Post #101

This is my last post for 2007, and it happens to be my 101st post. 2007 has been good to me and I'm excited for 2008. Here's a recap of 2007:

-Got engaged to Sarah: Jan 13
-Moved out of my parent's house: March 6
-Married on July 7
-Honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas: July 7-15
-Began tutoring at Farm Drive Center: Sept 6
-Turned 21 on Sept 9
-Led Hillside's Men's Weekend: Oct 5-7
-Begin playing semi-pro baseball: Nov 4
-Visit my grandparents in Texas: Nov 8-12
-Rob Bell: The Gods Aren't Angry Nov 12
-Start a social action group at Hillside Church: Nov 27
-Grandfather died: Dec. 25


Now for 2008! What's coming up this year:

-Trip to Delaware for my grandfather's funeral: Jan 4-8
-Sarah's (21st) Birthday: Jan 14
-DisneyLand for Sarah's B-day: Jan 19-21
-Matt Randleman's wedding: March 31
-Chase Hughes' wedding: June 28
-Trip to AFRICA: June 26 - July 17 (3 wks)
-I am THE leader for Men's Retreat Weekend 08: Oct. 3-5

As for now, I am enjoying my break from school. I am spending a lot of time with Sarah and reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Happy New Year!

Some writing...

Here's some of my recent writing:

The sun wiggled its way through the curtains and the faint hum of the morning rush hour hypnotized me as I lay in bed regretfully anticipating the air raid siren formerly known as my alarm clock. This morning began like many others; my snooze button got its thirty minute workout in before I even rolled out of bed and the coffee maker automatically prepared a liquid slap in the face to make sure I was conscious. Ah, the wonders of technology.

I knew a long day lie ahead, but I did all I could to resist it. My busy life and my apathy were fighting a fierce war with guns, grenades, and camouflage. My boss tried to flank my TV with some artillery, while my pillow and the Youtube guerrillas fought back with small arms fire from behind some trees. Maybe I could call in sick today, or maybe I could say that my grandma died, again. This battle raged on every morning as I hunkered down on my box spring trench.[..]

Recent Projects...

I have been a little busy lately. However, some of my busy-ness has been fun stuff. I have been working on a few projects that are a hobbie of sorts:

I made a workbench and a bookcase in the last two weeks. Here's a few pictures:

Texas

Sarah and I are going on vacation in Texas this weekend. I know what you're thinking, Texas? Yes, we are going to visit my grandparents for the weekend.

Sarah and I were unable to go to Minnesota last summer because some other things got in the way (a wedding). So, we are going to go hang out in the South of Texas for 4 days.

My grandparents live at a place with a golf course and tennis courts, so I'm going to golf everyday.

San Jose Yankees

I joined a baseball team!

We are called the San Jose Yankees. The league is a semi-professional adult baseball league and it is highly competative (It's called the National Adult Baseball Association - NABA). I'm very excited to be able to play on such a good team. They needed another pitcher and another infielder, so they gave me a chance. We have our first game this weekend and I'm slated to pitch in relief. I've been working out and getting ready for a while and I think I'm ready to get back into competative baseball. This league had a lot of ex-college players and a few ex-minor leaguers. We can only use wood bats and some of these guys throw in the 90's. Awesome!

If you want to come see some of my games, click here to look at my schedule.

Also, school has finally calmed down for a while. Finals are the next big thing to worry about, but I think I'll do fine.

*This week, 11/4, I'm teaching in our college group. I'm excited because its been a while since I've taught. We are in a series from the book of Numbers and I'm teaching Ch 13 which is an amazing text.

October

Wow, I didn't realize that I haven't posted on my blog since Sept. 23. I think I reached my limit of things to do this semester. Here's a little life update:

-I just finished leading our Men's Retreat for Hillside Church (I hate the name "Men's Retreat", it should be called something else). This is a weekend camp-like event for the men of our church. There were 140 guys and it went very well. I was able to have a lot of influence in the theme and lessons. I hand picked the seminars and told the main speaker what topics I wanted him to talk about. The theme was "Passion". We dove into topics like the priesthood of all believers, being a minister, postmodernism, Kingdom business, and using your passions to establish God's Kingdom. These are all topics that I thought might be touchy subjects, but it was well received. The weekend has started some great discussion about missional church.

