Okay, so quick update: Jonathan is now out of the hospital and back at his apartment. And apparently he's going to be going back to classes starting tomorrow!! Dude's a trooper, that's for sure.
So it seems the big conversation-starter of late is the subject of love. The way we show love for each other--disciples and non-disciples. God's love in general, God's love for each of us, Christ's love on the Cross...the list just keeps expanding. And honestly, it's a good thing to touch on. Because as humans, we are born with the deep, innate, almost primal need to be loved, and to love. Whether it be in the form of a person or even an object, we all search for love in something. And with Valentine's day having just passed, the focus on relationships and what they mean for people is intensified. Those with boyfriends or girlfriends are appreciative of their significant other, and choose this time of year to show this appreciation in the best way they know how. The single people of this world are a little more on the lonely side of the playing field--they see the couples around them loving each other, and openly showing that love, and they want someone to love them like that; they want to love someone like that.
Well amen. There IS someone who loves you like that, whether you're single or taken. He loves you so much, he's even made the decision to die for you. You were sentenced to a fate that means you would have to be tortured for eternity--try to imagine that--and this person loves you so much, he decided to die so you wouldn't have to go through all that. He took all the blame, and all the wrong things you've done or been, and was tortured, so you would have a chance at life.
His name is Jesus Christ. And he wants you to know him, he wants you to know what he did for you. He wants you to live for him, since he died for you. He can guarantee you life--more than you could ever imagine now--and prosperity in life, and all you have to do is make the decision to live for him, and then follow him with all your heart--make him the Lord of your life--the most important thing you will ever live for.
If that's not love, please tell me what is. And in coming to die for you, he decided to impart some knowledge before he left, so you can get the most out of this decision to live for him. And the second greatest commandment he gave while walking on this earth was to love your neighbor as yourself. Show others you love them, just as Jesus loved you. Be an example for Christ. Love him with all your heart, and love others around you to show that you reflect the love that he was able to show to you.
There is also a model, of sorts, to let you in on how you can truly love others. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Think on that a little bit. Let love guide your actions. Let it be who you are. You will get along with more people--a lot less arguing will be involved, lemme tell you.
At bible talk today at CPCC, Harmony brought up this perfect example. Be Love, as you go throughout the day. Not loving, but rather Love. Personify this perfect example of God's reason for creating us. A lot more will be accomplished, and you will find not only your life improving, but also the lives of those around you. Try it, see what happens :D
Here's a few love scriptures:
John 13:34--A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 3:16--For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.
1 John 3:1--How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
1 John 2:10--Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
Galatians 5:6--The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Galatians 5:13--...serve one another in love.
John 14:21--Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.
I love you guys--lemme know what you think.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Amen
There's something people who don't follow Jesus as the One true Way need to understand: God is real. He knows everything about you, even the stuff you don't tell him. And if you're distressed and you cry out to him for help, for peace, for comfort...he'll give it to you. Granted, not many times will you see him come down from the clouds himself, since he's a spirit, but he does a lot of other things in your life to show you he's listening and does really care about you.
I hope this is encouraging for you.
My brother, Jonathan Luu, was recently admitted into Carolina Medical Center at University due to a collapsed lung, caused by a rupture in the organ that caused air to leak into his chest cavity. I went to see him today, and he is doing amazing, considering his condition. He is sitting up, eating and drinking--more than he normally does in a day--and is interacting with the many, many people who come to see him; still making less movement than he's ever made in his life. According to the doctors and nurses, he is recovering rapidly. The nurse said there's dramatic improvment in the second x-ray, and the surgeon that put the tube in his chest to vacuum out the oxygen in his chest cavity said that he is one of the best conditioned patients he's ever had in his entire practice; there is no reason to worry about his other organs failing; they are very, very strong. Jonathan himself said he's doing pretty good, despite the conditions.
