i ask great things of a great GOD.

"Help me to see how good THY will is in all,
     and even when it crosses mine
     teach me to be pleased with it."
                             -Valley of Vision

Prayer is a curious thing. I do it so often and tritely that I basically don't think when I pray. It's an epidemic that spreads throughout the soul. How can I become more like JESUS when I don't honestly talk to HIM? How can I ask "great things of a great GOD" when I don't desire great things? 

Praying honest prayers to GOD takes preparation. If I don't prepare my heart before prayer, I'll just end up praying selfishly and religiously which is completely ineffective for the kingdom of GOD. JESUS told a parable which absolutely tore me up:

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself prayed thus: 'GOD, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'GOD, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

 Selfish religious prayers flow from my mouth to make me sound good. But before GOD, I am nothing but a sinner, thankfully saved by grace.

I've started to read through the Valley of Vision, which is a book of Puritan prayers, and it has really changed the way I pray. I've noticed that all the prayers in that book are so GOD-centered and unselfish which makes me feel small and insignificant. That's a wondrous thing though, because it allows me to see GOD as who HE really is, and not how I think HE is. It has been both an encouragement and a teaching tool. Learning to pray is critical in my walk with JESUS.

I don't like it when people only focus on themselves when they talk to me. Yet how often do I do the same thing to GOD. "GOD, I want this or that... bless me." GOD deserves infinitely more. Mere human words are not even enough to give HIM the required praise, but HE promises HIS SPIRIT will groan and intercede for those things which our mouths cannot do alone.

Ecclesiastes says, "Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before GOD, for GOD is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." I need to practice praying the correct way: seeing GOD for who HE is and responding in worship. My cares dissolve the moment I am truly talking to the GOD of the universe.

"When we lose sight of GOD, we become hard and dogmatic. We hurl our own petitions at GOD's throne and dictate to HIM as to what we want HIM to do. We do not worship GOD, nor do we seek to form the mind of CHRIST."
- Oswald Chambers

"I ask great things of a great GOD."
-Valley of Vision

 

GOD the all.

o GOD whose will conquers all,

there is no comfort in anything

        apart from enjoying THEE

        and being engaged in THY service;

THOU are ALL in all, and all enjoyments are what to me

        THOU makest them, and no more.

i am well pleased with THY will, whatever it is,

        or should be in all respects,

and if THOU bidst me decide for myself in any affair,

        i would choose to refer all to THEE

        for THOU art infinitely wise and cannot do amiss

        as i am in danger of doing.

i rejoice to think that all things are at THY disposal,

        and it delights me to leave them there.

then prayer turns wholly into praise,

        and all i can do is to adore and bless THEE.

what shall i give THEE for all THY benefits?

i am in a strait betwixt two, knowing not what to do;

i long to make some return, but have nothing to offer,

        and can only rejoice that THOU doest all,

        that none in heaven or on earth shares THY honor;

        i can of myself do nothing to glorify THY blessed name,

        but i can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to THEE,

i know that THOU art the author and finisher of faith,

        that the whole work of redemption is THINE alone,

        that every good work or thought found in me

                is the effect of THY power and grace,

        that THY soul motive in working in me to will and to do

                is for THY good pleasure

o GOD, it is amazing that men can talk so much

        about man’s creaturely power and goodness,

        when, if THOU didst not hold us back every moment,

        we should be devils incarnate.

this, by bitter experience, THOU hast taught me concerning myself.

                                                                -Valley of Vision.

Is home where the heart is?

Home. What a strange idea. Is it the place you've spent the majority of your life in? Is it a house? Is it just where you feel most comfortable or where you "belong?"

I'm sitting in Munich International Airport right now. I've got a 6 hour layover which has given me plenty of time to write. To my chagrin, I found out that I could've gone into the city due to the length of my layover, but I found that out after I had been sitting at my gate.

As I am sitting here, I start to wonder, "Where is home?" What does that even mean? I had always thought home was where family was, but now I'm starting to believe Moody is my home... whatever that means. Instead of defining home and then figuring out what fits the description, I'm going to figure out what is homely about family or Moody.

Family has a form of unconditional love. I have this security that no matter how badly I mess up, they will still accept me. Now I know that's not true with all families, but I think security has something to do with this idea of home.