-I have been tutoring 4th and 6th graders at the Farm Drive Center twice a week. These kids are great, but they can be hard to deal with sometimes. (If you can, pray for one boy named Saul, he is having some trouble at home and he really needs a big brother/dad figure)

-I have been overwhelmed with work lately. The 2 weeks before the men's weekend I was leading, I was bombarded with a huge project. Then this week I was asked to do twice my usual workload. At the same time, my range-finder broke. (That is my most important piece of equipment) Bummer.

-My Tuesday small group started. We're studying The Secret Message of Jesus. So far, the guys are excited and we've had some great discussions.

-I got the new iPod Touch for my birthday. I could never afford something like that by myself, so I pooled together all my birthday money and bought one.

-I've been writing some music lately. I've got a couple songs, but they're no where near finished. I need to work on lyrics. I can write the music part easier than the lyric part. I just need to write more anything.

-I'm getting excited about seeing Rob Bell on November 12. Sarah and I will be flying back from Texas that day. We are going to see my grandparents for the weekend. I need a vacation.

By the way, I love David Bazan.

McLaren Study

I have decided to lead a small group for the Gathering on Tuesday nights at 8 o'clock at my apartment. We are going to read Brian McLaren's book The Secret Message of Jesus. I am hoping to discuss some foundational truths about Jesus Christ and his message. I have been reading this book for a few weeks (I am not done yet because I have too many books for school to read also) and I think it is great. Any college guys are welcome. I'm really looking forward to this.

Word of the Week...

I just heard a public speaker say this word and I thought it was worthy of an entire blog post:

Verklempt
overcome with emotion; clenched

Go ahead.......I know you want to say it. VERKLEMPT.

Use it in a sentence.........."That book got me all verklempt!"

Use it in an essay..........."Then the main character became verklempt."

Tell your girlfriend during a chickflick........"I'm getting verklempt."

Isn't it a great word?............VERKLEMPT.

Make a comment about a famous person........."That baby looks quite verklempt."


I really like this word.

Big Basin, School, and headaches...

I've got a lot to say.

First, I was able to go camping with a bunch of kids from the Farm Drive Center last weekend. We went to Big Basin in the Santa Cruz mountains and it was so much fun. The only bad part was the three smelly boys I had in my tent. They are great kids, but they stink! The same three guys are going to be in my kidtrek group this year at the Center. I'm going to tutor them and hang out with them two days a week. Some of the kids were asking great spiritual questions and we were able to connect with them in a unique way.

Second, I started school a couple weeks ago and I forgot how much I don't like it. I thought my classes were going to be good, but most of them have turned out to be lame. I think it is the professors. They don't teach well and they don't go deep into the topics. I also dislike homework very much. It always seems to get in the way to other things I want to do.

Third, I've had a headache for almost 3 days now. I was sick with a cold from Thursday to now, but all the stress of school and work and Men's Retreat and life have given me a constant headache. I'm keeping up with things, but its definitely difficult.

Lastly, I am going to have a meeting with our new pastor soon. I'm excited to get to talk to him about some of my dreams for Hillside. He seems interested in having me be more involved. Yeah!

By the way, here's some pictures from the Big Basin Camping Trip:





Thanks Patty, great pictures!

Mornings

I've been getting up early lately to spend a little time reading the scriptures and praying. It's been great. I've been reading mostly from the minor prophets. I've been struggling with some ideas about restoration.

Recently, I've been wondering whether all the prophesies about a new heaven and new earth, new wine, new grain, a restoration of creation to be ruled by compassion, love, grace, and justice have been fulfilled through Jesus already. I realize Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is available here and now, but does that mean that we are able to receive eternal life and we have to wait it out in this broken world until Jesus comes back to restore all things? Or has the restoration already begun and is a process God started with Jesus? Maybe the restoration of creation has begun, but won't be complete until Jesus comes back.

Here is a link to a passage that I read this morning which is amazing. Click here.

School...Here We Go Again

So I'm starting a new semester at THE San Jose State University. Here's a quick list of my classes (for those of you with ADD):

Comm 100W - Writing
Engl 117 - Film, Literature, and Culture
Envs 152 - Environmental Global Disaster
Soci 154 - Non-conforming Behavior
Soci 162 - Race and Ethnic Relations


I'm really excited about the Film/Lit class. That should be fun.

