summer camp

so on sunday i leave for summer camp….as a leader.  wow!  i never thought about this day coming.  its been an interesting process getting ready.  i’ve made some mistakes and learned some stuff.  i did some stuff right.  i did my best.  hopefully in some small way it was pleasing to god.

more importantly though, i want you guys to pray for the students going on this trip.  all the work was for nothing if students do not experience intimacy with their creator.  pray for all distractions to be removed.  pray that god may find honor and glory in this next week.

god’s…

grace amazes me this morning…

heat wave

being a valet in 100 degree weather is not fun!  it’s one of the few times i feel as though i am actually “earning” my money.  jumping in and out of cars that have been sitting in 100 degree weather for a few hours is definitely miserable (especially when you consider you’re doing it for several hours straight).  sitting on hot hot hot hot hot leather seats is especially miserable.  however, when i pull that car around and recieve that $5 for doing so little, it becomes worth it haha.  although i do get pounding headaches from jumping into air conditioned cars and back out into the heat.  just a tip for all you reading this: if you ever valet your car in 95 degree + weather, and your car has been sitting outside for an hour or two, you should tip the valet decently. just a tip for your friendly valet cast member : ).

marathon…

oh yeah one other thing that is so exciting. i’ve recently met a guy named geoff nighswonger (forgive me if i spelled the last name wrong). he has his own non-profit organization and is invovled with orphanages in mexico and uganda. every sunday morning at 7:30 am he goes down to a park off of cedar and lakewood blvd. to feed the homeless and have a church service with them. he calls it his homeless church. i decided i’m going to try and get invovled with his organization. he has a non-prof license and all. i don’t know if i’ll raise any money for this, but i’m running the long beach marathon in october and want to raise money for his non-profit organization. i’ll try and figure out more details about it later. most churches have a problem with asking for money to meet needs, but this is my blog and i don’t have a problem with it. i’m asking anyone who reads this to sponsor me in order to provide geoff with financial support to continue to feed the homeless in lakewood and bellflower and to help out with the orphanages in mexico and uganda.

gold wash

when life seems to busy to blog there must be something wrong.  i have so much going on right now.  only another month and than i can slow down again.  i can’t wait.

i went to get my car washed today (another task i find taking the back seat due to my busyness).  everday i tell myself, “today is the day that i will wash my car.”  at the end of the day i find myself saying, “tomorrow will be thday that i will wash my car.”

i washed it myself a few weeks back and it did that whole “rain” thing and got my car all dirty again.  so i’ve been recovering from that set back for quite sometime.  i decided it was time to go get it washed by the professioanls.

i pulled up into the car wash lot and observed the list of washes they had to offer.  i was immediately drawn to the “gold wash.”  good marketing, anything that has the word gold in it has to be amazing.  so i told the man with great pride and relief, ”i would like the gold wash with the pina colada air freshner.”  he simply smirked and wrote out a ticket for my car.

at this particular car wash business they allow you to watch your car go through their high tech water spraying, air drying, wax throwing process.  i watched my car go through with much anticipation to sit back in a good smelling, clean, and vacumed car.  i paid, got my tip ready, and watched the man finish drying my car and cleaning my windows.  i got in my car and brought it up soaking in the new appreciated smell (good smell) and clear winshield. 

i pulled into my driveway only to back out of it because my neighbors tree seeps sap from it.  no way was i goign to get sap on my newly washed car.  so i parked in front of my residence.

i got out of the car, and was looking at the clean doors, hood, tires, etc, very excited about checking this off my “to-do” list.  however, upon further inspection of my vehicle i noticed a few dings and scratches on my car,  nothing severe, but i noticed them none the less.  this thought dawned on me: the cleaner my car is the more its imperfections stood out.  i had not noticed all those little scrapes and scratches before.

immediately i reflected on how this is true in my life.  my imperfections and shortcomings will never disappear.  being washed in the blood of christ doesn’t mean i’m not going to have my imperfections completely removed from me.  all too often in my life i find myself belive that one more “washing” from god and those imperfections are going to go away.  after all, they were barely noticeable before.  but as god has begun to wash away all of the junk inside of me and outside of me (the metaphor to the car would be vacuming and washing) the smaller things begin to stand out a little bit more than they used to.  it’s easy to become discouraged, but i rejoice in the fact that i’m noticing the little things that make me imperfect. 

i don’t foresee myself goig to have all those dents removed anytime soon.  i don’t plan on repainting my car to rid itself of the scratches.  but i do see god continuing to refine my imperfections.  there will always be dings and scratches in my life.  i must continue to be open to gods solution to ridding myself of them. 

like i told the kids in the youth group a few weeks ago, i’m imperfect and a failure by nature.  god loves me anyway.  it doesn’t make sense, but he does.  i only hope to continue to allow him to reshape my life in a way that brings him honor and glory.

sports

can make me furious….like tonight….

long time no blog

i haven’t blogged for quite some time.  i haven’t even been on my page for a while.  it was a nice unplanned “break” from cyberspace.  something inspired me to write today though.

i woke up super super early today, and by super early i mean 6:30 am (get off my case, that’s super early for me ha).  anyway, i woke up to meet up with some local youth pastors this morning to talk about whats going on in youth ministry in long beach and the surrounding communities.  it was refreshing to see and talk with other people that have a heart for youth.  there were about 10 people that showed up.  the age range was from about 22 (thats me, i was the youngest) to 60.  it was such an encouraging meeting.

working at a specific church can often limit one’s vision of what god is doing in the larger community of believers.  the meeting this morning gave me an opportunity to witness what god is doing through the body of christ on a larger platform.

it also gave provided me with a chance to exercise humility.  coming out of college you think you know more than you actually do.  listening to some of these older men talk about their vision and listening to the wisdom they had to pass down was humbling.  it brought me back to a place where i could listen and learn because i have so much of that to do still.

i hope god continues to teach me through different means about ministry and being a more complete follower of jesus.

progress must be made

one thing i’ve noticed about myself the past couple of days is that i’m kind of a control freak.  i don’t always necessarily need to be in charge, but i’m so opinionated that i tear down peoples ideas/thoughts if they aren’t the same as my own.  i’m very quick to judge people’s errors in decision making or what i perceive to be an error.  if things aren’t done the way i think they should be done i become very frustrated and irritated.  i need to learn to submit and be more humble to those who are over me.  i also need to become more humble in thinking that my way would be better.  i give myself too much credit in thinking that.

sports and the soul

just watch.  your soul will be touched.  watch the top one first.

the fathers love letter

i read this over the high school students this past sunday. thought i’d share it. it’s scripture re-written in a letter format. it’s god’s love letter to us. i have all the references for each of these statements if you want them.

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. I know when you sit down and when you rise up. I am familiar with all your ways. Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. For you were made in my image. In me you live and move and have your being. For you are my offspring. I knew you even before you were conceived.I chose you when I planned creation. You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I knit you together in your mother’s womb. And brought you forth on the day you were born.

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. Simply because you are my child and I am your Father.

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. For I am the perfect father. Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Because I love you with an everlasting love. My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.  And I rejoice over you with singing. I will never stop doing good to you. For you are my treasured possession.

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. And I want to show you great and marvelous things. If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.  Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. For it is I who gave you those desires. I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. For I am your greatest encourager.

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. He is the exact representation of my being. He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.  Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.  If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. And nothing will ever separate you from my love again.

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. I have always been Father, and will always be Father. My question is…Will you be my child? I am waiting for you.

Love,

Your Dad.