Coming Back

The stupidity of just my little ole self amazes me sometimes.

Tonight's been a great night. I got some studying in, talked a little on the phone, had a good meal- all stuff of a good night for a college kid. But what took my night from being just the average "good and decent" night to the status of "great" was my time in prayer tonight. It wasn't just the "Hey God, could you hook me up with the answer to #2 on this quiz?"; it was the meaty confession, intercession, and really became more of a conversation towards the end.

There had been some stuff weighing on my heart and really been eating at my ability to hone in on what the Lord was speaking to me. I got it all out there on the table and the Holy Spirit and I labored through it. I felt great after; so much peace just rising up within me. I even got a great word out of it- Isiah 43:2.

During my walk up the stairs to my room I started to think of all the occasions I have spent intimate time with God like that and found that there is always one common denominator- I feel so alive and awakened after. It truly is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. I'm sitting here actually trying to figure out how soon I can get back to the prayer room because it's such a great feeling.

Now here's my thing: if praying to the Lord and laboring with the Holy Spirit always leaves you with this fantastic feeling, why for the last month has there been stretches of many days without times of prayer? It seems kinda stupid that I would allow such a dry spell. I just become dumbfounded by my laziness and the weakness that is my flesh as I think about it. It seems to be an uphill battle when really it shouldn't be. There has to be a better way to overcome it than just attempting to grit my teeth and saying "Yeah I'll remember to go pray today."

So friends I want you to spend a good hunk of intimate time with the Lord, your Creator. I bet a pretty penny He won't leave you satisfied, and while you're there, would you offer one up for me to remember His calling of me back to the prayer room?

Tonight!

The Office comes back tonight

It's a glorious day

A Glipse of the End

Greetings from Northeastern!

Last night was a really uplifting night in what has started to be a bit of a string of discouraging days with classes getting started and all that. I skipped out on the mandatory presentation featuring the author of "Three Cups of Tea" and went to the Agape Christian Fellowship. It's basically the Campus Crusade for Christ here at NU. There were about twenty or thirty of us in this room at the Student Center.

Immediately when I got in the room I could feel and absorb the love for the Lord and the love for everyone from the Agape people That's pretty awesome cause the term "agape" is Greek for the selfless type of love. I grabbed a slice of pizza after meeting a few Agape members. There was some small talk with a pretty diverse group. Then the leaders of the Agape, Paul and Allie, got up and gave a little talk about what all goes on in Agape. They've got this Fall Retreat to a lake in New Hampshire the last weekend of September that I think I'll go to; it'll give me a chance to get out of the city.

After giving the basics, a guy named Colin came up to share his testimony which is always awesome to hear how other people found God. You could also see the laboring and working the Lord had done within Colin during his walk with God thus far.

I left that meeting with a great smile on my face and thinking that if I don't accomplish anything else during my time up here I want to be like Paul, Allie, or Colin. I want random unknown people to take notice of my love for others and most importantly, my love for God.

Mini-Posts

There's been a lot going on lately in my life and just a bunch of stuff that I wish I could put into full posts but would take a ridiculous amount of time and right now I simply don't have that. So with that mouthful out I came up with a plan to preserve my sanity and not spend an entire month trying to write it all. I'm going to devote a singular paragraph to each individual topic that's spinning around in my mind right now. That's good because a paragraph is only 3 to 6 sentences which keeps me from rambling and from just typing about whatever first pops in my head, like right now I'm not sure if it's raining outside cause I hear something that sounds like it but I've also got my music going. Now that I've gotten that bit out on the table let's begin.


I found a church up here in the city that I think I'm going to try. After checking out its website it seems like it might be pretty cool. I just know that it won't be near as cool as going to New Life and hearing a great word from Sam. I've also looked at a few others so I'll probably give them a try too unless I just get an amazing sense of peace from the Lord when I go tomorrow. I'm kinda looking forward to going out and testing the waters here, seeing exactly what I'm up against.

My roommates are amazing. It's only been two days and I know it'll be a fun year. I've been blessed by God for having such roommates. Scott is about 6'6" and really good at basketball so we'll try to put a 3 on 3 team together. Mark is also tall (6'4") and really into 80's hair bands like Poison and Motley Crue. I'm really going to enjoy living with them.

The only thing that I'm nervous about are my classes. I'm taking 19 credit hours which basically means a butt load. However, Dessi, a girl in the room next to me, is going to be in alot of the same classes with me so we'll get a nice little study group going here once classes kick up. My classes also start really early and that's no fun but what can ya do right?

All of a sudden it seems like everyone, or only a couple (my estimate could be off), has started to blog and are now chatting about each other's blog and just getting in on the whole deal. I don't like saying this but I feel maybe jealous or something. It seems like "Hey back off! I was here first." Writing has been my thing to release whatever was within me when I couldn't find anyone to have a conversation with about it. And these new bloggers just have this knack to be great at anything and everything they do. Maybe I'll take my blog "off-line" and just make it a little electronic journal, except the whole point for blogging in the first place is to let other people see it and hope that they let you know what they think about it. Oh well, under the radar works for me just fine.

I'm not incredibly homesick yet, only a smidge. It still feels like a vacation and I'll be getting back on the plane to come home any time. I know it's gonna hit me like a brick here soon though. I also don't have very many pictures to put up in my room so if my friends who are reading this would like to send me some here's my email: bosox_355@hotmail.com. I think I was able to spend time everybody one last time and say farewell except there is one person I didn't get a chance to really spend time with...

I wish I could get connected with a cool Christian kid here soon. I realize it's only been three days and not everyone is on campus yet. It's just a matter of trusting in the Lord.

