Life Change….

I have had to take major life change.  This may come to you as a surprize as it did for me.  I have had to resign my position at Grace Church in St. Louis.  I thought that this was going to be a life things for me but do to some things i cant control dealing with my family and i have had to return to portland.  Also have had personal resons that need my full attention.  I would have had to resign if it wasnt major. This all happened sunddenly and am not sure what my future holds but for right now i need to be here.

To my friends at Grace, I really enjoyed being there and we were just starting to have alot of fun together.  I felt things were going really well.  So it was not you guys at all.  I know that God will provide someone much cooler than i am to be your new pastor. Seems hard to beleive but i know its true. I am sorry again that this has all happened so fast but it doesnt change that fact that i love and care about you guys. I dont have alot of anwsers for you but you can still text, call, or write me to let me know how you are doing.  Id still love to talk or keep in touch if we can.

Broadcasting, That He Is All We Need

It has been a few weeks since our summer camp trip to Big Stuf in Florida.  I have still been thinking about the theme and a particular song.  The song is called “Healer, ” and the theme was broadcast.  It asks the questions, what are you broadcasting? Is that what you want to be broadcasting? When people look at you or talk to you, what messages do they get from you? Are you broadcasting a message of Love? 

How does the song relate?  I keep listening to the words and i cant imagine if the words of this song were my broadcast.  If i actually lived a life that reflects the words of this song.  One line is that “nothing is impossible with You.” How would i be changed if i lived that way, if when i talked to people that i believed that with Christ that nothing is impossible.  Don’t get me wrong i think i do for the most part, but there is a difference on believing that 100%.  If i thought that nothing was impossible, if we could all live in the dreams we have for our lives because it was possible.  I think it would change us and the people we are around. 

Another great line is that ”He is all we need.”  Wow, another line that i wish i believed in 100% without any doubts.  That we would not turn to drugs, sex, porn, alcohol, eating, cutting, crying tears of sadness, sports, hiding our self in our work, putting others down, buying things to make us happen and anything else that numbs our pain.  If we believe that we didn’t need that stuff and HE was all we needed.  I would be changed. That when times were tuff and things flat out sucked, that He would be all we need.  

Its easy to think that God created the universe, that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, that the bible is real, and that he cares for other people. But for some reason we have a hard time letting Him be all we need. Also to believe that in some way or some how that HE is all we need.   

Don’t get me wrong, i believe that Jesus is all we need and the he loves me and cares about me. But i don’t think i do every minute of the day and in every circumstance. I think i would be different if i did. So that is my prayer to be broadcasting that message.  A messages that says nothing is impossible with Him, because He is all we need.

Check out the song and tell me what you think. The words are below too.-

Here is the Song-  Healer

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You’re my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You’re my Portion
I believe You’re more than enough for me
Jesus You’re all I need

My Healer, You’re my Healer

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

IDOL TOUR

Ok, Ok, so i have forgot to let you know about the Idol ‘08 Tour.  It was a pretty good concert.  This was my 4th idol tour show.  I would say this was probably 3rd out of the 4.  So it wasnt my favorite.  This year they decided to do 10 mini sets.  Each finalist got about 3 songs each.  So the people you didnt really want to see, you still got to see 3 songs from them.  The only sang two group numbers the whole night. This was dissapointing becasue this usaully is what has the most energy. 

It was cool to see everyone sing a few of there favorite songs, but the concert was really up and down and had no real flow to it.  But all in all it was worth the 65 bucks to see the show, and i really enjoyed seeing the idols live again.  I am sure i will go again next year. 

Remedy Students rock….

As I write we are in Panama City Beach, FL.  We are at a camp call big stuf.  It has 1,500 students a week.  Its amazing because it has great speakers, amazing worship, and i am 10 steps from the beach.  I really cant complain.  Now i love my job, I would have said that 2 weeks ago. However, when i am around other groups i love our students even more. You know when you go places where there are multiple groups you say in your head “man, i want to be apart of that group.”  As i look around and i see maybe 50 different groups, and i haven’t honestly said that yet.  I say “man, i am sure glad i have the group of students i have.” 

