselves, learning to love and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. But the only way that we can reproduce that, is to be at that point where we are genuinely seeking ourselves. So remember, healthy fruit reproduces after itself.

Not Just a Building

   A few weeks ago, I blogged about the fact that in Christ, we are all truly one. One Christ died for all of the sins of all of us. Whether you go to Macedonia North Baptist Hill Presbyterian Ethnic Community Church or wherever you may choose, you are still One Body in Christ.
   The thing is, we like to put our "churches", or congregation of people in buildings. That is not the problem. The problem arises when we start to think of these various buildings as defining the church. We can even get to the point of thinking that because you have a three thousand per week congregation on average, a four million dollar paid off facility, and a fat paycheck every month, you must have a good church in the eyes of God.
   While there is nothing wrong with those things necessarily alone if they either have the intention of or are fruits from a relationship with God, there are two things to caution in that statement. The first thing is that the goal is to bring people to Christ and have their eyes and hearts open to God, and if that goal is being met, then the building that you inhabit on Sunday morning has the right things occurring inside of it. The other thing to caution is that its not your church, it two ways. You dont own it, God does, and your congregation are by no means the only ones involved. We as Christians are the church!

First and Foremost

   I'm sure most of you have at least rode in a new car once in your lifetime. Maybe you even own one. So tell me, if you know anything about cars, what happens when your axle begins to become off centered?
Well your car spaces out. It starts to drift slowly off of the road and over time it takes more and more to be able to control it. This progresses until the car is either eventually uncontrollable or you get it centered correctly again.
   If you leave your car the same way, and you have to drive through tough conditions for example, say a snow storm, and you must stay straight on the road, guess what, you may be in trouble. Now you are going through a test when you need all of your parts to work but they do not, because they were never fixed. Now you are going from side to side on the road, hoping to reach your destination safely.
   But say when you realized that your axle was starting to become slightly off centered, you immediately got it fixed or "refocused" if you will. When the snow is on the ground (or the storm in life approaches), you will have confidence that your car will last.
   That is the seasoned Christian. It seems as some graduate if you will from the Cross and the Gospel. But this is our Salvation. And it does not matter how much scholarly information you can swallow about Religion, if you dont have the relationship from the Cross of Calvary, you really dont have what is first and foremost, and that is Christ dying for our sins.
  

Time Out

   We live our days in absolute high gear all of the time. With Droids, iPhones, iPads, laptops, basically modern convenience technology,  we are used to a lot of instant gratification and access to infinite information. With a single question or command, technology now responds to us to as close as human form as possible, and it is getting really close.
   We drive fast cars to distant places with lots of people seven days a week, going as fast as we can all of the time. Most of the time, hopefully, we are running so hard to in some way show the love of Christ to someone else, in which, in my opinion, is amazing!
   But answer this, when have you just stopped your car on the side of the road with a lot of trees, and just listened to the breeze rustle through the leaves? When have you just went somewhere by yourself, and rested and listened to the Lord, without a phone, or anything that could be a possible distraction?
   Exactly. Hopefully your answer is not never, but it probably is not as often as it should be. God is with you everywhere, true, but dont you think that maybe we should get some quiet time alone with Him, so that He may renew, grow, and comfort us?

Who vs Do

   In a few months, I will be getting ready to move into a college dorm somewhere probably in the state of South Carolina to live on campus. Ill study for four years, and then four more years to get a license in pharmacy.
   If the Lord does not choose the path of a worship leader full-time, then I would show up at a pharmacy for whatever my hours may be and do work.
   Some would consider me a pharmacist. But I am a minister, full time all of the time. Christians, we are all called to the same thing, all of us are all full time ministers. In every way, we are supposed to show and share Christ.
   Some would say well dont you do pharmacy? And the answer is yes. The problem is though, what I do does not define who I am. I repeat, what I do is not who I am. Who I am is defined by Christ and what I do will then fall in line with His Will.
   Once we understand that actions do not define our identity, but nearly a derivative of our identity that has been given to each one of us individually by our Creator, Christ. So let us not think that our actions or the actions of others define who we are, but let who we are dictate our actions!