Research Project: Part 1

So here are a few cool things that I found right off the bat:

-The major religions that have dominated history began somewhere between 650 BC and AD 650. Why?

-Christianity began in a Western Society. Yes, it sprang out of the Jewish culture which is Middle-Eastern, but Christianity launched into the Graeco-Roman world. This had a major effect on how the structure of the Church developed with hierarchies of leadership, logic, and other Western ideals.

-There was very little success of Christianity in the non-Occidental world (non-Western). Why?

-In the 8th and 9th Centuries, the Church experienced a prolonged struggle with the use of images. Does this have a connection to the struggle of the use of images while the Israelites were wandering through the desert in the time of Moses? Maybe there is a pattern to how people and God are in a tug of war over understanding God in a tangible or intangible way?

The integrity of the Gospel

I have been thinking about how I should live life as a follower of Jesus. I was reading the Sermon on the Mount last night and I came to a point where I decided that there can be nothing in my life that compromises the integrity of the Gospel.

What I mean is that my entire life needs to be focused on Jesus Christ. Every decision I make, everything I purchase, every person I meet must uphold the teaching of Jesus Christ. I have to devote my whole life to Jesus. I've been trying to do this for a while now, but it gets me depressed sometimes. I mourn, I pray, I listen, I sing. I am seeking God, but there are so many influences that pull me apart. There are Christians telling me things that I know aren't how Jesus taught us to live. There are non-Christians who tell me ways to live that are not of God. I just want to find the good and latch onto it. I want Jesus.

Church History Research Project

So I have decided to untake and rigorous research project. This is not for school, it is just my own crazy idea. Here's why: I feel that there is something important to be learned from church/Christian history. If we can understand the ups and downs of the church, the advancements and recessions of Christianity, and the historical events in which these events took place, we may be able to find a pattern or relationship that could provide some insight into where the church is headed in the coming years.

I want to map out church history and world history together and look for patterns, connections, and repetition. I hope to be able to place these findings within the grand plan of God's redemption of this world to find out where we are now. Basically, I want to find out where to put my energy in changing the world for Jesus.

So, this blog is going to be some sort of a journal for my study in addition to my regular posts. I want to eventually piece together the blog posts I write about this topic into a paper or book or something. This should be fun. (but it might take 10 years)

Music

I've been having some major trouble with music lately. I don't know how to describe it. I play music every week for church, but I don't feel like I'm authentic. I feel like I'm so uncreative, I feel inadequate, I feel unworthy.

I can be so inspired by music. Music can be such an indescribable connection to the Holy. But I don't feel like the music I play is anything close to a reflection of who God is. I'm so far away from that.

Here's a link to some music that is truely awesome. It's a song called "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!" by Sufjan Stevens. Please listen to it. (Sorry, the audio quality is not the best)

I Hate Yearbooks

I flipped through my high school yearbook a couple of days ago. That was a mistake. I love looking at yearbooks so much I hate it.

Everytime I open a yearbook or look at a photo album, I relive the memories in my mind and I begin to feel depressed. Don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time in high school. That was a time of life I will never forget because I had so many great experiences with so many great friends. But those memories conjure up so many other feelings now.

When I think about that time of life, I know that I can never experience that again. I'll never be 17 again. I'll never be that athletic again. I'll never go to a school dance again. I'll never be able to get away with ______ again. High school was a time of life when I experienced my most challenging, yet defining moments. I miss it to be honest.

Sabbath

This is an expansion to my previous post entitled "A little writing..." in which I described me feelings toward vacations.

I was convicted a few months ago that I have an addiction to production. I feel worthless when I'm not producing something. I just felt like I was wasting time if I wasn't doing something useful.

What I came to realize is that I cannot live like that. God loves me regardless of what I produce and I should not qualify my existence by the things I can do. I needed to be redeemed from the bondage of my issues with self-worth. I felt like I was defined by the things I produced rather than being a child of God.

Therefore, I decided to take a day off every Saturday. I vowed not to produce anything. No homework, no work, no house cleaning. I just relax. It is amazing.

That's how I cope with life and get a vacation with God every week.

Please Listen to This...

