Worth Dying for?

Have you ever thought about that title?  Are you worth dying for?  I would believe that 99% of people out there would never believe they are worth dying for.

I was listening to the song "Someone worth dying for" by Mikes Chair which really got me thinking about the life that I live.  Do I believe I am worth dying for? Do I live a life where someone else should put their life on the line for me?  As I was thinking I did not think I was worth dying for.  I did not see my life as something someone should give up their dreams, or worldly family for.  I am a sinner and even though I try to be wiser with my decisions everyday I am still a failure in living up to the perfection God has put in front of me.  The true person we should look at dying for everyday is Jesus Christ.  He lead a perfect life yet we choose to push him to the side.  I think this song and message has two sides and want to challenge you with both.

The first side is believing that you are worth dying for.  If you believe this statement or not one person already believed that you are worth it.  He put himself through terrible pain and sacrifice for you to realize your worth.  It wasn't a quick death or a simple sacrifice.  It was the torment and pain he went through for years all coming to a peak right before he was crucified.  You can see some of the persecution Christ received in these passages from John. 28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled,Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”[c] 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”[d]  This decision by the Lord was not a split second reaction to jump in front of a car or pull you from a subway but his grand plan.  You see the stories in the news all the time about an individual sacrificing themselves to save another if it is by pulling them out of a burning building or pushing them away from an oncoming car.  These are great acts that were performed on a split second reaction.  I am sure that these normal individuals did not believe that day they would be the one to save someone or even sacrifice themselves.  Christ knew about this from the beginning of his life.  He knew his mission and knows the worth of all humanity.  He believes you are worth dying for and you should too. 

The second side is Christ worth dying for.  You have seen stories of this in the news before also.  The one that comes to my mind is the situation at Columbine High School when a gunman approached a girl and asked if she believed in God.  Her answer "Yes".  Unfortunately this was the end of her earthly life but the start of her eternal life with the Lord.  She answered the question I posed at the beginning of this paragraph and stood up for her faith.  Would you do the same?  Maybe we shouldn't look at it to this extreme as I pray that you would never be physically killed for your belief.  Do you stand up for your faith at your work, your family events, or your times with your friends?  When others question your stances on abortion, going to church, giving to others do you just sit there and agree? Or do you stand up and explain why you believe what you do?  It is so easy for each one of us to sit back and not share our thoughts because it may create an awkward situation or might change someones view of you.  When we sit back and don't express our faith we are saying Christ is not worth dying for.  We allow ourselves to be bigger than him.  You might not literally be dying for God by standing up for him and your faith but mentally you are making that choice.

I challenge each and every person that reads this blog to look forward and decide how you can die for Christ.  Is it a co worker who is challenging your faith, or a family member that does not know God?  As you grow in your faith it will continue to be easier to make these daily decisions and the sacrifices to die for him.  Also remember that before you were born Jesus had already decided to die for you.  He went forward and mentally and physically was persecuted for you because you are worth it.  Society always pushes against every person for not being skinny enough, not having defined abs, not having a socially accepted job, and many other things but that is not where your worth comes from.  Your worth comes from the love of the Lord.  His love makes everything worth it especially you.  Waking up in the morning and knowing that you were worth dying for will affect your decisions throughout the day.  You don't want to waste someones sacrifice for you because you are putting yourself first.  

I hope you can take something out of this blog and it will help you look at your faith in a different way so you can continue to grow it.

Someone worth dying for music video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ-pz1rc900

Dents?

Hey everyone hope you are having a great day. Sorry I did not post this past week I had my family in town and was doing touristy stuff with them. I hope everything has been going well for each one of you. I have finally found a church down here that I truly grow in and am super excited about that. It has given me inspiration for more blogs and has made me consider doing more than once a week. So let's not waste anymore time and get right into it.

