Passion Week

Indeed, it is passion week. I must admit that I have been a bit (actually, a lot) preoccupied with travelling home and planning a weekend of showing a friend around Nashville to be able to concentrate on His Passion enough. However, I found some of my passions re-ignited this week as well.

I got to see a friend play a concert on Saturday night, and even though he was exhausted from a long leg of touring, I got excited about music. I love music. I know that I probably will never be good enough to play on the road either by myself or as a member of a backup band, but it is still my dream and passion. I ask for you prayers in deciding where I need to be (geographically) and how to live out my passions. I do not want to be another dead person going through the motions but be alive, to paraphrase John Eldredge.

Quotes from King's Meadow

I read these quotes on one of my pastor's blogs and thought I would share them. I have heard most, if not all, of them before, but now I have a copy of them.

“A church will either multiply or divide.” Thomas Chalmers

“Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Regardless of how large, your vision is too small.” Thomas Chalmers

“The whole tendency of modern thought, one might say its whole moral impulse, is to keep the individual busy with endless induction—leaving little room for genuine change.” Richard Weaver

“With visions of redemption I walk against the crowd.” Arthur Quiller-Couch

“Knowledge is knowing; understanding is knowing what to do; wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is actually doing it. The three together are what we call repentance.” Tristan Gylberd

“Gargantuanism and the care of souls cannot coexist.” Thomas Chalmers

“Religion hath brought forth prosperity, and the daughter destroyed the mother—there is a danger, lest the enchantments of this world make them forget their errand into the wilderness: to build a city on a hill, an illumination for all the world.” Cotton Mather

“Now, in our large towns, we have the ministerial service without the pastoral; and we all know what a loose and precarious connection between ministers and people this has given rise to.” Thomas Chalmers

“Mercy has converted more souls than zeal, or eloquence, or learning, or all of them together.” Soren Kierkegaard

Giving It Up

Giving up our gifts to God - this has come to my attention several times in the last year or so. Many people seem worried when they hear this phrase, but I see no reason to be scared. The topic came to mind when I had the chance this afternoon, when other plans were cancelled, to do something I have not had much time for as of late. That is to play my guitar.

I got to play for hours upon hours today, and I felt...refreshed. Sure my fingers hurt from having not played for more than 30 minutes in a long time, and I was a little rusty at remembering a few chord progressions, but I feel at worship when I play. No matter what I am playing, as long as I am playing to the best of my ability, I am worshipping Him.

So now onto the real topic. God gives us special gifts. One of mine just so happens to be music. God also calls us to give up our gifts to Him, but I think too many people take this the wrong way. First, we give them back by using them to glorify His name. We don't take the credit for our abilities, but return all the thanks to above. Secondly, we need not worry that once we give our gifts back, that He is not going to let us keep using them. Our Father gave us these gifts specifically so we could use them. That means He's not going to take it away and make you do something at which you are not very good. For the most part, He will continue to work through those gifts He's already given you.

So don't worry, your abilities are in good hands, so long as they are in His.

Trusting in the Future

I have no doubt that God is taking care of things. However, I still feel overjoyed when i think of praying for my future. In an email I got yesterday, I was reminded to pray for my future wife.

I have prayed the simple prayer before, asking for protection over her, Godly men to escort her down the path, and for forgiveness for either of us if we have done something wrong. I am loving her already, even if I don't know who she is, because I am praying for her. Prayer is something I hold very dear to me, and it is one of the most intimate actions I can share with someone.

I feel like a kid at Christmas here, overjoyed, because I'm praying for...us.

I'm Loved...I Want to Love

This is diverging from the kingdom musings a bit, but this is my spot, so I'll do as I please. In my humble opinion, Valentine's day was created by girls, for girls. It's just an excuse for boys to buy flowers and candy and cards. In some ways, I'm glad I don't have a valentine. In other ways, I wish I had one to love. I have been shown love, but my earthly parents as well as my Father in heaven, and I enjoy loving others. Sure I can do that in a non-romantic way, but I am loved romantically as well.

Praise

I just wanted to thank anyone who reads this for their prayers. I was prayed over last night for these nightmares, and God gave me not one, but three good dreams last night. I don't even remember the last time I had multiple good dreams in one night. Praise the Lord! He is mighty to save.

The Devil Made Me Do It

I was reading (something, I don't remember what) that said we don't give enough credit to the devil. We try to reason things out to where we have a tangible cause for our problems. However, Satan is very real, so why can't he be the one that's trying to trip us up and run away from God? I don't know for sure, but that may be the cause for some, or all my nightmares. They have returned again, and they are picking up in severity. It's quite a scary thing, but prayer is getting me to God, and He's getting me through.

Once again, my Abba is taking care of me.

Child at Heart

Those who really know me will agree that I am a child. I don't think of it as completely bad, but rather a good thing. Most everyone wants not to grow up when they are a child. I was the same way (and I still am). Why is that? No responsibilities? Ignorance?

For guys, I must go back to Wild at Heart - we long for adventure, danger, and the unknown. Girls, I'm not so sure about, but maybe to be a princess, won over by a valiant hero, and to take part in the man's adventure. I have a desire for adventure of fantastic proportions. I'm not sure what kind of adventures I seek, but I know there are some out there for me.

Also, there is having faith like a child. Not needing long explinations or reason and logic. Believing simply for the sake of believing. In that faith is a trust that the One watching over us knows what He is doing. A child asks questions, for sure, but mostly out of curiosity and wonder, rather than hesitation, doubt, and anger.

I don't want to grow up. I want my Abba to take care of me for the rest of my days.

Someday I'll Find My Princess

I just started reading John Eldredge's "Wild at Heart" the other day. It may bring down my grades this semester, seeing as reading for class takes up most of my time. But so is my destiny.

Early in the book (I am only in the third chapter), Eldredge speaks about the want of every young man to find, and fight for, his princess. It lies deep within a man's heart to fight for his bride, to slay the dragon, and carry her home. He also says that women want a man to do this. I found it interesting because I am truly a child at heart - I love pirates and fairy tales and Christmas and knights in shining armour. The idea that I will get to take on the role of a knight fighting for the damsel in distress excites me more than most. Then He mentioned how God fights for His bride.

However, Eldredge did not mention this: that when Jesus was crucified, He fought THE dragon in hell and slayed him. What a knight. That is the greatest fairy tale ever written, only it's not a fairy tale. It's truth.

Just Thinking

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I've thought about if I will transfer to Belmont for my junior year on; I've thought about how neat it would be to fly with Peter Pan in Neverland; I've thought about how awesome our universe is.

I always have thought about the chance that I will only be at Baylor for my freshman and sophomore years, but I started thinking about it long and hard after having a reunion dinner with friends who graduated from the youth group at church with me and the year ahead of me. For some reason, when they all mentioned that it was different living away from home, "but not as far as Baylor", I started thinking about how much I miss Nashville, as a whole. Not just the people, but the atmosphere and the spirit that surrounds it. I wanted to get away so as to realize all I have, and I have discovered just that.

I picked up J. M. Barrie's book on adventures in the Neverland soon after I got back to campus and had finished A Christmas Carol. Both are so much better than the movies portray, as is the case with most movies based on books. Something inside me loves to revisit those childhood fantasies; I guess it's just the kid in me.

Finally, I am very pumped about my astronomy class that I am taking this semester. At the Passion Conference, we were shown pictures from the Hubble telescope of the wonderful colors and shapes of this known universe, and I sat in awe at what was before me. I was again in awe when I looked up in the sky last night, on a rare break from my studies, and saw the moon straight above me, and Saturn in the eastern sky. I look forward to what this astronomy class is going to reveal to me about my wonderful Creator and Savior, Yahweh.