That could be a whole length post easily, just trusting in God through all times. Trust Him that He's got a plan for some small town Kansas kid in the big city out on the east coast. It's going to be a struggle to constantly keep that in mind and that is a big area that I need prayer for. There are tons of things that God simply takes care of and all required by me is trust. So please pray that I could find incredible trust to put in the Lord.

Panting on a Leash

This evening I took my dog, Easton, for a walk. I figured he'd really like that considering the size, or rather lack of, of the house that we currently fit four humans and three dogs in. So here we are, man and his best friend going back to the stone age setting out on this adventure. Easton, for those who aren't in the know, is a chocolate lab (black at night though) who's still got plenty of puppy in him for being almost two years old. We start out and Easton is dragging me along by his leash, just constantly tugging. Then we hadn't even made it a full block before he saw another canine and went ballistic with hair rising up and guard dog mode in full gear (he's actually a big sissy so no worries.) Finally we settle into a good pace with plenty of slack through the leash. The walk ends up being very anti-climatic and we both made it home safely, but I had discovered a pretty astonishing thing.

The walk I just took with my dog was incredibly similar to another walk in my life, my walk with Jesus.

Only instead of the one holding the leash, I'm the one kept on the path by it. Like Easton, I keep tugging on this leash of my beliefs and just as I love my dog so I don't let him run wherever, Jesus holds onto the leash so I won't become overwhelmed by everything in the world.

Another good similarity shows up in the way Easton acts once another dog is in sight. He puffs up and barks to put on a good show, letting the other dog know that he's protecting me. In life we come across those who challenge our faith in Christ and we have to put up a guard against said challenge.

There are also things on our journey that can distract us like a squirrel coming into Easton's sight. We get amazed at such simple stuff sometimes causing us to lose focus of the main goal in life. The world catches us up in the busyness and gossip until we feel that tug on the leash.

Eventually, like Easton finally did, Jesus and I settle into a good pace, just enjoying each other's company.

Just as my canine friend trust me, I put all my trust in Jesus, knowing He's leading me back to that glorious front porch waiting with a heavenly bowl of water.

Great Revealation

We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have been blessed and anointed with the responsibility to share our faith. (Matt. 28) But if you're anything like me, this aspect of the whole Christian shin-dig is one slightly shied away from and swept under the rug. I mean, we would just hate to maybe offend somebody or throw-off their busy schedule if we ever ask them about Jesus. It's not like we were given a spirit of power or nothing. (2 Timothy 1)

I've been given a great opportunity to really branch out up at Northeastern. I'm going to be in a place with so many people and able to interact with them on a really raw level. How could I possibly be in a better situation to spread the Truth?

A few weeks back I went up to campus for two days of orientation. I got this feeling of just these other students, smart, funny, and great people, were starving for something. It was almost like whatever they had been doing so far with their life hadn't filled them up at all. Some of them knew there was something better out there for them while others still don't at the moment. After bearing witness to all this I came home with this new mission of preparing myself for the encounters with people up in Boston where I would get the chance to share my faith. Looking back now I realize God was a couple steps ahead of me in this great preparation.

I came up with the question of in my conversations with people about Jesus what should be the thing I leave them with? I thought of all sorts of good theology and whatnot but it just didn't seem like the right thing. In my time spent reading the Bible the word "love" kept coming up. It wasn't love like husband and wife, rather like neighbor and friend. It seemed like it was everywhere- Jesus' teachings, Paul's letters, John's letters, and Proverbs. Even in the way Jesus spoke it felt like there was so much love for His disciples and everyone else He came across.

Finally the light bulb went off. That was it- love. That's what all those students were missing. They just need to be loved on, shown that someone else actually cares. I'm also willing to bet that kids up in Boston aren't the only ones missing some good lovin'. Therefore I'm asking you to join me in sharing some genuine love with whoever needs it. That is in my opinion the most powerful way to share your faith with another.

Child-like

Matthew 18:3

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

It seems lately that I have found such amazement in God's working both in and around me. It is a miracle to be able to recognize it and another miracle entirely to have faith that He's still at work even when I haven't picked up on it yet.

Now I must admit for I feel rather silly since these moments of awe aren't the seeing Him hold back the Red Sea or watching water flow out of a rock, but incredibly child-like.

"Wow God, You can really do that?" is a typical question of mine followed by His loving response of "Yes, my son, don't worry."

Like I said, totally three-year-old-ish.

Sometimes the wording of my question shifts when I look back on events and finally see His work to more of a "Oh, hey, You were right there in the middle of it the entire time, weren't You?

Once more, followed with a heartfelt reassurance from Him.

I confess, sometimes I feel dumb for even thinking of asking Him such questions. I get critical of myself for not having that seemingly minimal mental capacity of knowing He is always at work in my life, but seemingly is such a big snag there. Then right at that time is when I usually get His answer which just fills me with awe and warmth. It truly is just a wondrous thing to rest in amazement of Him.

I remember back to one evening where I was driving and coming across the top of this hill I saw the most amazing sunset. The horizon was filled with bold reds and oranges and deep purples and blues. The clouds formed a magnificent silhouette and the little child rose up in me asking "You created all that?" After receiving His overwhelming peace and joy, I slowed my speed dramatically just to soak up the scene and the amazement that came with it.

So I encourage everyone to go out and ask Him silly questions that a three-year-old might come up with; ones such as "You can do that?" or "You actually do love me?" Then rest in His love and grace that is His answer.

Matthew 11:25-26

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure."