“Horton heard a Who!” (How we Hear- part 4)

In keeping with the theme of how we hear, I wanted to blog about how we sometimes hear too many voices. I know this is true in my life. There are times when I’ve asked too many people for advice, when one was sufficient, or times when people offered unsolicited advice… those are always the best :)

But most importantly, we are all typically overwhelmed with so many voices in our lives. Voices from friends, family, society, television, and our campuses just to name a few. We even hear things that come from our past or present insecurities, fears, and worries. So when all of these voices come at us at once, we miss the one voice that we desperately need to hear in our lives… the voice of God.

I love how God made it a point to show us in the bible (Matthew 17:1-8) that the voice of Jesus should be amplified above all other voices, even other good voices. I know it’s just hard sometimes to hear the voice of God in a noisy world. But I love how Dr. Seuss, in the movie “Horton Hears a Who!”, captured the heart of being able to listen to a small faint voice and follow it, in spite of the fact that no one else can hear the voice, and everyone seems to have advice that contradicts the voice.

Man! I wish we could all be like this. Good ol’ Horton heard a who!

“Not for the Future” (How we Hear- part 3)

I remember how when I was a kid, my father would “ask” me to take out the trash. We all know it wasn’t a request, but a directive. Now although I knew it wasn’t a suggestion, I still took the liberty to wait until I felt ready to take out the trash. Instead of acting immediately, I would wait until it was convenient for me.

I think this is how we sometimes hear things. We hear for the future, but not the now. I think we hear for the future for two main reasons. The first one, is that we’re to lazy to act on what we’re hearing immediately, so we put it off as long as we can. The second reason, is that we may think we are currently unable or unqualified to do the very thing we are being told to do, so we push it of until we think we’re ready. Well, for the most part, you ARE ready now, and stop being lazy! :)

Jesus was encouraging His disciples at one point to basically do what God has called us ALL to do. But after saying that, He put an extra emphasis on not waiting until the moment they thought was the best time, but that the time to start walking in our purpose was right now! 

My hope is that when we hear God or someone tell us something (great or small), we try to listen for the now, not for the future.

“Here to Hear” (How we Hear- part 2)

In keeping with the theme of how we hear, I started to think about how people hear. And although I came up with a few ideas, I realized that the very thing I was doing was the fundamental truth behind today’s blog. I was looking to how others hear, instead of first looking to how I hear myself. Which brings us to our point for the day.

Sometimes we hear for others, not ourselves. Have you ever been in a class, or even in church, and you hear the speaker say something, and your immediate thought is how one of your friends needs to hear this! Now grant it, maybe your friend does need hear it, but it doesn’t mean we should dismiss stuff because we don’t necessarily think it’s for us. Jesus said it best when he asked, "Why do you try to clear the speck out of someone else’s eye when we have a plank of wood in ours?" He didn’t say there was anything wrong with helping someone see the error of their ways, or point them in the right direction, but that we should be sure to examine our own lives first.

I gotta be careful with this as well. Sometimes when I read the bible, all I see is what I can preach on campus, and not what’s for me. I think we all have to remind ourselves from time to time that God wants to speak us first and foremost, not just through us. So the next time we’re at meeting, let’s remember that were here to hear.

“The Great Suggestion” (How we Hear-part 1)

I went away a few weeks back for our annual Fall Retreat. We had a great time. One of the highlights of any conference for me, is when students hear a speaker say something that I’ve been saying time and again, but they actually “hear” it for the first time. I always sit back and laugh, because I recognize that God is continually speaking to us, but for so may different reasons, we either don’t hear it, or we don’t hear it in the way we should.

This one particular nugget was about purpose. So many people, especially college students, are always trying to figure out their purpose in life. What person will I marry, what career will I have, where will I live, etc. And although God has unique paths in life for every person, we all share a corporate purpose that is laced throughout our individual lives. It’s simply to love God and love others. Jesus puts it another way in what Christians call “The Great Commission”, by saying we should go make disciples of all the nations. And a disciple is someone who is following Jesus, and helping others follow Jesus.

So if we are ALL called to do this, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know who your future spouse, employer, or home address is, as long as you’re fulfilling your greater purpose. Some Christians don’t feel “called” to reach out, because when they hear a directive, they receive it as a suggestion. Just remember, it’s called the great commission, not the great suggestion.

