Obligation

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation - but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” - Romans 8:12-14

I never want to feel obligated to write about God. When you feel obligated to do something, you usually end up doing it without any sense of inspiration or originality, and God is all about being inspirational.

When I write, I want it to be because God is using me to get His message out and share the Word. That’s honestly where all my creativity comes from. Well, that and my borderline-dangerous level of energy drink consumption. WOO!

It’s the same with gettin’ dat Bible open and readin’ dem pages. If you only read your Bible because you feel like you have to, then you’re not going to get anything worthwhile out of it. Sometimes when I’m doing a reading plan, I skim those pages like a warning label on a box of fireworks (boring.)

I don't have time to read, I'm trying to blow myself up!

What I suggest is finding enough time in your schedule to not only read your Bible, but also takes notes, or at least pause and reflect after each chapter or a particularly striking verse. Personally, I want to get to the point that if there were an AR test over the New Testament, I’d get at least a 92%. That’s quite a bit of ambition, I know, but God is all about being ambitious, too.

To summarize, don’t feel obligated be more involved with the God who loves you; feel blessed for the opportunity.

And this post is... DONE!

Well, I'm gonna go hang out inside of a tree. Wait, you guys don’t do that too? Awkward.

P.S. There is no P.S., that was the end. Go read your Bible.

-sam

Regret

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” - 2 Corinthians 7:10

Very often when you hear someone say the phrase, “No regrets!” they’re about to do something that’s not very safe, and even more often something that’s not very smart.

“No regrets,” makes me think to myself, “Well that’s dumb. If you have no regrets, then you haven’t learned anything from your past mistakes. You have to be able to look back and recognize what you did wrong so in the future you’ll know how to do it right.”

Let’s say you’re moving. I don’t know why you’d ever want to move away from Texas, but for the sake of this story, you’re some crazy person and you’re leaving for some crazy reason. You’ve got all your most valuable possessions in the trunk of your car. So much of your stuff is jammed in there that it’s all sticking out and isn’t exactly what you would call “secure.”

Keep in mind, that’s all of your worldly possessions. All of your most favorite things could fall out of the trunk and get destroyed at any moment. So you keep checking the rearview mirror as you’re driving.

Consider this; If you keep looking back at what’s behind you, you will almost certainly crash, because you won’t be able to see what’s right in front of you.

Like a canoe.

Originally I believed that carrying no regrets entailed a lifetime of mistakes without a single lesson learned. Now after meditating on this, and after making quite a few more mistakes myself, I’ve come to a sort of revelation. To live life with no regrets means completely, absolutely trusting in God’s plan for you, so much that you don’t regret a single moment. A single hardship. A single trial. Can you imagine the kind of faith something like that would require?

Come to think of it, I heard a story once about a guy who was like that. Absolutely filled with unwavering faith. Right up until his painful, demeaning, torturous end, he never had a single regret about the life he lived and the path he followed, even though he knew it would eventually cause his death. And that man was Jesus. Bam! Bible Surprise!

All joking aside, there’s a whole lot about my life that given the opportunity, I would go back and do differently. But I know that’s just my selfish heart talking. God’s plan is perfect; even a few bumps in the road don’t change where it leads.

“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” - Psalm 119:35

P.S. No regrets.
 
-sam

Perspective

“Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?” - Luke 12:56

Read, read, read. That’s all we ever do these days. Read. You’re reading right now in fact. I caught you in the act, my friends. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing. According to every show I grew up watching on PBS, reading is the best thing ever, and it’s sponsored by fruit juice, the second best thing ever.

Much like everything else in this crazy world, however, a little can go a long way, and reading can get old, fast. Especially if the material is old to begin with. Like, hundreds or thousands of years old.

So let me ask this, and then consequently answer it (this is a blog, not a guessing game); Why has the Bible been the world’s most popular book since before books were even invented if it hasn’t really changed from the time it was written? It’s no secret. The Word is living. Living things adapt according to their surroundings. I know, science and faith in the same paragraph. What is going on in here?

There’s a reason we’re not all still using the King James version. Thou shalt not be forced to readeth confusing, boring words. Interesting fact, on the YouVersion Bible application for most smart phones, there are many, many alternatives to the KJV. Seriously, there’s like a million (131 versions in 43 languages.)

Still, whether it’s the OJB or the MSG, the essential story never changes. God never goes back on His Word, and the gospel refuses to go untold and remains the unchanging truth. Here’s the really cool part, though; even if you only own one version of the Bible, each time you read it, it’s never quite the same.