I, however, had a little bit of a harder time accepting all this good news. All i heard was "Jonathan's in the hospital"...which meant he was bad enough so that he wouldn't be doing okay outside the hospital room. I don't know how you would react to it, but it scared the life out of me. I cried a lot yesterday, so much fear running through my mind. But I did what I've been trained to do--pray. I prayed like crazy. I prayed that Jonathan would be alright, that he would make a fast and favorable recovery, and that I would have peace and comfort in my heart about the situation. I prayed for a peace of mind, so that my day entirely wasn't thrown off by this news. God calmed my mind a lil bit, and then used a couple indirect things to help things ago. One of the things came in the form of York Brady. He has his quiet times, and then sends out a mass text of a scripture he looked at during the quiet time. Usually they come at 6:45 in the morning. This time tho, it decided to arrive at 10:30 at night. God planned it that way so I would have some comfort--I believe it with everything in me.
Revalation 7:17--For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
That encouraged me so much. It helped bring peace to my mind. And then today, when I went to visit him, at one point it was just me, him and his girlfriend, Niki, in the room, and Jonathan suggested that someone find an encouraging scripture to read, since he hadnt had a chance to have his quiet time yet. Niki looked at me, implying that I should do it. So I picked up his bible and opened it, just trying to find a starting point for where to look. The page it happened to settle on, and the verse my eyes just happened to see first, was Jeramiah 30:17.
'But I will restore you to health, and heal your wounds,' declares the Lord.
If that isn't direct encouragement that everything'll be okay, I honestly don't know what is. So here I am, getting encouraged out the wazoo, yet still stressing about Jonathan being in the hospital. It just didn't settle well with me that one of the guys I considered invincible was lying in a hospital bed.
But I went to Bible Talk tonight, and Jeff did a message based off the scripture in Matthew 7.
vv13--Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Basically, what the point of that lesson amounted to, was that God needs to be the focal point, the complete Lord of my life. We can't try to squeeze God into our standards; it won't work. You're not close to God by doing that. We have to submit ourselves over to God. Everything. Not just what's convenient.
I felt kinda out of it during Bible Talk, so all of that didn't impact me immediately. But once I returned to my room, I began to feel overheated. Something in me told me that it was God telling me to go outside to pray--I would feel cooled off, and closer to God all at the same time. So I did that. And in my prayer, I realized what Jeff was talking about during his lesson, and gave everything over to God. Including my nagging anxiety at Jonathan being confined to a hospital bed. I gave it over to God and told him to deal with it, because there is more I need to do with my life, than worry about something I already know is okay.
Lemme tell ya--doing that did numbers to my mind and heart. I felt peace, I felt joy. Jonathan is in good hands--both with God on his side and with the excellent doctors and nurses taking care of him. I have no reason to worry. God is awesome, and can do anything he pleases. I just gave it to him, and let him have it, and then thanked him for everything he had done in my life--from letting me see Jonathan, to letting me wake up that morning, to saving me from the darkness I was covered in.
And now, here I sit. At peace with the situation, and joyful that it'll get better. And my thoughts are focused on God--I am applying the scriptures I have heard and absorbed to my life, to get rid of the earthly nature that threatens to destroy me, and to get closer to God with all of my being.
God is amazing. If you don't believe, look again. Ask him to meet you where you are. There's no harm in doing that--and you never know just how astonishing the results actually may be.
I love you all!!!!!
I hope this is encouraging for you.
My brother, Jonathan Luu, was recently admitted into Carolina Medical Center at University due to a collapsed lung, caused by a rupture in the organ that caused air to leak into his chest cavity. I went to see him today, and he is doing amazing, considering his condition. He is sitting up, eating and drinking--more than he normally does in a day--and is interacting with the many, many people who come to see him; still making less movement than he's ever made in his life. According to the doctors and nurses, he is recovering rapidly. The nurse said there's dramatic improvment in the second x-ray, and the surgeon that put the tube in his chest to vacuum out the oxygen in his chest cavity said that he is one of the best conditioned patients he's ever had in his entire practice; there is no reason to worry about his other organs failing; they are very, very strong. Jonathan himself said he's doing pretty good, despite the conditions.
I, however, had a little bit of a harder time accepting all this good news. All i heard was "Jonathan's in the hospital"...which meant he was bad enough so that he wouldn't be doing okay outside the hospital room. I don't know how you would react to it, but it scared the life out of me. I cried a lot yesterday, so much fear running through my mind. But I did what I've been trained to do--pray. I prayed like crazy. I prayed that Jonathan would be alright, that he would make a fast and favorable recovery, and that I would have peace and comfort in my heart about the situation. I prayed for a peace of mind, so that my day entirely wasn't thrown off by this news. God calmed my mind a lil bit, and then used a couple indirect things to help things ago. One of the things came in the form of York Brady. He has his quiet times, and then sends out a mass text of a scripture he looked at during the quiet time. Usually they come at 6:45 in the morning. This time tho, it decided to arrive at 10:30 at night. God planned it that way so I would have some comfort--I believe it with everything in me.
