This past Chapel may have been the best one all year ('06-'07 year, that is). Campus Pastor Jonathan White spoke about suffering. If that wasn't enough, the Chapel Praise Band sung/played "The Wonderful Cross"--not once but twice. The second time was after Jonathan's message, and let's just say I left the Chapel auditorium a mess, tears streaked down my face and my nose running. God was doing something in my heart during that service. I went to the women's restroom and prayed a very personal prayer to God. God is working through Pastor Jonathan, the Chapel Praise Band, and everyone behind the scenes--I konw at least in the depths of my heart and soul. Praise God, the One who formed the mountains and seas and formed this heart in me! He is Most Excellent and worthy of praise!
"When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died. My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. [Chorus:] O, the Wonderful Cross! O, the Wonderful Cross bids me come and die to find that I may truly live. O, the Wonderful Cross! O, the Wonderful Cross! All who gather here by grace draw near and bless Your name. [End Chorus] See from His head, His hands, His feet sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e'er such love and sorrow meet? or thorns compose so rich a crown? [Chorus] Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." Lyrics from "The Wonderful Cross"
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
My Version of Romans 7:15-17
I am kind of blue today. I am discontent, frustrated, and impatient. When I am like this, it usually means that I need to get back into the Word and/or into a ceaseless fellowship with God. What I mean is I need to live out the day with a continual conversation with God going on in my head. My pastor likes to use the simile that it is like having a headset on with one ear tuned into what is going on around us and the other ear tuned into God. I need to listen and expect, acknowledge, and obey God's (Holy Spirit's) promptings.
Now that I have strayed from my original topic, allow me to indulge in one more pressing facet of my life right now: I am struggling with a personal sin, which may or may not be the cause of my inner toil, that has been weighing on me heavily in light of my class Discipleship and Evanglism (D&E) and the baptisms in church. God is using D&E to change me, and He is using my church family to deal with a paritcular sin: my pride (to put it generally). I will not give you the many details of how my struggle has come about--for if I did I fear it would greatly prolong the length of this web page--but let me just say that deep down I know the answer, the solution to my problem, but my shallow exterior (my flesh, my sinful nature) is in denial and is fighting with vigor to maintian its pride. This may sound crazy, but I needed to confess this and let this out.
14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:14-25 (copied from http://www.bible.com)
Now that I have strayed from my original topic, allow me to indulge in one more pressing facet of my life right now: I am struggling with a personal sin, which may or may not be the cause of my inner toil, that has been weighing on me heavily in light of my class Discipleship and Evanglism (D&E) and the baptisms in church. God is using D&E to change me, and He is using my church family to deal with a paritcular sin: my pride (to put it generally). I will not give you the many details of how my struggle has come about--for if I did I fear it would greatly prolong the length of this web page--but let me just say that deep down I know the answer, the solution to my problem, but my shallow exterior (my flesh, my sinful nature) is in denial and is fighting with vigor to maintian its pride. This may sound crazy, but I needed to confess this and let this out.
14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:14-25 (copied from http://www.bible.com)
Monday, February 05, 2007
Passion07: Days 3-1 (In a Nutshell)
Okay, so I intended to post one entry per day of Passion, but I didn't. Let me give you just a few highlights:
Day 3: All 24- or 25,000 of us gathered outside in downtown Atlanta at around 11:00 p.m. in silence. We were instructed to say NOTHING. The folks at Passion surprised us just like they said they would. After everyone was gathered with his candle, we lit our candles, and music started. Imagine a huge crowd of college students assembled in one place lifting up the name of Jesus for all of Atlanta to hear! It was incredible, and needless to say, God's presence was unmistakable. After the late show was over, Atlanta kindly block off the streets for us to return to our hotels as quickly and safely as possible. I thought of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his supporters marching for freedom when we were all filling the roads and sidewalks, singing and shouting and waving at those who honked their horns in agreement. Wow! What a night!