They are always respectful to others, they have a good time without needing to be the center of attention, they love to be together, and are very inviting to other people.  To top it all off, i have had multiple conversations with our leaders and to hear them talk about the students they almost cry.  They truely love just being around them and spending time listening and being apart of there story. 

I don’t have any kids of my own.  But i think this trip i have caught a glimpse of what it was like to be a proud dad.  I am so proud of them. 

On a side note.  we lost in the championship for volleyball today.  But hey it started out with 32 teams and we finished 2nd.  Not to bad.  We played with fairness and integrity. Way to go team.

 

Clean Up

I was sitting around my apartment last night and i was noticing that it was pretty cluttered.  I was pretty tired from the day and didn’t really want to clean up.  This seemed to have been the pattern for the last week. See I had dirty dishes that were a week old and trash just sitting on the counter.  I mean it wasn’t crazy bad, it has definitely been worst but it just wasn’t clean. 

I started thinking how there are lots of things like that in our lives.  We need to clean up and change a lot of things. Yet we would rather sit in the mess.  Why would we rather sit in the mess?  I know i need to clean up the house, i know i need to eat well, i know i to work on loving God and loving others, i know i need to exercise, and i know i need to get out and meet new friends.  Yet id rather live in a mess sometimes.  Why?

I guess its more confromtable.  This way everything will look messy and i wont have to clean up anything.  I think when everything is clean a dirty dish or a certian sin stands out like a sore thumb.  But when everything is messy its hard to really know where to begin and start cleaning.  It just doesnt seem to matter since everything else is so messy.  

Romans 7:21-25

“I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power^[a] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”

I think i am just a slave to sin and living a messy lifestyle.  I guess its just easier than to fix it and clean it. 

God, “help me not to live this way but to take action and continue to keep things clean and help me to live a clean lifestyle.”  

Now this isn’tsaying i am a mess and i need help. I am just thinking about a thought.  A thought that i bet more of our offices, bed rooms, bath rooms, cars and kitchen are dirtier than we would like.  This is a spiritual parallel on how we live our life sometimes.  Just a thought… 

My first..

well folks, here it is about two years late. My Blog. I will see how it goes and try my best to keep it up.  I have always been an external processor, needing people to process stuff with.  My life has always seemed to be better when i had those people to share ideas, thoughts and frustrations with.  However, new chapters and new ideas force you to change or adapt. So i have been doing a lot of thinking about blogging and keeping my thoughts and ideas going.  Maybe this can be a way to external process through a internal format.  I don’t know. 

I have to admit that i have some hesitations about blogging.  The first is that i am a terrible writer and speller.  Since i was forced to do hooked on phonics for “fun” at home in second grade to failing papers in college because i don’t really know the difference between there, their, and they’re.  Second i am not sure i am that interesting.  Last, i think that i am nervous about everything i say could be read by students, friends, family and random strangers.  That is a lot of people that know different parts and have different prospectives on me but it seems by writing out thoughts they I may disappoint, encourage, open eyes, and change someones thoughts on who i really am without even talking to them.  I may be up for the challenge. 

Trevor

Thanks Trevor-

   Trevor is going to be a senior in high school.   I have had to consantly tell him how awesome he is.  He is just one of those students that is great to be around.  He is on my volleyball team and the other night at practice i had a long day and i wasnt feeling that excited about being there.  Trevor stoped me and asked if i was ok.  I told him that it was a long ruff day but i was ok.  He just said that he noticed i wasnt my self and wanted to make sure i was ok.  This is what it looks like to live in community.  To ask and to have people ask if you are ok and be willing to do life together.  This is community whether or not it’s a 17 year old boy or 90 year old women or compleate stranger or your clossest friend.  Trevor you are a hero.

Echoing Angels

So on wednesday a band called echoing angels came to play worship for our students.  First i would say they are great guys and have a heart for music and Christ.  They came for very little and just wanted to play worship for our students. I have really enjoyed there music since.   You should check them out. 

Echoing Angels Myspace

Echoing Angles Website

A couple pics from them leading worship for us…