Until the End

   For about four hours earlier today, I sat at the computer and worked to unlock an iPhone 3gs. Four hours. If you speak tech lingo, the firmware would not download, so in turn no jailbreaking occured, and thus no unlocking, for about 4 hours. If you do not speak tech lingo, it is as complicated as it sounds.
   It was sort of like a race. You run and run in the beginning and everything seemed fine. So you keep running, but all of a sudden, there is that feeling of oh crap, when something happens and your endurance and dedication is starting to be tested.
   But there is something that you have to realize, as soon as you start, you are past the point of no return. Once the race begins, in your mind it ends, because a Christian mindset never gives up when it comes to seeking our goal, Christ.
   A Christian has trials that they go through during life all of the time. From the peer pressure of the world, the little cares of this life, various troubles of this world, etc, but what seperates us from everyone else, we persevere and seek Christ. You see, what I learned in those four hours today was simple, if you keep seeking, you will find a solution, in this case, configuring the iPhone. The same for Christianity, if you seek (Christ) you will find the solution (Christ). So continue to seek, UNTIL THE END of the race!

From Whom Do You Judge

   When I play a game of football, I tend to continuously, intentionally, and intensely measure myself against everyone else that also takes the field with me. For example, if I am at the position of a running back, the only thing that tends to go through my mind is the performance of the other running backs during the game.
   The same goes for lifting weights. I tend to easily compare my muscle size and work intensity to the others who lift around me. It may even get to the point where my ego takes control and I want to lift with someone who does not lift as much as me, just because in the light of weight lifting, I look better.
   Other than the pride, the problem with this story is that I judged my success by the placement of others. I judged how my running skills were by the skills of another running back. I also judged my lifting strength by someone with less strength than I have.
   So tell me, why do us Christians tend to do the same thing? We tend to take our relationship with Christ and judge it by the lives of American Christians around us. And when we do this, we seem to want to look at the Christians who are having a tough time right now. Our growth in Christ should solely be judged by our relationship with Christ, not the appearance of other people. Remember that Christ is the only judge of our relationship and growth!

Different

   Jesus calls us to be holy. That literally translates to being different. Being different as Jesus was different. Not alot of people will willingly get on a cross and die for a bunch of people who claim to love them, or maybe even not, so that they may be saved.
   Not alot of people would have the dedication to get up every Sunday morning and join the fellowship of believers in body and in spirit every week to worship the Lord together.
   Not alot of people would have wrong done to them and turn the other cheek in forgiveness in the hopes that the love and forgiveness of God may shine upon them.
   Not alot of people would give another human being time, that can not be given back, to invest in someone. Others would not spend a day or two just pouring love and wisdom into someone else's life so that they may be better equipped to follow the instructions of Christ.
   But this is what we do, as followers of Christ. We take the time to invest in others, we forgive showing the love and forgiveness of Christ. We turn from the ways of the world out of the return of the Love of the Father in our lives. We are different!

You Are Watched

   As small kids look up to their big brothers and sisters on a daily basis to see what they do, how they think, how they treat others, how they treated themselves, etc, you, as Christians are watched by the world daily.
   You may not fully realize it but the world is always looking for something with true fulfillment, true affection, true leadership, something real to worship. They are looking for an all satisfying, all knowing, Omnipotent "something" that they can sink their lives into.
   Yet, Christianity has been so tainted at times by those who claim to follow Christ, that we all seem like huge hypocrites with a God who is either powerless or not worth the effort to follow Him, because of our actions, private or public, that others see. They want to follow a real, loving caring God, but they dont think that ours is real or credible because of our decisions.
   So my challenge, in all of you affairs, think that someone who wants to follow God is always watching you, to see if the way you live shows them that our God is worth following, worth serving, and living for. So let us not be careless in our ways for our own selfish gain, but be persistent in the following of Christ Jesus.