Day 2: This day went much smoother than Day 1 because we had a better idea of what we were doing and where we were going. It was the first day of the breakout sessions. I chose to go to David Crowder's Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die session (named from his book). It was great as I expected. We had a brief "hoedown" in which we sung "I Saw the Light" and a verse or two from "I'll Fly Away." The rest of time, Crowder and the band talked about the book--sort of. Crowder gave his story of what led up to the writing of the book, which had me at the least grinning most of the time. At the end, he answered questions from the audience. This breakout session may have been the final seal on the David Crowder*Band making my No. 1 list. Also, just to mention, Francis Chan spoke on Day 2, and it was amazing! God definitely anointed him to speak to us.
Day 1: I've saved this day for last because it holds the best highlight regardng me. I went to Passion with pride. I was stale, spiritually cold. I had let pride creep up from the depths of my naturally deprave heart without my even realizing it. I did, however, detect something was wrong either the first night or the morning of Day 2. Great things were happening around me, and I was numb. I couldn't feel anything! I wasn't moved by God's presence in the Philips Arena, I was distracted during prayer, and my attitude toward Passion as a whole was corrupt. What is wrong with me? This should feel like heaven. God revealed to me that I was proud and needed to humble myself. Then He continued to help me work it out, and I'm not sure when (definitely by Day 4), but eventually Passion did seem like a glimpse of heaven, and it has sparked a change in my life.
God is using my class Discipleship and Evangelism: Leading in Spiritual Formation to grow this spark into a flame for sanctification (the process of changing from a deprave sinner to a person like Christ). He has to continually humble me, and His preferred way of doing so right now seems to be via this class.
This has been the 2007 Passion conference in a nutshell. Plenty of personal experiences and amazing large group experiences I have left out, but simply too much to tell exists.
Day 3: All 24- or 25,000 of us gathered outside in downtown Atlanta at around 11:00 p.m. in silence. We were instructed to say NOTHING. The folks at Passion surprised us just like they said they would. After everyone was gathered with his candle, we lit our candles, and music started. Imagine a huge crowd of college students assembled in one place lifting up the name of Jesus for all of Atlanta to hear! It was incredible, and needless to say, God's presence was unmistakable. After the late show was over, Atlanta kindly block off the streets for us to return to our hotels as quickly and safely as possible. I thought of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his supporters marching for freedom when we were all filling the roads and sidewalks, singing and shouting and waving at those who honked their horns in agreement. Wow! What a night!
Day 2: This day went much smoother than Day 1 because we had a better idea of what we were doing and where we were going. It was the first day of the breakout sessions. I chose to go to David Crowder's Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die session (named from his book). It was great as I expected. We had a brief "hoedown" in which we sung "I Saw the Light" and a verse or two from "I'll Fly Away." The rest of time, Crowder and the band talked about the book--sort of. Crowder gave his story of what led up to the writing of the book, which had me at the least grinning most of the time. At the end, he answered questions from the audience. This breakout session may have been the final seal on the David Crowder*Band making my No. 1 list. Also, just to mention, Francis Chan spoke on Day 2, and it was amazing! God definitely anointed him to speak to us.
Day 1: I've saved this day for last because it holds the best highlight regardng me. I went to Passion with pride. I was stale, spiritually cold. I had let pride creep up from the depths of my naturally deprave heart without my even realizing it. I did, however, detect something was wrong either the first night or the morning of Day 2. Great things were happening around me, and I was numb. I couldn't feel anything! I wasn't moved by God's presence in the Philips Arena, I was distracted during prayer, and my attitude toward Passion as a whole was corrupt. What is wrong with me? This should feel like heaven. God revealed to me that I was proud and needed to humble myself. Then He continued to help me work it out, and I'm not sure when (definitely by Day 4), but eventually Passion did seem like a glimpse of heaven, and it has sparked a change in my life.
God is using my class Discipleship and Evangelism: Leading in Spiritual Formation to grow this spark into a flame for sanctification (the process of changing from a deprave sinner to a person like Christ). He has to continually humble me, and His preferred way of doing so right now seems to be via this class.
This has been the 2007 Passion conference in a nutshell. Plenty of personal experiences and amazing large group experiences I have left out, but simply too much to tell exists.
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