The Beauty of Salvation
Psalm 149 tells us God makes affliction beautiful by saving you out of it. Here are my thoughts on salvation this Christmas Eve... So what do you think? Let me know in the comments!
Tag: Jesus
Set Apart to the Dance
Originally posted on The Way CA blog at Be sure to visit and check out some of my friend Ben's material there as well! Ever heard of the word sanctification? It’s a big fancy word that basically means “set apart.” Many people also explain that it’s an idea of being set apart from one thing and set apart to another. This is the essence of the term “holiness.” After all is said and done, I like to say that sanctification is a dance...
Opportunity
I'm not waiting for another opportunity. I am not waiting for a chance to make it big in life, strike it rich, or become famous. The truth is that I am famous to God. Being known and adored by God is the most elevated position in the universe. I'm already at the pinnacle of success, fame, and wealth. I am now free to pursue everything I do without a worry in the world because I'm not looking for personal gain, I'm looking to share the...
I’m Done Waiting
I'm done with waiting for my next encounter. I'm going to give thanks for everything I consume and everything I partake of and everything I engage with as though they were each different expressions of God saying directly to me: "I love you."
I refuse to live like a love-starved beggar. I am not love-poor. I do not live in a poverty of love. No one lives in poverty—they waste away, they decay, they die.
I will subvert every experience of the...
Detox Agents
"Wow, this is deep," I mused. I find myself enraptured by the words I read on the screen, when the inevitable moment arrives: I disagree with the author. "No, that's a horrible way to look at it. This is exactly the mindset that irritates me about people today." Then I remember a crucial detail: I'm reading my own posts from 3 years ago. At some level, I wonder if this points to growth. It surely shows change of some kind... I'll just call it...
Twilight
To me, there's something mysterious about the period of day we know as twilight. It doesn't matter whether it's the morning twilight or the evening twilight, because both represent hope to me. Something about having the sun below the horizon yet still radiating its light across the sky gives me assurance that there is still hope. It could be an analogy for how though I cannot see the sun, I can see evidences of its existence—kind of like...
Withered
On one of my many pilgrimages from my apartment to the library, I came across this sight: This branch was dead. The first word that came to my mind was "withered." I think it reflected my current feelings of my spiritual life. I felt like I was withering. In the past, when I felt like I was withering, it was usually because of noise. People around me are always searching for some sort of external stimulation: television, music, talking,...
Hunger
Closeness with God can be a difficult, ever changing thing. It's never because He changes, but always because we change. Change. I hate it and love it at the same time. It's what happens as we renew our minds and bring our lives into alignment with the reality of our new natures in Christ. We are already seated in heavenly places with Christ, but we have to learn how that looks as we live on earth and it can be a difficult, painful process....
Everywhere
I had a thought this morning: what if everywhere I went held a special meaning to me because I had memories of God's presence there? What if I made it a point to acknowledge Jesus' presence with me in every place that I set foot? What if I could look back on my activities throughout the day and remember each moment fondly because I experienced God everywhere I went? The fullness of His presence is the ultimate gift, and memories are the ultimate...
Memorials
So this is perhaps one of the coolest things I've come across in the last year! But this isn't just any pocket-sized notebook... open it up and you find... Five-line staff paper!!!!! This is a musical notation heaven! A friend at school had this notebook and offered it to me knowing that I might appreciate it as a music major. I do, in fact, appreciate it. Actually, I adore it. Now, whenever inspiration strikes me with an awesome melody, I can...