Not an Option

   I am sure that if one were to just sit down and think of the sins that they commit during the day, I am sure that they could easily think of many reasons why these sins are committed. The "reasons" over time in turn evolve into excuses and we then think that it is perfectly acceptable to willingly sin because of "human nature" or something of that matter.
   Here is the thing, yes it is impossible for us not to sin. We are human and that means that because of Adam, we sin and we sin continually. Even when we try to do good at times, evil may be present.
   However, as Christians, we do not simply accept the fact that we are going to inevitably sin so we give up our will to follow the Will of Christ in holiness, but we never give up in seeking to do the things that advance the Kingdom of God. For us, quitting in the battle against sin is simply NOT AN OPTION!!
   In no way do we ever settle in our minds that it is acceptable to simply be OK with sin because we all do it, instead, we are ALWAYS pressing to run from our sins and draw closer to Jesus, who was the ransom for our sins! NEVER GIVE UP in running for your sins and towards the Cross!

Time on Earth

   If you or anyone you know has ever left milk just to sit in the sun for a few days, you know what happens. The milk for becomes a solid liquid, and then later, well I dont even know if one would feel comfortable to still call it milk. Well, what happens, over a short period of time, milk cannot last as itself any longer, it perishes.
   The same goes for bananas and just about any other fruit you can think of. The ripe fruit looks absolutely delicious to the taste buds, but after a certain period of time, that same fruit can make you want to gag because of how rotten it seems to be.
   Using these observations, we all know that our time on Earth does not and was not meant to last forever. We all, as some would say, "Have an appointment with death, that we all will keep." The act of leaving this earth has absolutely no discrimination, everyone is picked to leave this earth no matter race, sex, occupation, or your actions on earth.
   But what separates us Christians from the rest of the world is that for our time on earth, we have a set influence, to influence, teach, and spread. Influencing others that our God is Real and Loving and Just and teaching the values and goals of a Life in Christ, and Spreading the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have limited time, don's waste it, start living the Goals of the Christian Life today!

Making No Provision

   With all of the daily distractions and opportunities, whether good or bad, that face may of us on a daily basis, there are alot of chances and ways that we can and do easily make provisions for the flesh daily. In case one does not understand, let me clarify what a provision of the flesh is. This is when we put ourselves or allow ourselves to stay in a situation or surrounding where our minds or hearts may wonder into the things of the flesh, that is our sinful nature, and actions are generally bound to follow closely. Here are some examples of HIGH SCHOOL provisions that you may not realize:

• Being alone with the opposite sex (rather Christian or not if you both are single)
• Making things being friends physical (rather opposite sex or not)
• Allowing yourself to be comfortable around ungodly actions and idea

Basically, anytime you put yourself in a situation where sin is likely, and this varies from person to person, you are making provisions. But as we grow in Christ we learn as Paul tells us to make no provision for the flesh, so we flee from the opportunity of sin, and run full speed to the Cross of Jesus, every time. Watch for those provisions in your life that you may not even know about. 

Let Hope Rise

   Imagine for a second that you are a priest in a huge city, with hardly no money, but a desire to spread the Love of Christ and Word of the Lord. You say that you would do anything just to see another soul get into Heaven through the ministry that God has blessed you with. You personally pick up half of your congregation every Sunday morning on the way to your church.
   Yet, one day, as you are taking a walk down the sidewalk, you see a mother and her child, alone, scared, and seemingly hopeless. You only have five dollars in your pocket and ten to your name. You have your Bible in your hand, walking to your church to meet up with a couple who is about to get married and wanted some counseling.
   So you walk right past them. You dont know whether or not they knew Christ. At that point, you were in a hurry, and you didnt really care. Now in your heart, you really did wish the best for them, but to them you just walked off.
   Dont just focus on Spreading the Gospel and staying close in the fellowship and serving of those that you are close to. Make sure to take every opportunity to serve and share the Gospel of Jesus to those that you may never see again in your life. We do not know our tomorrow, so we must take every God given opportunity of today to give and love like Christ gives and loves. May be that last five dollars, was meant to be hers so that her and her daughter may go through one more night, go to church tomorrow, and receive Christ for eternity. Take the opportunity, every single one you get, and serve and love like Christ!

