New Hillsong Church in NYC

Hey you guys! I wanted to blog about something really interesting happening. Apparently, Hillsong has plans to plant a church in NYC!

I want to share some thoughts and reflection on this that have come to me since I found out about this a month ago. 

At first, I was pumped... because this is a really big deal. But I began to ask myself why I was excited about it... and it dawned on me that I have been caught up in the hype of a huge, successful church organization and forgotten about all the small, local churches in NYC who have been making the message of Christ their mission during the last century. 

I want to stop and just thank the bigger churches in NYC like Redeemer, and the smaller churches in NYC like Bethel Gospel Assembly. Thanks for bleeding and sacrificing and suffering well for the cause of Christ. You impressed me with your love for Christ and how real you are about loving people well.

Is anything wrong with Hillsong? Not at all. They are one of the most Spirit-driven churches around, it seems. My point is that it's easy to flock to the churches with the best bands, the biggest bucks, etc (because it's exciting!)... and to forget about the ones that are struggling to pay their operating costs. These local churches in NYC deserve a huge honor for the work they've done. 

So my thoughts changed from admiring Hillsong to feeling almost critical of them for doing what seemed to be "throwing fists of money" into NYC to create another successful American church. But don't get upset... I changed my mind.

When I saw this video, I realized that Hillsong's leadership and people have a vision that is Gospel-centered... not success-centered, not entertainment-driven. And I felt a new respect for them. So in essence, I went from being a fan (but only for the hype), to being a critic (because I'm critical of money-stuffed megachurches), to being a fan again (because I see they have the right heart about this venture. 

Here's the VIDEO I just saw. God bless you guys. Thanks for reading. 

Tips for new Twitter users

Tips for Tweeting 

1) Don't tweet everything. (Like when you use the bathroom)

2) Your internal monologue is where you find your tweet material. 

3) Don't tweet if you couldn't say it in front of your girlfriend.

4) Don't tweet about work. 

5) Tweet like you get paid to do it. 

6) Tweet about your favorite places to eat, go, etc. (Peeps like to know) 

7) Follow your local news on Twitter. 

8) Tweet the word "sexy" at your own risk... crazy people will start following you. 

9) Block fake twitter accounts posing as temptuous women... they're probably fake accounts. 

10) Tweet your political views only rarely... and add humor to prove your point. Keep Twitter a lighthearted place. 

11) When you link Twitter to Facebook, more people read your tweets than you think. (Be careful what you tweet)

12) Don't be afraid to unplug from it all once a week or so. (It's easy to become obsessed with what others think... and just tweet all the time to constantly get attention)

Hope this helps!

update on my life

Hi all! I have not been a faithful blogger. But I wanted to update you on some things in case you didn't already know. 


I got into seminary at Southeastern in the town of Wake Forest! That means the first year I will be doing it online and living here in Greenville, because I signed a lease before I ever thought of going to seminary. And I don't feel like backing out on good friends when that would mean they'd be responsible for paying my portion.


Everything else is pretty much the same. Off and on I have trouble with my back... please pray for that. Pray that I would be diligent about my rehab and that the core issues with my back would be resolved and corrected. I need this... I need my life back. 


I just got Alex Denning to make a blogger profile but Safari crashed and he lost it. He'll do it later. 


When it comes to being single, I'm back and forth, but I'm leaning towards content, right now. I'm more than willing to be patient if it means waiting for the right girl. Amazing all the bullcrap people feed you about "being a virgin is harmful to your psychological well-being." If I had ever had sex, especially with any of the crazies I dated, I promise you I'd be one MESSED UP kid. I had enough issues that I needed to pray through for years, even without that problem. Adding that bond to a kid who grew up clingy, and that would have made me go off the deep end. 


Anyhow. Thank you for reading! Thank you for following me on Twitter as well. I'm elated that so many of you think I'm funny. I think I am too sometimes. I just get these thoughts and I go with it. I could never be a comedian... but life is just funny sometimes, don't you agree? And I have funny friends that allowed my sense of humor to develop and take form. Thanks guys. 


Thanks for being my friends. I realize I can be critical and sarcastic sometimes. I've been confronted on it. Sometimes I'm the only one who thinks a statement is funny. I shall be more wise with my tongue next time. 


My hope is that I can be more real with everyone and live to please God, not myself. Being a suburb kid is a deadly thing. I don't want to live insulated from reality forever. In terms of my faith, let's just say that I'm very much snuggled up in my routine and that I don't really want anything major to change right now. Pray my heart is broken for my neighbors here in America that rot slowly in the dark away from the life God gives. I feel like my mission field is here. 


But anyway. Love Christ. That's all I ask. Love you guys. -G

Could video games be ministry?

I've heard that some have tried to use their xbox subscription to the glory of God by evangelizing online during a video game match. A lot of people think that's absurd. However, because I like to look at both sides of an issue, I'm not going to immediately condemn it. But I do have some thoughts that I think give some insight into this subject.

I was thinking today about how my little brother and I play online and how it never really brings us together. Let me explain.

He misses me a lot. I'm often away from home for long periods of time, so I can see why. He also plays video games a lot, so that's a great opportunity to hang out with him, right?

Well, I'm beginning to think differently. The very nature of the games we play, such as COD 4 Modern Warfare, are such that several things happen in the game that actually keep us "apart" the whole time we're playing together. Literally, the very nature of the game separates us even though we're trying to spend some time together.

