Others

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to in the interest of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”-Philippians 2:1-5

These verses were shown to me by Jordan Sasser this past Sunday. When I first read them I thought to myself: I have heard these verse so many times and I know to think of other before I think about myself. But when I really started to look at the words and what the verses is demanding us to do I found myself thinking about the recently sins that I have committed relating to this verse. These verses really challenged me to hold other people in higher standing then myself. I always think about myself and how something will benefit me before I think about others. I need to quit thinking about myself because I am not that great. I need to think about others and their needs before I even start to think about myself and what I want. People need help and if everybody was like me then the world would probably be a worse place. I have challenged myself to think about others instead of myself.

Bible Facts

· It is the best-selling book in the history of the world.

· It contains God's wonderful plan for your life

· It is alive. It is sharper than any two-edged sword.

· It is the Bread of Life. It is Living Water.

· It is milk for spiritual infants and meat for men.

· It is the Light of God in a dark world. It is the Star of Hope.

· It is the Sword of the Spirit (the armor of God’s only offensive weapon)

· It is the standard for our conduct. It is the will of God.

· It divides truth from error and the saved from the lost.

· Every demon in hell trembles when you quote it.

· It is the Compass for our Soul and the Road Map for our life.

· Its message is stronger than drugs, disease, sickness, poverty, greed, lust, and anything else someone faces.

· The KJV Bible has 66 books, 1189 chapters, 31,101 verses, 783,137 words, and 3,566,480 letters.

· Old Testament = 39 books = 929 chapters = 54 hours of listening on Audio

· New Testament = 27 books = 260 chapters = 18 hours of listening on Audio

· The middle verse of the Bible is Psalms 118:8, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man".

· The Bible can be read in 72 hours by reading along with Audio. This is only 12 minutes every day for 1 year.

· God wrote the Bible through at least 44 different people (most of who never met), without a single contradiction.

· It is the infallible and totally inspired Word of God, the complete revelation of God’s will, and absolute authority.

· It is the ONLY book in history to tell the past, present and future without ever being proved wrong on a single issue.

· Many great people have set out to prove it wrong, only to get converted to its excellent teachings.

· The Bible is the only book whose author is present whenever and wherever it is read.

He is jealous for me..

The song “How He Loves” by the David Crowder Band has become very popular. It is played on the radio, sung in church and it is on my I-tunes. I have become very familiar with this song since I heard it this summer. The more I hear it, the more I think about the word and what they mean to me. I encourage you to read the words of this song slowly and really take in and think about what they mean to you:

He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.

When all of a sudden,

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,

And I realise just how beautiful You are,

And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,

Oh how He loves us,

How He loves us all

He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,

If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.

So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,

I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,

When I think about, the way…

He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Summer Project

I caught myself asking before a boarded my plane this summer “what exactly am I doing in Santa Cruz.” I soon figured out that we were in California to do the work of God. We stayed at the Peter Pan Motel. It was perfect location for the summer. Even though it wasn’t a five star resort we were able to transform it into a coffee house, movie theatre, and dance floor. We had many themed parties to get the community involved with us. At these parties we were able to share with them about how to know God personally and about how God had transformed our lives. We also were able to share with our coworkers. Most of the students on project worked on Santa Cruz’s world famous Boardwalk. While working we were able to build friendship and get different views about religion and God. Since coming back to North Carolina I am still in contact with some of my coworkers that I built friendships with and was able to share with them what God had done in my life. Also coworkers were able to come to the many dinners we had at the Peter Pan. We had a project cook that prepared our meals. Meals were a chance for our coworkers to have a free meal and also be shown the gospel through our actions and words. When we had a day off of work, we were able to get out of Santa Cruz and experience California. I was able to see the sites in San Francisco, drive the 17 Mile Drive, go to the Monterey aquarium, and eat at In and Out Burger.

Summer Project ROCKED my world. It was the best thing I could have done this summer. I have grown spiritually and experienced things that I couldn’t have imaged. I now know that my new identity is in Christ. It has nothing to do with the things that I have done in the past, God sees us as a new creation. I also appreciate and realize how much God loves us. His love goes beyond anything that we have ever experienced before on this earth. My relationship with God would not be the same if I had not gone on summer project.

This summer I have made lifelong friends. I have seen lives change. I have had the time of my life. I would have wasted away in North Carolina but instead I did God’s work in California this summer.

Reaching People

“good missions is reaching people not only here but overseas as well”

When we hear the word missions, we often just think about overseas ministry and local ministry barely cross our mind. We are called to spread the Gospel both here in our own community and also in other countries. In normally forget about sharing the gospel in my everyday life. I just think about the stuff that I need to do instead of the stuff that I should be doing. I should be outreaching to everyone I meet not only with words but also with actions; showing them a glimpse God’s incredible love for them. Don’t get me wrong overseas missions are very important to me and I am excited to get the opportunity to participate in them but right now, I am living in Wilmington: this is my mission field. I am surrounded by unsaved people every day. God desires that they come to know Him and it is our duty as Christians to share with other people what God has done in our life and He can do in their lives. Nothing should make us happier than when we have a new brother or sister in Christ.

I challenge you to share with the people you see daily. They may or may not know Christ. Find out what they believe….

Satisfied?

As I was looking through the Satisfied booklet today, a sentence stood out to me. It said: People who trust in their own efforts and strength to live the Christian life will experience failure and frustration, as will those who live to please themselves rather than God. This is true, when you rely on your own efforts to reach God or the experience God, you fail. There is no other way to put it. You must trust God completely and many people don’t do this, including me. I looked at the sentence over and over again and thought about the times when I have trusted in my own efforts and strength to live for God and how many times I have failed because of this. I seem to always fall back into the way that I acted/or the situations I was in before I accepted Christ as my savior.
As Christians we shouldn’t try to live the so called “Christian life”, we should live completely for God. All the standards and rules for a Christian life are thrown out the window. We live for God and nothing else; and NOTHING can stop us. This is a beautiful image and I wish that was the way that I lived my daily life but it isn’t. Instead sometimes a get caught up with myself and living the way I think Christians should live. That isn’t how I should live and isn’t the way I want to live. I want to live all out for Jesus and I want Him to use my life for his purpose.

Reflection

It is amazing how much stuff you can get done sitting in a Starbucks on a Saturday. Not only have I finished most of my homework but I have had time to reflect. Reflect on what my life has been like and the decisions I have made in the past year. I ask myself is my life the way I want it to be and the way God wants it to be. Of course the answer is no. God desires me to give up things and behaviors that I am just not willing to give up yet. This is really selfish of me to not be willing to give up things that my creator, the one who died for my sins wants me to give up. He loves me so much, more than anyone on earth and I am still not willing to budge. I want what I want and nothing else. I can see how selfish I have been in the past couple of months but am I ready to give up control of my life for Jesus? For that I don’t have the answer. I want to be used by God but I still find myself lazy and having the desires of the flesh. I think that being a Christian is the hardest thing to be because you have the devil working against you and wanting and giving you opportunities to fail in front of God. But the great and amazing thing is that God picks you up and is with you through everything. He will never leave you!!

Is today the day that you’re willing to change and live for God?

Challenge

Lately I have been thinking about my language and the types of words I use on a daily basis. I have realized that I sometimes I use harsh words and not take in to consideration how other people feel. I say something offensive or inconsiderate and then quickly move on before I have time to realize how it made someone else feel. This is something that I need to work on. God want us to show others his love to everyone around us. He wants us to not only show his love through our actions but also through our words. Being inconsiderate is not showing Gods love to others at all; it is actually showing the opposite.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

This is the kind of love the Christ has for us and we don’t even come close to deserve it. He loves us so much that he sacrificed himself for us. We should desire others to know about this incredible love. Show this love to others by being kind, considerate and genuine with them. I challenge everyone to show this love, even by doing simple things. This is something that I am going to be working on.

