Talks With Mr. Elvis

I have had the great privilege of getting to spend some time with the elders of our church. About two years ago a group of friends, in undergrad at the time, began going to visit a few people. One of these is Mr. Elvis. He is a wonderful man who tells us about his faith, which he constantly wishes to grow more in, his family and the life he lived. He tells us about what he wishes he had done differently and the things he values most in his life.

One lesson he always gave us was to tell your spouse you love them everyday. It was one of those that he wish he could have done. Now I've heard a bunch of different people say that, but its different coming from Mr. Elvis. He was married for over 60 years and when he tells you this its not in a matter of fact way. You can see the compassion he has even though he told her he loved her a million times he wishes he had every day back that he didn't. It makes you hope for love like that.

Every time we go to his house before we leave, Mr. Elvis prays for us. It is simply a prayer of thanks. He thanks God for our time together and just asks the Lord to continually be with us. It helps me understand that its not always about asking God for guidance in the future. The Lord gives us our daily bread. We need to spend time just giving thanks for that moment, and knowing that if He is with us we have everything we need. The other night he had Allison and I over for dinner. His friend Jan cooked and we had a great conversation just about our Christian walk. He kept asking some tough questions about faith and trying to figure out and who God was. Even though he has so much wisdom, he is not satisfied with what he knows. He constantly battles to have a better understanding. I hope I never get content and spend the rest of my life trying to know God better. We ended up playing rook and skip-bo until 10:30. I almost missed a homework assignment due at midnight because I didn't expect to be over there that long. At the end of the night he asked me if I would like to pray instead of him. I did and I simply just gave thanks for our time together and the love that was in the room.

Mr. Elvis would probably tell you that we are doing him a service by going to see him. I've never been around anyone like him and Mrs. Wilma (another lady at our church) who appreciate the time they have with you so much. The reality is that Mr. Elvis is impacting our lives more then he will ever realize. His hospitality and the love that is felt when we just show up at his house is overwhelming. He has no agenda, but just talks to us about whatever is on his heart. Hearing his story, we get to go through all the times of joy and all the times of sorrow and see how a person got to where they are today. As a 23 year old unsure about what the future holds, it is very comforting hearing from someone who had struggles himself and can give me advice on how he got through it. Mr. Elvis has learned how to give thanks for the current moment. I think I need to stop looking ahead and have that same attitude of thanks. I feel like people have a tendency to think their difficulties are unique, and they have to fix their problems on there own. I love talking to someone who will openly share with me what he has been through, so its not as scary when I go through it. What's funnier is that the difficulties he went through involved money (jobs), health, and discernment for his life. The things he valued were God, family, and his wife. It's pretty similar to how I feel today.

My advice from this post is to quit thinking you have to figure it all out and that you can't enjoy the moment. You are going to grow and learn as you go, so don't allow worrying about what's ahead to take away from the right now. We have so many things to be thankful of right now. Find someone that has been there before and hear their story. Seek wisdom from those who have it. Never be content. You are going to have room to grow and learn the rest of your life. Never stop seeking, and be a minister of God's grace for all the days He gives you.

Love you guys and hope you have a wonderful day!

Life Worth Living

I was reading Ecclesiastes today and in our terms it is pretty depressing.  Solomon says it is better to never have been born then to live in this evil world.  Everything that happens has happened before.  There is no point in gaining wisdom, wealth, or anything else because it will all wither away.

Keep in mind this arguably the wisest man to ever live saying these things.  When you really think about what he says, as depressing as it is, you have to admit he has a good point.  So I was thinking how this should affect us.  I think it clearly means that we were meant to be citizens of heaven and not of earth.  If we expect this life to be all joy then obviously we are wrong because it is such a depraved world. 

We get comfort in things that make us feel safe, such as wealth, but God told us that He would protect us.  God's greatest commandments show that we are to be compelled by love.  Love for Him and love for others.  These are the greatest commandments. I've been thinking about what truly brings me joy.  I love being around people that accept me as I am and let me be comfortable as the man God made me.  I surround myself with these people and I think its something everyone is looking for.  We want to find refuge from all of the things that make us feel insecure.  I love to laugh and goof off, but friendships can't be rooted in that.  Friendships are rooted in random conversations till 3 a.m. where you really get to know someones heart.  They are rooted in the times where a friend desperately needs you and you can be there for them.  They're rooted in seeing the ugly side of someone, but being patient enough to stick it out with them because you know you aren't perfect yourself.  They are rooted in love.  Love that is given to us by our Heavenly Father.  We worship the God who gave us this love.  We worship Him who gave us a way out of this wretched place we were born into.  Yet, we praise Him for allowing us to love while we are here. 