Get to Know One First

   A lot of people lot to live their life in complete organization, which at times, for some, makes them want to operate in an environment where rules thrive to keep things in order. In this environment, tasks are done very efficiently, one may feel a sense of perfection or precise balance in their life. Well, while God has things in perfect organization, he does not want us to live our life when it comes to Him in sheer rules.
   Ill explain by taking the example of conduct. In Christ, our conduct is not a product, or fruit, of rules, yet a fruit of our relationship with Him. So how can our desire in conduct be Godly when we do not really have a developed relationship with God? This is why is does more harm than good most of the time to simply study the Law in the Old Testament, especially forgetting that Jesus came to fulfill that Law, and focus on never breaking a single law in the Bible. If you think about this idea, never breaking any Law would make you perfect, and sinless, but this is not possible, or there would have never been a need for Jesus to take away our sin and transgressions. So out of your relationship with God through Christ, the Fruits of the Spirit will flow naturally, not because of the Laws of Leviticus, but because of the Love and intimacy with Christ. Abide in the Vine!

Fresh Renewing

   Image if you woke up one morning, did you morning routine, whatever it may be, went to the bank and withdrew one million dollars and spent it all in a day. Then, the next morning, you wake up, do your morning routine and spend it all in a day. And imagine that you do this same routine until you are in your late nineties and have no desire of getting up and going to the bank again?
   Well, accept for the last part, that is a life in Christ. In Christ, even if you are in you late nineties, a fresh renewing of the Spirit of God is always to your access if you will only seek it. Life can be tough of course, and the spiritual tasks and growth throughout any given day can truly take a toll in the long run, but there is good news, Christ and His Spirit are always and infinitely at the ready, all of the time!
   It may take that 30 minutes every morning to just read the Word of God, listen to some music that exalts His Greatness, and drink some coffee, just something that brings you and Him closer so that He may renew your spirit and your mind. So that of all the hectic things that may go on in any given day, you may always be reminded that God is with you and is ready to renew you every step of the way!

Fellowship of Believers

   I cannot stress the importance of the lessons learned from staying connecting connected with the fellowship of Christian believers throughout life. It really at times can be like night and day when my surroundings change from believers to nonbelievers. By the pronoun it, I am describing the instantaneous desires of the heart. If one bad apple spoils the bunch, what does a bunch of rotten apples do to one good one?
   Now let me clarify, by rotten I am referring to the sin of others, not the person themselves. For sin is a verb, and people are not defined by their actions in the eyes of Christian, rather who do they belong to? Are you a Son or Daughter of Christ or have you denied or not yet heard of or met Him yet? That is what defines someone.
   So for those who have accepted Christ, lets bond to them because in Christ, we are One and brothers and sisters as the children of God. Bond so that together you may seek Christ with a continually renewed flame because of a continually renewed perspective.
So my challenge, find those around you who are Sons and Daughters of the Most High God as well and join with them, in pursuit for Christ!

Ignite

   When it comes time for you to cook something on the stove, what happens? Well, you might say that a fire simply starts and food is cooked and eaten. Well lets go a little deeper.
   What happens is, a flame is ignited and it stayed lit and on fire until you turn it off. The fire continues to burn and burn and burn until someone decides that the food is cooked and they turn the flame off to eat the cooked food.
   So what happens when someone truly accepts Christ? Well what should happen is a flame being ignited and staying lit throughout their entire life and all through eternity, to where they cannot contain themselves anymore even to their physical body. The where the Power and Joy of the Lord overtakes their life in every way possible. To where they know that God Himself is with them and goodness and mercy follow them for all of their days.
   This is what should happen in all of us. If we have let our flames be doused by life, I urge all of you brothers to seek the face and Power of God and in turn rekindle the flame, showing the Power and Love and infinite Knowledge and Wisdom of Jesus wherever we go. My challenge to you, reignite!

Focus

   With all of the distractions that show up in this world, there is sometimes a need for a reminder to just stop and focus on God. Most of us have so may things going on daily. But Paul says that he is convinced that nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ, so tell me, why cant we take time out of our day to focus on that? For example:

1. Lunch Time at School or Work
2. When we awake in the morning
3. Study Time
4. Facebook Time??
5. Right before bedtime

   All of these are just small examples of times where instead of our normal routine now, or just sitting there, we should take the time to read the Bible or do something to focus on the Love of God and spreading of the Gospel. Make acknowledging God our normal routine!

