Immediately

Hey everyone! I hope that you have all had a great Christmas and that this break has been a time of relaxation and catching up with family and friends. I also hope that this break you have taken the time to do some things that you normally wouldn't have the free time to do. I know for myself I have been reading like a madman over this past week and a half because I don't really have a ton of time to read for pleasure up at school. I also plan on starting a puzzle tomorrow that will consume a large amount of my free time, but for any puzzlers (Yes this is actually a word, and an fun one at that) out there, I think you can share in my excitement. Anyways, another really neat aspect of break that I have really seen is a renewed passion for getting into the Word of God. It has really been a great time of spiritual growth and I just wanted to take some time today to share with you all one of the things that has really been on my mind these past few days.

Today, I want to talk about the word "immediately," what it means to our culture, and what it should mean to our spiritual lives. In a couple of days, I will be going to Passion Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, and kind of in a preparation for that, I have been reading through the four gospels again to really kind of re-vamp my awe for what Christ did for us on the Cross and the power of the Holy Spirit. It has been a fantastic study and I would highly recommend it. As I have been reading through the gospels, I started to notice the word "immediately" written a lot throughout the gospels, so I did a little research and I found some really interesting stuff. Now I have the NIV bible, so different versions may translate the exact words differently; however, the concept is still the same. What I found was that the word "immediately" is found in the bible a total of 54 times. Ten times it is found in Matthew, twelve times in Mark, eleven times in Luke, and once in John. So therefore, 34 of the 54 times that the word "immediately" is mentioned in the bible is within the four Gospels. So I started thinking, well what does this word mean to me and what should it mean to my faith?

When I thought about what the word "immediately" meant to me, I decided to first approach things from a cultural stand point. What I have found out or realized is kind of disturbing. There are very few things that I do on a daily basis that I do immediately. The world condones immediate behaviors, except in one crucial area: gratification. Everything in advertising and marketing is pushing us to believe that we should get what we want, and we should get it now. When we have to wait, we get frustrated. When we want something, the idea of society is to go out and buy it. Instant gratification is the message that the world so deviously and cunningly speaks into our lives on a daily basis. However, when someone asks me to do something, how often do I drop everything and simply do it "immediately" or right away. And I think that most of us can agree with that. We are a generation, born into this mindset that although we want things immediately for us, our time is our own and we can pick and choose when to give it to others. It was this observation that made me turn to the bible and see what Jesus says about the word "immediately," and how it should relate to the everyday faith.

In Matthew 4:22, which reads like this:

"and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him."

Jesus is walking and he walks past two brothers, James and John, that are working in their boat with their father Zebedee. Jesus, while walking past, calls out to the two brothers. Matthew does not record what Jesus called out, it simply says that he called, but notice the reaction from the brothers. IMMEDIATELY they left not only the boat but their own father as well and followed Christ. That my friends is a perfect example of what our faith should be on a daily basis. Think about it like this. In leaving, James and John effectively left their boat or their place of work, their father or their family, and you can even go as far as to say that they left their future. All to follow the one true king. Why is this a perfect example of how we are to live our daily lives? Because James and John knew where their priorities were. They not only trusted in God, but they put that faith into action when they immediately dropped everything and followed Christ. If Christ walked by and called out to you today, could you and would you immediately drop everything and follow Him?

The second way that this word impacts our everyday faiths is demonstrated in Mark 2:8:

"Immediately, Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?""

This verse is in the middle of a passage that is talking about when Jesus heals a paralyzed man, and the Pharisees that are there are discussing among themselves how they think that Jesus was blaspheming. Jesus calls them out on their thoughts, and I think that it was really interesting how Mark noted that Jesus knew these Pharisees thoughts. It wasn't that Jesus overheard them whispering. No instead, Jesus IMMEDIATELY knew in his spirit what they were thinking in their hearts. How cool is that? However, we also must take note of this as Christians. There is no hiding from Christ. He knows our thoughts and the ways of our hearts speak immediately to his spirit. Therefore, let us everyday conduct ourselves in a manner that is makes his spirit joyous. Let us live each and every day with the mindset of honoring the Heavenly Father in all that we do, because when we stand before Him, every action, thought, and deed will be laid out and we want to be able to hear the Father say to us, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Thanks for reading through this segment of "This Guy Over Here." I hope that the remainder of your Christmas Break is relaxing and enjoyable. Take some time in these next few days to reflect on how 2011 went, where you are compared to where you were almost a year ago, and then set some goals for 2012 that you'd like to accomplish. Almost like a bucket list for 2012.

Here is a great verse to take with you! Remember to write the word on your minds and on your hearts!

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."

Proverbs 16:3

They'll Know We are Christians By Our Love

Singing off,

JD

Speak Loud

Hey everyone. Thanks for stopping by "This Guy Over Here." I hope that this blog finds you doing well. It's been a while since the last post, and this semester overall was a bit on the skimpy side when it came to blogging. I guess that is what college can do to you though. However, since I am officially done with finals, I thought I should once again pull out the old laptop and fire away some words that are currently filling my brain and any moment should if you continue to read fill yours. As you can see from the title, the topic of this blogpost is "Speak Loud." This blog was inspired by one of my closest friends and mentors.

Speak loud. In most situations this would be considered an impolite standard and a rather obnoxious statement to ask of someone. However, I am not referring to the actual volume of the the speaking. Rather, I am referencing that we need to be focused on making our actions reflect our words. In every circumstance. A man or woman can be and is measuered by a lot of different scales in today's society. Through the venier of outward beauty, through wealth, through all of the judgements that we cast on each other, there is a man and there is his word. There is a woman and there is her promise. When that goes, there is little left. So today, I want to encourage you all to be individauls who stand by their words. To live a life that is reflective of who you say you are.

To be perfectly clear, this is not something that I can call myself an expert on, and so I would ask that you would not look at this as a lecture or a reprimand, but rather as an encouragement and a rekindling of a sense of honesty and integrity. Recently, I read through the book of Daniel, and my eyes were really opened to what it meant to really stand by your word or what you say you believe in. Two very distinct examples stood out to me that I would like to highlight.

Daniel 3 is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace. If you aren't familiar with this story, basically King Nebuchadnezzar (what a name) builds this giant golden statue and commands that every one worship it. Anyone who doesn't is to be thrown into this huge fiery furnace. Enter Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three faithful men of God, who stand for what they believe in and refuse to worship the idolic statue. There are two verses that I wanted to put particular emphasis on.

"But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."

Daniel 3:12

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand."

Daniel 3:17

There are multiple things that really stick out about these particular verses. First in verse 3:12, I want to put emphasis on the words, "who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty." Now, I am in no way advocating lack of respect for authorities; however, these three men knew what they stood for in Christ, and because of this, they lived out their belief by not listening to what the KING commanded. I feel like so often, we know what we believe in, then we let society whisper to us how we should act, and we conform. Or we allow others to convince us to do this or that and we go against who we have said we are. If you say you are going to do something, do it. If you claim to be someone who acts a certain way, act that way. Even if it means going against the social norm or in this case the King's command. Some may be wondering where or how to draw the gumption to make such a stand. Well verse 3:17 answers that pretty well. What a powerful statement these three make. Not only is God "able to save, but He WILL." Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew what they believed in, and their actions reflected those beliefs. They Spoke Loud.