Revalation 7:17--For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
That encouraged me so much. It helped bring peace to my mind. And then today, when I went to visit him, at one point it was just me, him and his girlfriend, Niki, in the room, and Jonathan suggested that someone find an encouraging scripture to read, since he hadnt had a chance to have his quiet time yet. Niki looked at me, implying that I should do it. So I picked up his bible and opened it, just trying to find a starting point for where to look. The page it happened to settle on, and the verse my eyes just happened to see first, was Jeramiah 30:17.
'But I will restore you to health, and heal your wounds,' declares the Lord.
If that isn't direct encouragement that everything'll be okay, I honestly don't know what is. So here I am, getting encouraged out the wazoo, yet still stressing about Jonathan being in the hospital. It just didn't settle well with me that one of the guys I considered invincible was lying in a hospital bed.
But I went to Bible Talk tonight, and Jeff did a message based off the scripture in Matthew 7.
vv13--Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Basically, what the point of that lesson amounted to, was that God needs to be the focal point, the complete Lord of my life. We can't try to squeeze God into our standards; it won't work. You're not close to God by doing that. We have to submit ourselves over to God. Everything. Not just what's convenient.
I felt kinda out of it during Bible Talk, so all of that didn't impact me immediately. But once I returned to my room, I began to feel overheated. Something in me told me that it was God telling me to go outside to pray--I would feel cooled off, and closer to God all at the same time. So I did that. And in my prayer, I realized what Jeff was talking about during his lesson, and gave everything over to God. Including my nagging anxiety at Jonathan being confined to a hospital bed. I gave it over to God and told him to deal with it, because there is more I need to do with my life, than worry about something I already know is okay.
Lemme tell ya--doing that did numbers to my mind and heart. I felt peace, I felt joy. Jonathan is in good hands--both with God on his side and with the excellent doctors and nurses taking care of him. I have no reason to worry. God is awesome, and can do anything he pleases. I just gave it to him, and let him have it, and then thanked him for everything he had done in my life--from letting me see Jonathan, to letting me wake up that morning, to saving me from the darkness I was covered in.
And now, here I sit. At peace with the situation, and joyful that it'll get better. And my thoughts are focused on God--I am applying the scriptures I have heard and absorbed to my life, to get rid of the earthly nature that threatens to destroy me, and to get closer to God with all of my being.
God is amazing. If you don't believe, look again. Ask him to meet you where you are. There's no harm in doing that--and you never know just how astonishing the results actually may be.
I love you all!!!!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A reiterated point
Don't you just love it when people harp on a point you try to make once or twice? That's pretty much what happened at bible talk tonight. The usual bible talk leader--Edgardo Mejia--wonderful friend and awesome roommate--was out of town visiting family. So the equally wonderful and awesome brother-of-mine Jonathan Luu led bible talk. He talked about a different angle of the same thing I posted here not too long ago. Love.
Love is a rather vast point, is it not? Very complicated, very hard to understand, almost impossible to take control of. However, there is one avenue that can be mastered, if taken on in the right manner.
Matthew 22:37-39 says this: Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."
In one of my earlier posts I briefly mentioned Luke 13:26, which--paraphrased--says that in order to be a true disciple of Christ you must love God soo much, it can be like you hate everyone and everything around you in comparison. This verse--Matthew 22--kinda reiterates that a little bit. But then it goes on and says to love your neighbor as yourself. Everyone can admit they love themselves just a little bit--the overexaggeration of that is selfishness. So to love your neighbor is the opposite of that--complete selflessness. Some other people in the bible talk, when asked, said that what it means to love your neighbor--love others, essentially--is to be thoughtful of them, to think about them all the time, and to let them know that. Another person said that it means being sacrificial--that you would do anything for that person to let them know how much you really care. Amen to that one.