Hope 127

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." -James 1:27

God calls us, as Christ followers to help others in need. Hope 127 in a partnership between Port City Community Church and Mama Hellen's Rehabilitation Center in Kanya. The children that are at the center come from horrible back grounds and have seen things that we can't image. The children are at the center to heal and to have a better life. They have been through so much and it is amazing to hear the stories about how their lives have been changed and the impacted since coming to the center. The money the PC3 and sponsors gives to the center helps with anything the children need. The center's main purpose is to help the children have a better life.


I had the opportunity to organize the book that had all the children's pictures and descriptions and it was moving to read some of their stories. They were some of the cutest children I have ever seen and I couldn't believe the stories behind their smiling faces. God has given us the opportunity to help children in Kanya. They need our prayers and money.



To find out more information visit: http://www.portcitychurch.org/hope127.php

Reminder

Today I got the chance to sit down and relax for a little bit. It was nice to be able to turn on the television for the first time in weeks. Man do I miss high school when I could watch television all day long because I had nothing else to do but now I am busy every second. Today I got to watch Family Feud. I haven’t seen this show in a while and it got me thinking about families. Everyone’s family is different; just like people not two families can be alike. There is going to be differences no matter how they appear to other people. I am so thankful for my family. God has blessed me with a loving family that supports my every decision; they are behind me all the way. I find that now since I am a sophomore and have gotten used to college life that I miss my family more than I did last year. I miss my mom’s cooking and the coziness of our house. Don’t get me wrong I love living in Wilmington with my friends but I miss my family. I miss my cousins and being able to watch them grow up and play/hang out with them. I also miss having lunch with my family every Sunday. It has been a tradition ever since I can remember to have lunch after church on Sundays. Even though my Grandma has died and the environment of Sunday lunches has changed, it is still nice to get together and see how everyone is doing. Wilmington is my home now but it is always nice to go to back to my Raleigh home and see my family.

Changed

As I was camping on Carolina Beach Labor Day weekend I thought about where I was a year ago. I can’t believe how much I have changed. My life is completely different now. A year ago I was at the same place but the scene was entirely different; I was on the beach drunk and living for myself. My actions were selfish and stupid. I was partying every weekend and doing things that my parents had thought me not to do. I was going against all the morals and values that I had made for myself in high school. My friends last year were a reflection of my actions. They partied too and that was the reason we were camping on Carolina Beach that weekend, to party and have fun. We wanted to get away from everything and have fun. It was a fun night but now looking back on it I realize how stupid it was and how I could have gotten in so much.

Now everything has changed. I rededicated my life at Campus Crusade for Christ’s Winter Conference. I finally realized what Christ had done on the cross for me and my sins; I then wanted to live my life for Him and not for myself. I changed the way a lived my life and the friends I had after the conference. I started to live for Him. So camping on the Carolina Beach is completely different this year. There is no alcohol; it is just me and my friends having fun at the beach. We fished, had a camp fire and just hung out. I wish I knew then that alcohol and partying isn’t a satisfying life.

I meant to write this blog a few weeks back.

On Fire

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” --- Colossians 1:9-14

If you read the words of Paul’s prayer and really take in what he is saying to the Colossians, it is very powerful. He is continually praying for them, that God will give them wisdom, and strengthen them to stay away from darkness and sin. He is praying for their overall well being in their Christian walk. My bible study leader sent my bible study this verse over the weekend. Knowing that he is nonstop praying for us like this is encouraging. I know that I have someone praying for me each and every day to live a life worthy of God and to remain in his path for my life. Knowing that he is praying for me in this way lifts me up and encourages me live on fire for God.