“ZAP”

You gotta watch this video before you continue to read :)
(click HERE to view it)

First of, let me say this: I love the fact that these guys love God so much, that they’d be willing to do something like this. But I wanted to use this as an example of how we Christians can sometimes be out dated when it comes to sharing our faith. Even today, it always seems like the Church is one step behind pop culture. I always love to see men and women living for God setting trends, not copying them. Especially when it comes to how we “do” church or “do” campus ministry.

I’m not saying that we should reinvent the wheel every other month, but that we would be sensitive to recognize when our current approach isn’t so current. Just because something has worked in the past, doesn’t mean it’s gonna work in the present or future. Now, I’m not talking about timeless truths like “God loves you” or “Love your neighbor” or “treat ALL older women like mothers and younger women like sisters”. The word of God NEVER changes, but how we present and communicate that word can. What’s the point of sharing something with someone if they can’t understand what you’re sharing? Instead, we should attempt to share in a context in which they can understand.

So how do you communicate your relationship with God to others? Do you ever use current movies or tv shows? Whatever your medium is, I believe we are called to be practical and relatable. Not consistently reinventing, but constantly contextualizing.

Oh, and pay attention the video at the 1:56 mark…. ZAP!

“Don’t stop ‘til you get enough”

I came across a little factoid this week that was pretty intereesting. There’s a Guinness world record for the longest lecture, which lasted for 120 hours and was achieved by Jayasimha Ravirala who lectured on personality development concepts in Hyderabad, India, from 24 March to 29 March 2007. And I thought I was long winded.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked on campus and blogged about how awesome it would be if a bunch of students were able to communicate the underlying message of the bible in 30 seconds, using terminology that ANYONE can understand. I think seeing this world record reinforces this train of thought. I can’t help but wonder how many students/people (other than the guy officially timing the event) actually stayed throughout the whole lecture. And out of those, I wonder many actually retained or even stayed awake for the whole lecture.

I’m not knocking this guy, because I used to be him! Back in college, if anyone even mentioned the word God, I would run over to them and try to preach the WHOLE bible to them in one sitting (or even standing on the sidewalk). Relating your relationship with God to someone is not a bad thing, all I’m saying is, it shouldn’t be a long thing, unless of course they want you to expound on what you’re saying.

We have windows of opportunities… I just hope we don’t miss the moment by trying to plant a whole tree, when all you need or have time for is dropping a seed. Don’t be like Mike...and “Don’t stop ‘Til YOU get enough”.

“Trick or Retreat”

This past weekend our campus ministry took a trip down to North Carolina for our annual Fall Retreat with over 15 different colleges and universities from North Carolina. We had a great time! However, it was very sobering to get back to DC, because everyone was hit with the reality that they were getting back to the grind of campus life.

There are so many benefits to taking time away from our busy lives to get perspective on things. Our surrounding circumstances can be so loud and overpowering, it can sometimes drown out what’s most important in our lives. Maybe that’s why most retreats that people go on are in secluded settings, where it’s quiet and disconnected from the noise of our lives.

Even Jesus would go on mini retreats. His life was so hectic, that He would sometimes wake up extra early to spend time with God. It’s not that God only speaks in the morning, or that His voice is louder in the morning, but that everything else is quieter. Every time we take students on a retreat or to a conference away from campus, students seem to have genuine encounters with God, and seem to be changed in ways they never thought. I think it’s because it’s quiet enough for them to hear God speaking to them.

Although that’s huge, I always try to encourage the students with the fact that God can speak in their life on campus in the same exact way as a a retreat. The trick is, they have to learn how to retreat every day. Trick or Retreat!

“Time Managers”

So a few weeks ago, I started a 5 blog mini series on time management. Afterwards I asked some college students to send me some ways in which they manage their time. So here are the top five.

The first one comes from Kaleah Merrieweather (American University). Her tip is to simply schedule things using her gmail calendar. She seems to love, but advises that it may be addicting, so be careful!

The next two are very similar, but they are such good ideas, I gotta mention both of them. This tip comes from Valeria Palacious and Kat Rendon (Both Georgetown University), and it’s multitasking. Valeria likes to do things like combining school work with simple tasks, such as outlining a paper while doing laundry. And Kat likes to combine exercise with studying.

The fourth one comes from Russ Greene (Georgetown University). His is to practice stuff that I care about every single day, even if just for 5-10 minutes I’m able to make slow but steady progress rather than slacking off for too long and then trying to cram at the last minute.

