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Have you ever stopped to think about how hard we work to avoid sacrificing?  and then when we do actually turn lose of something, man we shout it from the rooftops, if not audibly at least in our minds.

In my devotional this morning I was reading about a time when King David wanted to build an alter to the Lord but he didn’t have a place to build it.  So he went to buy a small piece of land.  The owner of the land had great respect for King David and he said that he would just give the field to the King.  Read the response given by David:

1 Chronicles 21:24 But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”  http://bible.us/1Chr21.24.ESV

My prayer is that God would help me better incorporate this into my life.  That my life would allow me to better understand my relationship with God.  After all, everything I have and everything I am, belongs to God…

image:  luke peterson via flickr

Over the past few weeks I’ve been challenged a lot about what it means to give and to be a follower of Christ. 

Often, I find myself focused on… well, me.   I am doing this, or I am doing that or I really want to go here…  if you know me I’m sure you get the picture.

It is definitely one of my biggest struggles.  This wrong perspective has certainly caused some issues for me. 

My arrogance and sin rob me of some of life’s greatest blessings.

In class yesterday a guest lecturer (Dr. Monty Patton) made a simple statement that is really making me think about this sinful perspective I keep taking.  Basically, he said, I am nothing more than a slave to Christ.  This is different from a servant.  A servant has the right to say “No”.  A servant has the choose the places and ways he serves.  A slave has no such rights.  In fact, the only way a slave can be fulfilled is to do the will of his master.

Through Christ, I know sin is not my master.  Rather,  I have become a slave to Christ.

Romans 6:17-18 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.   http://bible.us/Rom6.17-18.ESV

photo by:  flickr: rameshrasaiyan

today i was driving to a staff meeting and praying about how i feel disconnected from what God is doing around me.  the meeting was not extraordinary.  it was just a simple meeting but when i left i noticed that i didn’t feel quite so disconnected.  in fact, i felt much more connected to what God is doing in my community and my church than i have in a couple of months.

i know that my recent inconsistency has left me feeling like i’m drifting spiritually.  so this afternoon i get a few minutes to spend in the Word and i start reading Hebrews 2.  suddenly i realize that i haven’t been paying attention to what i have heard.  it’s so easy to make God way too small and me way to big, at least in my own head…

Hebrews 1:3 – Jesus is the exact representation or exact "Stamp" of who God is.  His very WORD "carries" the universe or all things.

how can i even pretend to understand Jesus?  who am i that HE should even think of me?  yet i constantly roam around acting as though I am important.  MY word cannot carry the universe.  in fact, i can’t even get my kid to stop crying. 

a few weeks ago @ #CraveLife, the worship band introduced me to a song by Addison Road called “What do I know of Holy”.  If you haven’t heard it, you should definitely check it out.  the song talks about the distance felt by an ordinary person compared to a Holy & Perfect God.  it does a really good job of articulating how disconnected and small we can feel.

sure am glad for the latter part of Heb 1:14 

Photo by westera2 via flickr (creative commons)

i’ve decided to go through the book of hebrews for a while during my devotional times.  it should be noted that i will probably study the same passage for several days so the posts won’t be in verse order…

i like hebrews as it tells some great stories of faith & people with messed up lives who overcame their faults through the power & good news of Jesus.

hebrews 1:9  – speaking of Jesus, the Father says:  "You have loved righteousness & hated wickedness.”

What is wicked?

the greek word indicates lawlessness or without the law.  the idea seems to be that of acting as if there were no rules.    maybe it’s like…this particular rule doesn’t apply to me or this rule isn’t important.

seems a bit scary how often i act the things i do aren’t as bad as the things others do.

i’ve been wanting to blog for a long time.  i just keep struggling about what i want to write about.

i’ve had this blog for about 6 months but i have been very inconsistent.  heck, inconsistency seems to be one of the things i’m good at.  my spiritual life is very much the same way.  sure there are moments when  i am close to God, when i’m “spiritual”.  however,  i’d have to say that on the whole, it seems much more like i fail to grasp what Jesus is trying to teach me most of the time.

carving out time to spend with Jesus is one of the hardest things for me (as it is for a lot of us…).  so i figured i might let these two areas of my life intersect for a while.

i’m not naive enough to think writing will help me clean up my spiritual life or even make my walk more consistent, but maybe this experience will help me learn a little…

(photo by *sean via flickr)

recently, a friend gave me some good advice.  he said, “enjoy (your kids) while they are young.”  he was implying that as they get older they grow more mischievous.

i was thinking about that yesterday afternoon while we were outside.  our daughter looked up @ the sky and said, “ooooh look God painted that.  He sure is a good painter.”  she was right.  God had given us a beautiful sunset filled with pinks, purples and oranges which she promptly pointed out.  although the sunset was beautiful, hearing her acknowledgement of God’s work around her seemed to make the sunset pale in comparison.  at least to me.

don’t get me wrong, we have no illusions that she is perfect.  she’s constantly proving that she is part of the fallen race of man.  it’s just that the innocence is so overwhelming.

often i think of my own walk in a similar way.  when i’m close to Christ, my faith is more childlike.  somehow more innocent.  then during those times when i’m further away, i become more mischievous i guess kind of like those kids down the street…

is the day. October 11, 2009. my first day @ Heart of Mesa. i am very excited to jump in and get to know these students.

up till now i’ve had a few people that i REALLY know with me every time i’ve met with the students. today some of those people are out of town (note to self: fall break might not be the best time to start a new ministry.) today two of those people will be gone. today, there will only be one student that i’ve known for more than a year. almost everyone else has been an acquaintance if i knew them at all.

there are so many possibilities just waiting in this group. so many things i want to get done.

i pray the gang over @ CVBC has a good sunday and are ready to see what the Lord has for them today. danyelle, doug, bruce, theresa are all super terrific leaders and i know that God has uniquely gifted them and made them able for such a transition.

today is a good day. God gave us this day so that we might worship Him! everyone have a great sunday.

well, tomorrow’s my last day as youth pastor @ cvbc.  feels weird. 

i’m really sad to be closing this chapter but also very excited to for the next.  when i look at the two churches, i see so many differences.  makes me wonder if i’m equipped for hom.  i know i’m probably not equipped, but Jesus is & He’s called me to hom so there is a great deal of excitement.

someone else is teaching tomorrow; that’s a relief.  i don’t have to try to focus on much other than worship.  that will be nice.

looking forward there is so much i’m getting ready to do. over the new few weeks i plan to work through my view of where the ministry currently sits & begin praying about how to advance things from here.

for now, i need to get a little rest & spend some time in prayer so i’m ready to face tomorrow.  i’m sure glad it’s all in God’s hands & not mine.

well, i now have an outward reminder of the inward change i’ve experienced since i’ve been at college view.  the students picked a really cool design & is all done.  i couldn’t be happier with it.

this is what my finished tat looks like now that it is completed; right after i took the bandage off & cleaned it.

these students have forever brought me closer to Christ.  the whole time i’ve been trying to point them to Christ, they’ve been pointing me to Christ.