The excitement of a fresh start

Last night the Columbus Crew played Real Salt Lake in a quarterfinal CONCACAF match. The MLS season does not begin for almost a month yet despite the bad weather a few thousand die-hard soccer fans came out to support the Crew. The game was sloppy but exciting. While the match ended in a scoreless tie, there were some close plays that could have turned the game into a big win for the Crew.

The field was icy; the seats were below freezing cold, despite being a pre-season (as far as MLS fans are concerned) game on dreary February evening; still fans showed up. It is in the human nature to be excited about the things that we love. Sports fans love the live entertainment of sports. Soccer fans have been waiting all winter for the season to start up again. There may still be a month before the MLS season starts but fans around the Columbus area are ready for Crew season.

Others may not be soccer fans, but are excited for the start of spring, the warmer weather or the start of a break from school. Humans need fresh starts. The Bible speaks about fresh starts. 2 Co 5:17 says that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Romans 10: 9 says that “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” The Lord Jesus Christ can give your heart a new, fresh start today!

The investment of the offerings

In the Old Testament, The Levites were commanded by God to give a tithe (a tenth) of the tithes they received from Israel to a priest (for God) in Numbers 18:26 . Traditional Jewish law and practice has included various forms of tithing since ancient times, including both financial and argicultural tithing. The word tithe is not found in the New Testament. Instead the New Testament scriptures are seen as teaching the concept of "freewill offerings," give freely as you feel lead.A lot of churches base the idea of the tithe/offerings on Malachi 3:10. It is the “storehouse” concept, that the tithe belongs to the local church. Basically a good church will have a wide and varied missionary/outreach program.

They like the storehouses of the Old Testament will accomplish many things with the tithe/money we give to the church:
use it to care for the spiritual leaders, pastors, church staff members, evangelists, and missionaries,
to reach unbelievers outside the church, and to care for the needy within the church.

Many people investing in the fund, the congregation, has power to do things one person couldn’t do on his own and it invests money in valid ministries he or she might not know about otherwise. So a good church will not keep all of the financial gain for themselves but rather will be finding ways to bless others, those in need especailly. But if the church is not well investing the money then it is a good idea to give to other organizations to take care of these things like taking care of the needy.
If God is leading you to help someone or a group then it is right to give to them as God leads. He will bless us for doing what we can.

June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Financial Freedom: Principles of Wise Money Management (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 31.

Bill Hybels, D. Stuart Briscoe and Haddon W. Robinson, Mastering Contemporary Preaching (Portland, Or.: Multnomah, 1990), 108.

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Integrity: do the right thing

The Bible clearly stresses the importance of living with character. God wants us to try to do the right thing, to live with integrity. A life verse of mine has been 1 Co 10:31, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." In all areas of life, we can choose to glorify God. Even when we are eating, when we are sleeping, at work or at home, in all things, in all ways Christians have the opportunity to bring glory to God.

Proverbs 22:1 says that "A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold." A man with good character is more important that all the wealth and riches this world has to offer. A man with a good name does not slack off as a lazy man would but instead works hard at everything he does. People around him can see his character. They can see God in Him because in all things that he does, he brings glory to God. Not glory to himself, but to God. A man of integrity does what is right even when no one is watching. A man if character has an audience of one, God. (Phil. 2:12-15, 1 Thes. 2:12).

A popular saying in recent years is “What would Jesus do?” Whatever you are doing today at work or at home, ask yourself if what you are doing brings glory to God. Are you living with integrity and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord God?

New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

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The blessings keep coming

This year so far has been exhilarating. God has been blessing me a lot and my little heart can hardly stand it.

The first one: Beginning on January 3rd, a month ago today, I started emailing this stranger. Honestly, I was sort of going out on a whim (on an online dating website); I was not sure she would even write back. This stranger has quickly become a great friend. I have learned a lot from her already and she inspires me. She is an amazing lady and what a blessing to have her in my life as a girlfriend.

The second: I am finishing up the process to become an ordained free will baptist minister. This journey has been such a great adventure and learning experience. I have been working closely with my pastor and church, doing the work of ministry. I have learned a lot from my mentor and friend. I appreciate him very much and continue to learn to love people the way he loves his flock!

The third: After three years of being on annoying schedule at UPS Freight, they have finally moved me to a M-F shift! No more split shifts on the weekends, I can sleep in everyday of the week (except Sundays now!) YES!

And finally I have more opportunities to do things that I love and make more money. While UPS Freight is easy money. It is not much money and it is not something I want to do for the rest of my life. Two companies have offered me independent positions. I will be working for myself but with their help. The first is with Examiner.com. I am a "Biblical Living Examiner." I get to write articles on what I love: Christian Living, theology in relation to culture and etc!

