The Greatest Epic of Our Time: The White Wizard

Within his epic Tolkien was constantly contrasting opposites. Light and dark are at constant odds, and constantly mirrored against each other. There are two towers set against each other (Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul), two ring bearers (Gollum and Frodo), etc...

Of all his contrasts in tale, none is better at getting this point across than the two White Wizards Tolkien places in his story, Saruman and Gandalf. Saruman and Gandalf look almost alike, both possess incredible power, and both are capable of bending others to their will. They look and seem so alike that even characters who travel with Gandalf for years end up mistaking one for the other at points. Both even desire to overthrow evil. The one significant difference between the two are the ways they decide to go about their work.

Saruman seeks out knowledge and places the things of the mind first. He tries to understand the way the world works, creates new technology, and studies people and places systematically. Gandalf on the other hand chooses to seek relationships, people, and love first. He desires to know people, their history, who they are, and how he can help them. In the end, Saruman gains what he desires. He gains knowledge and power, and then, because he has no love for those around him, he ends up destroying them and himself in order to push them to do what he thinks is right. On the other hand, Gandalf gives of himself to protect others, even to the point of death, and is in turn given power and authority over others so he can go back and sacrifice even more for him. Saruman dies pitifully and miserably, self-diluted and self-pitying. Gandalf goes in peace to Paradise a victor and loved by those he gave everything for.

What Tolkien was getting at is absolutely incredible. Here we see the dangers of the pursuit of self-empowerment. Saruman tried to gain wealth, knowledge, and power, believing that, at a point, he could use it all to help others. But in his quest to make more of himself, he began to take his eyes of the ultimate goal and began to see the act of self-accumulating as an end in and of itself. On the other hand we see the empowerment that comes with self-sacrifice in Gandalf, who pursues others' well-being with no consideration for his own good and gains incredible knowledge, power, and wisdom in the process.

The lesson seems obvious and straightforward at first, but at second-glance seems absolutely counterintuitive to everything this world tells us. So often we are told that, once we gain enough, we will eventually have enough to give to others. The man who wants to get rich claims that, once he has enough, he will give to charity. The woman who is trying to be an M.D. says that, once she has a profession, then she can start helping people. The person who seeks that position of power and authority tells everyone that once they have it they will work hard to take care of all those under them. But when is enough enough? When do you have enough wealth to give generously? When do you have enough skill to care the needy? When do you have enough power to serve others? At what point do we draw the line?

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus tells a parable of three servants who are entrusted with some of their master's wealth. two go out and make profit with the money they are given, but the third decides to hide what he is given and protect what he has. The first two servants are rewarded for risking what they had for the good of their master, but the third is cursed for keeping what he had to himself.

In the same way, we so often waste our time holding our gifts back from the world, saying that, when the time is right or when we have enough, then we will give if ourselves. But God never asks for what we might have in the future, he asks us to serve Him with our gifts now. No talent, skill, or potency can compare with the awesome being who made us. He doesn't ask for us to give something others will consider beneficial. What we have right now is what he wants.

And when we take that risk and serve others with what we have, we find that what He gives us in return is worth so much more than we can make on our own. When we put others first and give ourselves away, we give Him the chance to fill us up with something even better to give away again. This is what it means to play a part in Christ's endless cycle of love.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.Come and share your master’s happiness!" - Matthew 25: 23

Praying we all hear those words when we finally get Home! God bless!

The Great Epic of Our Time : "The Least of These will be the Greatest Among You"

The world of Middle-Earth created by JRR Tolkien and the books that followed have been called the greatest epics of our time. Some would claim (my anthropology teacher among them) that it is the single greatest mythology ever created, more complex, in-depth, developed, and greater in scope than anything since the time of the Greeks and Romans. But why is it so phenomenal? I'm convinced it's due to the fact that, within his works, Tolkien left an echo of the True Nature of our own world, and in that truth lies the whisper of a Voice we can't recall, but we've always known. These next couple of blogs are dedicated to the greatest writer of the twenthieth century, and to the Voice he followed to the end of his days...

Who is the greatest leader in history? What did they accomplish? Did they conquer great nations, sail the seven seas, explore new frontier, make breakthroughs in their field, bring glory to their family, found empires, decide the fate of lesser men? Did they heal the sick, give to the needy, empower the oppressed, bring respite to the suffering, love their fellow man? Did they restore old knowledge, discover things hidden, unlock new heights of potential, drink deep of the fountain of wisdom? Did they bring justice and order? Did they give grace and mercy? Did they bring light into the darkness? How did they write their name in the stones of history?

In our culture, Greatness is often associated with power. We look to those with the most knowledge, the most skill, the most talent, the most strength. We believe that great leaders are the strongest, the smartest, the biggest and the best. We associate greatness with achievement.

In Tolkein's works, we see something completely contrary to the mindset of our culture. The One person upon whom the fate of the world depends is not a warrior, not a scholar, nor someone with any special gift or ability to help save the world. The entire future of his world is placed in the hands of a hobbit. Frodo Baggins of the Shire.

He has nothing special about him at all. It's not that he hasn't yet learned something about himself, not that he hasn't unlocked some hidden potential, not that he isn't given some special power to help others. He's just not capable. He's from the smallest of the small, the weakest of the weak, the most pathetic of the least of these. He can't possibly lead armies or conquer anyone or anything. He can't swing a long sword. He can't even find his way to where he is going.

Tolkein chooses to place the least powerful person in his story in the place of most honor. Why would he do this? Why not have a war story like everyone else? Why not have a story like Star Wars, where the heroes are all jedi with super-powers and big laser swords? Why not have a super-hero movie where the Dark Knight or Superman fly in, beat up the bad guy, and save the day? Where's the sense in having a movie with all this action, and your main character does nothing but run, hide, escape, and, on occasion, when trouble shows up, get saved by one of his friends who, with incredible skill, shoots down the troll with two arrows, takes down five guys alone, uses some incredible magic to kill an evil demon. Why aren't any of these other guys the main character?

Because the truth of the matter is, great leaders aren't those who are the most accomplished, or even the most capable. Heroes are those that sacrifice the most for others. They're the servants.

In Philippians 2, we see what God's take on heroism.

"Your attitude should be like that of Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a Servant by being made in human likeness. And being found in human likeness He humbled Himself to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God gave Him the name that is above every name: that at the name a Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2: 5-11

Here we have the God of the Universe, the Greatest being in existence, the essence of Power, Kingliness, Greatness and Splendor, arriving on earth not as a king or a noble or even a great leader of men. He came down as a poor carpenter, born to two peasants, lived an ordinary life, never left his home country, never sailed the seas, never received a good education, never lead men into battle, never wrote a treaty, never wrote any works at all. He is most noted for being born in a dung heap and being slaughtered on a Roman torture device. His followers were rejects who betrayed Him the minute the public turned against Him. His family thought He was crazy. Yet, He is noted over and over again as the most eminent figure in human history. More songs have been sung about Him, more books written of His Greatness, more people claim Him as their God, and more people have given their lives for His Name than any other man who has ever walked the earth or ever will. We split time on His existence. He is the single most important being to ever walk the face of the earth. And in His time on earth all He ever did was out of love for others. All He ever did was serve and humble Himself.

This is the echo of truth we find in Tolkein's works. Tolkein chooses his hero for his selflessness, love, humility, and sacrificial nature. These are the traits, Tolkein claims, have more power than any sword or   any spell. And He seems to on to something.

When asked how to achieve greatness, Jesus replied: become the least. disadvantage yourself the most. give all you have to others. embody humility. the last will be first, the first will be last.

Praying that we humble ourselves like hobbits and touch true greatness beyond our wildest dreams. Not through achievement or accomplishment, but through sacrificial servitude!

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." - Matthew 25:40

"whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20: 26-28

God bless!

Cultural Christianity

The last few months, I have been struggling with an issue I've had since before I can remember. For as long as I can remember, I have lived in a culture filled with Christianity.

At this point, most people pause to ask me if I'm crazy. Shouldn't I be thrilled? Isn't that what we want? To be absolutely surrounded by a culture where Christianity is the norm? People tell me that we're so blessed to be in a community where we learn about Christianity, where we can easily find a church or a Christian organization or a small group to join. We can listen to Christian radio stations, wear Christian clothes, and even put nifty little fish on the backs of our cars. We can go to camps and conferences, hear cool Christian speakers, make awesome Christian friends, and, if God wills it, get a smokin' hot Christian spouse. We can even go on mission trips and serve others like Christians do! We are so blessed in this part of the world to be able to be Christians.

But where is our Christ? Where is Jesus?

Here, in the Bible Belt of the United States, we so often replace our Savior with our religion. We somehow convince ourselves into believing that by participating in these organizations, groups, and activities, we are living holy lives. We delude ourselves into thinking that Christianity is a decision we made, a culture we accepted, a type of person we want to be, a religion we think is cool.

Where is the love relationship with a God of the universe who beckons us to take up our cross and follow Him? Where is the adoration for an utterly majestic being who compels us to love Him more than all else with every fiber of our being for every moment of our existence, even unto eternity? Where is passion for the sacrificial lamb who tells us to sell all our possessions and follow Him? Where is the obedience to a Jehovah who commands us to take care of the lost and rejected, the hurting and lonely, the poor and the homeless, the orphans and widows, with every single breath that we breath?

Where is that follower of Jesus Christ?

How is it that I live in a town where the religious demographics are overwhelmingly Christian, and yet annually remains one of the poorest counties in the nation? How is it that I live in a city where so many people say they are Christians, but remains one of the largest and most unruly centers for alcoholism and drunkenness in America? How is it that I live in place where people proudly walk around wearing jewelry, paraphernalia, and clothing that is blatantly Christian, and yet locals are under a constant threat of gang violence?

Ghandi was a wonderful guy, wasn't he? He was full of wisdom, kindness, and truth. He was open to the Gospel, and learned much of his strategy for his peaceful revolution in India from Jesus' example. When asked why he finally rejected Christianity, he replied: "If I ever met a Christian, I would become one." and again, "I love your Christ, but not your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Can you imagine that? A man who openly thought Christ offered something different, something special, wisdom and knowledge and love unlike anything anyone else had come close to. Who used Him as an example he personally followed. But, who ultimately, rejected His divinity because those who claimed to know Him looked so evil, so calloused, so hypocritical, he was convinced there was no way that same God could live within them. Christians are, in some way, guilty for the state of Ghandi's soul. Ghandi, and millions of others.

My point in saying all this is not to down Christian activities and organizations. Nor is it to imply that every Christian will be perfect. I'm a churchboy in every sense of the word, and I am no where near good, much less flawless.

But the way we so often view these organizations or trips as modes of our faith or as the defining moments of our Christian walk is as unhealthy as it is irrational. Your spiritual state is not reflective of the trips you go on, the church you attend, the groups you're in, the catch phrases you use, or the way you dress. We don't look forward to a retreat, we look forward to the ultimate rest. We don't pursue a certain culture in this world, we pursue the Kingdom Coming. We don't look down to a cross around our necks, we look up to a cross planted on a hill called Golgotha. We don't serve Christianity, we serve Christ.

The word Christian means little Christ and again, Christ follower. That's exactly what it's meant to be. We are meant to walk with Christ, to look like Him, to become more and more like Him, and to fall passionately in love with Him. It's not just a card you write on or a decision you make before the altar. It is a choice we make every single moment of our lives. Do we choose, in the moment, to put Christ first, to love Him alone, to remain in Him and allow Him to remain in us? Do we choose, here and now, to be Christians?

Christianity is a wonderful thing; it's historically accurate, filled with truth, beauty, and power. It's been an enormous factor in the pursuit of human rights, peace, and world unity. It has changed the face of the world like no other religion has. But it doesn't take a genius to notice that, like every other religion, Christianity can fall short. Look at the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials. Christianity is influenced by people, and we have a knack for corrupting things.

But the one thing we can never corrupt, the one thing we can never move, the one thing we can never twist, break, soil, or defile is Jesus Christ. When humans touch Jesus, no matter how disgusting we are, He's always able to cleanse us. No matter how far we fall, He can pick us up. No matter how confused we are, He can give us clarity. He's too holy, righteous, and full of light for our dark and hurting lives to threaten Him.

What I dream of, what I so desperately desire, is not a culture where Christianity is a common title a person has. It's not a place where we are comfortable and content to simply be associated with Christianity. It's a world so consumed with Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit that it changes the way we live and the lives of those around us. I want to dwell in a place where sex is so revered and so passionate that it is reserved for the most intimate of relationships and reflects the selflessness two people have towards one another. I want to live in a culture where the homeless are supported willingly and gladly treated like human beings with hearts and souls. I want a place where the prostitute is taken in and treated with such gentleness and care that others believe her to be someone of importance when they see the way Christians treat her. I want to see a place where alcohol is used with such joy and difference that people don't need to get drunk to experience it's power to bring people together; where people are so at peace they don't have to escape to the smoke of a joint or the bottom of a bottle to have a moments' rest. Where every widow is loved and every orphan has a home. Where the language is love and it's spoken both in word and in deed. Where Jesus Christ is the focus and purpose behind every movement, thought, and action. That is the Christ culture I crave.

And it can and will be a reality.

You can just barely see it coming. Like a curtain slowly parting to reveal some beautiful masterpiece, we are, moment by moment, coming closely to the Kingdom. And we aren't leaving this place to get there. It's coming here. For the moment, it's our precious pleasure to experience Jesus' love and share it with all those around us. We get to be a part of the dance that brings Heaven to Earth.

"Then Samuel said, 'Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production." - 1 Samuel 15:22

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27

"³ We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. ⁴Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. ⁵ But if anyone obeys his word, love for God^[a] is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:3-6

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence"- 1 John 3:19

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." - John 4:23

"⁶Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness^[a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here I am." - Isaiah 58: 6-9

Praying that we all see the Kingdom Come! God bless!

Work Crew Part IV: The Best Day of my Life

hey guys! sorry it's taken so long for me to finish this little series! life's been incredible and crazy these last few months!

if you missed the last couple of posts, this summer i was blessed to work for a month at a young life camp called windy gap. all of us on staff payed our way to get there, and weren't payed a dime for the work we did. our staff community became a family that reflected Christ to the 1500 high school students we served over the course of the month. the four weeks we worked there the Lord taught me so much about Himself and about how much He loves us.

the last week of camp, i experienced what was one of if not the single greatest moments of my life. we had an incredible couple of weeks, and i honestly didn't know how the Lord could bless my month any more. and then, He did.