The fifth one comes from Nicholas Mathis. His is to pray when he starts to feel pressed or anxious. He said when he takes a breath/moment and prays, he feels refreshed and organized, along with the faith that gives him strength to finish his assignments. (Philipians 4:6-7)

I love all these ideas. Nothing better than getting practical advice to help us on a day to day basis. If you have any more tips, just leave comment. Until then, let’s all bask in glory and wisdom from these five time managers!

“Around the bible in 30 seconds”

I think I may be on to a new trend, explaining the whole bible in 30 seconds or less. I’ve done this before at our campus ministry meetings, but the past two nights I asked the students to give it a try. I think they all did great! It was interesting to see how some look at the story of the bible as a whole. Trying to explain all the stories in detail is impossible, but explaining the consistent heart throughout the stories and letters are a different thing. How awesome would it be, if a bunch of students were able to communicate the underlying message of the bible in 30 seconds, using terminology that ANYONE can understand.

Here’s my 30 seconds typed: “God created everything, including us. He loved us so much that He made us in His image, so that He could enjoy relationship with us. Because of our own actions, the relationship between God and mankind was broken. All this happens at the beginning of the bible. From there on out, the rest of the bible is all about God reestablishing the relationship that He intended for us to have in the first place. From Moses to Jesus to the disciples, it’s all unfolding God’s redemptive plan to restore our relationship with Him. That in a nutshell, is the bible.

What do you think? How would you describe the bible in 30 seconds? I’d love to read/hear your rendition. Let’s play “Around the bible in 30 seconds”.

"No Strings Attached

This past weekend there was an event in DC called Convoy of Hope. Our church, along with over 120 other churches, joined together at RFK Stadium to bless the Washington, DC community with no stings attached. Families lined up as early as 7:30am to get groceries, help with resumes, job interviews, haircuts, root canals, dental work, health work, and prayer. And the best part, they didn’t have to pay a cent! The only expectation we had of the people was that they would be blessed.

It seems to me that in our culture, we are taught to only give away or do things that have a positive return on investment. I agree with that, but I may have a different perspective on what a positive return is. Typically it’s money, but I want to say there are many things to me that are considered a positive return. For instance, a life changed is priceless. Jesus told us several times to feed the poor, give money without expecting payment, and to look after orphans and widows. This type of work doesn’t make money for you. In fact, it does the opposite. I’ve heard of a few churches that focus on reaching the suburbs. Not because they feel called there, but because they know those people can give money to the church. But reaching the inner city, or low-income/poverty areas are gonna cost you a lot money. But the return on investment is enumerable!

That’s why I love things like Convoy of Hope. I think they get it. I hope we get it too. Love God, love our neighbors, and give to the poor… with no strings attached.

“timePOD" (5 of 5 time management tips)

I hope these time management tips have helped you so far. But I’m sure you’re wondering what happens when you apply all the tips, but still don’t have enough time. I’m glad you asked. This last tip is the one you use when all other tips don’t seem to cut the mustard. It’s prayer.

Sometimes in life things don’t go exactly as planned, no matter how much you prepare. Someone forgets to tell you important information, you get sick, or a hurricane comes and shuts everything down. There are so many variable to consider when managing your time. But when all your plans fail, pray! There’s a really cool story in the bible, about a guy named Joshua. God told Joshua to do something. Click here to read it. Joshua immediately went to work, but still couldn’t find enough time in that day to do the all that God told him to do. (You ever feel like that?) So instead of getting worried and nervous, Joshua talked to God in front of everyone, and asked Him to stop the sun and moon from moving. God answered his prayer, and Joshua was supernaturally given more time to finish his task.

Even though we know it wasn’t the sun or moon that stopped moving, but instead the earth had stopped rotating, the point is that sometimes you just gotta ask God for supernatural strength, grace, and even time in order to finish things you gotta do. Nothing wrong with asking God for help! I just wish Apple, with all of their cool technology, could create a device that freezes time. Maybe they can call it a timePOD?

“Everyday is training day” (4 of 5 time management tips)

Some of my most dreadful moments in life came two weeks before football season started in college. I originally went to Bridgewater College to play basketball, but wound up being apart of a Championship football team my sophomore year. As most athletes know, two-a-days are a training period where you do nothing but train and prepare for two weeks for the upcoming football season, and you have at least two major practices every day. Not fun, but definitely important and needed.