Prioritizing Time

   With all of the things that us a Christians and even non believers in modern society have the opportunity to do on a daily basis, it is very easy to become over committed, double booked, and physically and emotional drained because of the either improper or non ideal management of our time.
   Although many apply, this post is mainly aimed towards ministers. Ministers are the first ones to tend to commit themselves to things that they can surely fulfill with time, but because of the lack of time a minister may have, they can no longer fulfill all of their promises in a given day. The will to do all that was planned is there, but the time just is not. Even with the most up to date technology, and the most precise planning equipment available, one but still be pretty easy in their schedule to continually fulfill all of their daily duties without passing out.
   Thats when we need to realize two things, A. try not to overbook yourself into a hole because you want to fulfill too many obligations in a day, and B. even if you go by a schedule, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate guide and time clock throughout any given day. One must trust Him in all that they do so that, if they are led by the Spirit, all of God's schedule will be met, which is more important than whatever we have planned on a piece of paper called and earthly calendar.

All I Need is You

   Alot like to say that they rely on the Lord with their time, their finances, their family, the heart, their life, their everything. In saying that, however, one is saying that ALL they need is the Lord, which is absolutely true. The problem, we live our lives to be comfortable and self reliant. We live as if training for the CIA, to get to the point where you have to depend on no one else but your skill and knowledge to survive.
   Lets face it, people equate college education, will, skill, perseverance, typical qualities of certain humans to the ability to make money. I know of some who only want to learn a skill so that they can make enough money to live in the biggest house in a neighborhood, or have the nicest car in town, or to have more money than the next guy basically. This love for self reliance dictates their entire major in college and career path as a whole, and their entire path of life.
   The truth is, All that we need is Christ. We allow to Christ to fully guide our life so that if we were to lose everything today, we would know that God is Able and that He will provide because the whole time, we trusted Him and relied on Him not ourselves. My challenge, fully set your life to rely on God completely and not yourself. Realizing that All you need is Him!

All Things

   If you have accepted Christ, you know that in Romans the Bible says that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. We will go into more detail of the prerequisites of this verse later, but for now I want this verse to be an encouragement for those who belong to Christ.
   What this verse is saying is, you have to realize that in all things, they are worked for our good. The one thing that we must keep in mind though is that we are human, and our minds are relatively small compared to the infinite wisdom of the mind of God. We are quick to second guess this verse because of things that may happen in our lives, a death in the family, someone gets sick, you lose your job, a natural disaster, we see these things and think that it is the end of the world. But we do not always have an accurate perception of what is "good" as refereed to in  this verse, in the long run.
   We tend to equate happiness with goodness, and sometimes the complete opposite is the case. So this post is two fold, first I want to encourage the believers that ALL things that happen work together for our good in the long run, and challenge to trust God that these things will and are working for our good, and not doubt just because certain things don't seem "good" right now.

All of Us

   If you have ever had to do yard work and killing weeds in the midst of grass was one of the task at hand, things could have gotten interesting. From what I have heard, if you are on a tight budget and you go for one of the lower end, traditional weed killers, you also play a huge risk for killing all of the grass around the weed as well.
   So Ive heard stories of those who work in landscaping being outside all day killing particular spots with pesticides to come back and find out that the grass had died as well. Thats because traditional weed killers and not exactly respecters of plants, and they killed whatever they came into contact with, which for the human, we hoped that was mostly weeds.
   Why do I bring up a story and weed killing pesticides? Because the pesticide affected both aspects of the yard, the weeds and the grass, it took all of it. Thats what God does when it comes to us, He takes all of us, the good and the bad, just as we are, and begins molding us into the reflection of Jesus. Thats why He said that all we need to do is call on Him and believe in His name to be saved. He takes us as we are and forms us into the likeness of Him. That is Salvation, the greatest story in existence. So I have one question, has you accepted?