Amazing Women

I was honored to have the opportunity to speak about such an amazing women at my grandmother's funeral last January. I was remind of this occasion when I visited my grandparent's house during Fall Break. I wanted to share my speech about a women who changed my life:

My grandmother was among the most influential and important people in my life. She was an amazing woman and I can’t start to explain what she has done for me personally and my family. Her actions and the things that she said were filled with God’s love. I never got to tell her this but she ministered to me through her kind actions and loving words. She showed me what it really meant to put God before everything else. Everything she did, you could see the Holy Spirit working within her. She ministered to so many people. And she supported and encouraged my walk with God. I enjoyed every minute that I was able to spend with her and I only wish that I could have had longer.

Before her surgery she said “that no matter what the outcome, she couldn’t lose”. And she didn’t. She actually got the better end of the deal, she is up in heaven. I am going to miss everything about her. Her love, her kindness, her generosity, and many other things made her so special to me. I am going to miss Sunday lunches with her. Her cooking was the best. I loved her chicken pastry; and nothing in the world can beat it. This year it will be so different with her not at the beach. She loved going down there and spending time with the whole family. Some of my best memories are at the beach cottage with her. She always knew when me and Rachael were up to trouble. Now I really appreciate what she did for me and the time that I was able to spend with her.

My mother and my grandmother had a close relationship. I was able to see my grandmother a lot because of my mother and now I am very thankful for that. And Momma I can see her qualities in you. You and Susan are just like her. You are kind, sweet and you show God’s love through all your actions. You and Susan are great mothers as I know she was to you. And she would be so proud of all three of yall for being so strong and brave through this hard time. And Rachael, Cameron, Preston, Ella, and Ragan I am so sorry that Ma will not be at your graduation, or help you pick out your tux for prom, or experience your first day of high school. I am so thankful for the time that we were able to have with her as short as it was. And Da I am so thankful that I have you in my life right now. You’re a strong and Godly man and Ma was completely in love with you.

And right now we are sad about her death but I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in this situation. Psalms 30 verse 5 says that “…. Weeping may endure for the night but Joy comes in the morning.”

We are going to miss you Ma

He is There Always

I find that the one of the hardest things about being a Christian is knowing exactly what God wants you to do. Of course we know what right and wrong are but it goes beyond that to the gray areas in your life. Even situations where both choices could be good but you need guidance from God. When I am asking God to show me the path He wants me to take, I have trouble really seeing or hearing what that is. Sometimes when I think that it is God telling me what to do, it is really me wanting to do something. Or I second guess the decision I am hearing; I am not sure if it is me or God. I get confused all the time. I wish that God would show me a noticeable sign saying this is what I want you to do. Often I hear things and I believe that it is God telling me something but then I get a whole different message later on telling me to do something completely different. This blog is meant to be personal. Knowing what God really wants in my life is something that I struggle with often. The verse that has really stood out to me lately is:

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

I know that no matter what I do or where I go, God is always with me. Whatever God tells me to do with my life he will be right beside me, leading the way. This is something that comforts me when I am confused about what God is calling me to do; cause even though I am confused God is with me through it all.

Differences

On Saturday night I was able to watch See What I’m Saying at Lumina. The movie illustrated the lives of four deaf entertainers: Robert, TL, CJ, and the deaf rock band Beethoven’s Nightmare. The movie really made me think about all the different obstacles that people with disabilities have. When I go through my daily life I don’t think about the struggles different people go through and the movie helped me see that life is not easy for everybody. Some people have to go above and beyond just to do normal things. On USA Today’s website I came across a letter to the editor, http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/09/letters-deaf-athletes-wins-.html#more. The reader was responding the article Deaf Athletes Hurdle Barriers, Achieve Goals in College Sports; she was also asking different questions about why things are the way they are. One of the questions that she ask stood out to me, she asked why didn’t the USA Olympic Committee sponsor deaf athletes to go to the Deaflympics. She shares her view point about how she thinks that it is depressing that the deaf athletes have to pay for themselves while other athletes get funded to go to different competition. She says that deaf athletes are just as good as normal athletes. I totally agree with her view point. Just because an athlete is deaf doesn’t mean that he should be treated any different or not have the same opportunity that regular athletes have. I believe that everyone should have the same opportunity no matter what. They are the same people except one can hear and one cannot.