The reason why it was so hard, was because you don’t always see the benefits of this rigorous time immediately, so it becomes difficult to justify all the hard work and strain you put your body through. But sometimes you just gotta look ahead to the future, and have faith that your current sacrifices will produce great rewards in due time. Now as we talk about time management, I know for myself, one of my biggest issues has been laziness. I used to put things off to the last minute, and then either not finish tasks, or finish them in ways that didn’t represent excellence.

So this tip is pretty short and straightforward: Discipline yourself, work hard, and don’ let laziness make your life stressful. Click here to see what Paul says about this. Self-control, discipline, and sacrifice, are not feel good practices. Neither were two-a-days. But in order to be focused, strategic, and productive with our life and time-management, we need to develop the mentality that everyday is training day.

“Don't forget to eat your A.M's” (3 of 5 time management tips)

Hey everyone, SO SORRY I couldn't update my blog these past few days. I was out of town, and the hotel didn't have wireless internet. I mean c'mon! No wireless? Anywho, here's tip number 3 out of 5. Hope it helps.

Growing up, my mother never had problems with me finishing lunch or dinner, and every snack in between. However, she did have a hard time getting me to eat breakfast. For some reason, I just didn’t like eating early in the morning. (It’s still a struggle of mine) But as a kid, I always thought that as long as I ate the same amount of food as three meals throughout the day, I wouldn’t need to eat breakfast. Basically, I ate more food in less time. Looking back, it wasn’t the best strategy.

I think our schedules are like this sometimes. In the same way we need a balanced diet, we also need a balanced schedule. I see so many students with “top heavy” schedules, meaning nothing in the morning, everything at night. And all they do is run ragged all night long, sleep in, and do it again. Stressful huh? Even if you’re not the type to sleep in late, I want to encourage all of us (myself included) to become more productive throughout the whole day, not just in exhausted spurts.

The bible is full of examples of people rising up early in the morning to do things. Click here for a few examples. Even in His busy schedule, Jesus would get up early in the morning to pray, because it was the only time of day He could be alone. What does your day look like? Do you feel crammed with stuff to do? Do you feel like there isn’t enough time?

The bible says there is a time for everything. Maybe we just gotta use the time that’s given to us more wisely. Spread it out, not trying to do everything at once. And just like my mom always reminded me to eat breakfast, maybe I’ll remind you, “Don’t forget to eat your A.M’s”

“You better count your chickens before they hatch” (2 of 5 time management tips)

Growing up, we always heard that we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch. Well, I looked up where that saying originated, and I don’t agree. You can read the origin here. It’s basically a mother telling her daughter to only plan and make decisions for the now, but not for the future.

Jesus said that if someone wants to build a tower, doesn’t that person see how much it’s gonna cost them (time and money), and then decide if they’ll be able to complete it or not? It’s the same way for us in our lives. How many things do we say yes to, only to find out that the cost of that things is way more involved than we thought. And so we wind up pulling a couple of all-nighters or canceling prior commitments we’ve made.

One the best ways to manage your time, is to only take on things that you know you’ll be able to complete without loosing sleep for weeks. I’m not saying that you should only do easy stuff all the time to make sure you get them done. But if you decide you want to do something that’s going to take a lot of your time and effort, make sure you don’t sacrifice that big great thing at the expense of bunch of not-so-important things.

So plan ahead, plan wisely, don’t fill up your schedule too quickly, and don’t forget, “You better count your chickens before they hatch.”

“First things first” (1 of 5 time management tips)

Everyone thinks they need a little more time in their day. And I’m sure there are occasions when it’s true, like when your on vacation, or spending time with family and friends. But why do we try to jam so much into our already busy schedules? Why are we so hard pressed to join every campus group that will make our resume look good, or too afraid to say no to that professor or advisor who asks you to join a committee that you’re really not to enthusiastic about?

What do you think is best for you and the things you commit to? Is it being mediocre at 15 different things? Or is it being GREAT at 2-3 things? Some people may be great at more or less that what I just said, but the point is that we prioritize what is most important, and give more attention and energy to the things on the top of the list. In fact, I’m sure we can do away with some “good” things for the sake of some “great” things in our lives.

Jesus pretty much said the same thing. Check this link out. He said don’t worry about all the things in you gotta do. But the first thing on your list should be to spend time with Him, and just plain old live right. And in doing those things, all the other things (which are important) will come to you. Jesus is showing us, that if don’t prioritize our relationship with Him in our busy filled days, there’s a good chance we may not find time for the most important thing in our life, Him!