Here's what I mean.

Problem One. I die a lot in Call of Duty. Fact. That means that even if I can find my bro in the game, and I try to fight alongside him, I don't last long. Then I get spawned again, this time across the map, so I have to spend the majority of my time in cyberspace actually "away" from my brother, trying to get to him, when the whole point is to be "with" him playing this game.

Problem Two. We're not in the same room, we're in opposite sides of the house, playing in the same match. Problem is, even though we have headsets to talk to each other, that's the only real thing about my brother that I'm getting to encounter in this game. And you know boys. We don't talk much... we just shoot things.

So maybe if it were Nintendo Wii, or if we were playing splitscreen, then I'd actually get to sit in the same room as him and do something fun that makes us laugh together. I've been hoping for another way to connect to my brother besides this... because really, the way it feels when we're done playing, is very, very unfulfilled. I don't feel like I've seen my brother at all, or enjoyed any time with him. It's really robbed me of getting to joke around and laugh with him. You know, doing stuff that makes memories, that we all love doing. Cause who doesn't love hanging out? It's just meaningless. You just play and then you're done, and what do you get to keep? What about your videogame endures beyond you turning off the console? Are you finding your self-worth in what achievements you've earned on XBOX Live? Talk about sad!

So the next time he asks me if I can play Call of Duty, I have to wonder... what are some other things we could do that would actually make us feel like we spent time together? Makes me sound like a goody-goody nerd who writes self-help books, but I don't care. I'm not.

So I have to question anyone who says they're trying to talk about Jesus while people are busy blowing each others' heads off. Not very many videogame players are thinking about how unfulfilled they are while they are playing, but instead after they play. Your online presence has little affect on anyone. It's a waste of time... because it's not real.

One quick note

I would like to point out that in my previous post I left out the fact that the wrath of God is not always passive (abandoning us to our sin) but sometimes it is indeed active (Sodom and Gamorrah, and Aaron's sons dying after touching the Ark). In the New Testament it can even be seen when believers take Communion without reconciling themselves to their brothers... in so doing, they drink God's judgement upon themselves, according to Paul. So God doesn't always leave us alone. But when He does, that's in a way scarier than fire and destruction because we're left alone to sin and become more and more blind.

When God says "Whatever"

I just noticed that Proverbs 1:31 and Romans 1:24 are about the same exact thing. When we ignore God's input, He abandons us to our desires and things get really dark. That's what's so scary: we're left to our own lawlessness and its ill effects when we walk outside of the design for how things SHOULD work.

I have been refreshing my mind with the wisdom of Matt Chandler recently and I remember him saying in one podcast that in reference to Romans 1, when mankind turns away from Him and worships itself and the creation over the Creator, God's response is not instant lightning bolts and death, although we do see that plenty in the days before the new Covenant. God's response is often, "ok." He abandons us to our shameful desires and all forms of sin that we champion as "our way" and "our life". When we hold no regard to what our holy God wants for us, and ignore Scripture that so clearly tells us the desires of God, we spit in His face.

Isaiah 45:19 says that God "publicly proclaims bold promises; He does not whisper obscurities in some dark corner so that no one can understand what He means; He would not have told His people to seek Him if He could not be found". So, when we claim that "oooh God didn't say I couldn't do it so I'm gonna do it and get away with it", and you haven't even read the Bible to make sure, what a joke you are! Small reward people like you will reap when you are content to let your faith get no larger than the distance from your TV to the dusty Bible on your nightstand. The world blasphems the name of God because of people with shallow faith. Again, just quoting Scripture here.

Back to the topic. If we do not listen to the voice of Wisdom, shouting in the streets as in Proverbs 1, then we are lost to our own devices and desires (which always, eventually bring us down).

So does God never rebuke and lead us to repentance? Of course He does! But sometimes He abandons us to our own devices so that we can realize how much we need Him.

The Dating Question

It has been almost a year since I have dated. Usually about a year happens between each one... but this time, there's no time limit. It's whatever. I'm not looking for just fun, I'm looking for a wife, and I'm tired of the games people play. 

In the past, I have been clingy, emotionally unstable, judgemental, and probably lots of other negative things. I could spill the ugly details of a young man's confused struggle towards righteousness, but I'll spare you.

I just want to say that historically I have struggled with the "need" for someone special in my life. I've just always felt like I need her. And in some respect, I do. We all long to be understood and affirmed for who we want to be. It's just that now, I know that no amount of control I can exert on my life to "meet the right lady" or "pull off some slick moves" will achieve my dreams exactly the right way. 

What is the right way? Is it something that I can just think up? Or is that something hidden in the mind of God? Maybe I should stop "doing life" the way I think inside the box, and actually pay attention to what God is saying to me through His Word. Maybe I'm single for a reason. Maybe I need to learn how to be happy with myself and by myself before I can satisfy anyone else! Maybe the question is not whether the Bible is relevant, but rather when I'm going to realize it is!

People... just wake up. Love is... so amazing, it really is. But if you chronically pine away, wondering who the next new sexy "her" or "him" will be... you probably aren't making God your whole pursuit. I know this about myself... that I love women more than I love God sometimes. 

Just remember that. I love each and every one of you because Christ wants me to and He puts that desire in me. Love has way too much meaning for us to sit and play with it like it's a toy. 1 Corinthians 13.  

Love is SO much more than a game.