Its funny because I'm always afraid of disappointing people, especially my family and my friends.  It kills me when I make a mistake that hurts someone else.  Yet, I love it when people are vulnerable with me because I share in their suffering.  I don't want people to have it all together because I don't have it all together.  This just shows how we desperately need God.  It shows why we should be quick to forgive and dish out grace.  It shows why we should quit complaining about little things that others do, and focus on demonstrating love.  God's the righteous judge and will handle everything.  Our job is to lead people to Him, and we do this out of love.

Power Not From Us

We are once again having our ministry this summer called "The Refuge".  I have tried to explain to a lot of people what we will be doing, and frankly my attempt to communicate that vision is very weak.  It is simply because I want to have the freedom to allow the Lord to lead our hearts this summer.  And being away from everyone, I am not sure the specific needs.  I also have looked at my own life and every significant event in my life and every time God moved it happened in some way in which I did not expect.  We can't credit anything to ourselves because the Holy Spirit is where power comes from and lives are changed.  I completely believe that.  So does this mean I will sit around and do nothing?  Absolutely not.  We are witnesses and are called to do the work of the Lord.  I just want to be honest to the fact that this is not a well-oiled machine that has every detailed ironed out.  If you know me this should not come as a shock.

So why should people buy in?  Well here are things I am sure will happen.  The Word of God will be taught accurately and will then be applied to our current situation so we may grow closer to the Lord.  We will focus more on God and less on ourselves.  We will also seek out ways to serve the Lord, especially seeking out the lost and developing our mission.  I am not going to structure this, but through prayer and encouragement this will happen.  Lastly The Refuge will be just that.  We have a great community that accept people where they are and desire for people to better know the Lord.  So there will be great encouragement, love, and transparency among believers.  Relationship are crucial in ministry and I pray that we will allow God's power to be made known in the way we interact with one another.  There is power in gathering with believers who actively seek the Lord.

So we are going to seek the Lord together and see where He leads us, and He will lead us.  The Holy Spirit will move through this group.  I am going to lead the best I can, but my success or failure as a leader will not help or hinder God's plan.  He is sufficient on His own.  I just praise Him that I get to be a part of it all.  So I urge you to give your hearts and your prayers to Him, and trust Him to do mighty things.  As we seek out what He wants in our lives, I pray that we live in closer fellowship with Him.

True Corporate Worship

Consumerism in our society has really been disheartening to me recently. Especially when I see how much it has tainted my own heart. Everything we do seems to be for our own benefit. We are so critical of how we received messages, that we lack an intimacy with God due to our own selfish perspectives. Who are we to be the judge of every sermon and music that is selected? Heaven forbid our churches don't apply directly to our personal needs while playing our favorite worship songs. Are we really knowlegeable enough to understand what makes the Holy Spirit stir or not due to the amount of speaking expertise? I am not saying we shouldn't guard our hearts against false and unbiblical teaching. That is essential. I am simply proclaiming that we view the leaders of our church with grace and mercy. Their job demands a lot as well so be considerate and encouraging instead of writing them off because they aren't dynamic enough. These problems are not just in the church either. Just be an instrument of light, not darkness.

I want to relate this to our consumeristic view of worship. My World Mission's prof asked us to change our perspective of how we worship. Worship is a time where we join together to praise our God. God's purpose for the earth is that every one of His people join together and worship His name. Every tribe, tongue, and nation. In Revelation 4:8 we see the picture of the creatures sitting around the thrown crying out the praises of God forever. Let all the nations praise the Lord. So instead of wondering if the worship song is your favorite or not, be joyful in the fact that we can lift our voice with our brothers and sisters around the world. We get to sing the praises of our Lord, just as He intended, and it is pleasing to Him. Those without music are still singing the praises of the Lord in their native languages. What a beautiful picture of christians all over the world are praising the one and only Lord and savior.

John 3:30 says that He must increase, and I must decrease. Our Lord and Savior washed feet. He hung out with the broken and needy. He gave His life for us, so that we may have life. So let's not value things by what we get out of it. Examine your heart. And let's become less so that He can be known by all on this earth. Then we will join with them, singing His praises all the more.

Take My Heart and Make it Clean

Psalm 139 is a beautiful message of how our Creator views us.  The intimacy He has for us is almost overwhelming and you can almost grasp how He could send His innocent Son to take on the sin of the world.  He knows us and loves us deeply.  He hurts when we run away from Him or act like we don't know Him.  It is amazing to think that our awesome God views us in such high regard despite all our downfalls.

I want to focus on the last two verses of the chapter.
Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.  See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way."

This has been my prayer for the last few days and will continue to be.  Isn't it amazing to see the ugliness inside Godly people?  Isn't it horrific when the evil inside our own hearts is revealed?  We need to constantly ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts and our motives.  The devil is very powerful and can blind certain things from us.  Ask God to strip everything away from you if it means that He will be revealed through you.  Don't harbor evil in your heart but seek the way that is everlasting.  If you ask Him, you will receive answer.  God loves you with everything He has, so in response ask Him to purify your heart so that you can have the same affection toward Him.

I Am Not Enough

I had a conversation with a friend about feelings of inadequacy.  My mom tells me she feels inadequate to teach Sunday school.  I feel inadequate to preach when I speak in front of people.  Why should people listen to me and what I have to say?  Furthermore, there are so many people ridden with guilt that feel unworthy of identifying themselves as a child of God.  They spend their whole lives trying to get right so that God will allow them to commune with Him.  This is such wrong thinking. 

Praise God for our feelings of inadequacy.  I hope we never feel that we are worthy of anything on our own.  You might be thinking that's a little harsh.  For don't we want to be confident and happy and successful?  Let your boasting come from the work the Holy Spirit is doing in you alone.  Realize that everything that you do or that has been given to you is a gift from God.  The reason we feel inadequate is because we are.  Realize that you serve a God who loves to demonstrate His power through you.  Realize that you serve a God that loves to take broken things and make them new.  Through this brokenness and feeling of inadequacy we recognize our need for God and His power.  Through this need we gain stronger then ever because the work of the Lord will never fail and He will give us all we need.  So if you don't think your strong enough, trained enough, or good enough to serve the Lord I am here to tell you that you're not.  Yet, because you believe and are a child of God even a broken vessel like you can be used to glorify God.  I hope you pray daily that pride doesn't creep in and divert God's glory to you.  Inadequacy will always be a struggle, but remain faithful and trust in the Lord.

On a side note, I was talking to AM last night and made me realize just how much the relationships I have were sent from the Lord.  I am so thankful for God's grace, especially the family and friends He has given me.  We take so much for granite in this life and are so easily angered and distracted.  Let the blessings you have stay on your mind this week and always be thankful.  Because when you see how the Lord your God has so richly given you all things, you can't help but be humbled by the thought.  I love you guys and hope your faith increases daily.

How do we let pride creep in?

Pride is described as the deadliest of sins and everyone has struggled with it.  Yet, we have absolutely no reason to be proud if you sit and think about it. 

God created everything in the world, including us.  So everything in us (personality, physical attributes, etc.) is from God.  God also gave us the ability to work, to accomplish, to succeed, so all of these things are also from God.  The word also tells us that every good thing is from the Lord.  So if you're proud of your own achievement and giving credit to yourself either its not really from you or it isn't a good thing.

Secondly, everything we can achieve for ourselves does not last.  Death is something that none of us can avoid.  I hate to be cynical, but it's a pretty obvious fact.  So if you have a lot of money, it will one day disappear and amount to nothing.  If you pride yourself in your athletic ability, you will grow old and be unable to perform.  If you pride yourself in relationships, unless it is an eternal love given by God it amounts to nothing in the end.

I am not saying to never feel accomplished about anything.  But as 1 Corinthians 1:31 states, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."  You may work extremely hard and do so many things so just praise God for giving you strength.  God gives you love to pour into relationships.  God grants you success athletically and academically.  Yet He is sovereign and deserves the praise.  And He freely gave us His Son to pay the penalty of our sins so that we could be set free!  Boast in that.  Remember we are to bring glory to God in everything that we do.  And God wants our all.  So live humbly, recognizing that you're God sent His Son to give it all for you.  He has equipped you and prepared you and will give you everything you need.  So as you go on boasting, do so in Him.

Love all of you and hope you have a great weekend!