that last week, we had a camper get caught with a very large amount of drugs in his possession. the camper had thought he would get bored and need a quick fix or two, and thought he would be able to get some extra cash by selling the drugs when he got a free minute. he hadn't sold or used any of the drugs through the whole week because he had been having such an incredible time. when he was caught, he freaked out. he thought he would be kicked out of camp and sent to jail. instead, he was forced to work with me and my work crew during one of our shifts. when the guy came into the kitchen he looked bewildered. he was happy he wasn't going to jail, but he was trying to prepare himself for the judgement he would most certainly get from a bunch of church-folk who were serving at a Jesus-camp! of course we would punish him, look down on him, and seem awkward or worrisome around him. when he came into the back, he was thrown off. these people were working, hard, and did so with smiles on. they danced, sang, and joked around as they work. he found that he actually enjoyed something about it. they treated him like family. i was never more proud of my work crew than the way they responded to this young man. he was literally openly astonished by the way they loved him. the Lord was present while he was in that hot, smelly, humid room.

we wrote our favorite Bible verses and notes of encouragement and placed them in the same fake peanut butter jar the drugs had been stashed in. the young man's leaders gave him the container later in the week.

and then, there was thursday. during the campers quiet time outside, as we began to sing and signal the campers to go back to their cabins, they all began to shuffle down the hill and into the buildings below. all but one. he was flat on the floor, sobbing, and absolutely incapable of getting up. all he could say was "my girlfriend is dead." we all prayed for him, and worshipped on that hill with passion and brokenness, joy and desperation. then one of my friends half-carried him to his cabin. the Lord began to tell me to take care of my brother, so i began to write him some encouragement, and grabbed a book we were given before we began work crew training. when my friend came back, i asked what his story was. he told me this:

he was a junior in high school. a few months ago he and his girlfriend, who had been his best friend for seven years, had died. they were running one day, and her heart gave out. without warning, the week before prom, he had been stripped of the closest relationship he had on this earth. he was a Christian leader at his school, and he would soon be working at another young life camp the next week.

once again, my team blew me away. they all wrote the boy encouragement of their own, and we placed them in the book. i waited all friday, but couldn't find him. finally, i gave up searching the camp. that night, during the big group meeting, who would be the first person to come in but the guy i'd been searching for all day. i was able to give him the book and notes. he took them with a confused look, and left the room.

finally, that friday night, i went into one of the cabins. the guys there listened to my testimony, and began to ask all sorts of questions. one of the campers in particular was obviously struggling. you could tell he knew the Lord was good, but had no idea how to survive in a world that is so overwhelming. you could also tell he was unsure whether he should talk about his issues openly. he kept mentioning them vaguely or generally, but never in detail. i left the room feeling blessed by how much they had all asked and how the Lord had moved, but i also felt like the work was unfinished.

and then came saturday.

it was my last day of work crew. we were all finishing up our last chores, our last dishes to wash, our last tables to set. and then, i passed the kid from cabin time again. i asked him if he wanted to talk more about what was bothering him, and to my surprise, he actually said yes. i looked for a chance to talk to him the whole morning, but couldn't find a chance. then, as i was just getting off to rest with my friends and get some ice cream, i saw him again. he was sitting with another one of the boys from cabin time, alone at a long table, and there in between them, was an open chair. i took the Lord's invitation. as i sat down, i silently prayed Jesus would take over. we began to talk about darkness, and his pain. his life without a godly father, his fears of the lure of alcohol and drugs in his home. his struggle with kleptomania. as we talked, i would answer a question, or ask one of my own, only to have an answer from a corner of the table or a voice beside me that i hadn't noticed before. after some thirty minutes, i realized that the table that had been empty before was packed, and there were guys sitting in chairs around us as well. i hadn't even noticed. the Lord had been speaking. i had been listening to what was coming out my mouth as much as they had. it came out without me thinking, and the words weren't mine. i realized that are time was up, and that some of the guys were getting tired, so i said goodbye and left.

as we sat in for our last big group session of the month, i watched something beautiful happen. the young man who had begun that week planning how to sell drugs spoke how the Lord had changed his life. then, as i left the room, the boy to whom we had given my book came up to talk to me. his eyes were bright, and he was grinning from ear to ear. he came up, called me by name, hugged me, and told me how the Lord had blessed him that week. he was thrilled. soon, he would be serving others at a young life camp of his own! as he left, a young man from my talk that morning came over and thanked me for talking with him. as he left, another one of the guys from that morning came up, and one by one, they all came out of the crowd of campers leaving for the buses to thank me.

as i walked back into our meeting room, i couldn't hold it in. right there, in the middle of the room, in front of all the other staff, i broke down. the month had been incredible, the week had been beautiful, and that saturday had been one of if not the very best day of my life. and i hadn't deserved it at all. the Lord had just decided to bless me in His time.

that's the funny thing about moving out in faith. the Lord never does things how you expect Him to. He rather enjoys showing us just how much He can blow away our expectations. our problem, i've found, is not that we hope for too much, but too little. we serve an infinite God who loves us and lavishes gifts on us we are absolutely unable to repay. we are allowed to be a part of the heavenly dance that will echo through eternity.