Process

My writing process has changed since I have been in college. In high school, I would finish my paper and then be done with it. I wouldn’t even pick it up again until the due date; now I see that proofreading is a factor in getting a better grade. Proofreading makes sure that my grammar is correct and also makes sure that my sentences make since. A lot of times when I write a paper I accidently add in a sentence an extra word that it doesn't need and it makes no sense to the reader. Once I finish a paper I proof read my paper and have someone else do it too. That way I get a different persons option on my paper. They are able to tell me mistakes about my paper that I wouldn’t have noticed. But a lot of times I end of writing my papers late and do not have time to have someone else proofread it. Doing it at the last minute always ends in me getting a bad grade because of simple grammar mistakes that could have been avoided.

I want my readers to get something out of the things that I write. I don’t want them to read something that I wrote and then wonder why they just read it. I want them to connect to my stories and learn or get something out of what I am trying to convey to them. I strieve for my blog entries to be on subjects that make people think and ask different questions. I don’t want my readers to be necessarily influenced by me, I just want them to ponder stuff after reading my writings.

"Superstition aint the way"

I don’t believe in superstition. All my life I have done simple things like have a good luck charm, cross my fingers, not opening an umbrella inside, etc. Even though I have done small things that seem and sometimes feels like I believe in superstition I believe in something bigger. I believe in Christ. Having Christ in my life, I don’t have to worry about having a good luck charm or crossing my fingers because he is always there for me no matter what the situation. He is more than something I can carry around with me, He is my life. I live to praise Him and not worry about earthly things. A lot of times this concept is hard, trying not worrying about what is happening on earth and in my life. I have realized throughout my life that I don’t have to worry because whatever is happening in my life and will happen in my life is a part of Christ’s glorious plan for me; this is not meant to bring myself glory but to bring glory to Him and his kingdom. Some people would say that Christ’s death and resurrection is superstition in some way but it’s not, it is factual. Superstition in my opinion is just a feeling to make yourself feel better about a situation; wanting to doing better on a test or assignment or trying to avoiding things from happening. Having Christ in my life is not just a feeling, it’s a truthful statement. I know that He is always there for me and that He will be with me through every situation. I also know that because He will help me through anything, I don’t have to worry. I believe I don’t need superstition; I need Christ in my life.

Memories

Recently the Carolina Beach Boardwalk has turned from a rundown youth hang out spot to a family attraction. They have gone back to their roots and brought back the rides and the shops. When I was younger, before the Marriott, there were lots rides and many arcades on the Boardwalk. Me and my cousins would spend countless hours on the boardwalk; playing the arcade games, eating at Britt’s Donuts, going to the local shops, playing putt putt, getting snowballs and riding all the rides. It was the best part of going to the beach. I have so many fond memories there.

Over the years the Boardwalk had decayed. The rides were taken out, some of the shops and arcades were closed down, buildings were torn down. It had become a whole different place when I graduated from high school. All the things that had made the Boardwalk special as a child were gone. Recently they have brought back the rides. When I first saw the new rides, I thought about the fun times me and my cousins had on the Boardwalk when we were little. Even though the 4 of us are now “all grown up” I found myself wanting to be little again and able to ride the kiddy rides. There is nothing like the Carolina Beach Boardwalk on a Friday night. The lights, the games, the rides and the people, all make it exciting. Reliving my childhood led me to the write my English essay on environment of the Boardwalk; because there is nothing that can compare to the excitement it brings.

"Failed" Families

I was born into a traditional family. My parents have been married for almost twenty-five years. I have not had to suffer through being seen as a child of a “failed" marriage or having to become part of a blended family. I guess I would say that I was privileged growing up. I was able to live with both my mom and my dad.

