Re:action – Your Future Self

Your Future Self

In church they told us to write down our prayer requests and look back later on and see where God has worked in our lives. Such a good idea. I never do it, but it’s a really great thing to do, I would just have to assume. But all of that aside, I’m not writing a spiritual post today. Today it’s about remembering.

About a year ago believe it or not I was in Muskat, Oman visiting my friends Ross & Jennifer. It was one of those trips that so much happened within a couple of weeks there would be no way to decipher the order of of events or the many things we did without recording it somehow. As you may know, my prefered method of recording is through text. Old fashioned, i know but it works for me. So I journalled a list of words and short descriptive phrases from my trip. This might have been the coolest thing I have ever done.

Re:action – The Bear

The bear

While I was in college, I had the opportunity to be a lifeguard and summer staff leader at Pine Summit Christian Camp with my friends Thomas and Christal Castro. One of the best things about that summer was that I got to spend a lot of time hanging out and getting to know high school students. During one of those weeks of camp, a young man named Tony graced us with his attendance. Tony was in 8th grade and was too tall for his age making him just a bit uncoordinated. He wore the punk getup, with a sideways cap and baggy jeans perhaps to fit in or maybe to look dumb intentionally. This kid from the beginning had an easily identified M.O. He was there to impress the chics. Everything he did had the hidden or not-so-hidden agenda of scoring himself a camp girlfriend.

Re:action – “Thank you for that.”

“Thank you for that.”

I woke up today and thought to myself “I enjoyed life much more when I was writing.” I realize that by writing this thought down, my mom will upon reading this call and ask if I’m depressed. So, the answer will be no, because I’m writing. The trouble is where to begin when it’s been nearly 6 months since my last post. A few months ago, I lived in the suburban town of Clovis, in a new neighborhood, in a new house that my roommate Mike had bought right behind a brand new elementary school. We’ve been good friends and he knew my financial situation so he gave me a really good deal on rent. I had my own room, my own garage space, I could go out in our 100 sq. foot back yard (really little, but also nice and quaint) and sit on the brick wall and look at the stars at night. We had a fireplace and a huge tv, wireless internet, and a community pool 100 yards away, much more than a missionary needs. It was great and I was content. Mike is getting married at the end of May to his fiancé Ersilia, so a natural inclination to change domiciles became apparent.

Re:action – Anticipating (great?) conditions.

Anticipating (great?) conditions.

Maybe its time to start this up again. My last post was 3 months ago and i sincerely apologize for the gap. I’m excited for next week, beside from it being Thanksgiving and the normal enthusiasm that comes from the Holiday season, I’m especially stoked about riding Mammoth Mountain. This weekend i’m doing a lot of sit-ups and some extra jogging to prepare for the adventure that will begin on Wednesday morning at 8:30am. November 8th, was opening day for the 2007-2008 winter season, only the main lodge is open now with one chair servicing the early birds until Tuesday Nov. 21st when two more lodges will open hopefully along with several more lifts. The snow report says that there is an 8-14 inch base but from looking at the webcams, conditions look pretty bleak. Temperatures are too high to make snow tonight so I’m hoping for some favorable changes in the next couple days. All of that negativity aside, snowboarding on 5 inches or nice, deep soft powder is still snowboarding in my book so this will be a good trip. Thankful? yes!

Re:action – Possession

Possession

It’s the theme of many intense thrillers that has you at the edge of your movie theater seat. It makes for a great story in classic literature and it raises eyebrows when mentioned in conversation, but is it real? Demons…really? In the 1998 film ‘Fallen’ starring two of my favorite actors, Denzel Washington and John Goodman, a convicted killer Edgar Reese (played by Elias Koteas) holds a demonic power that is mysteriously spread by touch. Detectives Hobbes and Jonesy, (Washington and Goodman) must solve the mystery of this demonic power before it infects the citizens of their town and kills again. Jesus’ encounter with a violent demon named “Legion” in the gospel of Mark chapter 5 suggests that possession is real, but I don’t see too many crazy old men running around grave yards these days or serial murderers blaming their crimes on a demonic possession.   