"7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.9“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" -matthew 7:7-11

praying that you see the Lord fill you up beyond anything you could imagine! God bless!

Work Crew Part III: Joyous Strength

hey guys! if you missed the last couple of posts, this summer i was blessed to work for a month at a young life camp called windy gap. all of us on staff payed our way to get there, and weren't payed a dime for the work we did. our staff community became a family that reflected Christ to the 1500 high school students we served over the course of the month. the four weeks we worked there the Lord taught me so much about Himself and about how much He loves us.

the third week of work crew, so we were told by our leaders -who'd been doing this for some time- is the hardest. it's the time when every team faces tension, when the exhaustion of multiple weeks of selfless and tasking labor, late nights, early mornings, and service begins to wear on a team. when their flesh goes to war against their hearts. when all their pride and selfishness becomes evident.

but our team, by some grace, seemed immune. that week, we grew closer, experienced more joy, and saw the Lord's grace even more. at the end of the week, we saw even more kids meet their Maker, and watched as miracles happened right before our eyes. there was less enmity and stress between us that week than there had been any week before.

our leaders seemed amazed at how we kept pushing through without pause. they thought we would have hit a brick wall by that point. but, like our Savior, we had something so much greater than sleep or an emotional high to keep us going.

"i have food to eat that you know nothing about... my food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work." - John 4:32-34

we were filled that week with the joy of the Lord, and it was incredible. every night, i went to sleep around two o'clock every night thinking "i am going to be exhausted in the morning, i'm not going to make it". every morning i woke up at seven awake and ready to go. the day was filled with work from sunup till sundown, cleaning, washing, being there for the campers emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, but it was like i was running on a full nights sleep. i never felt tired like i should have.

people often believe the Bible is being figurative when it says "the joy of the Lord is strength." (nehemiah 8:10). it's not.

there is nothing more real than God, and there is nothing more potent than His love. we have access to a power source that is incomprehensible in its capabilities. by His grace, we have been given access to that power. when we walk through life defeated, exhausted, and empty, we not only do we reject His gift of rest, but we limit ourselves through our selfish forms of introspection. that's not to say we won't be pressed and persecuted, but that we will never be crushed or abandoned. we may be struck down, but we will never be destroyed. we are blessed beyond anything this world can throw at us. His joy is our strength.

there is nothing more fulfilling than His love, and nothing more energizing than His passion.

"the Lord is my strength and my shield. i trust in Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. i burst out into songs of thanksgiving." -psalm 28:7

praying that we experience that love that brings joyous strength! God bless!

Grow the Grass

hey guys! hope everything's going great!

have you ever laid down centipede grass? if you have, you'll know that, when you first make the lawn, it looks horrible. the grass will be littered with weeds, all over, filling every inch of soil the grass doesn't. the grass looks small and half-dead. it's a mess.

you can try to pull the weeds out, but all you'll do is put a lot of energy into ripping up the soil, and making the grass look even worse. the work will be endless; you'll just get worn out.

instead, grow the grass. give it weed-and-feed, make sure it's watered, and let it soak in the sun. within a few weeks, you'll start to see something incredible. the grass grows quickly, but the weeds will begin to look more and more dead. as the grass spreads across your yard, the weeds begin to get fewer and fewer, faster and faster. you suddenly begin to realize: the grass is choking the weeds. soon, you have a lush lawn, and every weed in it dies prematurely.

our souls are the same way. often, when people want to live better lives, feel better about themselves, be "better christians", or experience God more, they try to do more good works, and attempt to stop doing whatever sin they see in their lives. they try to rip out every heartache, scar, weakness, or temptation from their lives. they make themselves busy with nice church activities or go to cool church events. and they end up wearing themselves to the core.

the Israelites attempted the same thing, and listen to what their God had to say to them:

"this is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." -isaiah 30:15

Instead of focusing on our fears or our faults and attempting to fix every aspect of our lives, we must simply rest in Him. we need only spend time with Him in prayer, fill our minds and hearts with His Word, and cling to His old rugged cross. as He fills us with faith, hope, and love, all lesser things are eclipsed in the glory of His Holy Spirit.

we cannot afford to be a generation simply of doers. doing things is wonderful, but doing accomplishes nothing without being. we must first be in Him before we can do anything through Him. we must let His light consume the empty void of our inner darkness. this is the meaning of the Christian life.

"my soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him." -psalm 62:1

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery [...] but by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." -galations 5:1-5

praying that He fills you up through your inmost being and gives you the ultimate rest! God bless!