This blog is all about the past. I started to think about this blog when I was watching Cars 2 with my buddy Andy last weekend. Yes I do watch Cars, they are great movies. Well if you have ever seen the movie there is a scene when they take Mater (the tow truck) and are fitting him with disguises. They see all the dents he has and decide they need to remove them. Mater stops them in their tracks and proceeds to explain where each dent came from and how they are a part of who he is. This kids movie got me thinking about my life and my journey with God. There are may times throughout my life that I have made mistakes and I am sure that is the same with you. These mistakes are numerous different sins that I should have never committed but unfortunately I did. Many people, and I do this to, say we should forget about our past and move forward. I completely agree with that but with a stipulation. It is the past for a reason but also it is something we can learn from. Jesus Christ gave us a second chance so that we would not receive the punishment of hell for the mistakes that we made.

Some times we are so quick to forget about where we came from or who we are. You see this all the time with professional athletes. They come from broken neighborhoods and never having money and then all of a sudden they sign a multi million dollar contract to be in debt 5 years later because they forgot about where they came from and got spoiled by their new riches. Each one of us has parts of the past or experiences that we want to forget but they will always be a part of us. This movie helped to show me that we should look at what has put "dents" in us throughout our lives and learn from them. We should work to make sure that the specific dent does not occur again or get bigger but it is who we are.

Each one of us have gone through different experiences if it is the jobs we have held, the neighborhoods we grew up in, the lifestyle we choose, or the friends we surrounded ourselves with. It is important to share your "dents" with others so they can learn from the things that have shaped you. By telling others about your dents you allow yourself to be vulnerable and a part of that person's life. You never know what how that one experience could change something for someone else.

We all have had "dents" in our lives but they are part of who we are. Those dents might not be out favorite part of who we are but they are still a part of us. We need to show these "dents" and not try to cover them up. Show others the real you. Don't put up a mask just be you. The best news is Jesus Christ died on the cross for each one of us to knock those dents out. His love allowed each one of us to approach him on judgement day dent free. But for now let others see your weaknesses and flaws. Let them help you and allow them to show you there "dents". Having a dent is not a bad thing. It gives you an opportunity to tell a story and start a conversation. Maybe that conversation will allow someone to see God or maybe it will be as simple as letting them have a new friend. Whatever the case be proud of who you are and what has happened to you throughout your life.

John 3:16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Your last day?

So lately I have been thinking a lot about the way I live my life. I thought about the choices I make each day and how I live my life out around others. If I change who I am depending on who I am with or am I always the same person. That made me start looking into the question of if today was my last day would I be happy with who I was? If I died in my sleep tonight did I make a positive impact on the world?

This brings me back to my step cousin who passed away after a fight with Cancer. She left two young kids and her husband behind. It was a very tough time for all in my family even though she was new to my family. The anniversary of her death made me realize any of us could be gone tomorrow or get the news that our time here on earth is limited. It made me evaluate myself and start asking the question of would I be ok with the impact I made on the world today.

Everyday each one of us is faced with thousands of decisions some decisions small like what are we going to eat today to big decisions like what am I going to do with my life in the future. There are many choices that we have to make but I tell you right now every one of those decisions are important. You may not see what you choose to eat or choose to wear in the morning as something that is important but it is. Do you know just by the clothes you were you can change someones perspective on you. And I'm not saying by not wearing the "in" thing but just your choices. I see all the time people wearing shirts with inappropriate words on them. What do you think that says to others around you? I'm not saying go out and just wear shirts that have a cross on them or say God all over them but think about what your wearing and how that represents yourself and how it could influence others. Those are the little choices that we can make daily to change our lives and others.

Now there are many big choices we can make also. Would the way you have given back to the community and treated others be what you have always strived for? I notice it so many times everyone going along with the group. Some people are different from you but isn't that what makes us a community. If we were all the same we would have some serious problems. It is easy to go along with everyone else and I am guilty of that too but what about standing out from them. What holds us back from stepping up and being the person God asked us to be. Can you honestly say that a majority of the people you have touched in your life would miss you for the joy you brought to there life. For the way you always treated them and the kind of person you were. I know we all wish this would be true but we all have work to do. There is thousands of people that you will contact in your life, are you leaving a positive impact on each one of them?

