1000 Questions

I went to a conference this past weekend. Here is the video that they showed and I have been amazed by it ever since. Watch this and then read what they said afterwords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiNBmNl88Pk

Your life was meant to make a permanent MARK. Just as though a 3 year old is hyped up on Redbull with sharpies in a white furniture store.Everyday ask yourself as a masterpiece- what do you need to do, and how can you be used to bring Heaven to Earth?
The statistics out there are scary. I don't think I need to share them with you. But I must ask this just as I was asked.

Do you care? The world is waiting. That is all they can do. Now when are you going to act? Tap in to God's Kingdom

I am moved...to be a hero for my Hero

I was moved today. Moved in my mind and heart towards something that I hadn't seen before. I knew of the pain in the world. I know of the struggles that we all have, but what I didn't know was that the pain is in the people all around me. I didn't know that I was just inches from people that are hanging on a cliff for dear life. In fact, the weird thing is is that I don't even know the people, my classmates, as well as I should, yet I know about their hangups, failures, and painful scars.

As I was sitting in my American History class today, I was surrounded by desks, literally. I was in the center and had no where to go as other people crowded around me to work in their groups. Now, granted, I did chose to work by myself, but I didn't think I would be blocked in. This blockade is what started it all. As I was reading about cases in history where citizens weren't given their rights, I started hearing all of these bizarre conversations around me. They were bits and pieces until I finally started listening to the full conversations. The conversations were nerve wracking. One group to my left was literally drug dealing before my eyes with cash under the table. I was shocked, a jock mixing in with a drug addict, now becoming one himself. To my right, I experienced a guy who was talking about the mental hospital he just got out of after several trips being admitted into children's hospital for serious cutting. He got warm in the room and took off his jacket. You could tell he was a little ashamed because the cuts were so deep the scars were permanently there for the rest of his life, and the worst part was that there wasn't a 2inch bare block on the skin without cuts. With him, I brought up a conversation about the greatness of the one day when there will be no more tears or pain in Heaven. He knew what I was talking about. He also knew the difficulty of getting out of that rut.

I then went to study hall and this song played on my iPod. I hadn't listened to it in a long time, but it is a moving song. So, I wanted to post the music video for this song on this blog, but when I started researching it, I came across really violent music videos for this song, sadly because that is what these people are going through. The pain is real. No matter what we decide to do about it there are still people with such a deep pain in side of them that they can't see the light. They are so far from Truth that they don't even know what it is anymore. They are too consumed in the mental and physical pain that they don't know there is so much more...

Watch this... I think it is a call to be a hero...to step up and be hands and feet for our Hero.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNlZz3RQxos&feature=related

I don't know how yet, but at least I am heading in the right direction aware of people's circumstances. Even if it is more than I want to know just like the song lyrics say, "Thinking it's not my responsibility to solve a problem that itsn't about me. This is our problem. This is just one of the daily scenarios which we choose to close our eyes." We can't save them, but let's at least be a hero to somebody...if we made a choice to be the voice.

That's My King! Do you know Him?

S.M. Lockridge- That's My King

The Bible says
He’s the King of the Jews
He’s the King of Israel
He’s the King of Righteousness
He’s the King of the Ages
He’s the King of Heaven
He’s the King of Glory
He’s the King of Kings
and He is the Lord of Lords

He’s enduringly strong
He’s entirely sincere
He’s eternally steadfast
He’s immortally graceful
He’s imperially powerful
He’s impartially merciful

He’s the loftiest idea in literature
He’s the highest personality in philosophy
He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism
He’s the fundamental doctrine in true theology
He’s the cardinal necessity of spiritual religion

That’s my King!
He’s the miracle of the age
He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him

He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously
He supplies strength for the weak
He’s available for the tempted and the tried
He sympathises and He saves
He guards and He guides
He heals the sick
He cleansed the lepers
He forgives sinners
He discharges debtors
He delivers the captives
He defends the feeble
He blesses the young
He serves the unfortunate
He regards the aged
He rewards the diligent
And He beautifies the meek

Do you know Him?
My King is the key of knowledge
He’s the wellspring of wisdom
He’s the doorway of deliverance
He’s the pathway of peace
He’s the roadway of righteousness
He’s the highway of holiness
He’s the gateway of glory
He’s the master of the mighty

His word is enough
His grace is sufficient
His reign is righteous
His yoke is easy
and His burden is light
I wish I could describe Him to you
He’s indescribable
He’s indescribable
He’s incomprehensible
He’s invincible
He’s irresistible
I’m trying to tell you
The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him
Let alone a man explain Him
You can’t get Him out of your mind
You can’t get Him off of your hands
You can’t outlive Him
And you can’t live without Him
The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree
And Herod couldn’t kill Him
Death couldn’t handle Him
And the grave couldn’t hold Him

The glory is all His
Thine is the Kingdom
And the power
And the glory
For ever
And ever
And ever
And when you get through with all of the forevers
Then
Amen

Oreos...or something better?