Paying Attention

   We have all heard the story of the person who was burning in the fire and called on God for help. He wanted to be rescued. So He screamed for God and someone passing by said that they knew the way to escape the fire and for him to follow them. Yet the man believed that God was going to save him, so he did not follow, instead he waited in the fire. Then a firefighter came and said that he was there to rescue the man. Still the man remembered that he had called on God to rescue him and so he did not go with the firefighter. Finally the building collapsed and the man lost consciousness. He woke up in the hospital a few days later. Someone picked him up out of the fire after he passed out.
   The man was baffled why he did not see God come down on a cloud of fire and pick him up out of the flames. he started to feel complete doubt toward God. Now we know that God was helping him when he sent the man and the firefighter. But what we don't sometimes see is that this happens everyday in our lives. God may be trying to tell us something extremely important but we are waiting for Him to show up on our doorstep with a stone tablet. Listen to God through Christian counsel, through our conscience of good and bad, and through His Word! He may be speaking more than you think!

Rhythms of Grace

   The founder of Hope Ministries of the Upstate, Shawn Parker, shares his story on the main website. It starts off with a lot of hard times and emotional struggles that he had to deal with. From family problems even before he was born, to drug problems in his adulthood, there was always something coming against his life to prevent him from being where he is today.
   Now, he mentors six guys for 3 out of 5 days a week and demonstrates the way to be a disciple 7 out of 7. His life has totally been changed. He has forgiven those who have hurt him in the past and has mended the various relationships destroyed by past decisions and mistakes through forgiveness and the Power of Christ.
   he used to be on drugs which, as you may well know, could have easily taken his life at any moment in time. But God had a plan. He could have easily been hurt by any number of things while out in the world, but God had a plan. God gave Him Grace, enough time that he could accept Christ into His life and it be totally transformed and he could be a disciple of Christ. God did not say that His time was up, but instead gave him Grace so that he could accept Jesus and be His forever. If you know that the Grace of the Lord has been extended into your life in any way, thank God daily in every way, by living a life Holy, Acceptable, and Pleasing to the Lord!

Full Joy

   The difference between Christianity and the rest of the world is the worldview. Basically, how we see things totally molds us. How we see events of the world, how we see what we call God, why we think we are here, who we are vs. what we do, how do we respond to things, both what we see as good and the bad. This separates us from others.
  We know that our Joy and our strength come from the Lord. So when we see tragedy for example, we know that we count everything we own as loss and Christ is what we have to gain, so we know that in all things, He is still God. While someone who has not received the freedom of Christ might live in the past and have worry, etc. us and Christ know that He is in control of everything.
   So because we see things in the eyes of God, we count this world as a ground, temporary home, to spread the Hope of Christ, so we should not be caught up in the cares of the world, for we dont see them as the rulers of our life, thats why we use the power of our tongue for example, to declare life and freedom, for thats how we see things in the eyes of God. My challenge, watch how we are seeing things, are they through the standards and hopelessness of the world, or the eyes of Christ?

Be Anxious For Nothing

   We live in a society today where instant gratification is king. With internet, cellphones, tablets, and televisions, the age of information technology has truly changed the shape of this world. Now, I can facebook someone in Japan, get their email address, and email them an eBook in less than five minutes.
   We put food in the microwave that was previously slow cooked for hours and expect to get the same taste. We rush into relationships instead of taking the time to see if this is what God truly wants for our lives. We rush into fast food restaurants because we do not want to wait for a premium meal. We rush to read through the Bible to say that we have done it, and maybe get a feeling of some sort of self righteousness.
   But the Bible tells us in Phil. 4.13 (as Paul was writing to the church of Philipi) to be anxious for nothing. That means that we are to trust in the Lord with patience, not being anxious for anything, especially the things of this world. When we trust that God is Able and does provide, then we do not need to be anxious for anything, I mean absolutely nothing. God is Able and takes care of His own, He reigns over the just and the unjust, so be anxious for nothing!

One in the Same

   In my calculus class, we like to think of things in terms of a concept called a set. For example, if you were to have an equation of something and you were to look at the graph of that equation and then a table of the components of the equation, the object is, they are all the exact same thing. They have the same goal, that infinite number of specific components.
   So this is where I am going. If there are two people who claim the Gospel and the Kingdom of God and truly seek Him, they are one in the same. There is no difference. Since we are in Christ, we do not look at others as in the flesh anymore. So yea, we flee from our sins and the sins of each other, but we pray for each others souls and claim one another for we are all one in Christ. We do not disown a Christian because we have certain flaws and commit sins, for we all have sinned and will sin. But in Christ, we stay together growing in Christ together, not disowning each other but instead guiding each other and lifting each other up so that we may all grow and be One in Christ.
   Yes Christ hates our sins. But He loves us a people. Thats how we should be towards others. Imagine if jesus said, "you have just sinned and its in your personality, so now I disown myself from you, for I am perfect." Not Jesus is perfect, but He forgives us as we are united. And that is how we should be towards others, forgiving because we are all united as One, in Christ!