As a salesman part of my job is building relationships with my clients. In my short time in sales I have probably sold to close to 200 people. It is my duty to make sure that they feel special and everyone in their group. Sometimes I have to go into work early or leave late, sometime I have to respond to emails from home or miss part of the games to make sure that happens. That is a reason I do love sales but it makes me think why don't I do that with every person I meet in my life. Why don't I take the extra second to hold the door, why don't I smile most of the time, and why don't I take that extra time to step out. This is something that I will be working on for the rest of my life. I need to do exactly what I do in my job and turn it into what I do in life.

I challenge each one of you this week to take that extra time and help them out. I push you to go out and make 5 people feel special this week. I pray that you can have a positive impact on every person you come into contact with even if maybe your political, sports team, or religious beliefs don't match up. Take that time and meet with others. Make everyone out there feel special and let them know if they ever needed anything you are right there for them. Take the time to show your love to someone else TODAY!

1 Timothy 4:12
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

Giving

So today I was having a hard time of coming up with a topic that I wanted to talk about tonight. Then I remembered the news that my dad told me this weekend. My church is currently going through a large growing period and lots of new projects are getting started. As many of you know my church has a very good social outreach program lead by Dan Karlin. This man has a heart to give like nobody I have seen before. So Dan is a very connected individual and is working everyday to find a new way to help the less fortunate. He is the founder of Motown Soup (I suggest checking us out on Facebook GREAT SOUPS!) and works with many organizations within the city of Detroit. Well with this new expansion we had to add parking and this big ordeal had to be approved by the city for all the permits. Due to some code which I am not going to even try to explain the church is planning to set up a building for Dan to run a free medical clinic with. This is a great step to help so many new people.

Dan has had his struggles in our church unfortunately and has had those who have not supported every decision. But he has always pushed on. He has continued to push the envelope and develop new ways to help others. His outreach has reached hundreds of people and made an impact on so many. He uses himself and the volunteers to take these opportunities to tell others about God and show them His love. When nothing may be going right for them Dan is making sure someone is there to lift them up. For some people they do this by donating money. For others it is by purchasing the products that we sell and for others it is by donating their time. There are so many different ways to give back to the community.

With so many different ways to give back why do we not do it more. A lot of times we have these stereotypes that people in these situations abused a drug or alcohol. We see that they are lazy and are just looking for a free meal. And yes that is sometimes the case unfortunately but most of the time they have just feel on hard times and need a little help to get back on their feet. We need to use the tools we have to help them. Sometimes we are lazier than them by having a good job or supportive family and getting used to our blessings. By giving back to others it's not only following God's will but it will help our economy. By putting a little time or money into organizations that work to help others we are ultimately helping ourselves.

I challenge each one of you to find a program or company that gives back to the community and start supporting them. I challenge you to give an hour of your time a week to help someone else in the community. If that is by sitting down and talking or serving them a meal, everyone has their gifts and will give back differently. Take the time today to find out how you can give back to the community. Look for the organizations around you that you can support and in turn pour back into the local community.

Ask yourself How can I make a difference today?

2 Corinthians 8:7
But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Getting Knocked Down

Hello again everyone. Sorry for not updating this more often it is definitely something that I plan on changing right now. As many of you know I recently graduated from college and decided to move to the wonderful city of Nashville, Tennessee to pursue my dream of working in professional sports. I am currently a Sales Associate for the Nashville Predators of the NHL. It has been an amazing opportunity but has also presented me with a lot of change that I was truly never accustom to. Not only was I moving out of state but I was not just a simple drive from home. I was going to a completely new place that I had visited twice in my life and knew very little about. I knew a few people down here but not more than a handful. Let's just say my life changed drastically two months ago when I moved down here.

I noticed when I got down here I really had an opportunity for myself with my career but also my spiritual growth. I grasped the job opportunity immediately but kinda put my relationship with God on the back burner and did not work at it the way I wanted to. Well that is all changing today. And that is why I am back here on my blog. I hope to keep at the blog and give an insight that I see with God once a week. So keep following.