1 Corinthians 13:13--And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Why does it say that the greatest is love? What makes love so great? Think about it--can there be faith or hope without love? Can faith or hope do anything without love putting it into action? Love is the action behind it all. You show your faith by your deeds--love. You show there is hope by loving. It's glue.
To help bring that point home, is 1 John 3:18--Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
aka--you can say wat u want all day, but in the end, what are you really doing? are you living what you're saying? You can say you really love somone, but are you really showing them that love in what you do with them? Are you giving to them, are you sacrificing for them, are you thinking about them? Are you going out of your way to make their day better?
And no, I'm not even talking about a special someone--someone you would call "pookie." This can be a complete stranger even, depending on your heart and mind are. So next time you have the opportunity to show someone that love that never gets shown--the ultimate love--God love--are you going to let it shine, or are you going to be too afraid that they might think you're weird or crazy?
Luckily there's a remedy for that! 1 John 4:18--There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
If you love God, as Jesus commanded, and you love your neighbor--others--as Jesus commanded multiple times--then you don't have to worry about fear. Talking to someone and letting them know what that love is really like shouldn't be based on the fear of rejection or a fallen reputation.
1 John 2:10--Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
This is even more emphasis on the point that if you truly love God, you'll love others, because he commanded it--and because you love him. John 14:21--Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. So now it's even clearer than before! If you truly love God, you'll obey his commands, which is to love others!! This is soo awesome to me!
So now that that's settled...what do you think you could do to "infuse,"--as my brother put it--the light into your relationships? What will be your anchor for being that example to others, for showing the light in your relationships?
I don't know about you, but I'm going to be showing hope for what I live for in how I interact with other people--1 Peter 3:15 says to always be prepared to answer for the hope you have--I'm going to live that out. And James 1:2--i'm going to be joyful, even through trials, because they produce perseverance, which leads to maturity, which will help me in the end be in the light and help me to be motivated to show others the love that I have for God and for everyone i talk to as a result! I could also take the route of my best friend--which is parallel to James 1:2--I could just be hyper and happy and "full of sunshine." I can be positive in everything. I can sacrifice myself for my friends--and do it with a smile on my face.
Live every day in love. There's no need to hate poeple or hold grudges against them. Especially if they're in the Kingdom. We need to be unified, guys!
I love all of you--and this is the absolute truth! Any of you can ask me to do something in all seriousness, and I'll do it for you.
Disclaimer: this point and explanations were taken from Bible Talk earlier tonight, and the subject came from Jonathan Luu--I did not make any of this up. I put my opinions in and among the points, but I give credit where credit is due.
Love is a rather vast point, is it not? Very complicated, very hard to understand, almost impossible to take control of. However, there is one avenue that can be mastered, if taken on in the right manner.
Matthew 22:37-39 says this: Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."
In one of my earlier posts I briefly mentioned Luke 13:26, which--paraphrased--says that in order to be a true disciple of Christ you must love God soo much, it can be like you hate everyone and everything around you in comparison. This verse--Matthew 22--kinda reiterates that a little bit. But then it goes on and says to love your neighbor as yourself. Everyone can admit they love themselves just a little bit--the overexaggeration of that is selfishness. So to love your neighbor is the opposite of that--complete selflessness. Some other people in the bible talk, when asked, said that what it means to love your neighbor--love others, essentially--is to be thoughtful of them, to think about them all the time, and to let them know that. Another person said that it means being sacrificial--that you would do anything for that person to let them know how much you really care. Amen to that one.
1 Corinthians 13:13--And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Why does it say that the greatest is love? What makes love so great? Think about it--can there be faith or hope without love? Can faith or hope do anything without love putting it into action? Love is the action behind it all. You show your faith by your deeds--love. You show there is hope by loving. It's glue.
To help bring that point home, is 1 John 3:18--Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
aka--you can say wat u want all day, but in the end, what are you really doing? are you living what you're saying? You can say you really love somone, but are you really showing them that love in what you do with them? Are you giving to them, are you sacrificing for them, are you thinking about them? Are you going out of your way to make their day better?
And no, I'm not even talking about a special someone--someone you would call "pookie." This can be a complete stranger even, depending on your heart and mind are. So next time you have the opportunity to show someone that love that never gets shown--the ultimate love--God love--are you going to let it shine, or are you going to be too afraid that they might think you're weird or crazy?