Moody provides a lot of good things for me: friends, security, Godly instruction, and so on. It almost seems like a better version of a family. Family, however, does not equal home. I think we've been raised to find where we are accepted and call that home. For some people that is family, others school, some even a workplace or a bar. So we've got security and acceptance. This puzzle is starting to piece itself together.

According to the cheesy doormat, Home is "where the heart is." I think that is absolutely right! It doesn't explain itself too well, but it does show the door. Instead of asking "where is home," the better question is "where is my heart?"

Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21). What is it that we treasure: family, friends, marriage, money, food, t.v, sports, art, a job? In verse 20 Jesus said, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...." Jesus is saying that we need to be focused on the eternal because in the end, that's all that is left.

This is why Paul says in Colossians, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." We were designed to be with our Creator, and because we sinned against Him, there is separation. While we have glimpses of the eternal here on earth, they aren't lasting, but we should be craving more so much so that we are willing to give up everything for this eternity with God.

If home is truly where the heart is, then where should home be? Better yet, what is home? God is home. He is to be treasured above all else; He alone satisfies. In Him we find true security and acceptance. Francis Chan asks in Crazy Love, "Do you want to see God more than you desire security?" If God is what He says He is, then home is not a "where", but a "Who."

Loving the Unloved.

Homeless. Destitute. Foreign. Widowed. Orphaned. These are the people that God has called us to love. Why? Because they are not loved.

I had the privilege of working with Helping Hands Ministries yesterday in Athens. Helping Hands is a ministry that reaches out to the refugees here in Athens. This ministry does so much for these people its unbelievable. They have fed probably over a million people since they've been around about 20 years ago. On certain days they will give refugees showers, and many times clothe those who need new clothes. The day I went to help out, we were giving out lunch to the refugees.

Refugees live a hard life. They run away from their home country into Greece because of Greece's really loose immigration laws. The problem, however, is not getting into Greece, but finding a job once here. Many of them are widowed with children, so they've got to support their kids, but if there is no father, they are basically hopeless. They don't know if they will eat food today, sleep inside tonight, or be able to shower for months. They live to survive.

While Helping Hands tries to help with all these physical needs, they are not out to try to cure an epidemic of homelessness. When these refugees come in to eat, the volunteers will take the time and talk with them, get to know their story, converse with them as human beings, love them. The love that is shown at Helping Hands may be the only love these people have ever received, and it means everything to them. Being looked down upon, spit on, treated like dogs all their lives, and now feeling the warmth of being loved for the first time. We worry about the kids in our schools have self-esteem issues, but what about someone who has never been loved?

Most of the refugees are Muslim from Afghanistan, Albania, or other Middle Eastern countries so giving the Gospel is a tough, careful process. Words, however, are not what saves.

One of the leaders of Helping Hands told me a story when he was teaching me what to do yesterday, it went like this: One day as he was working, he was getting stressed out with all the requests that people were asking him for, clothes, food, diapers, etc..., and he had enough, so he planned on hiding out in his office just for a few minutes to just have some room to breathe. He gets to his office and there is a knock on the door. He doesn't answer it. However, the door was unlocked, and his fellow volunteer comes in with a refugee who needs extensive medical work. His hands are all torn up, his feet are absolutely disgustingly cut up and mangled, his face is swollen, and he is looking for treatment. Knowing he couldn't help this man in any way physically, and being burnt out, he just asks the man if he can pray for him. As the leader prays for this man, the Lord breaks the leader down emotionally, and he starts weeping for this refugee in his prayer. After the prayer, the refugee leaves.

Around two weeks later, as the leader is about to enter Helping Hands in the morning this refugee was waiting outside for him. What had happened is unbelievably awesome. The refugee says that no one had ever shown him love before, and the tears that the leader had shed for him meant so much, that he gave his life to Jesus. Not only that, but once he had received Jesus, all the pain in his body went away and he lives pain free.

God has called us to love the unlovable, because that's exactly what He did for us. There are millions of people in this world, in the US, in Chicago, who need to be shown this love. God can use anyone to love others, even those who are trying to hide from it. So go out of your way and love someone today because you might be the only person to do that today or even in their whole life. The Gospel is proclaimed louder through actions than any words can produce.