What have you done today? Whatever you do, make sure the first things first.

“Got Time?”

Class is back in session! And I’m sure students across the country are ecstatic! (I say that sarcastically) The truth is, so many students are freaking and stressing out. And dare I say that a lot of that stress doesn’t necessarily come from our workload, but from how we manage the workloads we have.

Time management can be vital to success and greatness, but so few are actually taught it. Even I need a lesson or two in time management every now and then. Now even though I’m no expert, I want to share some things I’ve learned from the bible and my personal experiences, on how we should spend our time. Isn’t it crazy that the bible actually has some practical applications about how we should live?

Many people know that were supposed to be good stewards of what we’ve been given, and many think that it’s only talking about money, property, etc. But did you know that it also includes time? It’s really not a far stretch, cause everyone’s heard the phrase, “time is money.” So how you spend your time is very important!

College should prepare you for “real life”, whatever that means. Not just in the areas of your future profession, but in areas of character, habits, and overall lifestyle. I believe that the way you leave one thing will determine how you enter another. So instead of waiting for after college to start learning how to manage your time efficiently and effectively, over the next five days, I want to give you five different principles on time management that I hope will help you as you start this school year. Got time?

“K.I.S.S. it (Keep.It.Simple.Stupid)”

Felt a little nostalgic earlier tody as I played kickball with a group of friends. Besides the fact that I slightly sprained my ankle carrying a tub of bottled water, I had a great time. This afternoon, I really felt like a kid again. Tonight, I definitely feel like an old man.

As I was playing earlier, I was thinking about the three different times Jesus said we SHOULD act like children! I always wonder about that statement, and I think I get new perspectives on it all the time. Today as I played kickball, I realized, in the middle of all the rules we adults put on the game, it really is a pretty simple concept. Roll the ball, kick the ball, and run run run.
You know what else is a pretty simple concept? The Christian faith. Although it will take eternity to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is, it’s still pretty straight forward. Jesus said follow him, love God with all your ability, love everyone along the way, no matter what. 

We need to stop searching for the next “new deep” revelation, “new deep” theological truth, or “new deep” experience. We need to become like children, and keep it simple. And I say this in the most endearing way possible, “Just K.I.S.S. It (Keep.It.Simple.Stupid).”

“Hidden Potential”

Earlier today I came across this show on TV called Hidden Potential. This show basically shows homebuyers and viewers what their dream home could look like before they buy it. It was pretty amazing to see what the finished product COULD look like with a little bit of help.

Maybe we should start our own show about campus ministry. Too bad the name Hidden Potential is already taken, because thats a big element of what we do. So many students have no idea what they are capable of until someone comes along and helps them grasp a vision for their life, especially the ones that have an extremely poor self image. It’s always exciting to call greatness out of the hidden places in people’s lives, and even more so when they begin to see it themselves.

Maybe this helps a little in answering a question I often get, “Why on earth would Jesus die for me?” Well, maybe it’s because you’re worth a lot more to Him than you think you’re worth at all. I think, just like the show, he can look at you and see how truly great and amazing you are. Can you see you’re “Hidden Potential?”

“ Lighting CAN strike more than twice”

Now that Phelps is done swimming, is anyone watching Usain Bolt dominate the 100m & 200m? He already has the gold medal for the 100m, and is hoping to be the first since Carl Lewis back in 1984, to win gold in the 100m & 200m. The way this guy runs is just like the way Phelps swims, naturally amazing, but relaxed.

Those runners were clocking speeds close to 30 mph, but their faces looked so at ease. You could even see their bottom lips just hanging and bouncing as if they were falling asleep. I remember someone told me that they can actually run better when their bodies are relaxed as compared to rigid and stiff.

So many analogies can be drawn between athletics and the Christian faith, and this is no exception. Jesus often encouraged us to not worry. Not to worry about life; what we’ll eat, wear, or even say in the moments when we’re asked questions that we may not be confident to answer. For me, when I worry I get all tensed up, and when I chill, I’m relaxed. Now it’s not that Jesus was telling us to not care about anything, and just chill all the time, but to do the opposite of worry, which is to have faith.

So if these runners run better relaxed, maybe we should run our lives relaxed. And if you run your life relaxed, not worried all the time, maybe we can be as great as Usain Bolt...maybe lighting CAN strike more than twice.