Luckily there's a remedy for that! 1 John 4:18--There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
If you love God, as Jesus commanded, and you love your neighbor--others--as Jesus commanded multiple times--then you don't have to worry about fear. Talking to someone and letting them know what that love is really like shouldn't be based on the fear of rejection or a fallen reputation.
1 John 2:10--Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
This is even more emphasis on the point that if you truly love God, you'll love others, because he commanded it--and because you love him. John 14:21--Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. So now it's even clearer than before! If you truly love God, you'll obey his commands, which is to love others!! This is soo awesome to me!
So now that that's settled...what do you think you could do to "infuse,"--as my brother put it--the light into your relationships? What will be your anchor for being that example to others, for showing the light in your relationships?
I don't know about you, but I'm going to be showing hope for what I live for in how I interact with other people--1 Peter 3:15 says to always be prepared to answer for the hope you have--I'm going to live that out. And James 1:2--i'm going to be joyful, even through trials, because they produce perseverance, which leads to maturity, which will help me in the end be in the light and help me to be motivated to show others the love that I have for God and for everyone i talk to as a result! I could also take the route of my best friend--which is parallel to James 1:2--I could just be hyper and happy and "full of sunshine." I can be positive in everything. I can sacrifice myself for my friends--and do it with a smile on my face.
Live every day in love. There's no need to hate poeple or hold grudges against them. Especially if they're in the Kingdom. We need to be unified, guys!
I love all of you--and this is the absolute truth! Any of you can ask me to do something in all seriousness, and I'll do it for you.
Disclaimer: this point and explanations were taken from Bible Talk earlier tonight, and the subject came from Jonathan Luu--I did not make any of this up. I put my opinions in and among the points, but I give credit where credit is due.
Monday, February 2, 2009
I've been thinking for a while now what I wanna write next on this blog. There is so much that is going on all at one time, it's hard to try and think about everything individually. However, the biggest thing that has happened--which in itself encompasses a lot of what I'm thinking about--has been the Useful to the Master Southeast Campus Retreat 2009.
If there has ever been a life-changing experience I've had in my life, this event comes close to the top of the list. Three days of intense bible studies, singing, devos, more bible studies, and being around 450 other college students with like-minded beliefs and convictions is almost to intense to recount. The bible studies alone were numerous, but very insightful, completely scripture-based, and convicting to the core of my very being. Eight sheets of paper, 16 pages in essence, of notes I took while on this retreat. Preachers from all over the southeast spoke on a variety of subjects, from making an immediate impact on the world and in the Kingdom, even as a new disciple, to analyzing II Timothy to find out exactly what Paul was saying and what he wanted to get across to Timothy, to a study on how to correctly handle the Word of Truth, complete with 21 scriptures in the hour and a half the class lasted. It was very interesting to see how these different campus leaders saw the campus ministries today, and what they each felt needed to be improved--which is indeed a lot.
To make it even cooler, I could see specific changes in other people as the weekend progressed. Some came out of their shells to be more open, goofy, and comfortable around all these other amazing people. Others realized just how crazy their lives were getting, and began making changes, getting things in order, and taking the role of an active diciple of Christ as we were called to be.
It was an amazing weekend, and now the Charlotte Church Campus Ministry returns to its home, fired up like never before, and ready for the next thing that comes our way. And since I've traded in the freshman housing for the slightly more appealing Holshouser Hall, there is a very significant amount of guys in the campus ministry. One of the guys decided he wanted to put into motion the idea of bible studies, multiple times a week, for us to grow closer to each other and be able to build each other up, as well as share in each other's lives. It's gonna be an amazing semester, i do believe.
Another thing I've noticed about the campus ministry since returning from the retreat is that many of us are making significant changes in our lives, trying to improve where we are lacking. I'm personally trying to get my tongue back in control. Lately I've been really sarcastic with some people, and while it was just fun entertainment to begin with, I've lost control of it, and I began to make comments that were hurting people and giving the wrong impression. So to counter the damage, I've begun apologizing to the people I've hurt, and I've made sure that the words coming out of my mouth--especially around them--has been encouraging and uplifting. I want to make sure, in this case, that I make sure to follow what Ephesians 4:29 says. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
And i don't want any careless word to come out of my mouth that can be held against me on Judegment Day. Matthew 12:36: "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." I would definitely rather be acquitted rather than condemned. So I need to watch what words come out of my mouth, and how I say them, and who I say them to. This is part of an even bigger issue, which has to do with total dependency on God.
