We think we got it.

Young men know their strength... but do they know their weaknesses? Do we check ourselves to know where we will fail? Self-honesty is a rare thing.

Merry Christmas!!!

Whether you are of age or not, I hope all of you have a magical time focusing on Christ and having a real, new refreshed sense of that undeserved gift this Christmas. May all other treasures pale in comparison, to where you realize they are loss compared to Christ. This isn't a time for idolizing presents and goodies... but a time for treasuring the One gift that can't be refunded, can't be avoided... once He's given it, it's yours to stay. Not like Heineken and Coca Cola. They'll fill you up and wait- leave you down. But Christ never does. He is ALWAYS there... even when you don't feel like He is. And suffering always has a good purpose... Romans 8:28.

So I toast to you. Enjoy Christ, and everything else follows. The sinful desires fade and the righteous ones arise. I'm speaking from experience.

A new way to look at Depression

This is a very enlightening way to look at depression. It's not just a physiological issue, or a social problem, or a spiritually-derived flaw. Those domains are woven together in people.

http://jdgreear.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/12/ask-anything-friday-depression-and-mental-illness.html

I'm going to quote here...

"Depression is smoke from the fire of the altar at which you worship. Anger, depression, jealousy, etc can be helpful messengers pointing you to where idolatry exists in your life. Don't simply wave away the smoke by medicating yourself. Use depression to get to the root of the issue and correct what is dysfunctional in your relationship to God."

So true. And I'm glad that someone else agrees that sometimes these things can actually help. Not that I like depression at all, but when it arises, I know that there's a "heart" problem I need to trust God more with. Not work on. Cause I can't work my way out of this pit.

Worshiping Twilight

In the song "In the Bleak Midwinter", the last verse says "What then can I give him, poor as I am?.....I must give my heart." If you give your heart to someone or something, it's kind of a big deal... right? What does it mean to give your heart?

There's a fine line between being a fan of something and worshiping it. Church didn't tell you that, growing up... and that "having no gods before me" is talking about this very thing. We don't make golden statues anymore, people... we have actors, famous people, sports teams, sex... but none of it should take God's place in your heart for what you care about most.

This isn't a go hard or go home spill... I just want people to question themselves as to what they really love most. I'm worried about how "Christians" can buy a movie ticket 5 times, spending over 40 bucks, and then won't give that much (if anything) in church or to ministry etc. I want us to see where our priorities really are in terms of what we can give.

I've seen people type and say things that lead me to believe that what really makes them go crazy is sex, appearance, hype and fantasy... rather than God. They say they're Christians, and only God knows their heart... but there's a difference between holding someone accountable and judging. I'm holding people accountable. And perhaps if I care about them enough, I should take the next step and talk to them about it. My ears are being opened to God as I'm typing this.

Yes, you can love a movie. You can really be fascinated by it. But you should know that if you're gonna roll with Christ and hoist his flag, you better not be caught centering your life around something else... or making your outward face an expression of how much you love an idol. You publicize your love for sexy characters and romance, but do you publicize your love for God? Which really matters to you? If God is as incredible as you claim to believe, then why are you not behaving as if He is?

So I challenge you… decide whether or not you're following Jesus... or just networking.

Calling all ladies

I bet if we said Luke Perry wrote the Gospel of Luke, more ladies would read the Bible.

Targeting men would be a bit harder. I don't know of a hott Esther...

The Lord is a WARRIOR, the LORD is His name.

Jesus: "Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to bring strife and division! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against... or the other way around!"

God stands for solace and good, yes, but what is truly good is not always peaceful. Sometimes it requires action and a bloody lip. And sometimes it requires standing up for your beliefs even if your family or friends think you're an idiot.