“It’s not good for man to EAT alone”

The gauntlet was thrown down. I had no other alternative but to chew my way out. I heard if you can eat the pound burger at Cheeburger Cheeburger, you get your pic on their “Wall of Fame”. Now this burger starts at 20 oz. and is a pound AFTER it’s cooked. Needless to say, by looking at my sweet mug, I conquered the one pounder today. Like every great athlete (or eater), there was someone there to push me along. It’s as if competition and collaboration push you to go further than you could on your own. Next to our table was a HUGE 6’6”-350-pound-full-grown-tractor-trailer-of-a-man. Get the picture? He looked almost exactly like Big Black from that MTV show Rob and Big. He ordered the same thing I did, and we joked back and forth a few times as we BOTH ate our way to the “Wall of Fame”.

This is a great illustration of how the ones you surround yourself with will influence the outcomes of your life. Paul talks about how we should not be unequally yoked. Yoked isn’t an analogy reserved solely for marriage, but could mean your close friends, confidants, or even your roommates. Walking through life with someone who is trying to achieve the same things you desire, will dramatically increase your chances of success. When you do the opposite, failure can become quite normal. I’m not saying you should surround yourself with people who are exactly like you, but by those who are like-minded. If you’re trying to live right, live for God, you’ll do just that if you yoke yourself up with those attempting the same thing.

So love EVERYONE, but don’t yoke up with just anyone. Get someone in your corner, and remember, “It’s not good for man to eat alone”.

“It’s practice”

Had another fun day with my wife and niece (who’s visiting for the week). I love how her being here is motivating me to get out more and have fun. But I believe it was Spider-man's grandfather who said, "with great fun comes great exhaustion-ability” or something like that.

But I noticed something about myself today. After we played miniature golf, I took the ladies over to the driving range to hit some golf balls. Now I was never really great at driving a golf ball, but I could drive pretty straight and far. Now I haven’t hit a golf ball in over six months, but I thought I would be able to step out there and hit just as good as I had before. I was wrong. I probably only hit 2 or 3 good ones. The rest, well, I don’t want to talk about it.

Lesson learned: No practice, no performance. We can’t expect to perform at a high level in anything without practice. It’s like someone trying to overcome lust, without practicing holiness. The bible mentions practice quite a few times. Jesus often talks about not just hearing His words, but putting them into practice. If we have all the wisdom in the world, but never practice it, what’s the point?

I remember Allen Iverson talking about practice, but I can’t wait until someone uses his words in different way, and answers a question like this: “What’s your secret to greatness?”… “It’s practice.”

"Seconds? Yes Please"

Went to Six Flags today. A little sunburn, a little rain, a whole lot of fun! We spent most of the afternoon at the water park section, but eventually ventured off to a few different roller coasters. (I especially liked the Joker's Jinx ride) My niece is almost 10 years old, so I figured she wouldn’t want to ride any of the serious roller coasters, but she definitely surprised me. At first she told me she will go on all the rides when she turns 21, but hesitantly she got on a very formidable ride. She rode it back to back, and then again before we left the park. I’m a proud uncle tonight.

As I watched her three-peat the ride, I realized I’ve seen this before. So many young people are afraid to do things that they’ve never done before. And instead of giving it a shot, they just say they are too young or under-qualified, and say they’ll do it later when they grow up. Well, If God waited to use us until the moment we’re ready, He’d never use us at all. I believe God loves using young and/or inexperienced people. It helps illustrate the reality that God is so tight, that He doesn’t need an all-star cast to win. He just needs a cast. I once heard, the only ability you need is availability.

My hope is that we would all become more "available" to the things that God is calling us to do, not JUST the things that we think we got locked down. Then hopefully we’ll look at life the way my niece looked at that roller coaster. Seconds? Yes please :)

"I like to move it move it!"

I went to the National Zoo today. It made me think of the Madagascar 2 preview I saw the night before. I wonder if the way the zebra in the movie felt about captivity is accurate to reality. Maybe it was me, but a lot of the animals just looked sad. I mean, think about it, most of those animals are prevented from doing the very things that they were created for. For instance, the cheetah’s living space wasn’t large enough to cut loose and run full speed...and that’s what it’s most known for! I heard that when a wild animal is kept in captivity for too long, it becomes domesticated, and doesn’t even want to go back to the wild anymore. Maybe they become comfortable with their cages, I don’t know.

