"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." -C.S. Lewis

EX·CRU·CI·AT·ING

So here's a true story. Back in the day, there was no word to describe the immeasurable pain and suffering that one endured by dying on the cross. I mean, how do you explain the process of getting scourged, carrying a cross, getting nailed onto it, dying slowly of asphyxiation/hunger/thirst, being publicly humiliated, and finally being stabbed by a spear. There isn't. So the word excruciating was created. It's from the Latin word, excruciare, which is derived from cruciare, aka to crucify.

And guess what... Jesus died an excruciating death, so that we can have life. Tetelestai.

he is JEALOUS for you

Everybody knows Oprah Winfrey. Well in 2008, she did a show regarding her new mentor, New Age author and guru Eckhart Tolle. During the show one of her fans asked her, "How do you reconcile these spiritual teachings with your Christian beliefs?"

Oprah responded, "I reconciled it because I was able to open my mind about the absolute indescribable hugeness of that which we call God. I took God out of the box because I grew up in the Baptist church and there were rules and belief systems and doctrine. And I happened to be sitting in church in my late 20s... and this great minister was preaching about how great God was, and how omniscient, and omnipresent, and God is everything. And then he said, 'And the Lord thy God is a jealous God'. And I was caught up in the rapture of that moment until he said jealous. And something struck me and I was thinking God is all, God is ominipresent, and God's also... jealous? God is jealous of me? Something about about that didn't feel right in my spirit because I believed that God is love... and thats when the search for something more than doctrine started to stir within me..."

She goes on to talk about how that moment launched her spiritual journey to find the real truth. She let this idea that God is jealous to drive her away from her faith. I admit, on most occasions jealousy has a negative connotation. But the jealousy of God is a good thing. I really hope Oprah realizes one day that God isn't jealous OF her, but FOR her. God doesn't want your fame & fortune. He wants you.

God says, "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image... You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God." God made you for Him. He made you in His image, and He draws you to Himself in order to have fellowship with Him. But what do we do? We wander. We cheat on Him. We chase after other gods and idols. Yet God never stops. He relentlessly pursues us. He can't stand the thought of us pursuing some other worthless idol.

Haha, He's not jealous OF you, Oprah. He's jealous FOR you. It's a good thing. I pray you realize that one day.

How He Loves Us - David Crowder Band

REALITY check

Last Saturday, 22 Navy Seals were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. They were on their way to help a group of Army Rangers who were in trouble, when they got shot down by Taliban insurgents. Not only was it a tragic day, it was the single largest loss of life for U.S. troops since the war began in 2001.

This week I read a CNN article on Aaron Vaughn, one of the Navy Seals who were killed. They reported that his wife, Kimberly Vaughn, "saw TV reports about the downed helicopter Saturday morning, but the tragedy reached her home when her doorbell rang. "I thought, 'Oh, hopefully it's just a neighbor,' and as I rounded the stairs I saw the men in uniform and I just fell to my knees," she said. "There's no preparing for it. It's something you see in the movies. It's not something you're supposed to live through." Her father was standing with her to hold her up as the Navy officers told her that her husband was killed in action. "I fell to my knees and cried and didn't want to hear it, but it's the truth," Vaughn said. "You want it to be a mistake. You want them to say it's the wrong person, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

Though she was still in mourning, she had a chance to to tell CNN what kind of man her husband was: "I want to tell the world that he was an amazing man, that he was a wonderful husband, and a fabulous father to two wonderful children. He was a warrior for Christ and he was a warrior for our country and he wouldn't want to leave this Earth any other way than how he did."

CNN then asked Vaughn's grandmother to speak about Aaron. She recalled their last conversation together, when she told him to be careful. Aaron replied, "Granny, don't worry about me. I'm not afraid because I know where I'm going if something happens to me.' Aaron was a Christian and he stood firm in his faith," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "He's with the Lord now and I'll see him again some day."

Reading the CNN article gave me the chills, but it was also a good reminder about staying firm in my faith. On top of that, it happened to be on the same day a San Diego police officer was killed on duty when a suspect pulled up right beside him and shot him. I mean... I guess for anyone, you never know what tomorrow will bring. We could say when it's God's will, it's your time to go. Anyone could get in a car accident on the way to work, suddenly get cancer, etc. But in a way, let's be honest, my job has a couple more risks than the average person.

I hope everyday before work, I could have the confidence in Christ like Aaron did. I wish I could say like he did, "I'm not afraid because I know where I'm going if something happens to me." And I wish people would see me as a warrior for Christ.

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?- unless indeed you fail to meet the test." (2 Corinthians 13:5) We always talk about reality checks, but I realize I have one everyday. It's a scary thought, but at the same time I see it as a blessing. My hope is that it will bring me closer to God and make me appreciate everything around me.

Never know what tomorrow will bring... Keep your faith in the Lord always.

BOYS who can shave

What's the difference between a boy, a guy, and a man?

what the HELL?

Rob Bell (Nooma videos) recently sparked a major discussion on hell with his idea that hell doesn't exist. Many others, including Francis Chan, have come up with responses. Overall, I hope it challenges us to really think about what we believe and bring us back to the gospel.

I recently heard about this guy who approached a pastor and asked, "God’s so powerful and so good, why does bad stuff happen?"

The pastor replied, "I’m not going to answer the question, until you ask it correctly."

So the guy says, "How do I ask it correctly?"

And the pastor answers:

Here’s how you ask that question properly. You look me in my eyes and you ask me this. How on earth can a holy and righteous God, know what I did and thought and said yesterday and not kill me in my sleep last night. You ask it that way and we could talk.

But until you ask the question that way, you don’t understand the issue. Until you ask the question that way you believe the problem is out there. Until you ask the question that way, you believe that there are somehow, some individuals, who in and of themselves deserve something other than the wrath of almighty God. Until you ask me the question that way, until you flip the script and say “Why is it that we are here today, why has he not consumed and devoured each and every one of us? Why oh God does your judgment and your wrath tarry?” When you ask it that way, you understand the issue.

When you ask it the other way you believe in the supremacy of man. How dare God not employ his power on behalf of almighty Man. You flip the question around and you believe the supremacy of Christ. How dare I steal His air, because the last breath I took I borrowed it from Him…

We don't deserve anything. God doesn't owe us anything. YET, Christ still chose to love us and sacrifice Himself for us. That's what makes GRACE so amazing. Instead of asking, how can a loving God send people to hell, what about asking how can a perfectly holy and just God not send a sinner like me to hell? How can the almighty, sovereign God love me and even die on the cross for ME? It's a humbling thought. Don't cheapen GRACE.

HEAVyladEN?

Heaven will be an everlasting increase in joy. Beautiful.

God's

Riches

At

Christ's

Expense

writer's blogk

after over a year, i think i will start blogging again