My mentor, Daniel Garcia, spoke at Hillside Church on July 8 and you should watch his lesson. It is amazing. I was moved incredibly. To watch the video online, click here.

A little writing...

Finding Myself Again

Have you ever gone on a trip somewhere and forgot what home was like? I mean a real vacation where you get to truly relax and actually breathe. I love those trips.

Imagine walking down a lowly highway after your car broke down. It’s 97 degrees outside and the only shade is your hand tiredly held above your head. The long walk to the nearest service station seems to take days, and you feel like you swallowed the sun. At this point, your car seems so trivial because all you can think about is how thirsty you are and how unfair life is. When you enter the service station, the first thing you grab is a chilled bottle of water. The sound of the pressure releasing and the seal being cracked are like choirs of angels singing praises in the heavens. The first gulp hits you like a tidal wave of ice cold bliss. It feels like icicles are forming down your throat. What a magical feeling; all because of something so simple. This is my vacation.

I felt like this on my vacation. I love trips that feel like a cool breeze on a hot summer night. I want to forget everything that I forgot to do. I want to be someone new.

But when I come back, I’ve forgotten who I am. Life hits me like a charging bull with its horns of bills and its hooves of work. I am pierced by the credit card company and trampled by my boss. Trying to get up I’m hit by dirty clothes and kicked by dirty dishes. Tattered and bruised I crawl into bed to recover from the woes of life. I remember now. As I stare at the ceiling and glance at the clock I remember who I am. I remember how life is on planet earth. I’ve found myself again. I’ve been thrown back into the ocean and I’m treading water again. “Just stay afloat,” I tell myself. I hope that tomorrow I’ll wake up on dry land where I can breathe and look out over the great sea and not feel the need to cross it. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be on vacation again.

Honeymoon Pictures...

We are back! I would like to post a few pictures of our trip to Cabo San Lucas. It was so much fun and it was a truely relaxing vacation.

Cabo

Its almost Saturday! I'm not as stressed out as I thought I would be. I have almost everything done, so I'm trying to spend a little time with out of town family and friends. Sarah and I are going to Cabo San Lucas for a week, so this will probably be the last post I write until we get back.

I've had so many thoughts and ideas in the last few weeks, but I've been too busy to post them. I'll catch up later.

Worship Conference

So I'm at a conference at Saddleback Church for music/worship leaders. My friend Ben Bajarin is a seminar speaker and he asked me to be on his "tech team". Basically, I just run the powerpoint for his presentation. He wanted me to come so I could experience the conference and meet a bunch of people.

While we were here, we got to hang out with a rock star. This guys named David Pack, who is a famous singer/songwriter from the 60's and 70's (his band was called "Ambrosia"), let us play his vintage one-of-a-kind guitars. I played a Taylor guitar that was made for President Bill Clinton. There are only two in existence. He is such a nice guy and I enjoyed getting to know him. You should look up his music on iTunes. Search for "Ambrosia".

Coming Events

So I'm getting married in 2 weeks and I'm a starting to feel a little stressed. I think its just work that is stressing me out. I only have a few things left to do for the wedding on July 7, but I was just bombarded with (I just paused while writing this to answer the phone concerning more work to do) a lot of work and I'd rather spend my time getting things finalized for the big day. Oh well, everything will work out.

Coming together

Things are coming together. I had a meeting with a church planter named Dave Gschwend today and its amazing to see how things connect.

I've been pondering some ideas about community, church structure, and unrealized potential in the Christian community. Dave used to be a pastor here in San Jose and in Santa Cruz, but now he is planting house churches in San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Monterey. The ideas he shared about authentic community, organic relationships, and real life transformation are the same ideas I have been struggling with for weeks now. It was amazing to see the ways God is moving in Dave's church planting endeavors.

Last week, I attended a luncheon for CityTeam International's church planting ministries. There were church planters from every continent (except Antartica) and their stories were amazing. For example, a group of 200 people who were given simple training planted 40,000 churches in a matter of years. It comes down to obedience and multiplicaton. These people plant house churches.

I was talking to Dave about this CityTeam thing when he asked me, "Was there a guy named Ned Yost there?" I told him there was, and he told me that this guy was staying at his house! Ned Yost (I think this is the right name) is a church planter from Indonesia.