Either way, today as I found myself building an affinity towards animals, I realized that it wasn’t the animals I was so concerned about, it was people who live their lives in captivity like the animals. I know too many people who are imprisoned or enslaved, whether it be lust, greed, fear, depression, insecurity, or so many other things. Is there anything in your life that you can’t stop doing or feeling, even if you tried? If so, you may not be as free as you thought you were. Well, I believe God wants to set us free. You were made for greatness. I hope we never become like that cheetah, but instead, be able to do all the things that God has created us for.

So now, I find myself unsatisfied with captivity, just like that Zebra from Madagascar. And since I don’t like to be stuck in a cage, my new theme song is the same as theirs... “I like to move it move it.”

"Swimming?

I jumped on the bandwagon. It’s official, I’m a fan of olympic swimming. Myself, along with 107 million people, watched the U.S. freestyle relay team win the gold medal. If you missed it, you gotta check it out at YouTube. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was sitting at the edge of the couch, cheering and yelling, because the last guy in the relay came from behind to take the lead at the very last second possible.

As I watched the replay over and over, I noticed how Jason Lezak (the anchor), never peaked in his speed. Typically runners, or anyone who races in any capacity, try to reach their peak speed as quickly as possible. I once heard Darryl Green coaching some young men how to run the 40 yd dash, and he told them that you should never peak, but should continually get faster and faster as the race goes on. Paul said we should “run” with our lives as if only one gets the prize. In my life I’m always trying to figure out how to run better, faster, and stronger. So putting those together, we never want to get to the point in our lives where we “peak”. Nothing sadder than meeting that guy or girl who peaked in college. I hope we become the type of people who never slow down or peak, but instead, as we grow and mature, we continually get better, faster, and stronger at what God has called us to do.

And all this, from watching swimming. But seriously though...Swimming?

"Bullfrogs: They Nasty!"

So my niece is in town. Today we went to the National Aquarium. Good times. I just love this little girl. I’ve been planning so many cool things for us to do this week, and can’t wait to see her face when she finds some of them out. I heard that when you start having kids, you begin to understand and see God in a whole new perspective. I’m no daddy yet, but if the way I feel about my niece is any inclination of what it’s gonna feel like to have my very own kids, then I think I just took my understanding of God’s love and God’s plan for our lives to a whole new level.

It’s as if now I know why God prepares good things for us to do, because He loves us so much! As soon as it was official that my niece was coming into town, I immediately naturally started a list of things I KNEW she would love. That’s like God. His will for our life, is not just something that He wants us to do, and we just gotta obey and get on board because we feel we have to. I believe God’s will for our life is actually something that will fulfill the deepest desires of out hearts, even if on the surface it doesn’t look that way. We just gotta trust Him, and believe that His plans for our life are very good. Besides, He made us...I think He knows what we need and want, because He made us to need and want certain things.

What natural gifts and talents do you have, that you didn't have to work too hard for? What have you always been passionate about since you were a little kid? What dreams and goals do you have, that you have no idea where they came from? You find those things, you’ll be that much closer to finding out who you are, how God made you, and what He created you to do and love.

Also, spending time at the Aquarium also revealed something else thats very deep. Bullfrogs: They Nasty!

“WATCH-OUT! GRENADE!”

Cover me I’m gonna get him! … He’s coming on your left! … How and the world did he shoot us both at the same time!?!? These were all things that my opponents tonight said about me. It was my team vs. their team, two on two, serious video-game combat. I was getting my Call of Duty 4 on tonight with a few college students, and we literally had a blast.

During the middle of our time, I told my wife, “I love my job.” Playing video-games, eating pizza, and laughing at how bad one of the students was at playing the game, is really at the heart of what I do as a campus minister. No it’s not goofing around, or using the church’s new cool plasma TV for video-games… it’s the relational bonding that took place. And if you’re trying to walk with God, but not walking with anyone, there’s a good chance you may be walking the wrong way.

When Jesus first called His disciples to walk with Him, the intention wasn’t just so they could individually follow and be apart of His entourage. I believe He always planned for them to follow corporately. Walk with God, walk with believers, and get others to join your walk. For Jesus, discipleship wasn’t a church class or a 5-step program, for Him, it was relationship. Are you in relationship with Him? If so, who are you walking with? I once heard someone say, “You find your people, you find your purpose.”

Even though my team lost both games, we all gained so much more. WATCH-OUT!!! GRENADE!!!