Real Weightlifting

   In the eighth grade, I started playing football. I always admired the sport, and knew inside that I would be at least o.k. at it. So I took on the challenge.
   As far as speed went, I wasnt above average until the 11th grade really. So back in the eighth grade, my speed was only average. So that was not really what I could call my strong point.
   When it came to weights, it did not really matter how much anyone on the team could lift because we had someone at our middle school who was already in the high 200's as far as bench pressing went. He was our tight end and the star of the team as far as weight lifting went.
   Personally, my strong point in turn then was heart. I had the dedication to be successful on the team. So when it came to something like lifting weights, I always would persevere because I wanted to become better than before. And after a month or two, my muscles started to become enlarged and I was getting stronger.
   But in the path of 4 years now, my weightlifting has gotten slim to none compared to what it used to be. And so what do you think happened?
   Well, science wise, since the muscles became developed back then, when I lift just a little now, the muscles oxidize and become bigger, a pump if you will.
   But without lifting, muscle is lost. My point, it is the same way when it comes to Christianity. When you accepted Christ, you probably got a pump. Your patience was strong, and your heart was on fire. But if you stopped working that patient and continually seeking the Lord every day, it can have the effect of one not lifting weights for a while, they may become weak and weary. So my challenge, lift your weights by seeking Christ, His heart and His Wisdom daily to become stronger and stay stronger in the Lord!

Your Trust

   If you have ever attended any college football game, and you go to buy some merchandise for the team, you realize something really quickly. None of their apparel or merchandise gladly portrays anything but the best. Even if the teams rank is #56 out of 12 in the state, their things will still say that they are number one. T-shirts, foam fingers, everything say that that team is number one.
   Why? Inside all of us have the inner yearning to be the absolute best. If we join a football team, we want to start, score every game, and be the star of the team, having it all about us. Rather we admit it or not, we all have this inner yearning somewhere. But as we live our lives and God gives us more wisdom as we grow in Him, we realize the simple fact that we cannot be the best at everything, and that life is not about them.
   So now we have to realize something else. The fact that we are not the best at everything, does not give us justification to exalt someone else on a pedestal. We realized that life is not and never will be about us, and exalting others on pedestals is saying that, life is not about me, but the other person is so awesome that maybe life can be about them, maybe they are perfect at everything. Maybe because of their talent or something else, they should be exalted. That is not true.
   The goal of a pastor or preacher for example is to point you to God. If they are attempting to do that, I urge you not overlook that to look at the person preaching. Do not exalt anyone presenting the Gospel, over the Gospel. All that I am saying is to put your trust in God, not the one that is preaching Him, but God Himself, and only Him, or you will be disappointed.

Prous

   This word, simply put, means the complete truth. This is one of my favorite words in the Bible. This is simply what it means. Jesus told the Truth, he never put any icing on the cake per se.
   We tend to live in a society that likes to manipulate others by manipulating the truth. We grow up listening to opinionated, manipulated viewpoints of society, religion, philosophy, politics and everything else. We listen to the news, and we hear part truth, and part of what the broadcasters think.
   The problem, we listen to emotionally driven people and put them in positions of power because at times they seem to appeal to our emotions. In turn, we like to hear what makes us happy instead of the complete truth.
   This can flow into our friendships and relationships with the ideology that, for the sake of what we think would be hurting someone, we do not tell the complete truth out of fear of their emotional or physical response.
   The truth is, we are supposed to tell the truth about everything, as Jesus did. And by the truth, I mean the complete truth. Half lies ARE whole lies, and there is no grey area. So lets tell the truth in all of our affairs!