In society today, there are many marriages that are ending in divorce. Children have to decide which parent they want to permanently live with. People move on and blended families are formed but their past marriage stays with them. In the article Stone Soup by Barbara Kingsolver, the main character admires a blended family and wonders why such a loving family could still be seen as “failed." When couples get a divorce, no matter the reason, they are still seen as having a “failed” marriage. Even after being happily remarried they are still known for having one “failed” marriage. They can never get rid of their baggage. Another theme we have seen in American society is blended families, which are created because of divorces; they are two families coming together. The most famous blended family was the Brady Bunch. Even after thirty they are still a popular television family. Most blended families are not as popular as the Brady Bunch. Even though blended families are just as happy as any traditional families, people still look down on them. They are seen as less functional then traditional families. Blended families consist of everything a traditional has: mom, dad, and children. There is no difference but still they are looked down upon.

Back Again

The start of classes marked that summer was officially over. I can’t believe how fast it went by. It feels like Santa Cruz Summer Project was a short lived dream. Now my Wilmington friends are finally reunited. We spent a summer apart and all had different experiences. It was like nothing had changed. We interacted in the same way as we did when we parted for the summer; all with high expectations. A hand full of my friends came back to school with a new outlook. It seemed God had turned against one of my friends. His life had changed and everything that he had known was altered. Here is a link to his blog where he shares what he has learned this summer http://dylandodson.blogspot.com/. I am not trying to put words in his mouth but from the outside it seems that this summer completely changed his life. I admire him and how he is daily overcoming what God has thrown his way. It was for God’s glory and not for our own understanding.

Another one of my friends got an internship with Lifepoint Church. This summer he has built the zone from scratch. He would be better qualified to explain the zone but it is “where children bring their parents to church” to learn what is going on in the children ministry for that month. It is a monthly event. He has poured out his time and soul into making this a success. The big unveiling is September 3, this coming Thursday. To find out more you can visit http://www.lifepointnow.com. We are all excited to his hard work pay off. Lifepoint is a growing Church in Wilmington. I can see the good Lifepoint is doing in our community. They have impacted so many people, like many churches. In Jeff Kapusta’s blog, the pastor of Lifepoint Church, he shares what has been going on at Lifepoint, http://www.jeffkapusta.com/. They have just entered into a Hope series. This series is about finding hope in different situations. Jeff blog recent blog is about a special event they held at Lifepoint this week. It was where people from the community were able to come and reflect on their relationship with God and get prayed over.

This summer has been a summer of change and growth for all my friends and for the churches here in Wilmington. I am excited to see how God uses us in the upcoming year.

Testimony

I was able to share my testimony this week with project.

I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Every Sunday my family went to church. I remember hearing that Jesus loved me and wanted me to go to heaven to spend eternity with him. When I was 7 I asked Jesus to come into my life because I thought that it was the only way to go to heaven. After that I knew that I was going to go to heaven because I had accepted Jesus, so I thought why even have a relationship with God. I went to middle school and then to high school where I struggled with jealousy and being accepted. Nothing I had was ever good enough. Somehow I became a leader in my church’s high school group but God was not part of my daily life. I was a Christian on Sundays and Wednesdays, the rest of the week I was whoever I wanted to be. I went on many trips with my church but nothing that I hear about God stuck. Towards the end of my high school career and start of my college career I started drinking and getting into drugs. It was another way to be accepted and get away from my problems. Slowly I started to realize that I wanted something different in my life, more fulfilling. On a whim I went on Campus Crusade’s Winter Conference just to have something to do. It was the best decision I could have made. Everything that I had been hearing in church made sense and I finally understood the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. I asked God to come back into my life and be the main focus; it wasn’t about being accepted and it wasn’t about myself anymore. It was about glorifying God. I started reading my bible, praying and doing everything I thought a Christian should do. Everything was great; my life had changed for the better until my Grandmother died. Suddenly my world had changed. She was the person who had the biggest impact on my relationship and pursuit of God. She made me want to be a better Christian. If God hadn’t been there during that time, I would have been in pieces. God became my strength and He got me through the most difficult part of my life so far. Since then my relationship with God hasn’t been perfect just like any relationship, I have my ups and downs but I remember how God has helped me threw my hard times.