Well let's get to the real reason your here and let's talk about that big guy upstairs. So working with the Nashville Predators I get some cool opportunities and one of those is getting to work with the community. Since I am one of the few people in the office that knows how to skate I usually am always a volunteer for any of our hockey programs. This past week I got to work with our G.O.A.L program which stands for Get out and Learn. This program is a way to create awareness for hockey down here in the South where football is lived and breathed. (Kinda weird coming from Detroit). So this past week we had our first of a 4 week program. We welcomed to the ice 80 kids from 4-6 who had never skated before with the challenge of teaching them how to skate by the end of the month. I wish you all could of see these kids hit the ice because you couldn't help but laugh. One after another each kid stepped on the ice and their skates went in the air and they landed on their back. Twenty minutes later and with some help from me and the other coaches pushing them like they were a hockey puck we got every kid on the ice. For the next hour all the coach's worked to teach these kids the basic's of skating. I was selected as the one to help the kids who were really having a rough time. So during this time I worked with one kid trying to just get him to be able to stand on the ice. Finally after what seemed like an eternity he stood in the same spot for over 30 seconds without failing. I slowly worked with him to get him moving and the kid looks up at me and goes "This is easy!" Now remind you if he keeps moving at the pace he is going he will move 5 feet in the next hour. I can't wait to see what these kids accomplish in 4 weeks.

That kid and all the participants determination spoke to me and made me think about my life. It made me come back to my spiritual life and the stumbles I have had. With all the change down here I had forgot about some of the fundamentals and tried to move to fast. I did not think about just getting up but instead when I got knocked down I would stay down and say it was to hard. I would continually tell myself I will start tomorrow, instead of standing up right there and pushing forward. I know God was right there along with friends and family encouraging me to get up just like I encouraged the kids to get up and push on but I pushed them to the side. I thought I knew best and why start today I have already screwed that day up. I just needed to start with small steps not trying to make that huge jump. I needed to start getting into my devotionals more regularly and putting time aside for Him. I challenge you all to do that to. I know personally sometimes work and my wants to go out and do stuff will hinder my time with him but why can't I find 20 or 3o minutes to get in the Word. Today I really got up and decided to not waste anytime. I had plenty of time for his Word and had such a great day. Don't let school, work, or friends get in your way to have some time with your Best Friend, Your Father.

This whole program has been more of a build up for me than any of those kids. They have taught me a bigger lesson then I can ever teach them. I might be able to help them learn how to skate but they are the ones that are getting me back on track with God. They are the ones that showed me there is no better day to start then today. They showed me when it gets tough and you just can't stand up to keep trying. If you try hard enough nothing will keep you down especially with God on your side.

I ask you today what is keeping you down? What is not allowing you to get your time with God? Who have you chosen as your "coach" in your life to encourage you to keep pushing and to get up? Sometimes it is not as much of everyone else helping you up but your own determination that will get it done. Only you can decide how you live your life so make the choice TODAY to stand up and get back to the basics. From there you will be able to grow and be the coach for someone else!

Bible Verse:

2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Makes you Think

So I haven't wrote on here since last summer. I have been very busy with work, school and just life in general which has lead me to write this blog. As many of you know it is predicted that the rapture will occur tomorrow at 6 pm and then the world will end 5 months later. Well these predictions got me to thinking.

If this happens tomorrow am I ready?
Why does it take the threat of the world ending to make me evaluate my faith with God?