Staining Glory

As I sit here at 6 o'clock in the morning, I look out my window and see a picture so unbelievable that I literally stop what I am doing and watch it. The watching, however, only lasts a few seconds as I then hurry in my selfishness to grab a camera. 

Left it in the car.

Frustrated. Who is going to share this experience with me? Who is going to enjoy what I am seeing with my eyes? A camera lens cannot capture beauty so undefined and wild, can it?

I return to my room camera-less. How will anybody know what I saw? I must share it with someone! 

In my haste, I tried to take what God has created for my eyes to see for the sole purpose of HIS glorification, and quickly turn it into my own sinful picture, my creation, for my own glory.

I have been asking God lately, "God, give me opportunities to glorify You. I want to see Your glory!" 

It's occurred to me, in this previous moment, that God has been rendering His glory to me. However, my eyes, instead of being filled with awe-struck wonder, have been looking through sunglasses at His glory. Sunglasses of selfishness and greed.

"NO GOD, I want the glory of Your sunrise! I'm gonna take this picture, post it on Facebook, and wait for someone to tell me how awesome it is. How awesome MY picture is. You wanna know why God? Because I want Your glory. I don't want to glorify You. I want it as my own. For my own selfish gain..."

Sin of all sins selfishness is. Throwing mud on God's wedding dress. Defacing His glory to show mine. 

Criminal.

God, forgive me of me. Let me bask wholly in Your glories. Not willing to take credit for that which You made. But seeing Your holy creation and giving the rightful doxology to the only One worthy of it. I've been living my life for my own glory, when Yours has been shining all around me, begging that I praise You. Begging that I lift You up, but I don't. God, I ask gain, please, show me Your glory. Show me Your face. My lips are ready for praise.

I see Your face in every sunrise

The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes

The world awakens in the light of the day

I look up to the sky and say,

YOU're beautiful. 

-Phil Wickham

"Where is your faith?"

And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And He said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?"

-Matthew 8:25-26

If there was any group of people on this planet that had no reasons to be afraid of this storm, it was the 12 Disciples. Specially chosen by Jesus Himself to proclaim His message to the ends of the earth, they left their families and friends to follow this man all around Israel and learn his teachings. And yet here Jesus calls them out on their lack of faith. It seems kind of harsh, really.

Let's take a look at the situation. Out of nowhere a wind storm arises on the Sea of Galilee, and the boat is being rocked back and forth like a rag doll. Waves are rolling high. Mark's Gospel says that water was pouring over the sides and was slowly filling up the boat. And while all this is happening, Jesus, the God of the universe is sleeping on a cushion by the stern. The disciples are starting to feel a little justified in their fear, their only hope isn't even conscious to save them. Yeah, I'd probably be afraid too.

So after freaking out a good deal, the disciples decide that waking Jesus up would be a good idea, which it was. The problem was not waking Jesus up, although He was probably a little cranky after a rude awakening to His nap, it was why they woke Him up. Matthew says they asked him to save them. Mark's Gospel puts the wake up call like this: "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

Ouch. According to Mark, they didn't wake Him up to save their lives; they woke Him up because they couldn't understand why He was sleeping when they were clearly about to die. "Wake up Jesus, He needs to join the pity party as we all drown."

Not only did they wake Jesus up to feel bad with them, they assumed that He was going to die in this storm as well. "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" If they really believed Jesus was who He said He was, then they should not be worried about Jesus dying in a little sea storm. "O you of little faith" is starting to sound more and more fitting now.

So Jesus gets up, and He nonchalantly walks to the edge of the boat. Staring into the turbulent waves, He says with both power and boldness, "Peace! Be still!" Not only did the wind and the waves become still, but so did the whining and fear from the disciples.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus simply turns around and says, "Where is your faith?" Packed in this statement Jesus is asking His disciples, "How is it that you guys have left everything you own to follow me, yet don't actually know who I am, nor what I'm capable of doing? You say you know me, but your actions say otherwise."

"Where is your faith?" Faith is not just a belief, but it is a lifestyle. Faith is not saying that that chair can hold me up, but faith is sitting in that chair. Faith is not simply saying God will provide all my needs, but faith is giving my only $20 to someone who really needs it. Faith is action.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"-- and he was called a friend of God.                                      -James 2:21-23 

Faith is tough. I get terrified everyday about dumb, little things. I want to know how things are going to turn out in the end, because I think that the more I know about what is going to happen, the more secure I will be. On the contrary, Oswald Chambers writes, "Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading."


As I begin to know Jesus more and more through reading His Word, I will have more and more peace. This peace will allow me to not worry about what the future holds. With peace comes the courage to live a life that is not burdened by worry. Faith is not instant, but rather, it is a walk. "For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)


God, help me to know You more. Keep me active in Your Word. God, remind me daily that faith does not come by knowledge of the future, but by knowledge of You. Please, help me walk by faith.
Amen.

NCAA Tournament Bracket.

It's that time of year. Lots of dribbling, screaming fans, and creepy coaches' mustaches. To celebrate this wonderful time of year, here's my bracket for the Big Dance.

i am loved by GOD.

I see Your face in every sunrise...

"As my Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in me."

John 15:9

I am loved. Say it a little louder. I AM LOVED! not enough.

I AM LOVED!

That's better. Completely undeserved and incapable of sufficiently returning such love, this makes our mundane statements of love look like ignorant hatred. There is no greater, more perfect love than the love between the Father and the Son. Eternally co-existing with one another in perfect unity and glory. Now take a deep breath and listen to this: Jesus loves us in the exact same way.

Yeah. If that's not enough to choke on your tea, then I don't know what is. It's easy to say I'm loved by God, but that's not enough. My whole life needs to be affected by this unbelievable reality. 

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love,

just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.

These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be full."

-John 15:10-11

Jesus promises that if we live like we are loved, we will have His joy, true, complete joy. We don't need anything else in this life apart from the love of God. We can be satisfied in God's love alone, and once we've grasped that, God's love in us will pour out naturally on others.

"This is my commandment,

that you love one another as I have loved you.

Greater love has no man than this,

that someone lays down his life for his friends.

You are My friends if you do what I command you."

-John 12:12-14

Love one another as I have loved you... this is how we live like we are loved by God. God has a perfect, unconditional love for us, so this is exactly what He calls us to do with each other. He does not say love one another until you make each other mad, then it's OK to give up. Sugar! He says love like He loves us. So many times I've offended and sinned against God and have given Him plenty of reasons to give up on me, but He doesn't. Thank God I am not loved the way I deserved to be loved! That's what He's called us to, selfless love. 

Oswald Chambers, in his book My Utmost for His Highest, says:

The first thing God does is to knock pretense and the pious pose right out of me. The Holy Spirit reveals that God loved me not because I was loveable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now, He says to me, show the same love to others--- "Love as I have loved you." "I will bring any number of people about you whom you cannot respect, and you must exhibit My love to them as I have exhibited it to you."

Let's live like we are loved, because we are. Perfectly.


God, may I love others by Your love for me, and not for my own selfish gain. May I live my life truly knowing that I am loved by You. 

Japan and Prayer.

I have a confession to make. I don't pray for people or events like I say I do. (Cue screaming babies, car alarms, and wildebeest stampedes). It's easy to make jokes about something like that, but it's often too true. Sometimes my friends will ask me to pray for a tough situation that they are going through, and I'll even write it down with every intention to pray for them, but as the day goes on, I forget. Sure, I'm extremely happy when GOD answers their prayer, but so often, it just reminds me that I forgot to pray for them.


Right now, Japan is going through a tragedy that I have no idea how to relate to. I've heard awesome responses of people praying and going to Japan to help out. Sadly though, I've also read snide comments about this being what the Japanese deserve because of Pearl Harbor. That comment still makes my gut wrench. Other people are worried about the US economy because of this. We should care less about our financial security and more about the lives and well being of those in need. Many times, in order to deal with the turmoil of situations like this (Haiti for example last year), we tend to make jokes or minimize the situation so that we don't feel as convicted to help. I'm guilty of it.


GOD has called us as Christians to reach out to those in need. If all you can do is pray, please pray. But don't say you will and then don't. What Japan is going through is worse than 9/11. They can't blame what happened on another group of people. They can't express their grief through military action. However, being a culture that was always busy and on the move, this is a great opportunity to share the love of JESUS with them. They need to be loved, and we have the Perfect Love to share with them.

