Reflecting on the Pastoral Position

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears."
-Acts 20:28-31

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when tthe chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."
-1 Peter 5:1-11

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
-John 10:1-18

Meditate on the role of your pastor. Think about how much responsibility he has in the lives of others. He experiences the highest joys of his flock's lives and the lowest griefs when they are in trial and sin. Next time you see your pastor, thank them for their sacrifice and ministry. It is a very heavy responsibility, but one that (and I'm sure they'd tell you this) they gladly take on to serve both God and His people.

"Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness."
-James 3:1

Killa

I wanted to post some lyrics from Lecrae's album Rehab. It is a great album with awesome truths. This song is called "Killa" and it talks about our sin. Please look up the song. There are girls that sing parts of it to illustrate the seductiveness of sin. It really captures how dangerous it is.

Uh, I know it's going to kill me but I just can't let it go
And the taste so appealing got a grip upon my soul
These honey dip lies mesmerize me
Pride's got it's crooked fingers twisted all inside in me
Fools walk the path I'm on, never to be seen again
Sipping on seduction while we eating on some secret sin
(Not a lot of love and mercy) says the whisper in my ear
And I know I should be over this, but I ain't seeing clear
And I ain't leaving here, unless somebody save me
Walking to my grave letting evilness enslave me
Evil looks so lovely covered in her lace of lies
And the silky smooth seduction just manipulates my mind
Her fabrical fabrication is fueling my fascination
While I'm intoxicated she starts her assassination
I'm losing all my honor and my years to the merciless
Giving all my life away but I'm just so immersed in this (killa)

[Hook:]
Baby this is innocent (Killa) it won't even hurt a little bit (Killa)
I'm only here for your benefit (killa) I'm your every wish (Killa)
Come on and let me in (killa), baby this is innocent (Killa)
And it won't even hurt a little bit (Killa) Close your eyes and let's get lost tonight
(Killa) Would it be alright? You'll see (killa)

Her feet go down to DEATH, so don't let her consume you
Even though her heart is black, her exterior's beautiful
She'll take your life away, strip away your joy
Pretends that she gon build you up but she's just gon destroy you
My friends fell low, when they was so high
Got me running scared of myself, no lie
And I know I'm gon die, I tried cold turkey
But when I'm feeling worthy, Satan's sure trying to merk me
I'm doing myself dirty, flirting with what's perverted
I should follow the word but I guess I'd rather be murdered
Excuse me I mean martyred 'cause I'm killing myself
My sin conceived a baby, and we gon name it death, breath
(Gasps) -Taker, she take my breath away
Replaces it with poison and I'm so swept away
I need some bread today hope I wake up
Before they start my wake up somebody make me break up
I'm dating a (Killa)

Sinners

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
-Ephesians 2:1-10

This was one of the passages that I was dwelling on the week of scatter. As we were dealing with the kids, I was tempting to judge them and I needed to preach the gospel to myself. I needed to remember that I am no different from them outside the blood of Christ. We had the tendency to pair the kids off into "good kids" and "bad kids." The gospel says there are no "good" and "bad" people; there are just sinners.

One thing I really like about these verses is that Paul tries to capture the wickedness of our hearts. It should be very sobering to read the first three verses. We were spiritually "dead." We "followed the the prince of the power of the air (Satan)." We were "sons of disobedience, living in the passions of our flesh." We were children of wrath. These are very graphic descriptions that Paul is giving trying to show how sinful we are.

Then we have the gracious words "but God". Paul heaps praises and praises upon God through His work, giving Him all the glory. As Paul shares the good news of salvation, he can't do it without trying his best (with our feeble vocabulary) to exalt God to the place he should be in our minds. It's all to glorify God. But the kicker for me was in verses eight and nine:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
-Ephesians 2:8-9

I have read these verses a million times and have known them from Awana, but this time it was different. Paul went from describing how sinful we are, to glorifying God, and then goes back to warning us about sin. He glorifies God, but he knows that we are so sinful that we will try to take credit for God's great gift! How wicked are our hearts to boast and be prideful of the change in our life, when it is God that is gracious enough to cause the change that happens at salvation.

I was hit with this especially when dealing with Tyler (for the story click here). It was very humbling to me. We go from sinning, into God's grace, then right back to sinning. God indeed in gracious to save a wretched people like ourselves. Praise Him and give Him the credit.

Seeing Christ

Wednesday was a hard day for everyone. The kids were hard to deal with at the DreamCenter and it seemed to wear on everyone. We had a kid named Tyler who was very rebellious and liked to make fun of us anyway he could. He would cuss at us, call us names and then cut up with his friends about us. We tried to ignore the rude comments, letting him know that we didn't say those things and if he continued we would have to go get the director.

Seth Singleton(18) and Andrew Etherington(15?) were watching over the sound equipment so that none of the kids would mess with it. Tyler and his posse came over and starting asking if they could play with some of the stuff. When Seth told them no, they began to call names and say things they shouldn't. Seth kept his cool, but held his ground on the rules.

A little later when we were packing up, Tyler starting making more trouble; throwing food on the ground, lying about it, and getting mad at those who told him to pick it up. I was coming back from putting a canopy away when George Lawson (youth pastor and leader of the trip) came looking for the director. Tyler had received his last warning and was getting kicked out. As I watched them take him out of the pavilion, I saw Andrew in the distance. He was sitting at a picnic table crying.

Alan Thornton (youth leader) was already headed his way when I started over. Andrew could hardly say anything as Alan asked him if he was crying because of the language and the things Tyler had been saying. He nodded, and I was immediately overcome. It was all I could do not to break down and start crying with Andrew.

As I had watched Tyler, all I could think about was how terribly misbehaved he was and how he needed to be punished. Both of these things were true, but it drove me to anger. This knowledge that he needed judgement elicited a response from me; anger. Jesus was put in a similar position, only his was more gruesome and the sin more disgusting. He saw all the sin of man. He didn't just see it but he experienced it as they denied him, beat him, and nailed him to a cross.

This triggered a response from Christ. He wept. He felt pity for humanity as they mocked him and spit upon him. They forsook the very God they claimed to follow and yet when Jesus hung on the cross he said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Tyler doesn't understand that what he is doing will land him in hell where he will pay the punishment for all his sins by spending eternity apart from God. Christ pleads on our behalf, "Father, forgive them." He had every right to be mad for the sin that humanity commits and yet he takes the punishment for us and appeals to God for us.

When I sat next to Andrew, as he tried to stop his sobs, I saw Christ. I saw Christ weeping over the sins of the world. The very sins that condemn us to death. The difference was that I got mad at Tyler for his wrong doing, whereas Christ died for him, so that if he believes he won't have to. Christ was moved to pity and compassion for everyone, including me. I have believed and I am now covered by Christ's blood. I should be moved to compassion for the unbelievers, because I was just as lost as they were.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive Luke for he knows not what he does." God forgave me and showed me the wrong that I did and continue to do. Tyler hasn't been shown yet. He is still in the dark, and that should make me sorrowful for him, because without Christ he has nothing. He is dead in his trespasses and sins just like I was. Have pity on the lost, because without Christ you would be no different.

Please keep Tyler in your prayers. He did not come back to the DreamCenter after that day, so we don't know where he is. All we know is that he needs Christ. Pray for him and the rest of the kids there.

Little Rock Missions Trip

Today is saturday; day six of our missions trip. We have a cookout at the Boys and Girls club and then we are done. It has definitely been one of the best missions trips I have ever been on, but it has also been one of the hardest; physically, mentally, and spiritually.

We get up and meet at the church by eight o'clock. We usually get to our individual backyard Bible clubs at ten til nine to set up. My crew (led by Allen Thornton), Lauren Howell, Rebekah Magnus, Alyssa Romand, and Andrew Etherington were at Jessica Bunting's house. The first day we had a girl named Justis come and towards the end of the day two brothers, Brent and Javon.

Then we pack up and head to the DreamCenter around eleven. We are there playing with the kids from 11:30 to 3:30. We have music, a lesson, games, crafts, and a lot of time to hang out. Most of the boys from our team would get there and start running and wouldn't stop until we left.

Next was the Boys and Girls club. Our team then split into about half. One have went into the gym to help with the basketball camp while the other half stayed in the craft room, snack room and game rooms to play with the kids that didn't want to play basketball.

While this trip was trying physically, it was more trying spiritually. These kids weren't the good, bible belt Christians that we were used to. Some of them were rude, disrepectful (especially to women), and openly selfish. We faced the smae things everyday. "Hey, We don't say those words." "No, you can't have that. I said no. Give it back." "Don't hit that kid." It was a lot of repeating ourselves just for them to barely obey us.

In all that though, we did have great conversations and we began to impact them. Most of these kids don't have fathers or any authority figures. That being said they are still faced with rules (from the dreamcenter, etc.). When faced with rules they will do everything in their power to kick and fight against them. Even if they do end up obeying, they let you know they don't like it.

They also take advantage of the weak spined. They would ask for things we were instructed not to give them. They would try to tell us that the leaders said it was alright. Anyone that gave in a bit were preyed upon. Most of the people I saw on the trip did well. They loved on the kids. They played with them. But when they needed to they stood strong. They spoke strong and confident telling the kids what they could not do. The kids seemed to respect that and eventually started to submit more.

This is a brief overview of what we were doing and some of the things we were faced with, but I will be writing more about our trip. The second day was a very impactful day for me. I got to see a team member go through something and God taught me through it. I will write about that tomorrow.

Artwork

So I didn't get my project done over break so I will have to finish it this summer. For now I thought I would post some of my artwork. Feel free to say whatever you want about them. I'm just a beginner and my art doesn't define me. I love art and I love Christ and in this project that I haven't finished I will bring those together. These are just some of my work from Drawing I last semester:






This was a picture taken in my dorm that I drew. It's my first charcoal drawing.






This is a pencil drawing I did from a picture off the Internet. I liked the idea that the flower was her skirt.






This is a sharpie cross-hatch of a flower.






I drew four pencil drawings of body parts of different animals. Placing the boxes next to each other so that it looks like a griffin.






We had to drawing nine four by four drawings in a box form and the pictures had to correlate to each other. I chose nine of my favorite movies. Below are a larger view of the pictures.






Braveheart






The Dark Knight






Gladiator






Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows






The Last Samurai






The Lord of the Rings






The Sixth Sense






Spiderman






Star Wars






This is just a random pencil drawing of a friend.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Our God

A couple of weeks to go, I had the privilege to go to a Chris Tomlin/Louie Giglio concert at ASU. It was a very refreshing night and I learned quite a bit. It was amazing to see so many people worshipping God corporately on a state college campus. It was really good to be encouraged in the Lord and have a night set apart for worshipping God. One song that we sang was Chris Tomlin's Our God.

I love this song and recommend that you look it up. This past friday I got to go to the detention center with some of my old friends from Bible Church and Crystal Hill. It was different than any other time I had been. Most of the members from the band Across the Valley were there playing and Michael Friesen encouraged the kids there to stand/clap/ get into the music. Most of the kids know what we want to hear and will try to give us the right answers so it can be difficult to know whether they are genuine or not. Our job isn't to judge whether they are or not. We are just supposed to love them and share the message with them.

Anyway that night we played the same song that I had heard at the concert; Our God. The kids stood up, danced, clapped, and played beats on the desk. Now I don't know if those kids believed and I know for sure that not all of them were. But that didn't matter. Whether they meant to or not, God was glorified. Music was made and it was pleasing to God. I worshipped well that night. I was filled with both sorrow for my sin and joy for God's grace and mercy to me. I worshipped just as well sitting in a detention center with kids who didn't know what it meant to follow Christ as I did sitting in a gym filled with Christians singing praises to God. Why? Because God was glorified. And we had the opportunity to share the gospel. It truly is amazing.

So in my profile I have mentioned that I am a graphic design major, but I haven't really said much about it or shown very much of my work. I really like my major and in future posts I will post some of my work and comment on them. Currently I am working on a pretty big side project. This idea came to me about a week ago and since it is spring break I have really been able to work on it. I will keep you posted on this project as well.