It’s all about interpretation. Let me give you an example with my favorite verse;

“For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.” - Romans 14:7

Now, the first time I read this, I was hurting and feeling particularly alone in life. This verse seemed to just jump right off the page. It reminded me that no matter how lonely I feel, God is with me. I carried the comfort that verse gave me for a long time.

The second time I read this, months and months later, I was feeling particularly selfish. When I read the verse, I recognized it, but it just seemed different, like it had a new haircut or something. It reminded me not to live for myself, but for God.

Same verse, same chapter, same book, same translation, same Bible, even the same guy reading it, but not the same meaning. Only possible with God’s gift of interpretation of His Word. When your eyes, your mind, and your heart belong to God, He will show you what you need to see.

“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.” - Romans 14:8-9

P.S. Interpretation doesn’t always go smoothly. For instance, one of the most hilarious and frustrating situations in everyday life is when people take things too literally. A friend of mine once baked cupcakes for me on my birthday, and when I later told my brother, “Hey, my friend made me cupcakes,” he responded, “...Your friend turned you into cupcakes?”

Yes. I was turned into cupcakes.

Jesus spoke in parables so that the people’s eyes would be opened as they interpreted the meaning of the words God was speaking through him. If everyone had taken Jesus literally, people would be walking around spreading seeds everywhere instead of spreading the Word.

-sam

Testimony

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations” - Matthew 24:14

I almost crashed on the way home. A combination of forgetting how people drive in America and my exhaustion after a week of construction work in Nicaragua made the drive back less than safe.

I stumbled in my front door dragging my suitcase stuffed full of old clothes, all weighed down with sweat, blood, dirt and cement. Clothes I wish I could have donated. I don't know why I didn't.

My mom greeted me and flooded me with questions. Maybe my body was still in shock from the concept of air conditioning, but I didn’t hear a word she was saying. Totally numb, I collapsed on the couch. A tall glass of ice water was rushed to my hand and more questions to my ears, this time about dehydration symptoms or something.

I stared at my hand. I stared at the ice in the water. I remembered the families. The stories. The dump. And I broke down.

Nicaragua

Just a few short weeks ago, I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel with University Christian Church on a mission to Nicaragua. After hearing a testimony about Project Chacocente, a program devoted to relocating families forced to live in the garbage dump in Managua, my close friend Katie was called by God to organize the mission. I was called by God to go with her. I had no idea how I was going to help, but I never say ‘No’ to God.

“You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.” - Acts 22:15

I can’t possibly begin to write down everything I experienced inwardly from the moment we landed in Nicaragua. For one thing, it’s simply too much and my relationship with God is very personal. I know that others won’t get the same message that I did in my spirit. That being said, I understand that it’s my responsibility and in many cases my pleasure to share my testimony.

What I Brought Home

I left without knowing what to expect. I returned with the knowledge to expect nothing.

Everything is a blessing. I have a home. Electricity. Air conditioning. A room. A bed. Clothes. Things. Food. Clean water. I made friends that have nearly none of these things, and yet are happier than I am most days. I used to take it all for granted.

These are the things I’ve learned from God, from my new friends at UCC, and my new family in Nicaragua during my week long stay:

- Give what you can, when you can.
- Sometimes the best support comes from less skilled hands.
- It’s not just about what you leave behind, but what you take with you.
- Look to God and you will find strength you never knew you had.

“We go there to build buildings, but we end up building relationships.”

As saddening and eye-opening our time away from home was, I have to admit, it was a lot of fun. The locals, especially the families of Project Chacocente were all so friendly, it was hard not to smile even while we were working. Especially when an eighty-something year old man is making you look like a pansy, shoveling dirt like a wrinkly, Latin-American bulldozer.

Lives were changed on both ends, but God's work in Nicaragua isn't done yet.

If I am called, I will go back.

Dios te Bendiga.

P.S. I’m sorry this post wasn’t funnier. I’ll make up for it with a funny post and funny drawings and other funny stuff soon. Still, I hope this was good in some other way.

Links: Get a better idea of what the mission was like.

Katie’s blog: http://runningtothewell.blogspot.com/

Pictures from the trip: http://www.facebook.com/pages/University-Christian-Church-Nicaragua-Mission-Pilgrimage/175128449219833

Project Chacocente’s website: http://www.outofthedump.org/v3/

Maybe you'll feel called to help out in some way. I wouldn't put it past God.

-sam