James 5:13-18

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

pray.

Jet Lag, Manna, and the Sun.

Jet lag, the unconquerable foe. I hardly slept at all on the plane ride to the Motherland (partially because they had such good movies playing: The King's Speech, Wall Street, and Karate Kid ), but I thought I could make up for that failure by staying up all day when I got to Greece. Well, I did just that. Now, the problem with jet lag is that usually one wakes up at like 2 or 4 in the morning; however, last night I laid down to sleep at 10pm and woke up at 2pm. That's a ridiculous 14 hours! I haven't slept that much in months. 


Jet lag, however, had the last laugh. I'm up writing this post (and the previous) at 4 in the morning. I'd rather be writing at night, or early morning in this case, so I have no guilt for wasting time on a computer in this beautiful country because I can't do anything.


So, I've been here for about 2 days, and I'm already feeling extremely rested. That's not only because I've had some great sleeping experiences either. I have plenty of time to spend by myself here, and there are many places I can go to find quietness. I'm reading through Crazy Love while I'm here, and that book is astounding. The best way to put it is that it is a fresh reminder of who GOD is and how much HE loves me. 

Taste and see that the LORD is good.

Now for some specifics about what I've been doing here: My plane left from Chicago at 11:15am on Saturday, and I arrived in Athens at 9:30am on Sunday. Awesome right? I literally have no recollection of my life that Saturday. I get into Athens, and my dad and I take the train back to mi casa (that's Spanish for my house). We chilled for a while, caught up, and all that fun jazz. Then when my mom and sisters came home, we went and got some manna, I mean gyros. It was at that moment that I knew I was in Greece.


After a fantastic lunch, we came back home and I laid outside on our deck and fell asleep for two hours. I woke up and was sunburnt, but I was happy about that. We then headed to a public sports complex to have a goodbye party for a family in my parent's church. There was a public turf field there, so naturally we played soccer for about 2 hours. I was wiped out, but it was a ton of fun. I got back home and fell asleep at 10pm.


14 hours later I awoke my crusty eyes. Needless to say, it was the greatest night of sleep I have ever had. With my day being half over at 2pm, I decided to go read on the deck and just chill for the rest of the day. So  I did that. For lunch I went down the street to get a gyro, ptl. When my dad returned from work and my sisters from school, I had convinced them to drive up a mountain to let me get some sweet pictures. So we did, and it was everything I had hoped for. We got back, ate spaghetti (not as good as gyros, but still delicious), and just chilled. I went to bed at 10pm again, but instead I woke up at 2:30am, and here I continue my battle with jet lag. Oh well, I'm excited about the sunrise coming up in an hour. 


All that to say, this is a great beginning to my spring break. I'll keep you guys posted with my thoughts and adventures, but for now I think this is sufficient. Smell ya later.

Good night Mr. Sun.

Closeness is Happiness.

Spring Break. A two week intervention from the stresses of school work. Two weeks to put enough gas in my tank to get me through to summer. Most importantly, two weeks that I can dedicate to getting to know God better without distractions.


This semester has been the best semester I've had at Moody. I am not sure how to put into words why I feel like this way, but I'll try.


This semester has been full of change. Whether or not change takes me closer to GOD is whether change is good or bad. In this case change is bringing me closer to GOD and causing me to rely on HIM for everything. With that being said, that is the reason I'm at Moody Bible Institute. School work, relationships, ministry, soccer, everything and anything should be done in complete reliance on GOD. 


However, it's really tough to do that most times. Most of the time I think I can do it alone. I can get better on my own. The reality, the hard-nosed truth, is that I can't. If that is the only thing I get from Moody, then that alone is worth going. 

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Ps. 73:25)

All I want from Moody is the help and the guidance to make this a reality, and so far, it's doing just that. So whether or not I enjoy writing papers or reading books, GOD's been using the people and experiences at the school to teach me how to love HIM more and to rely on HIM. Too often I forget to trust GOD when things are going great in my life, but HE always unexpectedly brings some rough waters in my life to lovingly remind me what I'm here for. That is called love.


All that to say, I'm happy with life right now. Whether or not I enjoy what happens, if it brings me closer to GOD, I'm a happy camper. Therefore, I'm a happy camper right now.