"It's not really God!"

Last night I received my first official follower in Twitter! People have been checking it out from time to time, but up until now, I haven’t had anyone subscribe to it. Twitter is this new thing I’ve been using to update anyone who wants to know what I’m doing throughout the day. Even though all I gotta do is send a text message to the website, I still forget to update from time to time, but I think I'm getting better at it.

I love how technology, when used appropriately, can be used to keep people connected. Even when loved ones are far away, you can be so involved with what they’re doing with just a click of a button. Especially with something like Twitter. But as I contemplated updating my Twitter with mundane events or thoughts, I was wondering who in the world would want to know all these details of my daily life? Then it hit me. There’s been someone who’s been following me way before I started using Twitter. They’ve been following me even before “me” existed! It’s Jesus. Did you know that God is intimately involved in every aspect of who you are? In the good, the bad, and ugly, He’s there. In the areas where your flaws shine like diamonds on velvet, your insecurities are exposed, and your embarrassing moments broadcasted, He’s there. He knows how many hairs are on your head and His thoughts of you outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore...i’d say He’s pretty interested in you. Maybe thats why He said He’d never leave you nor forsake you...because He’s already so invested in you, because He passionately loves you.

I just wish there was button I could push that let’s me know what God’s up to. And if your like me, wondering if there is a Twitter account for God, I already checked. But if you decide to look it up... first read my disclaimer.

**Disclaimer: It’s not really God!

“Hard-Rest”

I’ve seen this picture before, but today it carried a little more weight. I noticed that this was a picture of ME! (except I’m not as physically fit). I don't believe in evolution, but it is right in how our culture has "evolved" to the point where were always on our computers and gadgets trying to get work done. Yesterday, I was so “busy” on my laptop, that I only acknowledged my wife’s presence...but didn’t really get to spend time with her. Now that I think of it, I was so focused I really didn’t get to spend time with God either?

Now, I’ve heard many people talk about how important hard-work is, and I totally agree. But I think there is something just as important, and I call it “hard-rest”. It’s not on google or wikipedia, so maybe it doesn’t exist… yet. But nonetheless the principal isn’t new. I think God was the first one to demonstrate this. Remember when He rested on the seventh day after making the heavens, the earth and everything in it? Now I’m no biblical scholar, but I don’t think He did this because He was tired. Maybe he was trying to show how important it is to step away from work (even work that’s good) to do something that’s very good. I love how after each day God created something, He said it was good, but after the day He created Adam and Eve, He said it was very good. Maybe He took the seventh day off so he could spend time with what He created. God’s intention of making you and I has always been relationship. Work is important, but why you’re working more important.

With school starting up soon, I wonder how many students (and non-students) this summer were actually able to “unplug” or take a break from working so they could spend time with God and loved ones? I’d love it if you could leave a comment telling us what you like to do with your downtime!

So let’s all take some time this week and just chill. With no pretext or goals other than to just relax and enjoy what’s been created for you and by you. It may be a little hard for you to find rest, but when you do, it’ll be just that, “hard-rest”.

"Anyone got a light?"

I felt like I was gonna die last night! I turned off the gas heater in the basement trying to fix a leak, and I accidently turned off the pilot. I didn’t know I could turn off the hot water without turning off the pilot light, so to my surprise, I had to start the pilot light back up to get the hot water back. No one wants to freeze in the shower. Now, I’ve never done this before, so I was pretty scared. I mean, when the directions say: light with match, but make sure you don’t smell gas so you wont EXPLODE… kinda makes one very very careful. Needless to say, I got it working, gratefully with no explosions. But as I laid in bed afterwards, thinking about how dangerous the outcome could’ve been if I wasn’t careful, I started thinking about the college campuses that I work on, and how our campus team is steadily believing for student’s hearts to catch on fire and burn for God. In Luke 12:49 Jesus said, “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth- how I wish it were blazing right now!” But just like lighting that pilot, things can get very dangerous if you’re not careful when reaching out to people. I’ve had my fair share of folks “exploding” in my face. And again, just like that gas heater, I believe God has given us clear directions on how to start the fire. I wonder what they are? Maybe it goes something like this:

Step 1: Love God
Step 2: Love Others
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you see the fire.

If Jesus came to start a fire on this earth, and if you were called to “”carry the torch”, how would you do it? What would you say are the directions God left for us? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’d love to give a new meaning to the phrase: “Anyone got a light?”