Something to think about.

Before you read the rest of this post, watch this video.....

(click here) Tears of the Saints

The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.......wow

the numbers blow me away, the pictures of the girl with scars on her hands fill my eyes with tears, the very magnitude of need in our world brings me to my knees.........there are so, so many in this world who are hurting, who are struggling to just survive. 30,000 people starve to death every day, and I have all you can eat buffet three times a day......

If I can anything through this video, I hope I can cause you to think. Think about the way you are living your life right now, RIGHT NOW. What are you doing to bring healing to those around you, what are you doing to bring the message of the gospel to those we so desperately need it. This has definitely challenged me. Even with my very limited resources as a college student, I am looking for every opportunity I can to follow my Jesus and answer the call.

Recently a man named Jack Murphy came to chapel to speak. He was famous for his role in the biggest diamond heist in history. He was eventually caught and his many other crimes, including murder gave him a sentence of 240 years......240 years. And yet, God came to him in the deep darkness of prison. A ministry started by Bill Glass came to his prison yard and put together an event. He brought famous athletes, nascar drivers, rock stars and many other to his prison. But he also brought hundreds of volunteers to this weekend, armed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jack was drawn by all the famous people and he really wanted to see the fast cars and so he went. But when the time came to pair up with a volunteer and talk, Jack was convicted with the way his life was going. The young college student asked him, are you happy with your life? Jack said no, Then, he said, you need a new driver. Let God be your driver. And Jack knelt down that day and became a Christian. He wanted that new driver, he wanted a new life.He didn't say how, but somehow he got out of prison after 25 years. And now he tours with Bill Glass all over the world, in the very prisons he just escaped from. He goes not because he likes prisons, but because he knows the need of those inside those four walls. At the end of his chapel speech, Jack asked if we would be willing to go with him to DFW state prison on Nov 11-13 and be that light in the darkness. I was intrigued, but was too scared. He then said, "I know your scared. You don't think you can relate to a hardened criminal. But God doesnt need your words or your experience, he just needs your obedience. You need to put Him back in the driver seat." And I signed myself up. I'm still scared out of my mind about what I'm going to say, or what I'm going to do. But I'm also excited, excited for what I know God is going to do.......

I'm not here to brag about how great a Christian I am, cause I am most definitely not, I merely want to encourage you. We are all called to be lifetime missionaries, maybe not in a distant country, but in our workplace, our social groups and in our communities, I would strongly encourage you to get involved. Check out Champions for Life at:this link Maybe they are having one near you. But whatever you do, don't just read this and watch the video and not let it change you. Don't ever forget the face of that little girl. God loves her as much as He loves you. He is calling us to go to her, to comfort her, and to protect her, to give her a home, and to show her the only way to Salvation.......

Now the decision is yours to make....

Super Bowl Time!!!!

So all I got to say is wow. God you are AWESOME. He has been doing some incredible things in my life recently. Although when I tell them they might not seem very earth-shattering, to me they are. So as most of you know, I am going to college in Texas to be a missionary pilot. Well as you also probably know, college is expensive. Tack on flight training and you got alot of expensive. So anyways, I don't know, it just seems like recently I have been kinda burdened with just the sheer magnitude of debt that I am going to have when I graduate from here, and despite my best efforts at working part time jobs during the semester, its just hard to make ends meet. I don't know why but I was getting just a little depressed, although I might not have been showing it outwardly I had this burden on my heart.
Well we serve an awesome God. And this past couple weeks God has just come alongside me and encouraged me to persevere and not to lose heart. I was at church a few Sundays ago and was listening to a message on Paul and the "thorn in his side" that God had {blessed} him with. I'm sure you have all heard the story, but I will just paraphrase it for you. Basically God had given Paul this weakness, whether physical or emotional we are not really sure, but we do know that it was a burden on Paul. Three times Paul asked God to remove it from his life but God did not. Finally God said to Paul, I will NOT take this thorn from you, because I have given it to you to grow your faith. In your weakness I will make you strong. Through your shortcoming, I will be glorified. I will shine greater through your weakness and I could have ever through your strengths......
And I just felt God speaking to my heart at that moment and saying, "I have given you this weakness in finances." You will never be rid of it. You will never be rich and have multiple houses and cars and an extravagent lifestyle, instead you will have just enough to make it through. I will bring you through. Though this weakness, MY power will be shown in you. And through your life I will be glorified. And a peace just came over me at that moment. I can't explain it. I was like the entire weight of trying to figure out how to pay off college debt was lifted of my shoulders and I was free. Not free from the debt, but free from worrying about it. GOD WOULD TAKE CARE OF ME. He would bring me through, He had promised me. And however long it took him was totally up to God. And I am ready to follow Him.

But the story is not over yet. God decided that He needed a little bit more fireworks.......So you all know I love sports. Football in particular.  I am a die hard San Diego Chargers fan. Have been all my life. I was born with it. Well I have never been to a profeesional football game, let alone my Chargers football game. As you know these games are quite expensive to attend. Well it just so happens that a few days after church, my good friend Mirb message me. He's all like, "Did you know that the Chargers are playing the Houston Texans in Houston on November 7?" {the texans are his favorite team......poor soul} And I'm all like of course I know that. Then he goes, "Well would you like to be there to see it?" and I'm like, whats the catch man....He's all like, "no catch bro, its my birthday, all expenses paid." At this point, it hasn't quite set in my mind and I'm like well, that would be cool, but its never going to happen. He goes, "ok, I'm ordering the tickets right now....."
I had to pause a moment to pick myself of the ground. Did he just say that we were going to a Chargers Football game??? Did I get enough sleep last night? I think my mind is playing tricks on me. I read the message again, yes he really did just say that.............thus begins a crazy victory dance around the dorm room with many shouts and jubilant cries............really, I'm going to the game. It might as well be the Super Bowl, this was a big deal.......then with tears in my eyes, I remember God's promise.
"I will take care of you and bring you through." Wow God, really? you are an incredible God.........wow.

So as you all know I like to end these things with a motivating thought. So why don't you just try out my little experiment. Maybe God hasnt given you the weakness of money, maybe you are weak in another area. Take some time, think about what worries you the most. What do you spend the most time thinking about? Then give it to God. Let him have control of your weakness. Let Him shine through you, like sunlight through a stain glass window. Test Him. See if He follows through. In Malachi we read,

"put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer [2] for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts."


Take that step of faith, let God take the lead. Stop living a life of false pride and acting like you have it all together, let God make you perfect through weakness.....who knows, you might be going to the Superbowl...