Trust.

I've been thinking a lot about trust lately. Over the last few months, yes; but especially over the last few days. It might have something to do with the last two sermons here at Lake Geneva being about that... Trust. But I'm been thinking about trust and faith together.

I've been asking myself this question for some time now and, in all honesty, I don't have an answer. By all means, I should; but it's something I struggle with.

Would I honestly give up all of my personal hopes... dreams... ambitions... to go work in some foreign country. To preach. Or just live in a place serving people for God's glory. Yeah, at first most everyone would say yes. No. Saying you will and actually doing it are completely separate. "Actions speak louder than words."

God, I pray that I can live up to the plans You have in store for me.
My trust, my faith lies withing You.
May my actions, may my steps show it.

Quote.

"On a normal day, I pray for an hour in the morning. On a busy day when I know I am going to need the Lord, I pray for 2 hours."
- Martin Luther

This quote has so much depth, and so much truth. I've made the excuse a thousand times: "I don't have time to read my Bible... I don't have time to pray..." In all honesty, everything else should come second. Martin Luther had it right - in the 1500s. Here I am sitting 500 years in the future, on a computer... in an air-conditioned house... with running water... food in the refrigerator... We have all of these "time saving" inventions these days; but we often still fail to take time out for God. Not even a minute. I know there's not a single person in the world that cannot spare minute... even ten minutes out of their day. Maybe it's because so many people have these messed up views of what time with God really is...

They feel obligated. It's viewed as a chore. No. I think praying and reading your Bible is something that needs to be desired. Maybe you don't have a desire to read your Bible; but do you have a desire to get closer to God? If you don't have a desire to pray... how are you going to talk with Him, and develop a true, meaningful relationship with the King?

Psalm 37:4

Yeah... it should sound familiar.

$15 Billion.

What would you do with $15 billion?

I came across this article, by chance, today. It talks about bottled water... the production costs, quality, and how much Americans spend on bottled water. Guess how much we spend.

Yep. $15 billion. Absurd.

Before I go on, let me clarify that I drink bottled water on occasion. In fact, I drink it frequently; But I read a statistic recently. I can't account for its accuracy, but it stated that the cost of curbing world hunger was around $19 billion (and that US citizens also spend about $18 billion on makeup). So... if we cut down on bottled water and makeup...?

Links:
Star Tribune
FastCompany.com

This is one of those days that I realize just how absurd we Americans are sometimes. People are starving. We're arguing about the cost of gas. Disgusting.

Action.

Lately I've been caught up in planning for the future. Deciding, once again, what to do for school. Trying to figure out what exactly my future entails. I've been so focused on what I feel God is calling me to do, yet I still doubt. I'm torn between several outcomes.

This morning, I was reading in James (which happens to be one of my favorite books of the Bible). There's a point, in the second chapter, where the author talks about faith action. More or less, it comes down to saying "Faith without action... is dead."

It got me thinking. I've been focusing so much on the long term... the big picture. I've been sitting in this relatively stationary position. I just need to... move. Do. Something. God will direct me. I just need to make the first step. He'll make the path straight.

Maybe we, as Christians, get so caught up in the will of God that we forget one "minor" detail: It's going to be done. You might run from it. You might hide from it. But you'll never truly escape the will of God. So take that leap, step, jump of faith. He'll do the rest.





I love Lincoln Brewster right now.
"Everybody, everybody, everybody praise the Lord..."

Babble.

The perfectionist in me is what holds me back.
The doubts. The fears. These are my demons.
My calling. My desire. These are my dreams.
My trust. It's what keeps me sane.

Video.

Reject Yourself.

Killswitch Engage is one of my favorite bands ever. Even though none of the members (to my knowledge) are Christians, all of their lyrics seem to have strong spiritual overtones. These are the lyrics from a song of their new CD As Daylight Dies. It's called "Reject Yourself."

their cries are blown away with the wind.
how passive can we be before humanity is lost?
turning our backs on those who need love.

we must not rest while healing is needed.
tear down the veil that bars your heart from feeling this.
dedicate yourself.

give your souls to compassion.
with open arms embrace this heart.
with open eyes behold the truth.
embrace this life.
so little time is left.

we must be relentless in our pursiut of those in torment.
tear down the veil that bars your heart from feeling this.
dedicate yourself.

become the voice of compassion.
with open arms embrace this heart.
with open eyes behold the truth.
embrace this life.

can you reject yourself?
can you feel their agony?
in a world that feels on disregard.
heal the broken hearted.

Afternoon Delight.

This verse has applied itself to my life so many times, in so many ways. Every time I doubt. Every time I question. Every time I fear... God brings it back to me. Someway... somehow...

Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart."