Howdy! It is currently 11:47 PM on Sunday, May 29, 2010. It has been a really boring, yet somewhat relaxing day. I went to church this morning and learned from Neil Klodzen, as he was filling in for Phill, who, along with all of the other youth leaders, were at the wedding of Joel and Molly Bertles. Neil had some great things to share this morning regarding missions and evangelism. I was able to have some great time of conversation with Tyler Eix and Scotty Kunkel. I love hanging out and talking to those guys about Jesus. It always makes for a fruitful conversation. Then, this afternoon I just kinda hung out and watched the Cubs game. Then I went and played some tennis. My night ended with a game of Settlers of Catan with my parents, and here I am now, writing on here. Like usual, I am not exactly sure what I’m going to be writing about, so I’m just kinda hoping things flow through my stream-of-consciousness like they have in the past.
I have been reading, though rather slowly, Vintage Jesus, by Mark Driscoll. It’s a pretty good read. It is an apologetic of sorts, but mainly just a great, in-depth description of every facet of our Savior. Below are some great quotes I have come across so far:
“No matter how many verses are used, the Bible has not been rightly understood or proclaimed unless Jesus is the central focus and hero.”
“…Jesus’ mission on the earth was not to diminish, disregard, or disavow the Old Testament. Rather, he came to fulfill all that was anticipated of him in the Scriptures.”
“As a prophet, Jesus is to be understood as the truth-telling boldly confrontational preacher who attacks our sin, folly, and rebellion by rebuking us and commanding us to repent.”
“As our king, Jesus demands and deserves obedient loyalty to his commands over every aspect of our life. Subsequently, there is no such thing as a personal life for the Christian.”
This last quote kinda contains a revelation I had recently and have been walking in recently. I have never been a really greedy person, I have sin issues, but that’s not one of the areas I struggle with. But I have recently encountered, deeper than I have before, the concept of everything in this world belonging to God, not those who physically possess it. I have always known, ya know, in the deep recesses of my mind, that none of my money is mine, yadda yadda yadda. But I have only really thought about it deeply the past month or so. It kind of plays into the concept of, “everything happens for a reason (the glory of God).” I just know that if I lose something, or if something gets stolen, or if I feel the need to give something away that I am attached to, it is not mine, it is God’s, he merely lent it to me. This makes it much easier to let go of things when God calls you to give things up. In possessing all of your stuff, keep your hands open. Allow your things to pass freely to those who may need them more than you. Don’t grip onto your things so tightly you begin to think you actually did something to earn them. It is only by God’s grace you have life, let alone your flat screen TV or paycheck.
I’m getting kinda tired, and I don’t think I’ll be able to come up with much more that is very profound. I’ll post again soon.
-Chris