If you continue to read on in Daniel, you soon come to another biblically common story in Daniel and the Lion's Den. Again if you haven't heard this, here is a quick synopsis. Daniel is a devoted man of God. God has blessed him and Daniel is quickly becoming a man of power and importance. Some administrators get really jealous and beg the King to pass a decree that says that no one can pray to anyone or thing besides the king himself. Daniel continues to pray to God and is convicted of the crime of breaking the decree. Again, a few verses stood out to me in particular that I would like to share.

"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before."

Daniel 6:10

"Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day."

Daniel 6:13

A couple of really neat things there too. Daniel, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, stood for what he believed in. Well in this case he kneeled, but the point is the same. Verse 6:10 tells us that even though Daniel knew about the decree, he still went home and prayed three times a day, "just as he had done before." Talk about living out what you believe in. Daniel talked the talk and walked the walk. Then in verse 6:13, when the administrators are trying to accuse Daniel, they say that Daniel "pays no attention to you, Your Majesty." Sound familiar? This is word for word the exact statement made in the verse 3:12 above. See a common theme here? Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew what they believed in. They knew who they claimed to be. And they weren't going to let anything come in the way of that, not even a King. They spoke loud, and they let their actions do the talking.

So over this Christmas break, take some time to think if you are living a lifestyle where your actions are reflecting your words. As the famous basketball coach John Wooden once said, "be someone who is more concerened with your character than your reputation, because your character is who you really are, while your reputation is merely who others think you are." Stand firm in your beliefs, and live a life that reflects your words. As these four men all knew, Our God is strong enough to save us and He will. We only have to rely on Him.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fantastic winter break and enjoy the time to rest and refuel! You all are wonderful and delightful people.

"King of wonders, we stand amazed. There's no other, other than You"

They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.
Signing off,

JD

Go Forth

Go Forth

Matthew 28:19

"Go forth and make disciples of all nations."

Brothers and sisters, rise up.
Rise up in this world

of corruption and shadow;
take up your armor

and join in the battle.

Today is not just another day.
We can't afford to think that way,
not when there are people around us
with eternity at stake.

Rise up. Our God is a fire
that cannot be tamed,
so who are we to go about
and try to hide His name?

You're in or out
there's no more in between.
The enemy's best weapon
is found in routine.

MEN, you are the sons of God,
and the prayer of a righteous man
is both powerful and effective.
Just let me put this into perspective.

Today, display a strength like Samson,
a wisdom like Solomon,
a heart like David,
and a courage to follow Him.
Live out your faith like Noah,
Be persecuted like Steven.
Pray like Daniel,
and live what you believe in.
We are warriors like Gideon,
leaders like Moses,
rescued like Paul,
and loved by Jehovah.

No longer will we watch from the edge.
No longer can we continue to blend in.
We are called to GO FORTH
and live like Christ has risen.

WOMEN, you are the daughters of God,

you are Queens, and this is your time,
to stand in His love, and let His light shine.

Today, be brave, draw courage from Rahab.
Be found in favor like Mary,
practice faith like Sarah;
in His arms you are carried.
Be loyal like Ruth,
Anoint Him like Mary Magdeline.

Lead like Esther.
Spread the word like the Samaritan.

Your beauty should not come
from anything outside,
for each of you is beautiful
in the eyes of Christ.

So rise up. GO FORTH.
Our God will come through.

Let's shine for His Glory;
He's making us new.

Rainy Day Rants

Welcome back! Thanks for stopping by to the "This Guy Over Here," and some of the random thoughts that cross my mind. I am sitting at this AWESOME coffee shop at Purdue University called "Greyhouse." You've probably heard of it. If not, you need to. So I am just hanging out, breathing deep the coffee aroma that hangs so heavily in the air. I've always found it kind of funny that I legitimately do not like coffee, but I can tolerate the smell. Considering that tasting something is something like 70% smell, those calculations don't really add up. Oh well! I'm just sitting here, looking out the window and watching a drizzling rain fall down. And I thought to myself, "self, I should blog about rainy days." So that is what I am doing. Enjoy the mysteries of a rainy day!

95% of the time, the first thing that always come to my mind when it is raining outside is "blah." I mean seriously, getting rained on is inconvenient. It's annoying and a hassle. Especially the light drizzle rain. It's just enough to get you wet, but not really enough to make you stay inside and not leave. It's not enough to be like a rainstorm, so it's not really cool. And usually, it is perpetual. Like ALL day. I feel like people including myself are generally in more "blah" moods when it rains, and I wanted to write about this. Besides some general reasons that I listed above, why do we get down and saddened on a rainy day? A rainy day provides so much for us that we don't even realize. "Oh really," you ask. "Like what?" Well, let me tell you dear friends. Let me tell you.

Five Things that Can be Accomplished on a Rainy Day.

1. indoor picnic

Hello? How awesome is this? The first glance may cause you to say that every meal inside is an indoor picnic. Wrong. When I am talking about doing an indoor picnic, I mean like going all out. Red and white checkered blanket. Picnic basket. Sandwich meat or whatever else you eat on a picnic. And the hardwood or tiled floor. You'd be surprised by how fun this can be. Have a picnic with your roommates or some random strangers on your floor. Don't worry guys. If you are anything like myself, and don't have an official blanket or basket, be creative. Even sharing a meal with your bros on the floor can be a good time.

2. board games

So this is a pretty wide topic range, but basically, a rainy day gives you a perfect excuse to get out some of those board games we don't really have any other time to open. The next time that it really starts to come down outside, pull out the Monopoly board and start one of those three hour games. Or, if Monopoly isn't your game, crack out Catchphrase, bring out the battleship, get out the Guess Who, deal out the deck of cards. There are so many board games, and so many other games that can simply be played with pencil and paper. Take advantage of the grey outside so create some laughs and fun times inside.

3. prayer

Although we shouldn't only pray on rainy days, it is true that a rainy day can provide the perfect opportunity to just hide away in your room, in your apartment, or even in the local coffee shop and just spend some serious quality time in prayer. Not only do you get to spend some time with the Creator of the Universe, but I have found that prayer is very good at cheering me up. Take the rainy day and make it a prayer day. Pray for your friends and family. Pray that God would work in the rain. Or like one of my friends, pray for complete strangers on a random island somewhere by the Easter Islands. Prayer is prayer. And we could all use it. So let's all give it.

4 Clean urp.
Yes. I know that no one really likes to clean up, but let's just face it. Sometimes it needs to be done. There isn't a better time than the world is deciding to take a shower. If you are going to be inside, you may as well get some things organized. BUT, just because I am advocating cleaning, does not mean that I am advocating the boringness or general ire that accompanies cleaning. No. Ask your roommates, boyfriend, girlfriend, friends, to just hang out with you while you clean. If you get lucky, they may even help! But just hanging out and being productive can lead to some pretty cool stories. Just take the time to talk and get to know your friends. The best part is that this can be done while folding laundry or organizing your desk.

5. Golashing.
definition: Golashing: The act of wearing rainboots (or other acceptable shoes for us men) and running outside, jumping or stepping in as many puddles as possible. Usually accompanied by extreme laughter and dancing. Sometimes accompanied by singing. Usually not accompanied by umbrellas or dry clothes.

SO there it is. Five perfectly acceptable, creative, and easy ways for you to enjoy this rainy day. I wanted to leave with a little bit of scripture that has been sticking out to me this week! Read it and think on it!

2nd Corinthians 6:4-10

^"Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything."

They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love,

Signing Off,

JD

Letting Go.

I am sitting in a local McDonalds on Campus, and it's past 1 in the morning. I am surrounded by over 40 other college students, and I am just sitting here and taking everything in. In fact, I just had a neat conversation with three random strangers. I've had some of the best conversations with random strangers at McDonald's past midnight. It's about being open and willing to listen. I talked to God on the walk from my dorm room over to McDonald's, and I opened up my laptop, and began typing. I don't have a plan for this post, I don't have a direction of what I want to talk about. I just need write out some of the stuff that is rolling around in mind. So, here it is I guess.

I am sick and tired of trying to make sure that everything in my life is under control. It doesn't work. After time, I begin to realize that everything I think I have under control is slowly falling apart. The world is an inconsistant place, but you know what is always always always consistent? The fact that when I try to make my own plans, on my own wisdom, in my own time, they always always always fail. Recently, I've talked about this with a couple of good friends because it has really been on my heart, and one reference that I keep coming back to is that life isn't like some sports movie, where the coach gives this motivational speech claiming that "we may play these guys ten times, and lost nine, but this could be that one time." No, trying to handle life on our own will result in losing all 10 out of 10 games, every time. And I realize this. I know this, but yet I still try to do things on my own. It makes no sense.

God calls us to cast our worries and our stress on Him. The bible talks about how God is "mighty to save," but how often do we actually let Him save us? I feel like God has really been pulling on my heart recently to just LET GO. To let go of all of the control that I try to have on my life. When I try to do things according to my own power, I limit the power of God in me. I have the Holy Spirit inside my heart, and so often I don't even use it. I turn to my own knowledge or wisdom to try to get me through things. I feel like God is telling me to STEP BACK. To step back and examine my life, but this examination is by the Holy Spirit. What is in my life that I am trying to handle on my own? What am I not giving up completely to God? School? Relationships? Yea probably some of both. God is reaching out His hand, His unfailing hand, and He simply says, "I am enough." He is enough for me.

Sometimes, to actual put the practice of saying that God is enough for us into practice, we have to let go of certain things. We can't claim that we are letting God control our lives, but then keep the few things back that we are still really trying to maintain. It isn't a 90%-10% relationship. NO. Christ calls us and expects us to give Him 100% control. The problem with this is that letting go of things is usually painful and sucks. It is something that we are not very good at. And it is also something that will not happen in a day. I realize that by my very nature, I will still try and control certain aspects of my life. However, I am determined to go throughout my life in a state of surrendering everything. And little by little, I KNOW that God WILL work in my life for good. I KNOW that little by little, I will begin to rely on Him more and more until all that I am is under His control. I am tired of holding back. I am tired of trying to figure things out. God is not and He will not call me to have everything under control or planned out. I call myself to have everything under control. And God's calling is so much HIGHER than any calling I could every give myself.

Life is like a beautifully written poem: there always more layers to it, and some that we will never fully understand. But God doesn't ask that we understand all of the layers. He calls us to surrender UP every layer, every wrinkle, every word to His Glory. When we do this, we are truly SET FREE. We are set free in His mercy, grace, and salvation. What an amazing feeling.

I want to close this blog out with a prayer. This prayer is a combination of some of the things that were said in the morning prayer yesterday at Campus House. I wrote down some of what I prayed, and some of what others prayed. So I guess this is a compilation of prayers? Ya, we'll go with that.

"Lord,

Thank you for your provision and your care for us. We come here today to ask that you would keep our foundation strong for you. That you would burn in our hearts and our minds. That you would be our primary focus and that we would willingly lay down our lives. Please allow us to not get caught up in our business/our constant activities. I thank you for mercy and I thank you for grace. Thank you for the freedom to not have to do everything right. Give us the ability to fully embrace that freedom. Guard our thoughts Lord. We are your children. We thank you for the mystery of the Cross. Humble our hearts. LET OUR CONTROL GO. Teach us what it means to walk in worship, praising you with every step. May we honor the call to live to bring you glory. Teach us to worship the way that you intended us to. Help us to trust and love you in the now Lord. Break us out of this prison of being content. Help the body to communicate your love. BREAK US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE. We are in state of surrendering everything."

Letting Go,

Signing off,

JD

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, I am in awe of you tonight. You have met me where I am. Your spirit rests on my shoulders and your peace has settled on my heart. Father. I call out to you tonight. This is my desperate plea, God, these words that I am about to say have been rising up from the deepest part of who I am. Lord in Psalm 42:7, there is a phrase that I cannot get off my mind this past week God, and that is "deep calls out to deep." Lord everything you are is deep. God your love knows no bounds and depth cannot even begin to describe your grace because there is no end. You are the alpha and the omega. You were, you are, and you forever will be. The key part of this phrase; however, is that deep calls out to deep. Lord you are forever deep, and you surround us with a passion that goes beyond anything that we have ever known. But how rare is it that we go deep with you God. How rare is it that we allow ourselves to be 100% completely open to your wisdom, to your strength, and to your conviction? That is what tonight is God. This is about pursuing you with a depth that reflects the depth that you show us on a moment by moment basis. Tonight Lord, I am pursuing you at a sprint. I am coming after you because I know the power in prayer. I know that when I pray with expectations, that you answer. Father, tonight is about worship. Tonight, I am daring to look back at the Gaze you have had on my soul since before I was even born. Tonight, I am returning to the Mountain of Zion. Tonight, I am wholly satisfied and still in your presence.

Father, I pray that you would calm my mind and my thoughts Lord. It is so easy to get caught up in the chaos and business of this world. God you are my calm. You are the calm to the seas Lord and by the power of your NAME nations will bow before you. Nations. So who am I to go about my daily life, not relying on that power Lord? Who am I to put my faith in my own accomplishments and talents. Lord you gave me my talents. I am fearfully and wonderfully made in your image God, and that means that I cannot claim anything that you have given me as my own. And you have given us everything. Even down to the last breath God. You are our everything, and yet I am so quick to turn my focus on myself. I am so quick to worry and to freak out about the smallest of things. But the same power that parted the Red Sea, the same power that tore down Jericho, the same power that raised Lazarus from the dead, the same power that tore the Curtain in two on that day at Golgatha, Lord that same power rests inside me, and I don't even think about it. Lord I stray so so far away as to try to handle situations on my own. How does that even make the slightest bit of sense? Why do I do anything without you God. Anything that I do on my own power or on my accord will fail God because it is not of you and it is not with you God. So I pray that I would take of advantage of the power of the Holy Spirit that you have laid inside my heart and in my soul. I pray that I would be bold, to step out of the path of the world, God, and to turn my whole focus directly on your Radiance.

Jesus, I pray tonight that my worship would not be hollow God. Each and every breath that I take, every time that my heart beats or my eyes blink is a testimony to your goodness and your love. But do I ever think about this in the moment? I could even go as far as saying that this probably one of the farthest things that is on my mind at any given second throughout my days. God you call us to worship you, but true worship does not require a building or a certain day. No Father, true worship of you is conducted on the second by second basis. Father allow me to walk with you as Adam once did in the garden God. Allow my feet not to stumble, and guide me with your soft whispers from behind me. One of my favorite song lyrics of all time is: "The art of losing myself in bringing you praise." How true is this tonight God. I lose myself at the foot of your cross. I lay down the burdens that the world or myself have heaped on my back, and I take up the cross and follow you. I understand that when I lose myself for you God, then I am found. I also understand that the world does not understand this point. The world is constantly telling us to find ourselves, to unlock who we really are, to become who we were meant to be. Well, Father, I have found that. Who I am is found in Jesus's blood, and who I am is defined by your salvation God.

I pray tonight God that you would "restore to me the joy of your salvation." Father, how powerful are those words alone. The joy of your salvation. You alone satisfy my heart God. You alone are the reason for my joy. And let it made clear that there is a difference between Joy and Happiness. Joy is everlasting. Be my everlasting Joy God. Help me to realize God that the time to stand up is now. But I dont just stand up Lord. I stand when my knees are bent, awestruck by your Holiness. I stand when I am at my lowest point, when I am weakest, and when you carry me Father. I stand when I have completely surrendered. When there is nothing left in me that is of this world Lord, but there is only you. Then God, then I stand for you. I stand in your power. I stand in your promises God, and I stand in your Glory. I stand in the promise that one day, I will be before You, and You will say, "Well done my good and faithful servant. Welcome Home." I stand Father, because as your Son Jesus hung dying on the cross, he looked forward into these 2000 some years God, just to be able to look me in the eye and "I have done all this for you." And when He cried out "IT IS FINISHED!" He broke every chain that will every bind me to this earth. He broke every shackle that surrounded my heart and kept me from You. He overcame sin and death, just so that we could walk with you Lord.

I pray God that I would satisfied in You and You alone. No longer do I care about what the world says. No longer am I ruled by comparison, or tied down by success and achievement. Father, I live my life for what matters after I leave this place. God, I pray that you would fill me with a boldness; a boldness to be on fire for you and to claim this fire. So many times God you have emblazoned my heart, but I allow that fire to be eventually doused by the world. Not this time Lord. Your fire burns so bright within my soul tonight God that no power of Hell or scheme of man could ever put it out. And this fire is not something that I could ever contain nor is it something that is meant to be. Spill outward from me Father. Singe the people that are around me God. Start a revival here on Purdue's Campus. I pray that Purdue would be a flame for your Glory Christ. That you would be at the center of everything that we do. Help me to realize Father that my identity is not in what I achieve, rather it is is what you have achieved for me God.

Father, with prayer like this, we know that there will be battles. We know that just as you are at work in our everyday lives God that the enemy is also at work. You are my preparation for the battles God, and your word is my sword. I pray that Your word would rest in my heart and on my mind. I pray that I would take up the armor of God, that I would be clothed in the Armor of Light God, because I daily feel the attacks of the enemy. God my prayer for this is two-fold. First Lord I pray that I would be able to discern these attacks. That I would be able to recognize when Satan and his demons are whispering into my soul God. Provide me a sense of wisdom and spiritual clarity to see through the deception. Secondly, I pray that I would act on this spiritual clarity Lord. I pray that I would not only recognize the works of the Father of Lies, but that I woud "Be still, and know that you are God," in those times. That I would know that you are above all and that you will always be there. With this mindset God, I pray that I would realize the true power behind the phrase, "what can man do to me?"

God, I thank you for all of the incredible ways that you have blessed my life. I cannot praise you enough for the wonderful opportunities that you give me on a daily basis, whether through relationships, school classes, or just random conversations. I pray that you would continue to speak through me Father. Some of the most intimate times that I have shared with you God is when you speak through me to other people. Half the time I do not even know what I am saying, but you are actually speaking through me. Continue to reveal Yourself in this way. Continue to guide me and to continue to watch over me in everything that I do. Thank you for answering this prayer.

"I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned,

in awe of the one who gave it all.

I'll stand, my soul Lord to you surrendered,

all I am is yours."

They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love,

Signing off,

JD

Behind

courtesy of:

this place

I got the inspiration to write this blogpost from a line during service at church today. I heard it, and I was expecting our pastor to kinda follow up on what he just said, but instead he switched topics and continued the sermon. But that one statement stood out to me, and its been on my mind since then. I want to set up a little bit of the background and then I'll get to the main idea/question. To point out, I will paraphrase a lot of what was said in service today, so if you were there, skip down to where I begin discussing the main idea (I'll put the skip forward point in big capital letters).

So if you are any sort of a fanatic of painting, or if you just kinda like painting, or even if you don't like painting whatsoever, you still have probably heard of the Mona Lisa. It is considered to be one of if not the most valuable paintings of all time. I would venture to say that most everyone knows that the Mona Lisa is kept in the Louvre, which is in Paris, France. Every year, no every day, thousands of tourists flock to this painting, this timeless piece of history, just to get a glimpse. The room that holds the Mona Lisa is almost always crowded, but one thing that we almost never hear about is the painting on the other wall of the Mona Lisa. Actually, this is the painting:

Marriage at Cana

Pretty sweet right? Not to mention the fact that its like 20 by 30 feet or something like that. Our pastor went on to talk about how the architect who designed the room to be like the way it is, with the Mona Lisa on one side, and the Marriage at Cana on the opposite wall, gave this reason for the design:

"I wanted people to have to turn their backs on one of the paintings in order to really be able to see the other."

SKIP FORWARD POINT

So, I will repost the last line because it was what really stuck with me after church and pretty much throughout this whole day.

"I wanted people to have to turn their backs on one of the paintings in order to really be able to see the other."

When I heard this, I instantly thought about Christ. This quote isn't really about paintings. It's a perfect way to sum up the gospel message. Christ constantly reminds us of truths such as : "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In reality, in our lives, Christ is on one side of the room and the world is on the opposite wall. What we need to realize right now is that it is impossible to see both.

Okay, obviously it is not impossible. One could argue that you could do a sideways stance and see both at the same time. And I would argue that even then, you can't see both walls at the same time. At least not fully. However, this sideways "stance" is exactly what so many Christians do on a daily basis. We as Christians have become content in living this lifestyle that gives glory to God, while also making sure that we entertain certain notions of this world. We have to be comfortable, we have to be considered people of good standing, we have reputations to uphold, and jobs to keep. We have meetings to go to and people that are counting on us. Sooner or later, we find ourselves playing this game of head turning, wanting to look to God, but always turning back to make sure that everything is "in order" with the painting of the world.

I want to point out two really convicting ideas that this quote sparked in my heart, and then I will wrap up with a bit of scripture. The first idea is the idea of the painting of the world. I was having lunch with my roommate and discussing this very idea, and he made a really neat point. He said that if the world was a painting or an "image," that it would be a mirror. The more I thought about this, the more I realized that he was dead on. The world is just one big mirror, constantly telling us and showing us that we need to be more focused on ourselves. The world is so quick to point out the ways that we need to improve, or the ways that we need to change ourselves to match up with it's definitions. The world is a comparative place. You either make the cut or you don't. When you look in the mirror, you either change to keep up or you stay the same and become an outcast. How powerful is a simple mirror. Let me ask you a question. When is the last time that you walked by a mirror and didn't look at it. I am not talking about standing in front of it and examining every last pore on your face. But what I am talking about is the slightest bit of a glance. That little bit of shifting eyes; that one split second when you catch yourself looking back. We are so drawn by the power of self comparison, of judgement, and of criticism that we almost cant even help but look in the mirror of the world. What we fail to realize is that on the opposite wall, there is an painting that is so much more powerful that any mirror could ever be. That painting is of two wooden beams, shaped like a cross. The perfect demonstration of love.


The second convicting idea that I can't really shake is the thought that when we stand straddling the line between God and the world, we only really see the cross from one side or one angle. Bear with me here. If we are constantly turning our head back and forth from God to the world, we only ever really see the cross as something we need. We realize that without the cross, there is no other painting, but we aren't willing to stand right in front of it and lay ourselves down. With our head swiveling back and forth, we never see the cross for what it is really is, and that is the amazing, perfect and totally UNDESERVED love of Christ. The cross is not only our salvation, it is our power. By the cross Christ conquered over death. By the cross Christ abolished all of our sin, and on the cross, He laid down his life so that one day, you and I could have the chance to do the same. Don't we get it? The cross is the reason we exist, the reason we breathe, the reason we love, laugh, think, pray, hope, dream, and live. The cross isn't just something we need to keep our Christian fasod . IT IS EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO LIVE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.

So tonight, I am asking you the question that has been on my heart all day long, and that will probably sit and jab at me until I can honestly answer it. Am I willing to turn my back on the world, to look fully in the face of Christ and all of His Glory? Am I willing to turn my back to the mirrors, in order to reflect the one true image of grace and love. Am I willing to make a stand in the middle of the room, just to be able to kneel before the cross, in complete surrender to the one true God. I hope that some of these questions speak to you with the same magnitude that they are speaking to me. And I pray that you don't put this off, because the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is right now. It is you and me.

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other."

Matthew 6:24

They'll know we are Christians By Our Love,

Signing off,

JD

Cardboard Box

My mind likes to fire in a million different directions. Every single second, new thoughts come in and old ones are being pushed out. I have been thinking a lot recently about my thoughts and just the power that they have over my everyday actions. In 2nd Corinthians, Christ calls us to "take captive EVERY thought and to make it obedient to Christ." Every thought. What a calling. Sometimes, I feel like I don't even control my thoughts because I have no idea why a certain idea popped into my mind, but it's just there. And I am sure that this is the same way with everyone else. How many times have you blurted out something or stated something and your friends around you give you that head cocked mouth slightly open look that means: "What in the world are you talking about?" Then you have to verbally play the game of connecting the mental dots just to try to get everyone on the same page. That is what I am talking about. Why do our minds do that? Why are we so easily influenced by advertisement or our peers? Why do we ever think that we can tame our thoughts on our own?

I wrote a little blurb, anecdote (awesome word), sketch, narration, call it what you will. This short story does in some ways relate to myself; however, I think that it is a neat concept, and it is something that we should all realize. So, wrap our mind around this. It's called:

Cardboard Box.

"My eyes open because my ears hear the abhorrent ringing of the alarm clock. Before I even open my eyes, I think to myself how much I don't want to get out of bed, how cozy and warm my blanket it, did I have any dreams, is it really already time to get up, should I shower today, what clothes can I wear, what's my first class, is my roommate going to be awakened by my alarm, why am I awake, could I fall back asleep, I'm hungry, and is it going to be a good day. And so my mind is off and running. I drag myself to the shower, turn on the hot water, and 10 minutes later I'm getting dressed in a button down shirt and tie. How you feel can be directly correlated to how you dress. Or so I've been told. I grab a pop tart because with a little bit of breakfast, I can feel so much more alert, smarter, and more ready to tackle any and all challenges. Or so I've been told. I grab my backpack and my keys and I step out of my room into the world. I go throughout my day, sit through a couple of meetings, maybe sit through a class or two. I get lunch with some of my friends, send a couple of text messages. I listen to some music along the way. I say the right things to the people that I need to say the right things to, and I listen to things that other people say to me. I discuss certain things with some groups of people, but not with others. I constantly plan ahead and I notice when people are dressed in tacky ways. The occasional girl catches my eye and I do a quick double take, but not too long because I don't want her to notice. Of course, I think about the girl that I really like, and I think about all of the possible guys who could like her as well. I think about my past grades in certain classes, and what my future grades could be. I notice the weather, shiver if its cold, and sweat if its hot. I overhear conversations, sometimes on purpose but most of the time just on accident. I think about what other people are thinking. I think about what other people are thinking of me, and how I could make sure that their thoughts are positive ones, because I do a lot of negative criticizing of others in my head. The list goes on. At the end of the day, I crawl into my bed, and before I fall asleep, I tend to think back over the day. What was good? Bad? Was it a good day? Was I happy? I tend to think about the next day and what I will have to do. I tend to think about the past and some of the dark things that no one really knows about. I finally fall asleep, and my mind turns "off" for a short select amount of hours. Then I hear the alarm again and it starts all over. Will today be any different, or will my mind once again be stuck inside this cardboard box?"

I am sure that you have all heard of the phrase, "Think outside the box." Yea, it's motivational. It's a fun concept. Think differently! But have you ever realized that this quote just reaffirms the fact that there is a "box?" Our thoughts are so influenced by society and we don't even realize it. How are we supposed to "take every thought captive," when we allow society to hold such a prominent position in our thoughts. What stereotypes do you practice? What language do you use? Guys what are your first thoughts when you see an attractive woman, or girls what are your first thoughts towards a handsome guy? What kind of music do you listen to? What jokes do you think are funny? There are so many things that influence our daily thoughts, but isn't it funny how we so rarely allow God to be one of those things? We put our thoughts inside this "box" of society, and close the top, shutting off all opportunity to see the true light of Christ. The scariest part of the whole thing is that we get used to having our thoughts in in this darkness of society, away from God. After a while, we get so caught up in the everyday lifestyle, the everyday pattern of thinking that we forget why we even needed God in the first place. We stray so far away from Him, and our thoughts can become so wicked, but thats where the amazing part comes in. God's grace reaches even deeper than the most wicked spots of your mind. God's love overcomes the darkest of your thoughts, and His mercy can break the chains that society has placed on your way of thinking. And then there is Jesus Christ. He takes the nail that pierced his left hand and drives it through the wall of the the mental box society has placed your thoughts in, flooding you with a overflowing sense of clarity and truth in Him. He takes the nail that pierced his right hand and drives it through the walls of immorality, of worry, of pain, and of struggle, and floods you with salvation and strength of the Father. He takes the final nail that pierced His feet, and drives it through your pre-conceptions, your misconceptions, and your fears, flooding you with wisdom, guidance, and an enormous viable peace. With Christ, we are no longer of this world, which means we do not have to be confined to the thoughts of this world. Christ calls us to be above that, to not get weighed down by the over pressing flow of our thoughts, but rather to rest solely on Him, and to take captive each and every thought for the glory of the Kingdom and the Father.

I pray that you can go throughout your day with your thoughts focused on Him above and not on the things of this world.

They'll know we are Christians by our love,
Signing off,

JD

Why Sleep When You Could Write

GOOD morning. It has been a while since my last blog post, and I can't promise when the next will come. I've been feeling like I needed to write this for about a week now, and finally, I got swept in the undertow and so here I am, adrift at sea, lost in a world of a blank white page with nothing but words ready to spill over from this inkwell so often called the heart. After reading this post, you may have the impression that what you just read was quite possibly the most unorganized mess of ideas and thoughts ever. But my friends that is what is known as spiritual vomit. And more or less, does not the description of the most unorganized mess of ideas and thoughts describe us perfectly? It is kind of neat how out of such chaos, we find order in God; that out of such imperfection rises a savior.

After conducting a thorough and detailed analysis of the past four weeks of my life, I have realized a couple of things. For starters, I go to bed way too late, and get up way too early. People always say that the first step to fixing a problem is admitting that there is one. When I slept through the time that my family was supposed to arrive for Family Day last Saturday, I realized I couldn't hide from it anymore. So naturally, I went about trying to fix this problem. It just so happened that it took me until 7 a.m. on Saturday night to think of a solution, and by that time, I was tired and so I just decided to "sleep" on it. It's like I am in a constant game of hide and go seek with sleep. I am always looking for it, but I can never find it.

Anyways, I wanted this blog post to talk about some of the ways that God has been at work in my life over the past four weeks, but as I began to look back, I realized that I could probably write a short book on how He has been working in these past four days alone. Here is one of the things that God has revealed or spoken to me to share with you. Don't worry, more will come!

• God has been teaching me a lot about what it means to have joy and why we should have joy. I had a quick discussion with a friend today in which he spoke some truth into my life about joy. He said, "there is a difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is tied to the circumstance, and it can be influenced by external conditions." However, joy is something that comes from within. It is the assurance that God is enough for whatever life may throw at us. Joy comes in the power of salvation, in the realization that we are alive because of a grace so undeserved. Joy is something that we should never lose. Even when the situations are bleak, even when we are going through something of a challenge, we should aim to be so rooted at the foot of the Cross that our Joy does not falter. I really liked this quote by somebody of whom I do not remember the name.
  
  "It is not our struggles that make us who we are, but it is the joy we show during these times of difficulties that determines how bright our light shines for Christ."
  
  How powerful. When I heard things such as this, I aimed to be joyous in all that I did, but that is HARD. Like really really hard. There were times where the very last thing on my mind was being joyous, and there were times where I needed to in layman's terms: "recharge" my joy. But how do we "recharge" our joy? Here's the awesome part. We "recharge" it through prayer. When we connect with God, His fills us back up with His love, with His mercy, and finally, with His joy.

Thanks for reading and catching up. I'll leave you all with one final quote/thought from the devotional "My Utmost for His Highest."

"The secret of a Christian's life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God."

They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love,

Signing off,

JD

What if We...

Welcome back to the final installment of the "What if We..." mini-series. It's been a week since my last blog, and so I want to spend a few quick seconds catching you up on some of the things that have gone down over the past week. This past weekend was race weekend in Speedway, as Nascar's Brickyard 400 was on Sunday. For me, this meant that it was time to drop the keys and get used to biking around town for the weekend. I think that us older folk can quickly forget how much fun it is to ride a bike. You should try it. Go for a bike ride this weekend sometime this week. You won't regret it. Just so you know though, riding and texting is still illegal.

What else happened this past weekend? Well, for starters, I fell in love. Not really, but I had the chance to go to the Taylor Swift concert on Friday night in Indy, and it was phenomenal. It was inspiring. I may or may not have learned how to play the song "Love Story" on the guitar? What? Oh yea, my friends and I also constructed a giant cardboard pencil for fun. Sounds kinda dorky right? Not when you see how legit it is. Check it.

All recycled cardboard and duct tape. Engineering at its finest. So anyways, we will start getting into todays blog topic and that just so happens to be the third and final installment of the mini-series that I have been doing over the past two weeks. The title of the mini-series is "What if We..." and the purpose of this mini-series is to pose three questions that should make you think and reflect on what's really going on in your life. The first week's question was rather challenging and it was "What if We... really believed?" This is a hard concept because we all like to think that we really believe, but do we? For more on that, go back and read the first installment! Then last week, I asked the question "What if We... stepped forward?" This went along with a song that I had written and it challenged people to take their faith into action by stepping forward for Christ. And finally, I am going to end this mini-series with the question "What if We... lived?"

I apologize for waiting more than a week for posting this, but I have been compiling up some research on this topic, and so a lot of what you read on this post will be directly from scripture. With that being said, let us pray for a sense of understanding and wisdom as we read through some of these scriptures, and pray that these words and these verses will do more than simply stick in your head, but that they would begin to transform the way we live on a daily basis.

I want to base the core of this blog around two verses and they are both pretty common ones. The first is Philippians 1:21, and the second is Matthew 24:36. Both verses are posted below.

Philippians 1:21

"For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Matthew 24:36

"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but only the Father himself."

So I am sure that most of you have probably at some point heard the first verse. If you haven't, then I am so glad that you have stumbled onto this blog, and I ask that you pay close attention to what I am about to say next. Philippians 1:21 was written by Paul, a man whose life was transformed from one of the worst Christian persecutors to one of the most influential disciples of Jesus Christ. As I said before, many many people have heard of this verse. But, what many many people have not heard or really studied are the verses that follow Philippians 1:21, especially verses 23-26. Those verses are:

Philippians 1:23-26

"I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me."