All that said, I've noticed a movement going on. God is moving powerfully in small communities and house churches. Its so exciting.

Heart Ache

My heart aches right now.

I feel like there is a huge tension created by untapped potential. I could do more, my church could do more, the world could do more. I am convinced that our generation is capable of solving global issues and creating so much positive change. We are in a position that previous generations could only dream of in terms of transportation, communication, and resources to solves global problems.

The reason why my heart aches is that I want this potential to be realized. All these thoughts motivate me to be ambitious and influence people to being acting on these ideas. I believe the Holy Spirit is poised and ready to empower us to do great things in the name of Jesus Christ! Let's get to it.

Work...

I don't know if I said it before, but I work for a landscaping company. I do estimates for properties that we are trying to bid for their business. I'm just about to leave for work, but there was something interesting about the property I'm about to measure.

I have some information about this property called The Barrington Bridge Community. Here is their slogan: Exceptional Privacy and Distinction.

I think that is great, a community where people don't have to think about interacting with the less fortunate members of society. Fantastic, a community that has set up a gate to keep the beggars out (Luke 16:19-31).

mewithoutYou

I realized why I like mewithoutYou so much. Aaron Weiss is not fake.

I was listening to a different band in my car today and I felt like this person was putting on a show. I didn't feel that they really meant it. I love the way mewithoutYou displays struggle, pain, heartache, and despair. These are real feelings and their music perfectly paints a picture of the struggle.

This makes me wonder about the music we sing at our churches every week. Is it real? Is it authentic? Do I actually feel the words that are being sung? I've stood there so many times and just sung because that's what I'm supposed to do. I think I mean the words I sing.

I know there are other musicians who are being real. MewithoutYou just slaps me around and allows me to be real.

(By the way, I posted this picture again because I like it a lot. It makes me feel like I'm at a concert.)

Way to go Brian!

Yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble to purchase a couple books. One of these books was The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren. As I went to check out, this girl at the cash register looked at the book and asked me what it was about.

It turns out she has a friend who was a Christian and became an atheist. This cashier has thus decided to read some books about Christianity to understand what her friend went through. She told me that she has read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and a couple other books.

So, when she looked at the title of Brian McLaren's book and saw the cool cover design, she was interested in knowing what the secret was. She asked me what the book was about and I said very cleverly, "I dunno, I haven't read it yet." But I continued to explain that it was a book about the gospel of Jesus that sheds light on the way American pop-Christianity has missed the point. She wrote down the title and told me she was going to read it.

Way to go Brian McLaren! That clever title and the cool cover design worked! I can't wait to learn to secret too.

mewithoutYou at Slim's

I went to see mewithoutYou at Slim's in San Francisco last night. It was an amazing show. There were other bands there including The Snake The Cross The Crown and Manchester Orchestra. But the highlight was mewithoutYou.

This is the first time I had seen mewithoutYou live, and I guess I was struck by the raw emotion they put into their music. I could sense the tension, passion, and anguish as Aaron Weiss grabbed my soul and shook it around. I love the depth of the lyrics and the way they portray their struggles through music. It is so inspiring.

But today, I feel weird. I have this sense of "back to the daily routine" in me. I don't want the daily routine. I want specialness all the time. Also, there were a few guys at the show that I haven't really talked to in a while, but I was very unsocial. I've just had so many ideas, inspirations, and struggles and I want to talk to people who are experiencing the same thing. My questions/issues/hopes for the church, issues with my own lifestyle, and longing for something deeper have driven me to seek people who want to truely follow Jesus. People who notice the problems with this world and want to do something about it.

I love mewithoutYou.

Beauty

I recently had a conversation with a friend about beauty. We had a disagreement about the basis by which we define beauty. Let me explain.

I sense two camps here: those who think beauty is on the inside and those who think beauty is on the outside. I'm going to use these two broad definitions to explain my theory on beauty.

In my recent discussions, I was asked the question, "Could you admit that a woman was beautiful when she walks past?" I replied, "no." Thus began our debate. I said that I could not submit that a woman was beautiful just by looking at her. I told my friend that I felt it was not right to label a woman beautiful unless I understood her personality, etc. My friend took a different stance. He claimed that he could look at a woman and innocently call her beautiful by looking at her exterior features. This point of view believes that there is something inheirantly engrained in us that can recognize beauty.

If you think about this topic in sociological terms, the beauty we know today is socially constructed. Media and advertisements have created a definition of beauty. As women, and men for that matter, begin to strive for these ideals a spiral begins to refine the definition. If you look at models in the last 100 years, the women have gotten thinner, taller, and more unnatural. It is the system which has defined beauty.

If you think of beauty as going beyond the surface, you begin to see a much deeper and more meaningful definition. I believe God intended human beings to be beautiful creations that reflect the image of God. This involves much more than our physical bodies. God desires that our whole being be transformed to be like Christ. I have a friend that I can honestly call beautiful. She does not neccessarily meet the socially constructed criteria for beauty, but she possesses something unique and special that simply radiates "beauty".

I just do not feel right calling a woman beautiful according to a superficial definition when there is so much more to people than their outward appearance. Some of the most beautiful people I know do not fit the definition of pop-beauty.

Ouch!

I just got my wisdom teeth pulled this morning. I chose to get put out for the procedure and it was great! I'm in some pain now, but I'm feeling much better. It doesn't look like I'll be out of commission for very long.

They gave me a sedative to take one hour before the appointment and I had quite the time getting to the dentist's office. Sarah drove me over to the office and I was pretty out of it.

My left cheek it pretty swollen, but I have to teach on Sunday in the Gathering so I hope its better by then.

More on Isaiah 58...

I've been thinking more and more about this chapter in Isaiah. I'm actually teaching on this chapter in our college group at Hillside on June 3. As I have been pondering this passage, I've run into a few people and had a few experiences that have shed some insight into the meaning of this. I'm searching for meaning and understanding because I feel that this chapter draws some very clear connections to the Christian culture we live in today.

One thing I have questioned is the authenticity of the Christian community I'm a part of (and all Christians for that matter). I'm in no place to judge them, and I've got my own problems, but I can't help but see more potential in people. Jon Havens wrote about a similar situation, so there must be something profound about Isaiah 58 if we both are contemplating the same ideas about our generation.

There are many things I'm concerned about, but specifically I believe that there is such a lack of community. What I mean is, people are not living in a way that they depend on God and each other. We have become self-sufficient people who have lost true community. For example, I've run into some people who don't mind talking with people who are not like them; discussing God, politics, family, whatever. They will go to outreach events and serve food to the homeless. But what happens then? They retreat back to their close knit family and friends who think the way they do and they never establish lasting relationships with these people who actually need it (I'm guilty of doing this also). There is still a separation between the Christian and the non-Christian. We don't accept them as we do our own kind. There is an "us" and "them" mentality.

Also, there are problems with how we connect to each other at the church. We get together and give each other Jesus backrubs at our small groups and put on a smile and act like we have it all together on Sunday mornings. Then we retire back to our homes and get away from the people that challenge us and are different from us. Why can't we be real and authentic? Why can't we relieve the oppression in our own lives and in the lives of others?

I think I'm just feeling cynical today, but there is so much potential in the church and its not being tapped into. We were created for so much more than emtpy religiosity and fake personnas. Read Isaiah 58, its amazing.

Public Transportation

I've decided to ride public transportation as often as I can. I get a VTA year pass from San Jose State, so I can ride any VTA public transit. My truck doesn't get very good gas mileage and I don't want to contribute to emission problems and American dependancy on oil. So, lightrail here I come!

Isaiah and Amos

I am convinced that these books are two of the most compelling and relevant books of the OT for our generation. The words Isaiah and Amos spoke carry so much power and weight today that I believe these are dangerous books to read.

I've been repeatedly convicted by Isaiah and Amos, among other things, about the condition of the American church (including my own church) and my own life. Allow me to elaborate.

Isa 58:5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?

Isa 58:6“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Isa 58:7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Isa 58:8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Isa 58:9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

Isa 58:10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

Isa 58:11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isa 58:12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

I have a friend who challenged me a few years ago by saying, "Spend your life on God". I didn't know what this meant at the time, but I'm learning what that means. I think Isaiah 58:10 sheds some light on what this means.


Am 5:21 “I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.

Am 5:22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.

Am 5:23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

Am 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Wow! What can I say? What good are our worship services when we ignore justice? How can we gather and worship when we don't make a priority of helping those in need?