To look at the first question I think I would be. I believe that God is the one and only Savior and that he has saved me from damnation. I do know that I haven't lived the most straight or pure life and have sinned countless amounts. But even though I have lived this way I know my Lord is watching over me, providing for me, and sent his Son to die on the cross for me thousands of years ago. But just like whenever you go in front of anyone that would judge you it is nerve racking. The Lord has the ability to choose my fate and that is scary and it was meant to be that way. It is the same way if I was to go in front of my boss even though I feel confident in the job I did, I know I made mistakes and something small to me could be something huge to him. So yes I am nervous for that day in front of the Lord if it is tomorrow or 80 years down the road. I am a sinner and I have failed but I know his salvation is just that salvation for me.
Looking at all this just makes me realize that why do I wait to evaluate myself and my faith until their is speculation that it could all be over. Why am I not fearing the world continuously? My life could end any day as I have seen by friends and relatives that have died unexpectedly. Any day could be my last and become my judgement day. Why do I not realize this every day of my life and do my best to lead a God pleasing life?
This speculation has made me think about the way I live my life and how much I take for granted. One day if it is tomorrow or whenever I will face his judgement and he's not going to throw it up on a billboard for me saying "Hey, Tomorrow is YOUR Judgement Day" This day will come when we are not expecting it because everyday of our lives we should prepare to meet our Lord in person. Everything that has been talked about has made me realize that I need to make changes in my life and live everyday for Him and be an extension of the Lord since we are all as Christians a part of HIS body.
I don't know when judgement day will be for me or you but I hope and pray that when it does I will be prepared and have lived my life as close to the Lord as I can and I hope that is the same for you. Any day could be our day and we shouldn't need someone telling us it could be tomorrow to make us change our lives. We should do it everyday to honor the Lord and be an extension of him.

He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.

Vulnerability

Sorry it has taken me so long to update this. Life has been real busy lately and I just haven't got the opportunity to sit down and write a new blog. A lot has been happening in my life lately and it has given me my new topic of vulnerability. As a few of you know I lead a few bible studies here on the campus of Grand Valley State University and I always want to be connected with the people I meet the most I can. I have noticed that to do this I need to make myself vulnerable and let people into my life and then they will open the door for me to come into theirs. After seeing the show on MTV called "If you really knew me" I realized how much I still needed to know about my closest friends and how I needed to be vulnerable with them. This brought some questions into my head

Does God ever make himself vulnerable?

How do we make ourselves vulnerable to others?

Well looking at the first questions the answer right there in the bible. Yes the Lord made himself vulnerable. God sent his son Jesus Christ down here to suffer through the world of sin to save each and every one of us. (John 3:16) Jesus made friends with everyone including those who were hated. He made himself just like everyone else here on earth and was not ashamed to be who he was. Obviously he is Jesus Christ and was without sin so he should not be ashamed of anything for he lives without sin but he still is using his lifestyle as a model for each and every one of us. God did make himself vulnerable by letting his son here and his vulnerability has given each and every one of us hope.

Now on to the next question: How do we make ourselves vulnerable to others? This question is different depending on the person but some things I have noticed have made a huge impact in my life with this subject. The main thing I noticed is to get others to be vulnerable with you, you need to be vulnerable yourself. I usually keep a lot of different things to myself but when doing this "if you really knew me" exercise (going around in a circle and telling one thing about yourself that others did not know) at a bible study I started things off with something very deep about myself and soon my group of six people were sharing some of the things they have struggled with in life for 20 years. This was great for me and my fellow leaders because now not only are we closer to each other but we know how we can help that person out when they are having a tough time. Now we know what to watch for with each one of them. Another example was the other night just watching the show on mtv with a few friends that I had just made a few weeks ago. We decided to go around and tell one thing about ourselves. Again I started it off because many people were nervous and my story was deep. This lead to the other people there telling us different things about them that were so deep. We left that night with such a stronger connection because of a few words. Vulnerability will give you those connections and help you show God's love to others.

Vulnerability is not easy but it is an awesome way to get into the lives of those around you. It takes a lot for people to show the true them and some people never will. But just like in Shrek when you peel back the layers of the onion you get to see something people have never seen before. Look at the real person inside and let them see the real person within you.

Being vulnerable and getting to know others all begins with each and every one of us. When people realize that you are just like them and you have your problems they have no problem letting you into their lives. I never thought telling someone something about myself would make me be so involved in others lives. I can truly say that making myself vulnerable to others has opened my eyes on so many things. There are so many people that are out there that are struggling and need to see the love of God. Are you going to be that person that shows them his love? Will you be there to let them know everything is going to be okay? How can you get to know others around you deeper? You have opportunities in this life to impact so many people so take those. Just remember this quote from the show on MTV "We do not get to choose if we affect each other, we only get to choose how we affect each other"

If you want to talk please contact me. God loves each and everyone of you.

God Bless