School! - Why am I so excited?

My first day of school was Monday, the 27th. That Sunday night, I couldn't sleep. First, I was so hot, that I got of the bed, then I just became down-right restless, waking up about every two hours. This was a miserable experience, because I LOVE my sleep! On top of all that, I woke up at about 5:30 that morning. What a night!

It felt so strange walking up to the school building Monday morning. It was extremely crowded, and the students were split up into about four different lines for registration and other nonsense. I walked into the building, went to a room and talked to a few people, then went on to period one.

It seems so strange to "be a senior". This is a year I have been looking forward to for a good long while, and I'm attempting to come to terms with it. With God's help, I will adjust and excel!

An interesting lesson was presented on Sunday night by Doug at a home devo. His lesson came from the text of the hymn I'm Not Ashamed to Own My Lord. He discussed every word of the song, and how we can make application to our lives as we begin school. Here a few of the passages that we discussed:

"as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ASHAMED, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death."

"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

"Therefore DO NOT BE ASHAMED OF THE TESTIMONY about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God....which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me"

Shame is a huge barrier to a Christian's personal impact for Christ, that's why it is addressed so much in the New Testament. Among the long list of the ungodly who will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, are cowards. Imagine that! Cowards are in the same boat as murderers, sorcerers, fornicators, and liars. Interesting.

One of the beautiful aspects of Paul's last statement above are his sense of knowledge and conviction. He said "I know" and "I am convinced". Paul was a man who refused to compromise his confidence in Jesus. He refused to be ashamed of the Lord and His glorious gospel (Romans 1:16), because he knew the power that the good news about Jesus contains. With confidence come knowledge and conviction.

As I enter this new year, I hope that CONFIDENCE and CONVICTION found in Jesus will rest in my heart.

An Evening at the Mall

Tonight, I had the opportunity to visit two different malls: The Parks and Hulen. I had interesting experiences at both. In the past, I was not very elated about shopping (I still am not), but these days, I appreciate my mall experiences teach me so much about people. Humans are so interesting! Sometimes we can be the smartest of the most smart, and at other times, we can leave others guessing if there is anything occupying the space between the ears. Here are a few things that I observed while "shopping" (all that I actually bought was a water massage):

Modesty is truly a lost virtue. Texas heat can seem unbearable, but not as hot as hell is! So many of the women and girls at the mall were dressed so scarcely! I couldn't believe some of the outrageous and revealing "outfits" that I witnessed tonight. This helps me appreciate the women of God in my life who are modest, not only in physical appearance, but in their spiritual lives too! Please, cherish the women in your life who not only cover up their bodies, but who are clothed with Jesus. - 1 Timothy 2:9-14

Some parents are just bad. In Foot Locker, there was a little boy throwing paper and other random objects at random people in the store. Where was his mom!? As we were walking into one of the malls, I heard a mother use profanity when trying to get her son's attention. Where was her sense of "salt-filled" speech?! Are parents human? Yes, so they will occasionally make mistakes, but for them to not have control of themselves or their children is indeed a tragedy. - Ephesians 6:1-3

We live in a non-thinking society. This point will be hard to explain, but I hope you understand where I'm going with this: My brother was looking for a certain pair of shoes (that's why we had to go to like seven stores in two malls). We simply could not find the particular pair in one store. Why? Because that particular kind of shoe is so popular that "everybody" has to have it. That sort of "everybody" thinking is a result of us being too lazy not being able to dress for ourselves, have our own taste in music, and not having the ability to buy a car that we actually like. We have to do what everybody else is doing, instead of being able to think and act on our own initiative.

That is the glorious news about being a Christian: we do not have to be shaped by this filthy world! We can be shaped by the life and example of Jesus Christ, who is ascribed all righteousness and perfection (1 Peter 2:21). May our minds ever be molded by the mind and attitude found in our humble Lord (Philippians 2:1-9)!

I'm Bringing Blogging Back!

I have been blogging, in at least some form, for the past two years. It has been two years of joys, disappointments, spiritual highs, spiritual lows, funerals, weddings, and almost every other contrast that you can think of.

This blog, has not been updated in over a year and a half, so lots of things have changed in my life. I hope that we continue in this journey together. A journey that will continue to bring mountain peaks and valleys alike. The greatest thing about this journey though, is that my Lord will never waiver (Hebrews 13:8). He will always continue to lead down straight paths, no matter what. For that, I am exceedingly grateful.

To His holy and righteous name is ascribed all honor and perfection. Blessed be the name of Jesus Christ!