Summer Reading List

I have been meaning to read these books for a few months, but life has been crazy. This semester was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I had too many books, papers, and projects which have consumed most of my mental capacity. Although, I did read Irresistible Revolution last month. Here's the books I'll be reading this summer (if you want to have a book club, give me a call):

Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven, But Nobody Wants To Die by David Crowder


God's Politics by Jim Wallis


The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren

The Church

I've been contemplating the idea of "church". I've come across a few ideas recently which I feel give some insight to what church is.

"The purpose of the church cannot be to survive or to thrive, but to serve. And sometimes servants die in the serving."
-Erwin McManus, Unstoppable Force

"I've been trying to remove the word 'churches' from my vocabulary. We are not churches, we are 'the church'."
-Shane Claiborn, Irresistible Revolution

"A fascinating question came in [during a Townhall Meeting] in which somebody said that they were concerned that in working with the poor, [Mars Hill] would not be partnering with any secular organizations. As I reflected on that later, [aside: 'I'm trying to edit'] let just say, if you have a piece and I have a piece and those two pieces match, I don't care this person's religion, background, worldview, perspective. I don't care whether they skip the 'under God' part of the Pledge of Alliegence; I don't care where they're coming from. If they have a piece that matches my piece, I want to hook those two pieces together."
-Rob Bell, We Already Are (Matthew 28), Sermon at Mars Hill, 4.15.07

Vocab

Here's a word I read in a book for school. I wasn't sure what it meant, so I looked it up.

indignation: a strong distaste for something unjust.

I hope someone would describe me with this word.

Check out the new look!

In other news, here is something the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans which I've been thinking about recently:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

School

I'm having some trouble focusing on school right now. I've got so many things brewing in my mind concerning such bigger things. Seriously, Irresistible Revolution has really made me think and I'm still trying to sort through all that stuff. My view of the gospel has been challenged and I've got lots of questions. I consider that a good thing and I want to figure out what it means to follow Jesus. I'm just trying to figure out my place and how I'm supposed to live out my faith. It's a tough road, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe school is a place where I can implement the things I'm learning. I just hate all the homework and long classes. Oh, well.

Any Thoughts...

So I read this parable of Jesus in Matthew the other day and I've been struggling with it ever since. Here it is:

Mt 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
Mt 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
Mt 22:3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
Mt 22:4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
Mt 22:5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.
Mt 22:6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
Mt 22:7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
Mt 22:8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
Mt 22:9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
Mt 22:10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Mt 22:11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
Mt 22:12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.
Mt 22:13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Mt 22:14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

WHAT! This guy killed the people who didn't come to his party and he burned their cities? Then he invited good and bad people to his feast and then kicked a guy out for not wearing the right clothes?

Does anyone have any thoughts?

A Must Read...

This book has articulated some thoughts, questions, and stuggles that I have been dealing with recently and you should read it. Shane Claiborne is a founder of the Simple Way (www.simpleway.org) and he has served alongside Mother Teresa (or Momma T as Shane calls her) and has been to Bible College and Seminary. This book gives incredible insight into raw discipleship, community, serving, and what the Church could be. I feel like this book is setting free some ideas and visions I have been having about what it means to follow Jesus. Please check it out. It is definitely on my must read list.

You can read a sample chapter from Irresitible Revolution here.

Rob Bell Q&A Recap

Wow.

I don't know what to say. Rob Bell is so inspiring for me that I'm speechless right now. I hardly slept last night because I can't figure out what I am feeling. There is this ache in my soul right now and I can only recall feeling this way once before: after the Origins Conference at Mosaic.

I went to a question and answer session last night at UC Berkeley with Rob Bell, author of Velvet Elvis and Sex God. I got a chance to talk to him for a few minutes and I loved it.

Rob Bell has challenged me to rethink my faith, ask questions, explore the possibilities, love God more, improve my relationships, and make a difference in the world. Through this, God has brought the brokeness in this world to the forefront of my mind. My soul is in pain because this world is in pain.

It hurts me to know that this world is broken. My soul yearns to make a difference. I want to focus my life on loving God, following Jesus, and restoring this world to the way God intended it by ending oppression, fighting injustice, and caring for those in need.

