the worthless church

when i look at the church as a whole where it stands today, i get sad. i miss the days of the Church, where the early believers worked together calling each other brothers and sisters, and loving everyone all the time. we are so full of this petty word play, and all of our high and righteousness that we forget that there is a man lying in the ditch next to the road where we trod. i’m waiting for the day of this Samaritan (whom “everyone” disliked, even hated) who will come along and show us all how to do this “Jesus Following.” if jesus’ teachings are so simple (which the Bible shows them to be so) why cant we follow them? i think that we forget the most important part of this phenomenal teaching — LOVE.
if we as a church can just love everyone (especially not because they deserved it), we can learn how to “do christianity.”

the death of life

It has been a while since I have written to you. I have been pretty discouraged about blogging lately, because my last blog yielded no comments. I did, however, receive many hits. So perhaps it was just what I wrote. Anyway, I am going to start logging my finding on the book of James, which I am studying. I have been reading it regularly for some time now, and think I have an understanding for what it says enough to show others what I have learned. Let me warn you now, this may sting a little.

I will jump around in the study, but rest assured, I will cover the entire book. Maybe a few times. There’s a lot in there. It’s only five chapters and, in my Bible, four pages. So it’s not a long book. I will dispense with any further introduction and dive in.

Faith without works is DEAD.

That is the most terrifying thing I have ever read. In chapter two, verses fourteen through twenty-six, James writes how to be a Christian. If you ever wanted to know, this is as simple as it gets. Our faith goes hand in hand with good works, or deeds. You CANNOT have one without the other. So Christians will do good works. Simple enough. Scary part: (v15 16) If you fail to do a good work, you are not having faith. In v21 James shows how Abraham was counted faithful and righteous: his obedience. His obedience (which can only be shown through actions) made him worthy to be called God’s friend (Isaiah 41:8).

If you are not showing faith through good works, don’t tell people you have it. Any fool can believe (2:19). But it takes more to act. Band-aids anyone?

new year. new outlook. new blog.

It’s New Year’s Day, so I guess I should write something.

My life has changed dramatically in the past three months. It’s pretty wicked, if you ask me. Every time I think about the future, I get this weird feeling. Each time I drive home from school I realize that I won’t do that very many more times. I go out with friends whom I have known for a very long time and think that in one year, I might not even talk to them more than once a month. Some of my best friends I actually have stopped talking to very much, just because it will be easier to sever contact later if I start it now…

College is scary and yet exciting. I am moving out no more than three weeks after school is over, and I graduate. I can’t stand to be here any more. I love my family and my house, but I have lived in comfort for almost 18 years and have had everything I needed. I am going to intentionally take all that away.

I’m in a pretty serious relationship with a really great girl right now. That’s scary, because I’ve never had any real serious relationships like this. She isn’t going to read this blog because I don’t think she knows about it, so I feel relaxed about saying that, when I consider the future, I have a really difficult time imagining one without her. I’ve been in “flings” before, where I really thought that I knew what I was doing and I used words that people told me I didn’t understand, but I knew better than them; I was a teenager. I have realized that love is definitely not when you KNOW you are in love, it is when you have no idea what you are doing, and are terrified to step into something new and different, and you still never really found out what to call it. At least, that’s my take on it. I think I am in love because I don’t know what love is. Any help would be appreciated.

As for the new year, my only real resolution is to figure out a game plan for the next two years. I’m using this year as a searching year. I am getting out of the house. I am getting a job and a car. I am going to Cornerstone 2008. That’s it, and anything else is either none of your business or I haven’t figured out what it is.

I am going on a vision quest. Do you want anything from Starbucks?