ProPresenter

   I do not see alot of Christians at my school or my church carrying Bibles and smacking people in the face with them as an opportunity to share the Gospel. I do not see people smashing wordless books in lunch trays as a way to present the Love of God. I do not see Christian teachers yelling at their students that they are destined for a non stop journey to hell if they have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
   I attended Student Life Camp in TN this summer and even though it was a great Christian camp, with my brothers and sisters from my church, the most touching part of the entire camp did not involve anyone that I knew. There were games, water sports, great meals, dorm rooms with best friends, a long road trip, and no parents. But the best part of the entire trip was when a pastor from Alabama asked me my name, and I told it to him. No big deal. But after, the last day of the trip in fact, the preacher stopped me in the food hall and called me by name.
   He remembered my name. That meant that he took the time to actually learn my name and care what it was. He showed me how Jesus actually died because He cared for me. My point, sometimes the Love of Christ is simply shown be taking the time to show compassion to someone, and listen. So take the time to share the Love of Christ in someones life!

Physics and The Gospel

   Recently I just took a test in my physics class and the final grade (in my opinion) of my test depended on one equation, which I gladly stayed up the night before to memorize and knew.
   The equation was y=voy(t)+.5g(t)(t). You see, I needed to know the maximum time of a projectile that was shot out of a cannon. So I had to make y=0. A little physics lesson. Y is the height of the projectile. So there is always two points where y, the height, equals 0. When the projectile is initially launched, and when the projectile hits its destination. So i had to use the time at which it reached its final destination, the one where "t" does not equal 0.
   My point, there was only one thing really that I needed to know to get the deciding grade on my test. That one thing was the equation. And I had it. So I was saved from missing the question.
   If you have not accepted Christ, there is one thing that you need to know to be saved from the sin. That is CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS. He was nailed to a cross, brutally beaten, put a crown of thorns on His head, pierced on His side, mocked, and crucified. But He did NOT stay there. GOD raised his Son Jesus from the grave three days later. He raised from the grave and now sits at the right hand of the Father with ALL POWER in His hand!!! This is what God did for all who would believe in Him and call on His name!! This is the Gospel, and the piece of the puzzle that one must know to be freed from their sin.

Lean Not on your Own Understanding

   When I was around four years old, I used to want to touch the stove when it was hot in tempature. My mom gratefully stop me every time before I burned my hands off. But at that age, i never really understood why she would say that.
   Until I was around 5 or 6, then I realized why she said that I should not touch that. One time I was playing with one of my friends, and he had a lighter. He lit it, and put it really close to our mouths to see if we could take it. That God we didnt burn ourselves, but that is when I realized that fire is really hot.
   So now, because of that, I realized that my mom was totally right in her thinking when it came to that. She told me not to touch the stove and I did not and thus I was not burned on the stove.
   What did that show me? Now that I look back on it, the wisest thing for me to do is what I did. Trust. And most of the time, that means leaning not on my own understanding and taking (in this case) my moms word.
   That is what the Bible tells us to do when it comes to God. Not to lean on our small understanding and earthly knowledge, and truly trust God and his infinite knowledge, for He is the One who created and sustains ALL things! Turst in the Lord and lean on His understanding, not your own!

Word of Encouragement

   I remember when my running was finally starting to get better. And better. Until it was actually an acceptable time that I would be proud to tell people about. My PR finally was cut by a little over four minutes.
   The day after I had just broken my PR, my determination for running was spurred on because of the small milestone of success. So I went out the very next day, and came very close to the PR the day before.
   But the day after that, I became a little fatigue, weary in my well doing if you will. So even though the day before, I was so happy about the change in time that was acheived, I was just a little to tired to keep running every day like my plan intended. So when I actually tried to run the next day, by the half way mark of the second mile, all that I could think about was how easy my life was when I wasnt pushing myself to run at all. I needed encouragement.
   This is to all who have made the best decision of their life and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior of their life. When Christ was first accepted, your flame was probably higher than it has been in a while. After long years of seeking and finding though, I understand sometimes a continually Truly Seeking heart can become weiry. But if you have accepted Christ, know that it is all more than worth it in the end, when you get to be with the Father God Almighty. So be encouraged. Do not give up in this Great Race!!! Run hard, and with perseverance. God is with you!