Read that over again. Do you understand what Paul is saying here? We have this mentality that "to live is Christ," but what does that mean? Well Paul goes about answering that in these verses above. He says that given the choice of life or death, he desires to die because that means that he gets to be with Christ (verse 23). However, he knows that God is still using him, and so because of that, he chooses to live. But not just live a normal life. No he says that if he's going to live, it's all going to be about Christ. If he dies, it's Christ. If he lives, it's Christ. Paul knew what it meant to really live.

Did you know that there are over 600 verses in the bible that talk about "living" in some form or fashion? I was going through some of them and here are a few that jumped out to me:

1st Peter 4:2

"As a result, he does not LIVE the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God."

1st Peter 2:24

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and LIVE for righteousness; by his wounds you been healed."

2nd Timothy 3:12

"In fact, everyone who wants to LIVE a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

Romans 14:8

"If we LIVE, we LIVE to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we LIVE or die, we belong to the Lord."

2nd Corinthians 5:15

"And he died for all, that those who LIVE should no longer LIVE for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."

These are obviously just a few that I picked out, but do you get the common theme that you keep reading? It is impossible for us to live for Christ and the world. In Matthew 6:24, it says that we cannot serve two masters. What scares me is that so many of us either don't understand that, or we don't take it seriously. We claim to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds, and strength, but then we are perpetual about living for the World. This is a terrifying concept. And why is it so scary? Because of the second main verse of this blog and that was Matthew 24:36. For no man knows the time or the place of Christ's return. Matthew even goes as far as to say that even the angels, even the Son himself does not know the time. What if Christ came back tonight? Could you stand before him in his final judgement? I know that the bible says that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," and so obviously no person could stand before God and be without blame, but the bible also on numerous occasions calls us to "live lives that glorify the Lord," and to "wait on his Return." Are we taking advantage of our time?

What scares me the most is that the answer to that question for most of us including myself is a no. We aren't taking advantage of our time. This life is like a blink, and it is 100% true to say that tomorrow is never guaranteed. So when we examine our lives on a day-to-day basis, are we really living for Christ? I don't know what your personal story is, or where you have been in your past. I don't know what troubles you've had to push through, what walls you've had to break down to get to right now. But I do know with all of my heart that if we were to take up the mentality of Paul, that if we were to say "to live is Christ," that our lives would be radical. We would be radically changed, radically loved, and radically saved. And just maybe, our radical lives would spill over into some one else's.

Before you go, I want you to watch this video on youtube. It is 2:24 long and it is so worth it. Watch it. Reflect on it. Pray about what it means for you to live for Christ.

Be a Trader.

The time is now. So I challenge you: "What if We... lived?"

Buried and Risen with Christ.

Singing off,

JD

What if We...

Hey all, this is the latest from This Guy Over Here, and the second instillment in the 'What If We...' mini-series. So this weekend, I had the awesome experience of being able to travel to Chicago with a group of friends from Purdue. To say the least, it was a spiritual rejuvenation. To see how God was working in the lives of my friends was a major encouragement. I won't talk very long about the weekend, but I did want to highlight one event that happened that I thought was really awesome!

So how many people know what a flash mob is? Basically, a flash mob is a large group of people who gather in one spot and do some action at the exact same time. You may have seen television shows or commercials where one random person bursts out in song, and then all of these people follow in a choreographed fashion. That is one example of a flash mob. Anyways, when we were in Chicago on Saturday, we took a walk over from Navy Pier to Millenium Park because we had to get some pictures by the gigantic bean! Right when we walk up, we hear this loud whistle and people begin to lay down all around us! So, being naturally smooth, we lay down with the crowd. We look around and almost everyone is laying down! Now my second question for you is have you ever heard of planking? Planking the act of laying down as flat as possible, usually on some sort of sign or post. So here we were, laying down next to the Bean in Millenium Park, participating in a giant planking flashmob. The ordeal lasted for about three minutes and then everyone stood up and went on their way. The spectacle was big enough that it made ABC and NBC news in Chicago, and if you want proof, check out this website. Click over on the pictures 43 times and you will see us! Here is a picture of Amber Enyart planking, and you can see my right shoulder. I'm the guy in the multi-colored striped shirt. Whats up.

PLANKING FLASHMOB PROOF!

Anyways, onward to our dive into the mini-series 'What If We...' Today, the topic of discussion is going to be:

What If We... Stepped Forward?

And for this blog, I actually switched things up a bit. If I get tired of writing out my thoughts in paragraph form, I know that you as the reader eventually gets tired of reading in the same fashion. While in Chicago, on Saturday night when we were staying at my grandma's house, I couldn't sleep. Like most times when I can't sleep, I went to a lighted area and I pulled out a piece of paper and began to write. I prayed to God to show me what He was wanting me to write about, and all I kept getting or seeing from Him was this image of an army of us. An army of you and me, our friends, parents, teachers, co-workers, all lined up in marching formation before God. We had on armor. But it wasn't normal armor. This was the armor described in Ephesians 6. It was radiant and spotless silver. And I was in the front row. Seeing this, I put my pencil to the paper and a song came out. To this date, I have written 9 songs. But this song was different. In this song, almost every single line was directly from scripture. I'm talking almost every one. It was as if God was pouring scripture out to my heart to write line after line. Almost all of the scripture comes from Isaiah. It was incredible, and I want to share the song with you now, as well as the references. I will post the lyric on the left, and the reference on the right. Here we go:

Stepping Forward

(Prelude)

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Isaiah 6:8

"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"" Isaiah 6:8

I'm standing in the front row,

in my plate' of righteousness. Ephesians 6:14

The questions of my Savior, reference to Isaiah 6:8

are pounding through my chest. reference to Isaiah 6:8

My heart is full of fear, Psalm 143:4

but this fear is of the Lord. Isaiah 11:3

I breath deep, and with the

gospel of His peace, I step forward. Ephesians 6:15

and I said:

"Here am I. Send me." Isaiah 6:8

(Chorus)

God will fight, He will conquer, Isaiah 27:1
He will come to save the lost. Luke 19:10

By His righteous hand He'll raise us Isaiah 41:10

as His shoulders bear the cross. John 19:17

He will carry, He will rescue, Isaiah 46:4

He will shine in every splendor. Psalms 50:2
In His salvation we are found, Isaiah 12:2
He is our Yahweh forever.

In the battle at the gate Isaiah 28:6

He is my source of strength. Isaiah 28:6

Yet their arrows are too sharp Isaiah 5:28
and their darkness has no length. Isaiah 5:30
But amidst all the adversity, Isaiah 30:20

fire won't set me ablaze. Isaiah 43:2
Because my walls are His salvation, Isaiah 60:18
and my gates are made of praise. Isaiah 60:18

(Chorus)

God will fight, He will conquer, Isaiah 27:1
He will come to save the lost. Luke 19:10

By His righteous hand He'll raise us Isaiah 41:10

as His shoulders bear the cross. John 19:17

He will carry, He will rescue, Isaiah 46:4

He will shine in every splendor. Psalms 50:2
In His salvation we are found, Isaiah 12:2
He is our Yahweh forever.