My soul aches because this world aches. As a Christian, I want to heal the pain.

Almost caught up

Today I actually feel like I'm caught up with my life. Almost at least.

I still have reading to do for school this week, but I've finished all my current projects for work. Maybe that's actually the only thing I've caught up on. I still have laundry to do and my room is getting messy again. Trying to keep my life organized always seems to be futile. I've got other stuff on my mind that keeps me busy.

Reader Beware: Serious World Changing Stuff

Wow, I love Martin Luther King, Jr.! I just read a speech he gave in 1967 concerning Vietnam and I have been so inspired. I had to read it for one of my classes and I really think you should read it too.

Like the post title says, beware. This is a long speech, but completely worth it. I am going to be starting a discussion on the Gathering Internet Lounge (my other blog for the college group at church) about this speech. Please check out the speech by clicking here. It will open your eyes to some serious topics that touch our lives today.

Check Out The New Links ------>

I just updated my links to the right. There is now a link to three Gathering sites:

1. The Gathering Internet Lounge (Our blog with discussions, announcements, etc.)
2. GWAM: The Gathering Weekly Audio Magazine (Our weekly podcast)
3. The Gathering Homepage (Our website with pics, news, etc.)

Also, there is a link to the Origins Project. This is a leadership conference held in Pasadena, CA by Erwin McManus and his staff at Mosaic. I went to the conference last May and it was amazing. (If you want to read about my experience at Origins last year click here) I would recommend that you go, or at least check out the link.

Happy clicking.

Social Change

I'm taking an interesting class at San Jose State this semester: Social Change

The professor is pretty good and I think this one should be interesting. I've been sensing lately that God is stretching my worldview and perspective. I have been becoming increasingly aware of global issues is society, health, and economics. I feel such a strong compassion for people that are in need. I want to free the oppressed, heal the sick, and bring the poor out of the cycle of poverty. The world needs the transformational and redemptive power of Jesus. (I know I sound like a motivational speaker.) But I see this class as an opportunity to open up the discussion about how Christians should be treating social problems locally, nationally, and globally. I don't mean I am going to preach to my class about Jesus. I mean I am going to dialogue with the teacher and students about humanitarian issues and I am going to model how Christ would address social change. I'm really looking forward to this class.

Wedding Planning

Surprisingly, this whole planning thing hasn't been too bad. Of course, I haven't been engaged for two weeks yet, but we have already gotten a lot of planning done. I think it helps that Sarah has had this whole thing planned out in her head since she was conceived. Girls are like that. I think the planning will get much more difficult later, but for now I am surviving.

Big News

She said yes!


That's right, I'm getting married! I asked Sarah to be my bride on Saturday. It was an amazing day. More detail later.

We have set a date: July 7, 2007

Wasting Time

I've been thinking. There are so many people now-a-days that are arguing about Church, theology, and such. There are conflicting styles, different ideas, unique preferences, and weird issues that cause all kinds of drama in the Church. There are so many people that fight over things that are just a waste of time.

Ok, some of these issues need to be adressed because the church needs to continue to change and evolve to be impactful. But some of these problems are getting in the way of what is really important. Here's my rant:

There is so much hurt in the world and so many people that need Jesus. How can we be consumed in arguements about our style preference? There is so much good to be done and so many people to love in this world that I can't stand spending so much time being engulfed in self-absorbed arguements.

I believe that we need to concentrate on living out what we believe. Too many people spend their precious time and energy trying to prove themselves right when there are people in need. It's time to act. We are so blessed and we have so much stuff. This world is in pain and I want to love everyone in it. Let's exercise out faith, rather than become obese Christians.

Urbana 2006

WOW.

Urbana was amazing. Imagine 22,000+ college and young adults in one place singing, dancing, and praising God. It was an awesome experience.

This conference helped change my worldview and perspective. I heard messages from Christian leaders in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Canada, Europe, and the United States. These people helped give me an idea of what is going on in the world. I was greatly inspired about what potential there is in global Christianity as Christians from all 6 continents unite to fight global issues. I'm so inspired to be a part of it.

One of the coolest things was the last night's session with all 22,000 people. We had a gathering on New Year's and we ushered in 2007 while worshiping God. It was amazing. I would recommend that every Christian attends this conference at least once in their life. It is eye opening.