I can remember an encounter that I had in high school in a coffee shop in town with a man in his late forties that spoke to me with such opposition that I claimed he was demon possessed. In hindsight, I was a closed-minded, content Christian that didn’t know better, or want to know better. I simply jumped to a conclusion when I was uncomfortable with opposition to my concrete faith.

Re:action – Surprised? not really

 New Blogroll Link.

Hey friends, I haven’t written in a while, a new train of thought is moving though and new posts are on the way. However, i have been reading and keeping up with one major study going on at the Lifeway research center; Ed Stetzer’s new blog deals heavily with the issue of why students are leaving churches today. I want you to read the articles that have come out and will be coming out on this issue. Instead of even writing or commenting about it I turn you over to them. Click the edstetzer.com link on the blogroll now!

Re:action – Adventures in Ministry

Adventures in Ministry
I’m about to briefly leave the state again, adjacent Nevada here I come. I’ve been given another awesome opportunity to do something fun and completely adventurous. I’m preaching at a Missions camp next week. This summer has been full of crazy adventures like this and I’m thrilled to see how God will use me throughout this next week. When I get back I’m teaching an Evangelism seminar in San Diego at a Filipino conference there, so I’m having a very busy summer, reminiscent of the last two summers working at Fuge camps actually.
Well, a fairly good-sized portion of my job is to help plan, promote and work at Tsunami, the annual student conference every December. This year it will be in beautiful Long Beach again on the 27th through 29th of December. We have made decisions on most of our talent for the conference and only need a few other pieces. So far we have, Erwin McManus, Wayne Chaney, Moi to lead worship and Leeland as our headline concert band.

Re:action – Crooked.

Crooked

It was quite possibly the most difficult year of my youth but one of the most defining times of my life. I’m pretty sure I can describe myself back then as a semi-athletic but awkward 5^th grader, capable enough to do the things other boys in my grade did, but not as socially accepted as the other guys. I was always left out of the conversations and I wasn’t ever included in the laughter; in fact, most of the time the laughter was about me. Either the way I ran crooked so my legs didn’t look right or some other reason to poke fun, they always cut me right where it hurt, my self-esteem. I was never good enough to be one of the guys, and they let me know every chance they could. Fortunately for me

Re:action – Be Used.

Be Used     

         Do you feel like you’ve been making breakfast for a dead relative or watering a dead tree stump? Have you come to a place seeking to serve God and make an impact, but now that you’re there you wonder if you’re ineffective? Does your ministry/mission seem kind of pointless sometimes?

I hope to brighten someone’s day when I say, it doesn’t have to be pointless.

Re:action – Shalom.

Shalom.

Oh God! How can you be so perfect? Your way is so mysterious and it completely astounds me to be in the presence of your awesome power. You answer my prayers in your just and loving way with your impeccable timing. There is nothing about you Lord that isn’t worthy of the entire earth’s praise. The Universe shouts how great you are right now. You change our hearts and minds to focus off of ourselves and onto you and your magnificence. You are so big and you care fiercely about the little ones. Your desire for Glory involves me just as much as it makes me ashamed of my pettiness. I’m sinful and untrustworthy. I’m flawed and unrighteous, self-righteous and willfully ignorant of goodness. Yet you’ve made up your infinitely wondrous mind and decided to turn all of your wrath on your sinless son and listen to his scream as he suffers for my sake, and for the world’s sake. And for what? so that we can thank you half heartedly with our conniving lips? I constantly take advantage of your mercy. I desire my own form of justice, my own self-interest and God; you love me in spite of it all. When I don’t have the faith to trust you, you pull through because you were in control the entire time. I underestimate you when I try to define you. You desire to be known and I can know you. God, your definition is beyond conception. You’re limitless and all powerful. How can you love me so much? Amen.