By the 'Way of Holiness' Isaiah 35:8

His soldiers come back to the throne.
We will enter Zion with singing, Isaiah 35:10
and we'll dance to trumpets blown.
Crowned with everlasting joy, Isaiah 35:10
our gladness is overtaking. Isaiah 35:10
Sorrow and sighing will flee away, Isaiah 35:10
as his glory is breathtaking.
We will watch the rains of righteousness Isaiah 45:8
and hear the Lord proclaim: Isaiah 43:1

"Fear not, I have redeemed you. Isaiah 43:1
I have summoned you by name." Isaiah 43:1

"YOU ARE MINE." Isaiah 43:1

It is such a neat image to think of stepping forward, being clad in the armor of God, and calling out "Here am I. Send me!" The bible talks about how we will fight at the Gates of Zion and in many places, it talks about how God makes much of us by rewarding us, be it with everlasting joy or simply everlasting life with Him. So, I guess deep down, the meaning of this song was to be a question, asking if you would be the person to step forward from the front lines. Everyday, as Christians, we stand in God's army, and everyday, God issues the challenging questions in our life, asking "Who shall He send?". Well today is the day to STEP FORWARD for Christ. Imagine if we stepped forward everyday in our homes, our schools, or our offices. There is no better way to bring Glory to Him than laying our lives down on the line day in and day out.

I want to close this blog with the verse Psalms 27:1.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?"

Today, practice stepping forward. Ask God to give you the strength to be the soldier that He is calling you today. What if we... Stepped Forward?

Buried and Risen in Christ,

Signing off,

JD

What if We...

Hey everyone! I hope that you are finding ways to stay out of this awful heat that we are experiencing this week. I mean seriously, it's a tad ridiculous. So I wanted to tell one quick story before we begin tonight, and it involves me randomly getting hurt. Today, I decided that I would go swimming at one of my friend's houses after work. I got there, changed into my trunks, grabbed the pool basketball and jumped in. The water felt amazing. Anyways, I took one shot, a warm-up fade away, and then I went to go get the ball as it splashed down in the water. Little did I know that the basketball had recently been accepting housing applications from wasps, so as I reached out my hand to grab the ball, I was stung on the palm by this bee. I backed up, a little bit stunned all the while shaking my hand like it was on fire. I hadn't taken two steps back before a now angry wasp started flying right toward my face. I didn't even see it coming. Well technically I did, but the bee was so quick I never stood a chance. And just like that, I was stung again, this time right above my left eyebrow. Instantly, my eye swelled up like I was in a Rocky movie. SO needless to say, I now look like I got suckered punched in the eye, minus the black and blue bruising. I'm always looking for great new excuses to explain a swollen eye, so if you have any, leave them in the comments below.

Moving forward onto things that actually matter, I wanted to start off tonight by announcing that I am going to be doing a mini-series based on the title, "What if We..." If you've read this blog before, you probably know that I read the devotion 'My Utmost for His Highest' by Oswald Chambers because I make so many references to it; however, I read something that really stood out to me and I want to run with it for a bit. Saying that, the official title of this blog is..

What if We... Believe?

On July 9th, Oswald writes a really interesting couple of lines that I want to hinge this blog around; not so much the actual words, but the concepts. These lines are as follows:

"If we really believed that God meant what He said, just imagine what we would be like! Do I really dare to let God be to me all that He says He will be?"

These lines have been running through my mind the past few weeks and I finally felt like I was ready to discuss and digest them. Let's get started.

Oswald claims, "If we really believed." At first, I wanted to turn my head and scoff at this statement. Psh, please! If we really believe. Of course we really believe! If we didn't, why do we spend time in prayer or reading the word? Who is this man to say that we really don't believe? Although I am not proud of it, these were some of my very initial thoughts. It hurts for someone to come in and say "If you really believed." I'd like to think that I really believe. I wanted to see what the bible had to say about this, so I turned to some scripture that I will cite now.

The first scripture that I turned to was Luke 17:6, and I think that most of us should be familiar with this passage.

" ⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you."

As I read this, I thought it was so applicable to what Oswald was saying. Of course we believe, but do we really believe? We have faith, but why aren't we up moving trees? I'm sure the answer is probably yes, but just to clarify, do you realize how small a mustard seed is? I found this picture that I wanted to include just to justify the smallness:

This stinking small! Is it discouraging to know that in most cases our faith doesn't even amount to this size? Almost as much as being told that "if we really believed." However, I think that both of these statements can and are to be used as encouragements. Why don't we strive for a faith that is larger than a mustard seed? Why not strive for the life that we would know if we really believed in what Christ says. And the amazing thing is, is that these things that we strive for are totally realistic and are goals that can actually happen. How do I know this? Well, I think that John 14:12 backs me up pretty well (keep John 14:12 in your heads; there may or may not be a blog about it coming up!). John 14:12 says:

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Jesus directly says that we will do even greater things than the works that He did himself. But like with everything else and the central theme to this blog, what is the key to being able to perform those greater things? Nothing other than a belief in the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. How cool is that?

Now we get into the second part of Oswald's statement: "Do I really dare to let God be to me all that He says He will be?" This is an interesting challenge. Usually when people dare someone to do something, there is always a negative connotation to it. And this is no exception. Well... kinda. If we are brave enough and believe in Christ enough to allow Him to be everything He says the He will be, we are dying to ourselves and to the world, and committing to living for Him. So in reality, we are losing out on the pleasures and importances of this world, but we are gaining something that is so much more ever-lasting.

I am doing a study through some of the minor prophets, and I read through the book of Joel last night. It is a very short book and good study. I would recommend it to anyone! Anyways, I liked the way that Joel puts all that God says He will do in chapter 2, verse 23. Joel writes:

²³ Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness.^[a] He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.

How amazing is that!? God calls us to rejoice in Him why? Because He has given us the autumn rains in righteousness. I don't know about you, but this verse gives me a great perspective of what God says He will do in my life. So, do I dare to let God give me the autumn rains in righteousness? You bet you bottom dollar that I do. But for real. Bet your bottom dollar. God blesses the poor. That is another topic for another day.

Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed the first installment in the "What if We..." mini-series. Stay tuned for more blogs coming up! If you are new to this blog and want to know when I will be putting up new posts, you can either go to facebook and add me: http://www.facebook.com/bobbalockinosmagockin, or you can follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jdaghe.

Later tonight I am going to go see the midnight release of Captain America! Hopefully I will stay awake! Have a great rest of your weekend and stay hydrated in this heat!

Buried and Risen with Christ,

Signing off,

JD