Glorification

As I go through the day I have come to realized that I do most things for myself and NOT for God. We are called to give glorify and thanks to God in everything that we do. Jeremiah 13:16 simply states "Give glory to the Lord your God..." We are not here to glorify ourselves but we are here to glorify God. Everything that we do, no matter how small is meant to give praise and give glory to God, our father. Some Christians believe that God is here to serve them but that couldn't be further from the truth. God doesn't need us, we need him. We should desire to glorify God who loves us so much. We shouldn't try to glorify ourselves. Jesus stated in John 8:54 "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.." It should be all about glorifying God.

Live for God and NOT yourself....

Downpour

Evangelizing is a very important component in our Christian walk. God commands us to share with others what God has done in our life.

Matthew 28:19-20 says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I have come to a new appreciation about evangelizing. People need to hear God’s word and his "Crazy Love" for them. I used to think that evangelizing was me by myself trying to share the Good News with strangers but I realized it’s not me at all, it’s God. Like verse 20 says God is always with me. He will give me the words say and the steps to take. I do not have to be scared because he is with me; I can focus on my desire to share. I want others to know how God has impacted my life because I want the same for them. I am not trying to boast about what God has done for me, I simply just want others to know God personally.

Not all people are going to accept what we are trying to convey to them. Some may have built up aggression to the Christian faith. I tried to share with a man in downtown Santa Cruz and he flat out rejected me. The sad thing is that he didn’t just reject me, he rejected God and unless something happens in his life he will spend an eternally in hell. He will never know the joys of heaven and a relationship with God. As I shortly talked to him, he ripped apart our faith. The majority of people have a bad perspective on Christianity. They think we are all hypocrites and actually for the most part they are right. It is disappointing to know that we have that persona to the world. The guy that I talked to blamed us for everything that has gone wrong in the world. I am not discouraged that he rejected God but hurt. It is hard to hear someone attack and reject your faith.

John 15:18 says “If the world hates you, keep in mid it heated me first.”

John 7:7 says “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.”

The world will attack us only because we live for something that they know nothing about and can’t understand. We don’t live for the world, we live for Christ. People can only start to understand if we share with them what God has done in our life and how he desires to have a relationship with them. Share with others today.......

Boardwalk

*ALERT pictures not taken me

God of Wonders

Lately I have been thinking about how God has blessed me. GOD IS GOOD. He is amazing and I wish that I thanked him more for everything that he has done in my life. He has blessed me so much over the past year. He has taken me from my darkest hour and brought me into His never ending light. It is amazing how much He loves and cares us. There is nothing that I can do to repay Him. I cannot earn his love because it is already given to me not matter what I have done or will do; all I can do is take it and use it to benefit his Kindgom.

The Challenger

Only 6 percent of people in Santa Cruz attend some kind of church

There are many different kinds of people in Santa Cruz. The good thing is that they are open about religion. They are not opposed to talking about it or hearing what we have to say. Talking to some of the people here, shows me how lost Santa Cruz really is and how lost the world is. People need Jesus. They rely on their own understanding and their selfish ways. The mission of summer project is to share the Amazing love of God with the people around me and help them establish a relationship with Him that they desperately need. I am so thankful that I am a part of this ministry this summer. I have the chance to share God with people in Santa Cruz. Some may accept Christ while in others I may just plant a seed. Outreaching is always 100% success not matter the outcome. I challenge everyone to go out and share with others how God has changed and impacted your life. People need to hear the word of God. It is up to us to share his love with others!!

