Random Thoughts

• Been a while since I've blogged. It always annoys me when I think about how long it's been since I've blogged.
• I'm going to Chicago for The Gospel Coalition Conference in roughly 2 weeks. I absolutely cannot wait. It's going to be amazing. How could it not be? Some of the featured speakers are John Piper, D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, and Mark Driscoll... I know. Amazing. I can already imagine the feeling of inadequacy that I will feel being in the same room with those guys. Trey and I are pumped. I'm really glad Trey is going with me. It'll be good to spend some time with him. I always appreciate talking about spiritual things with him. He's very wise and I just generally enjoy hanging out with him.
• Also, I'm very excited to get to spend some time with Johnny Grimes (Lead Pastor of Branch Life Church in Birmingham) at the conference. We're on the same flight and I think we may be staying in the same hotel. I anticipate some great conversations...
• The youth group at Journey has really gotten a hold of my heart. I see so much potential in these kids. They have such a drive to grow in their relationships with the Lord and I see a genuine hunger for the Lord. I pray that I can continue to be a part of their lives. It is such a blessing to my life.
• I just finished Mark Driscoll's Death By Love. It was a fine book. It really helped you see the application of Jesus' death on the cross in real-life situations. I definitely recommend it. I'm so glad I read it before Easter. It is no doubt shaping the way I think about the death of Jesus.
• Good Friday is this Friday. I am greatly looking forward to spending it at my home church with my family. I am spending a significant time this week focusing on the depth of my sin and the punishment that I deserve for it. Friday will be a day of indescribable gratitude and deep appreciation for God sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to take on the sin and shame of all believers to reconcile them to Himself. I pray this Good Friday will be a milestone in my life. I want to truly grasp Jesus' death and all that it accomplished more than I ever have.
• Sunday is Easter. Much like Good Friday, I am praying that Sunday will be a day of celebration. I hope I will grasp all that is Easter on a deeper level than I ever have. I cannot wait to celebrate the death of death. I cannot wait to lead the Believers at Journey Church in Auburn as we proclaim Jesus' victory over sin and shame. It's going to be amazing.
• I have been spending a lot of time studying John 1 over the past week or so and it has been INCREDIBLE! I have never 'gotten' it like I have been over the past week. It's a very beautiful and poetic passage. You should definitely check it out.
• I will try to blog as often as I can over the next week or so. Keep checking in. Sorry I've been so inconsistent lately. I'm trying to get back into a routine.

Grace and peace to my brothers and sisters!

Reflections From 'Crazy Love'

Here are some quotes from the last chapter of Francis Chan's book Crazy Love (which I highly recommend) that have really got me thinking about my life.

• We say things like, " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises.
• ...if I stop pursuing Christ, I am letting our relationship deteriorate. We never grow closer to God when we just live life; it takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness.
• The Holy Spirit is the One who changes the church, but we have to remember that the Holy Spirit lives in us. It is individual people living Spirit-filled lives that will change the church.
• How we believers live out our lives is a microcosm of the life of the church.
• The world needs Christians who don't tolerate the complacency of their own lives.
  

A Year In God's Word

So I'm embarking on a journey that I have never completed (or come close to completing...). I am going to read through the entire Bible this year. In the past I have attempted valiantly and succeeded up to somewhere around Genesis 22 before dropping out.

However, I have now adopted a reading schedule that should expose me to all of God's Word this year. It's pretty cool. In the mornings I read a couple of chapters from the Old Testament. Around midday, I pause and reflect on a couple of the Psalms. Finally, at night before I got to bed, I read a couple of chapters in the New Testament.

I really like the way it works. In the morning, I wake up and am encouraged by the story of God's faithfulness to His people. Around lunch, the Psalms hit me right between the eyes, because they relate so well to how I feel so often around that time of day. Finally, before I go to sleep, I get to read the Gospel and reflect on it until I fall asleep. There is no greater blessing to 'count' at night than the Gospel.

I also appreciate this schedule because it keeps me disciplined and it saturates my mind with the things of God, rather than the things of this world. I have no doubt that the Scriptures will change, mold, and chisel me into a more disciplined saint and a more successful soul winner. I anticipate great things through this process. Please keep me in your prayers.

If you're interested in reading along with this schedule, click here.

Grace and peace.

Al Mohler's Suggestions For Reading

Here's a link to the most brilliant person in Christianity today and his thoughts about reading. Here's the link.

Grace and Peace. λύτρον

How Should I Feel About This?

Yesterday me and my dad spent some good ol' father/son time in the local Barnes & Noble. We are both avid readers, so we could probably spend hours upon hours there without getting bored (we actually did end up spending like 3 hours).  We were rummaging through some books in the Christian section and I stumbled upon this one.

I honestly am not sure what emotion this book brings up in me... Part of me wants to laugh at how outlandish and ignorant I consider it to be. Another part of me recognizes that the guy who wrote this probably believes the stuff he wrote is accurate and true and that terrifies me. This guy is not walking alone in his ignorance, but those who buy this book and read it are having their perspectives tainted. In today's society, Christianity is beginning to take on the face of a God who desires nothing but health, wealth, and prosperity for everyone. After having thought all this out, I guess I feel kind of bad for laughing... 

Any thoughts? Feel free to comment.

Grace and Peace. λύτρο