The second is with wyzant.com, as a tutor. I can find students and students can find me. I will hopefully be tutoring students in psychology, English, guitar, Bible Study, basic software and other topics. The plan for now is to stay with UPS Freight and do these side jobs for extra side money. UPS has not been super busy lately and I have been pushed back to the bottom of seniority. So besides being put on M-F shift, my relationship with them is not the most pleasant. I would much rather being writing, blogging, teaching and tutoring. So if I get super busy with the other two jobs, or find a real ministry job then I can quit UPS Freight.

Maybe it is time

Life has taken some interesting turns lately.

UPS Freight has been slow and since they hired on new group of full-timers I am at the bottom of the totem pole once again. UPS Freight has been good to me in some ways but not many...something to do, a little bit of money, insurance...but it might be time to move on....

I've been working here cause of the benefits and because it is an easy not-too-demanding job while I finish up my Master's degree. I'll be done with my Master's classes in December. The original plan was to graduate and then go into a ministry career having my MDiv....but now with UPS Freight treating me this way, maybe it is time to find a ministry job NOW before I graduate completely.

New Year

I am usually pretty reflective during the end-of-the-year holidays. This year I have not been too reflective or goal-planning...but I have decided that I want to improve my life in one key way that involves all areas of my life:

Surrender.

Bad things happen to [____] people

You might think I am crazy, that is okay. I think that bad things happen to all people because all people are fallen sinners who live in a fallen world. No one is inherently 'good': “There is none righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10). Because of that reality, suffering is universal.

What is beautiful is that the story does not end there! The God that loves us offers grace and forgiveness and wants to help make us good. He offers the love and forgiveness to everyone: the oppressed, persecuted, the poor, the rich, everyone.... the question is : Will you accept it? God offers His grace to all, but many people reject it.

God blesses Us for His Glory

We are blessed by God by and through his Grace for His glory.

Yeah I've been listening to David Platt as he reads his book Radical to me in my car.

This is not a new message to me. I've read Piper's Desiring God. In which Piper proves through Scriptures that the great business of life is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

We can enjoy our blessings and life. God wants to make us happy but ultimately He is blessing us for His own glory. So we will share the Good News of God and tell others about the blessings from God. They are not to be selfishly absorbed but shared.

Does this make God selfish?

Yea, but would He really be God if His chief goal was to bring glory to something other than Himself? NO. Whatever He was bringing glory to would be a Higher, more important thing and therefore should be "God."

This is one key theological point that challenges our thinking but also our living.

It is weird to think about and kinda fun, but ultimately, now what?

Now with this truth processed we must live it!

When we are blessed and happy, let us not get complacent and focused in on living with our blessings, instead let us give God the credit and make sure to use these blessings to bring Glory back to the One who first loved and blessed us.

IT is so easy to live caught up in the American dream. It is easy to take the blessings and forget the One who has blessed us.

Isn't our faith a relationship? Are we sharing the Good News and the blessings and the ultimate Blessing with others?

The gift-giving

I love it and hate it.

Of course I love receiving gifts, who doesn't?

But honestly I love giving gifts too because I enjoy making other happy.

What i hate is the fact that I am dirt poor.

I never have enough money to give good gifts to everyone who gives me good gifts, forget about anyone else I love and would like to get gifts for.

Comfort in knowing God is in complete control

Earlier this week my pastor (and mentor) gave me some advice that has stuck with me and already changing the way that I am thinking and living.

He said that ultimately God is in control of all things, ultimately where you at is where God wants you to be....I'll spare you the details... (I am more reformed in thinking than my pastor, he is a free will baptist pastor! but ultimately we both agree that God has ordained things to be the way that they in the end will be....the "how" we get there details can vary depending on how you view free will issues)

So in ministry where ever you are at physically (a chaplain in the Army, a pastor of a church plant, an associate pastor of a long established church, a business person in a large corporation, a construction worker) is where God wants you to be.

He said we all have doubts sometimes...instead of living in the moment of emotion, we can live in the moment of the Spirit. We can stand firm in His Word and in His Sovereignty.

He was saying all of this to help prepare me for my calling into chaplaincy. Where ever the government sends me I will go. It will be exciting and an adventure. There will be things I will see that I have not ever seen yet before. There will be people hurting. There will be a lot of opportunities for love, service and ministry. There will be hardships and times of frustration and maybe even doubt.

While I am not there yet (in the Army) I am able to use this advice already! At UPS Freight, where I work, it is so easy to get so caught up in my work that I ignore people. I ignore the Spirit. I just live in my little "lala" land or I live in the emotions of work: not good. (There is a lot of anger and frustration there)

I told myself tonight at work, "God wants me here now. He has a reason and purpose for me to be here. I might be the only Jesus some of these men will ever see."

I tried today to be a leader. I tried today to love and listen to people. I tried to do all things at work for the glory of God. This is just practice for future ministry. I want to be living it now before I go off to the Army.