Santa Cruz

Powerful and Mighty

As I was reading the article “Dwight Edwards Struggle- Lessons to be Learned by Larry Crabb” I started to think about how sin can sometimes feel so much better the doing the right thing. Think about how doing the wrong thing can feel so good as compared to the other alternative, the so called “Christian path.” Lost people follow this trend all the time; they rather have temporary self gratification then do the right thing. The article was focused on a preacher that fell into temptation. This has become a common story. Of course we all fail but the teachers of God’s word are scrutinized more than the everyday person. Something that stuck out to me in the article was that he said that his sin made him feel alive, free, connected and wanted. We should feel that way in the arms of Christ, so how can it be that a person can feel that way about a sinful act. Sin is so powerful and we shouldn’t underestimate it. It can turn the greatest man into someone who is apathetic about something that he has done that is not for the glory of God. We need to fight off sin in our lives, we can’t let it consume us and lead us feeling alive, free or even wanted. Knowing God and following his will is life. Life is not about all our possessions or all the friends that we have made. “Living to feel alive is not the same as living to know and glorify God. “ Live to know Christ better and to follow his will for your life.

Secret SIn part 2

In my last blog, I forgot to speak on the last part of James 5:16 which say “..The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” To go along with what I said last time, you can’t get over a secret sin alone. If you try to you will most likely fail. And if you try to hide your sin it will take over you. Prayer is an important part in healing. Pray for yourself and have others pray for you. As the verse says the prayer of the righteous man is very powerful. Find a person in your church, small group or anybody that has a heart for God to pray over you. A close friend of mine did something similar and it has really helped him to know that someone is praying for him and the thing that he struggles with. Trust that others can help you through the healing process and also made sure to trust God and remember that he has the power to help you over come your SECRET SIN.

Trust God…

Secret Sin

James is one of my favorite books in the bible because it shows us how we should live our life as Christians. Elevation did a series a few months back on some of the important verses that we should know and live by in James. Today I was reminded of one of the verses in James that really stands out to me. James 5:16 reads

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

I believe that this verse is so important for Christians if they desire to eliminate a certain sin. People sin all the time and most of these incidents are a recurring sin. People carry out the same sin over and over again. For most of us, we sin, we repent but then the very next day we perform the same sin once again. It is a cycle that must be STOPPED if we ever want to be Christ like. Confessing my sin to friends is something that has really helped me. I have accountability partners and they also are praying for me to stop this recurring sin. They are something that makes me think twice about committing that same sin. Other thing to think about is that keeping a sin from people is letting it have more power over you. It becomes a secret and normally secrets are bad and very destructive, especially secret sins. Don’t get me wrong some people have the strength and the determination to get rid of a reoccurring sin alone, but most of us need a little help and encouragement. We also have to remember that we have God on our side too. The saying, we have heard since we were kids, to remember is that “good always triumphs over evil”. Having people pray over you and encourage you during the struggle to overcome a sin is something that is helpful.

Don’t let sin take over you, instead take over it and stop it before it becomes destructive

L.O.V.E.

This will be my first blog entry:
The way God loves us is something that I have been thinking about for a few days now. He knows what we have done, and what we will do in the future. I don’t see how anyone can love us after we have betrayed someone so many times. We sin everyday; and every sin is another way that we have betrayed our creator and our best friend. He is someone that we can turn to no matter what the situation is and no matter what we have done. He is ready and willing to listen. He knows everything about us and still loves us unconditionally and loves for us to come to him when we are in need. It is hard to wrap my mind around that kind of love. This truly is Crazy Love. God also knows our thoughts. My thoughts are anything but pure. I can’t believe that he loves me after knowing everything that I have done and everything that I have thought. I have sinned so many times and he still loves me and desires to have me in his kingdom forever. This kind of love makes me happy but it also makes me feel undeserving. I hate to harp on this depressing concept but I have betrayed God so many times and I can’t help but to feel that I shouldn’t be saved from my sins and that I shouldn’t be able to get into heaven. No matter what I do or what I have done God loves me. He died for me to not feel undeserving and to harp on past situations. In Psalm 103:9 the bible says that “he does not treat us as our sins deserve.” He forgives them and moves on. He loves us no matter what. That is what I call Crazy Love!