Taking a Break

***All posts from February 23, 2010 until this post were first published on wordpress. I'm moving back to blogspot, but at this address. THANKS!!***

Dear Reader,

I am going on a hiatus. I need to refocus several things-- life, work, this blog, whatever.

This blog has not gone in the direction I wanted it to, and I am going to spend a great deal of time reworking it. I will probably move all of my old posts to my old blogger account and start anew. Thank you for your continued readership. In the future, I hope to be a better steward of this love for writing.

I don't know how long this will take, so until then, please check out these other fantastic bloggers:

Ladies:
Leslie Ludy (Set Apart Girl-- a great resources for purity)
Joy Eggerichs (Love and Respect NOW. Ask questions. Think and long for God. Laugh.)
Sherideth Smith (A Woman's Guide to Women: A Blog for Men -- but also for ladies)
Amanda Bast (Consider the dandelion.)

Gentlemen:
Stuff Christians Like
Ragamuffin Soul
Tyler Tarver
Tyler Stanton
Brian Allain

Living on Mission

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

These are verses that a lot of people use relating to mission trips. Rightly so, Jesus did tell us to go and make disciples of all nations (to the ends of the earth). For the longest time, I thought that was all I had to do. I was good with God if I did that. No matter that the community I lived in was living in darkness, there we people across the ocean who needed saving. And, I was going to do it!

Overseas missions are important. Necessary. If God calls you, GO! However, God did not call us to wait on His call and do nothing in the meantime.

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on Biblical languages, but I did hear one such person state that the 'go' in the Matthew passage above translates as 'as you go'. As you go about your everyday routine. As you work. As you shop for groceries. As you play soccer. As you live. As you ____, make disciples. We can do this because Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, and he commands us to make disciples. Thankfully, he will always be with us as we go.

The verse from Acts ties into the 'as you go'. Jesus told them to first make disciples where they were-- Jerusalem. Making disciples radiates from where you are-- not where you want to be. Not where you dream to be. Where.You.Are.

Christians have a high calling on their (our) lives. We're not any better than anyone else, but we are saved from God's wrath to His love by His Son Jesus. So, why not  show and tell the world (your community) what He's done for you?

What does 'as you go' look like for you?

About You

I want to know who you are.

1. Age and gender


2. Where you live (or there 'bouts)


3. The furthest place you've traveled from your humble abode


4. Dream destination

Go.

9 things I'd do if I had $1,000,000

I think about this a lot. Probably more than I should. Don't judge me. I'm sure the thought has run through your pretty little head about what you'd do if you won the lottery.

 

[caption id="attachment_607" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="What would you do with a million?"][/caption]

Here's a run down of the things I'd do if I had/ won a million dollars.

1. I'd give more than 10% away to start. 10% to my church and some more to my beloved campus ministries at Kennesaw State.


2. I'd pay off all my mom's, dad's, and my debts.


3. Put some in the bank.


4. I would quit my job, go back to school, and finish.


5. Buy plane tickets to Kelowna, Dresden and New Zealand.


6. After I finish school and go traveling the world, I'd hook up with a missionary organization and do that for the rest of my life. (I'm not saying I'm putting THE mission on hold. There's plenty of mission opportunity at home and the other place I want to go.)


7. Work on completing my 30 before 30 list. I've determined that winning the lottery may be the only way to do it before I'm 30. Of course, God is bigger than the lottery or my piddly little plans. :-)


8. Give money to my family and any of their ministries.


9. If there is any money left, I'd put some more in the bank. I'll probably have to pay taxes on this imaginary money. I guess. I might give it away.

What would you do with a million dollars (or the equivalent in other world currency)?

Sweet dreams?

I've been having weird dreams lately. I don't know if it's what I've been eating and watching on TV throughout the day or if it's something else.

My dreams have been anything from ridiculous to so real that I woke up feeling brokenhearted.