2 Corinthians 5:15: "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again." This means I must no longer just let my flesh and emotions decide what I do, when I do it, and how I do it. I need to follow God, and follow his Word, and be the disciple of Christ that I was called to be at my baptism. I need to trust him fully, to put all of my life into following him, not just parts of it that are convenient for me to hand over at the time. That being said, I need to be able to "step aside" as it were and let God do the talking for me when I'm in a tough position. So that it's not me and my opinions that are talking to someone, but God through me.
I know this might have been kinda erratic in some ways--like I said, there was, and still is, a lot on my mind. But let me know how you liked it and if it makes you think about some things you never considered before. This year is gonna be great, I can feel it. Stay open to what God may want to tell you, and be willing to be taught to grow and fix some of the not-so-great areas in your life.
I love you all!!!
If there has ever been a life-changing experience I've had in my life, this event comes close to the top of the list. Three days of intense bible studies, singing, devos, more bible studies, and being around 450 other college students with like-minded beliefs and convictions is almost to intense to recount. The bible studies alone were numerous, but very insightful, completely scripture-based, and convicting to the core of my very being. Eight sheets of paper, 16 pages in essence, of notes I took while on this retreat. Preachers from all over the southeast spoke on a variety of subjects, from making an immediate impact on the world and in the Kingdom, even as a new disciple, to analyzing II Timothy to find out exactly what Paul was saying and what he wanted to get across to Timothy, to a study on how to correctly handle the Word of Truth, complete with 21 scriptures in the hour and a half the class lasted. It was very interesting to see how these different campus leaders saw the campus ministries today, and what they each felt needed to be improved--which is indeed a lot.
To make it even cooler, I could see specific changes in other people as the weekend progressed. Some came out of their shells to be more open, goofy, and comfortable around all these other amazing people. Others realized just how crazy their lives were getting, and began making changes, getting things in order, and taking the role of an active diciple of Christ as we were called to be.
It was an amazing weekend, and now the Charlotte Church Campus Ministry returns to its home, fired up like never before, and ready for the next thing that comes our way. And since I've traded in the freshman housing for the slightly more appealing Holshouser Hall, there is a very significant amount of guys in the campus ministry. One of the guys decided he wanted to put into motion the idea of bible studies, multiple times a week, for us to grow closer to each other and be able to build each other up, as well as share in each other's lives. It's gonna be an amazing semester, i do believe.
Another thing I've noticed about the campus ministry since returning from the retreat is that many of us are making significant changes in our lives, trying to improve where we are lacking. I'm personally trying to get my tongue back in control. Lately I've been really sarcastic with some people, and while it was just fun entertainment to begin with, I've lost control of it, and I began to make comments that were hurting people and giving the wrong impression. So to counter the damage, I've begun apologizing to the people I've hurt, and I've made sure that the words coming out of my mouth--especially around them--has been encouraging and uplifting. I want to make sure, in this case, that I make sure to follow what Ephesians 4:29 says. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
And i don't want any careless word to come out of my mouth that can be held against me on Judegment Day. Matthew 12:36: "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." I would definitely rather be acquitted rather than condemned. So I need to watch what words come out of my mouth, and how I say them, and who I say them to. This is part of an even bigger issue, which has to do with total dependency on God.
2 Corinthians 5:15: "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again." This means I must no longer just let my flesh and emotions decide what I do, when I do it, and how I do it. I need to follow God, and follow his Word, and be the disciple of Christ that I was called to be at my baptism. I need to trust him fully, to put all of my life into following him, not just parts of it that are convenient for me to hand over at the time. That being said, I need to be able to "step aside" as it were and let God do the talking for me when I'm in a tough position. So that it's not me and my opinions that are talking to someone, but God through me.
I know this might have been kinda erratic in some ways--like I said, there was, and still is, a lot on my mind. But let me know how you liked it and if it makes you think about some things you never considered before. This year is gonna be great, I can feel it. Stay open to what God may want to tell you, and be willing to be taught to grow and fix some of the not-so-great areas in your life.
I love you all!!!
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