Work Crew Part II: Be Still

hey guys! if you missed the last post, this summer i was blessed to work for a month at a young life camp called windy gap. all of us on staff payed our way to get there, and weren't payed a dime for the work we did. our staff community became a family that reflected Christ to the 1500 high school students we served over the course of the month. the four weeks we worked there the Lord taught me so much about Himself and about how much He loves us.

the second week the Lord chose to show me just how weak i am and just how great He is. for three quiet times in a row, the Lord kept bringing up mary magdalen and her sister, martha. both girls served Jesus, but went about it in very different ways. 

mary humbled herself and poured herself out at Jesus' feet... literally. she gave him her life savings: a jar of perfume she used to wash his feet. she broke open the nard and covered his feet with it, uncovering and unbraiding  her hair and using it in place of a rag to spread the perfume along his feet. in ancient israel, a jar of nard like the one mary gave to her Master was worth at least an average person's yearly wages. she was literally pouring almost all that she had in savings at His feet. to the average person, this looked like a terrible waste. it's no wonder Jesus' disciples rebuked her when they saw this! they thought all the money should at least be given to the poor. she was wasting the modern day equivalent of $40,000 so this man's feet could smell good for a few hours!

mary wasn't just wasting money, she was being inappropriate in her wastefulness. in ancient israel, women were supposed to cover their hair in public. it was considered indecent to be seen with unbraided, uncovered hair. when she washed his feet with her naked hair, she was essentially taking off her outer clothing and washing her Lord with it. the religious leaders nearby were appalled. this woman needed to put her clothes back on! 

yet Jesus commended her for this. He declared that we should all worship and adorn Him with the same extravagance and abandon. 

this is how, the Lord showed me, we were supposed to lavish His love on these campers. we worked at least ten hours a day - often more - cleaning campers dishes, setting their tables to the centimeter, cutting their grass to the inch, setting up events for them, cleaning up after them, cleaning their rooms... and most of them never even consciously considered it. no one thought about how they were being given clean plates every meal. no one saw the bakers waking up at 6:30 every morning to bake for hundreds of people at a break-neck pace. when other people heard about our work, they thought we were being somewhat ridiculous. the camp took thousands of dollars in upkeep, and gave nothing to commerce, never gave any money specifically to those in poverty, and could have been used in millions of other ways the world would probably consider more "productive" or "religious". but we lavished love on those students. it was incredible to watch the change His love made on them. these kids, coming from thousands of different walks of life, carrying countless pounds of baggage, weighed down by untold amounts of pain, struggling with terrifying sin, were astounded at the depths of His love. 

and then, mary did something even greater. when Jesus began to teach in her house, she simply sat at His feet and listened to what He had to say. she soaked Him in, and never worried about who she was or what she was. mary was a female. in her day, women weren't supposed to be allowed in the living room when men were having their "guy talks" or teachers were teaching. yet she simply stopped, and, even when everyone else was astonished at her audacity, simply let Jesus pour into her. 

martha, her sister, also tried to serve Jesus. she washed and cleaned, attempting to make her house as suitable for her Master as possible. this was commendable work for a woman in ancient israel. she was doing the job that looked righteous, and was doing it with excellence! the men in her house would have looked at her as such a great woman, and the women in the house would have thought she was such a great example! but she became obsessed with her work. she allowed for Jesus to be in her house without attempting to be as close to Him as she could. she was no longer following Him, she was working for Him. it stopped being worship and service, and became a job, and a religious exercise. when she finally broke down and came to Him, complaining of how her sister wasn't helping, Jesus rebuked her. 

the second week, my weakness and pride were shown to me very clearly. the first week, i had been reading in isaiah and a verse that the Lord put on my heart was isaiah 30:15

"this is what the sovereign Lord, the Holy One of israel says: 'in repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength,' but you would have none of it." 

i couldn't get it out of my head. early in the second week, as i was having those quiet times, i found out why: was also beginning to find out just how weak i was.  

i began to become obsessed with getting our work done, to the point where i was hurting my chances to encourage my friends or really pour into them. instead of slowing down and enjoying their company, i would move on to the next dish, or completely ignore them to get the job done. i was working at a break-neck pace, and other people, like my boss and some of the older staff around me, were commending me for working so hard. but, over time, it stopped being of the Lord. He brought to my mind just how much i was hurting and frustrating those around me in how i was approaching my work. that night, i finally hit my breaking point, realized i needed to get away for a while, repent, rest, be quiet and trust the Lord would do whatever i was attempting to do a whole lot better than i ever could. we all went up on a hill and had about twenty minutes of quiet while the campers went out and had some quiet time with their Maker. 

on that hill, i was absolutely humbled at my own foolishness, sat still for the first time in days, and listened. He told me: 

"be still and know that I am God." 

every fiber in my being wanted to say something, but again, He just told me to be still and listen to what He was doing. 

so when we started to pray together as a work crew and all i wanted to do was start speaking out loud, i held my mouth shut and listened, and friends who had struggled with talking with their Lord in a group before spoke in power and authority to their Father. and when we were asked as a group to talk about what the Lord was teaching us through our work and our bosses and each other, and all i wanted to do was speak, He told me again to be still. so i sat, and listened as prayers i had for my friends were answered before my eyes as they talked about how He was moving in their hearts. He never needed me to begin with!

so, just a real quick encouragement to pour yourself out for Him, lavish His love on those around you, and never get caught up in being a "good christian" or work. He loves you and those around you more than anything you do! God bless you guys and have an awesome week!