Ha, so here's my story..It's long so brace yourself. Everything that I am about to say is an analogy to what really happened to me yesterday. Yesterday was terrible. I haven't had such a bad day in such a long time. Here it goes:

I desired something so badly that I thought God must have my back. It has to be part of His plan. It would get me farther in life. It will help me in my future. I was expecting a lot. But you know when you put money in a machine and it gets stuck? That was me. Let's say what I wanted so badly was a bag of oreos out of the vending machine. Well, unfortunately, my change got stuck. I never received what I wanted. Instead I was so upset all day. How could this happen? It was suppose to go well. I had such a good feeling about it. I was confident about it.

After a long time of allowing what had happened to soak in and with much guided help, I have come to this conclusion. I didn't get my oreos (the thing I wanted) because a) the change will better somebody more than myself or b) if I wait just long enough, I will get something that is much better than oreos!

Long story short and moral of the lesson: What we think is part of God's plan, may not be. But don't get upset. Remember, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD"(Psalm 27:14). When things go south instead of north, keep your head pointed towards the north star. Keep listening. Don't shut out the voice of Direction; the Way; the Truth; the Life. Trust. Have faith. A new door will open. I don't know what I will receive instead of oreos...all I can see right now is what would be better than oreos...,but I have faith in the fact that because He knows my best, because He is my God and Savior...a better selection is on the way, and it has already been paid for. He has paved the way.

This song has been playing on the radio non stop...coincidence?...I think not. It's definitely God.

I'm waiting. I'm waiting on You, Lord, and I am hopeful. I'm waiting on You, Lord, though it is painful. But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident takeing every step in obedience.
While I'm waiting, I will serve You. While I'm waiting, I will worship.
While I'm waiting, I will not faint.
I'll be running the race even while I wait

I'm waiting. I'm waiting on You, Lord, and I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord, though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

Lord, I am waiting. Hoping. Praying...faithfully..maybe yesterday turned into something so much more and magnificent than I thought it would.

Covered in the dust of my Rabbi

This was the lesson for the Bible Club at school. I thought it was so powerful, why not spread it to others more so than the people that are in this club.

It is based on the video by Rob Bell- Dust. You must watch it if you have not seen it yet.

Take a look at Mark 8:34. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
We separated this verse into 6 parts and dissected the meaning of the words individually.
For Example:
If anyone would- if is a choice; anyone extends the invitation to all

Think of what each word/section of the verse means to you. The point of this lesson was to realize that we can't pin point what it means to deny ourselves and take up our cross. It isn't a simple act. It isn't waking up for the day saying: "I am going to wash my neighbor's car today" because I think that is taking up my cross. I think that taking up our cross is happening all the time. There is so much that defines taking up our cross that it is even hard for me to understand. Maybe it is biting our tongue instead of saying something we will regret; AND washing our neighbors car out of our love for our neighbor AND our love for God. Maybe it is doing things that we do on a regular basis different because we are following Him.

But first of all one of the students shared a devotion about this saying...it requires us knowing ourselves, knowing where we stand and what our talents are. The funny thing is that this message has been "appearing" in everything this club has been doing lately. So, this past week, we seized this opportunity as if maybe God is speaking to the entire club.

In the video it talked about following our Rabbi (Teacher) so closely that we are covered by whatever he walked in throughout the day. We are covered in his dust because we desire to be like Him. We desire to walk as though He walks. Then one of the students brought up the question: Sometimes, it seems like an obligation to walk so closely rather than a desire. She said it was the fact that we are sinners that unfortunately we cannot feel that constant desire to walk so closely to Him. But then again...isn't that what the cross is for? He took up His cross for us. So that instead of out of obligation to follow Him, we may feel a desire to follow Him.