Work Crew Part I: Washing Plates... and Feet

hey guys! this summer i was blessed to work for a month at a young life camp called windy gap. all of us on staff payed our way to get there, and weren't payed a dime for the work we did. our staff community became a family that reflected Christ to the 1500 high school students we served over the course of the month. the four weeks we worked there the Lord taught me so much about Himself and about how much He loves us. 

the first week was crazy. we all began our jobs. i was placed in the jungle, which is a fancy way of saying that i washed dishes in the back of the kitchen. we washed every pan, plate, bowl, and cup the campers ate from, and cleaned every mixing bowl, spatula, and measuring bowl the cooks and bakers needed. we worked for about ten hours every day that week, and spent lots of our free time putting on events for the campers, and only got about five hours of sleep a night. we were never seen by the campers, and, like i said, were never payed. it was beautiful. 

have you ever thought about how Jesus washed his disciples feet? 

in ancient times, people traveled on their feet, walked on dirt roads, covered in dung and filth, and, if they wore anything to keep their feet somewhat clean, only wore sandals. can you get a picture of how gross their feet were? 

washing feet was the job of a slave. only slaves were lowly enough, considered worthless enough, to bend down and willingly clean another man's dirt and dung covered feet with their bare hands and, maybe, a small rag. it was disgusting, degrading, and pitiful work. 

here we see the God of the universe, the Being who made the stars in the sky, who spoke everything into existence, who made atoms, cells, mountains and lightning, lions, the sea, and the galaxies, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the being who was regality and kingship before men ever attempted to form words to describe it, the Great Conqueror... bending down and doing the work of the lowest, most pitiful humans on earth.

and doing it gladly

how? how could the unfathomable God of all things humble Himself to such a pathetic level? 

He loves unconditionally 

"It was just before the passover feast. Jesus knew the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. having loved His own who were in the world, He wanted to show them the extent of His love...[]... so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. He then poured water in a basin and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around His waist." -john 13:1 and 4

and He was setting an example

"i have set an example for you that you should do as i have done for you. i tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." - john 13:15-17

the God of the universe called us to serve the same, selfless, humble, back-breaking way He did, and to do it gladly, all for the Kingdom of Heaven. 

that first week, Christ's words became very literal for me. we worked in a 90 degree environment, we had no experience and had no idea what we were doing, and on our busiest night, the power went out and for a while, we had to wash everything without lights, fans, or power washers. and i learned what it's like to wash something most people consider below them or disgusting. 

i can think of few things i've loved more than washing those plates. every plate i saw, God reminded me that right there, He was loving on a camper who had probably never met Him before. every spec of food we wiped off, He spoke of how He was moving through the camp, unseen with our physical eyes, the same way we were never seen. but so evident, like our cleaned silverware proved, and so incredible, like the smiles we wore in that back room. i was reminded of how far He went to serve me, and how, by providing these campers with clean kitchenware, they were being loved, even when they didn't consciously know it. in those moments, sweating, dressed in a yellow apron, hands covered in two strange latex gloves, wearing goofy rain boots, i knew a part of Christ. it was beauty like i have seen few times before.  

so, as Christians, we are called to wash the feet of others. sometimes, it looks like washing their dishes. sometimes, it looks like picking them up when no one else will. sometimes, it's as simple as saying hello. we are called to become less, so that He can become more. the release from the weight of self-gratification and the experience of understanding our Father just that much more is worth anything any selfishness can give us. 

just want to encourage you guys wherever you are to love on someone till it costs you. to quote one of my favorite bands: 

 "if it doesn't break your heart, it isn't love. if it doesn't break your heart, it's not enough." 

-switchfoot 

praying that you experience His love in  a crazy and radical way! God bless!

When the Clouds Burst

hey guys! just got back from some crazy trips! this summer, we went back to bong county, liberia. this was my third trip. the people of the village of balama knew me, and i knew them, but none of us knew just how much the Lord had in store for us. 

this year we had fewer people able to come on board with us. our budget was smaller than in years past, and our group was the smallest it has been in four years. most of our group had never been in a third world country, some had never been out of the states before, and one girl had never even flown on a plane. we were inexperienced, young, and by most people's standards, completely unqualified for the work the Lord had called us to. 

but this year, the Lord decided to move in a way unlike any i've ever seen. people's lives were radically changed, and the village of balama will never be the same. the Lord touched the hearts of so many of the students, He moved through the teachers and broke down cultural and spiritual barriers in a way that is unlike anything we had seen before, and we saw the buildings we have been praying to be completed were finally finished. 

God has taught me one powerful lesson: He is Lord. He works in His own time, in His own way, through whomever and whatever He wants to move through. He never works on anybody else's schedule. He can't be wooed into moving by good works or talented people, He simply works, unseen by most of us, the power of His Spirit and the work of His Saints building and building, like rain clouds gathering, almost utterly unseen till the last moments before the clouds burst. 

i watched the prayers, time, energy, wealth, ministry, and gifts of hundreds of God's people answered with the power of His Spirit in one short week. 

the great thing is, He hasn't stopped moving, and even when the change or impact may seem invisible, i know He'll still be moving. 

if you're like me and you get exhausted waiting to see the results of your labor for the Lord, don't be. He may show you the fruits of your labor today, tomorrow, a month from now, or years from now. you may never see the harvest of your labor till you see the Kingdom come. but it's not your plan you're attempting to accomplish. it is the Lord's  Spirit that makes you able to work, it is the Lord's plan He is accomplishing in His own way, and it is His gift to us to be a part of it. we are never promised the luxury of seeing God's plan unfold, we are only promised that all we do for Him will matter in eternity. 

"stand firm, let nothing move you. always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" - 1 corinthians 15:58

praying that you're filled with His Spirit overflowing and know just how much He is changing the world through you! God bless!

Why Did He Stay?

recently, we had Easter. we celebrate the the passion of Christ and the Cross where He bore our sin. we celebrate the Third Day and His resurrection. but, as i thought about these events, this year, i also started to think about the days He spent with His followers afterward.

people so often think that Jesus just came back to life and then left to Heaven. they imagine He came up from the grave and ascended straight into the sky. that's just not the truth.

Jesus spent about forty days on earth after coming back from the dead. why? what did He have to prove? better yet, why did He even come back from the dead?

we like to think that Jesus came back from the dead because He didn't like it there. contrary to popular belief, Jesus had gone beyond the tiny speck of dust we call earth. as He promised one of the two men who were crucified with Him "today, you will be with me, in Paradise." -luke 23:43

He didn't just sit there in the grave for three days waiting to come back. on the contrary, He had plenty to do. revelation describes Him taking the keys of hell from satan, and we know that through His sacrifice on the cross, He payed the price for our sin. He had obtained "all the power and wisdom of heaven and earth" that He deserved from the beginning (matthew 28:18), crushed the devil under His heel (genesis 3:15), and He had taken a seat at the right hand of God the Father, His rightful place. why in the world would He come back?

i'm now less than two weeks away from graduating high school. it's been an incredible trip, filled with unforgettable moments. i've learned and grown a ton over the last four years, and i'll leave my school with no real regrets, and a lot of blessings from a lot of people who love me. but it has been an incredibly hard period in my life. high school was filled with struggle after struggle for me. i've been mistreated, misunderstood, attacked, and struggled with loneliness for four long years. it's been amazing, but if someone told me i had to do it all over again from day one, i don't know if i could. less than a week after graduation day, i'm heading out to africa, and then, when i get back, i'm traveling again to young life camp for a month, and then, after a few weeks of rest, i'm moving on to college. i can't wait to know that my job is done, and move on to bigger and better things. so when i think about Jesus' situation, to have given everything He had for us, to have given up His life for fallen humanity, to have experienced nothing but hatred from those He loved so much, to say to sin and the brokenness of the old covenant "it is finished.", and then, to experience physical and spiritual death... when i received the glory and honor and praise i deserved in Heaven, i would not have come back. why in the world was there a resurrection?

FOR US

the resurrection wasn't for Jesus at all. He had nothing to gain by coming back. He did it for two simple reasons.

"and Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to His name." - romans 1:4-5

He came back to show His disciples that He was the Messiah, God Almighty. when He came back, He proved exactly who He was. the giver of life, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. to show us what we could have in Him. to make sure we knew who He was and just how much He wanted to give us the same power, peace, hope, and love He had on this earth, and in the world to come.

but far more importantly, He came back to tell the disciples, and you, and me, in an unforgettable way, one very special message:

"I LOVE YOU!"

He came back to tell you that He loves you, and nothing could ever keep Him from loving you.

no amount of wealth was worth choosing not to love you; He chose to be born to two dirt poor peasants in a feeding trough in the middle east.

no almighty nature or perfection was worth choosing not to love you; He gave it up and became a helpless baby in a manger, without the ability to speak or even go to the restroom, to tell you He loves you more than any power or knowledge.

no all knowing security was worth choosing not to love you; He gave it up in the garden of gethsemane, as He cried out to His Father "take this cup away from me! but not my will, but yours be done."

no invincibility was worth choosing not to love you; He suffered beatings, a crown of thorns, and 39 lashes for you.

no good reputation or honor was worth choosing not to love you; He was betrayed by His closest friends, falsely accused, and when given the chance to save Him the crowds chose a murderer as more fit to live than Him. He allowed it to happen to show you just how much He cares.

no sin could keep Him from loving you; He experienced all the guilt, shame, depravity, and darkness of humanity when He took our sins on that cross.

His own life could not keep Him from loving you; He gave it up as He bled and suffocated on golgotha.

on that resurrection sunday, He told the universe that not even death itself could keep Him from loving you. He would go right on living just to tell you He cares.

"where o death, is your victory? where o death, is your sting?" -1 corinthians 15:55

"... and i will always be with you, to the every end of the age." - Matthew 27:55

"no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. for i am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -romans 8:37-39

He loves you! God bless!