Not so holly-jolly...

So Christmas time has rolled around again, well, for me at least. For the rest of America it seems like it rolled around back in October. But as Americans now decide they can freely and unashamedly start blasting their Christmas carols, bedecking their spaces with electric color, and wearing green and red, I just have a funny feeling that seems to have been growing more and more with each passing Christmas the last few years.


I know it's a used cliche to say Christmas has been commercialized. Duh. Welcome to the 20th century, oh wait, 21st century. But one of the things I've been noticing is just how much Christians have become all caught up in the culture's holly-jolly-ness surrounding Dec. 25, and less caught up in the wonder and joy that surrounds Christmas.


Obviously, Christmas is a time of joy. Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and became man to save us from our sins. We should be ecstatic! But is that really what we, as Christians, are getting so hyped up about this time of year? When we get that warm-fuzzy or that holly-jolly feeling, is it because we are remembering Christ's birth or because we are basking in the glow of the human virtues of love and generosity and hot cocoa by the fireplace?


While Christmas is about love and is joyous occasion, I think we often forget that the Christmas story is not a warm-fuzzy or holly-jolly story. Many of us Christians have this picture of the Christmas story stuck in our heads from our little illustrated Bibles of our childhood. The highly romanticized and softened image of a sweet little baby wrapped in a clean, white blanket laid in fresh hay. A rosy-cheeked mother Mary, probably in her late-20's, gazes lovingly at the child as she herself is wrapped in flowing blue and pink robes. Her steadfast husband Joseph stands guard over the scene, a stable that looks a whole lot tidier that many of our modern bedrooms illuminated by a warm glow of unknown origin. The nicely groomed animals, surely from one of the finest petting zoos in Palestine, just hang out quitely and nonchalantly in the background. And then come the shepherds. Fine, upstanding men. Nice and clean. I mean, who wouldn't want these guys coming to see your newborn baby? And they're bringing the absolute cutest little lambs with them. Awwww...I won't even talk about the we-three-kings-of-orient-are making the light-speed journey across the desert to reach the Bethlehem stable that night. And where did this pa-rum-pum-pum-pum drummer boy come from?


Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a little. But do we ever really think about what the Christmas story really is? When we read the words in gospels of Matthew and Luke each Christmas, do we really understand what they're saying, or do we just revert back in our minds to the images of the nativity scene on our mantle?


The Christmas story is one of hardship, of a light in the darkness. Scene: Nazareth. Basically, a slum. No tidy, picturesque Bible-times village here. It's a dirty, old, run-down slum. Mary, a very young girl, probably early teens, is a girl that's pretty ordinary. One day, she's visited by an angel. (we gloss over this so much...an angel! she was visited by an angel!) This angel tells her she has found favor with God (wow!), and oh yeah, she's also now pregnant with the Son of God. How would you take this? How do you have that conservation with your parents, let alone your betrothed, Joseph? What do you do when the pregnancy starts to show? When everyone in Nazareth now knows that this good-girl Mary, she's never really gotten in much trouble, is now PREGNANT, and she's not even married yet. Scandal. Big time. And Joseph...what's he supposed to do? His betrothed wife is pregnant already, and he knows it certainly wasn't him!


So we already have a story of heartache and scandal in a tiny, backwoods slum. After being visited by an angel himself, Joseph takes Marry as his wife, a step that surely cost him his reputation around town as well. And then, when Mary's is quite pregnant, Caeser Augustus decides it's time for a census and that everybody needs to go back to their hometown to register. This means, Joseph and Mary load up the mini-van and hop on the interstate to Bethlehem. Nope, Mary, very very pregnant Mary, must ride on the back of a donkey while her new husband Joseph is tasked with guiding them down the long and difficult road to Bethlehem. To make matters worse, as they finally start nearing town, Mary starts going into labor. Imagine her panic, not to mention Joseph's panic, at that moment. They arrive in town and find the inn, glad to finally be at their stop and relieved they made it in time. But no, the innkeeper says there is no room for them. Can you imagine Joseph pleading and begging with the innkeeper as his wife is still sitting on the back of a donkey about to have a baby? Finally, the innkeeper relents and tells them about a stable out back. Instead of the cute little wooden structure we often imagine, this stable was probably in a cave, which means dark, damp, and cold. Now, I grew up in the city, but even I know that farm animals are not nice and quiet beasts. Donkeys, cows, pigs, etc...and they're certainly not very clean. We have taken the term "manger" and turned it into some idealized notion of basically a cradle. It was a trough. Do we know where farm animals eat from in a barn? That was where the Savior of the world was to spend his first night on earth, with old hay as his mattress. Swaddling clothes were not the normal thing to put on a baby...they were used to bury the dead. So it was here, in this dark, damp, cold, dirty, loud stable where a young, tired, confused, and scared newlywed couple give birth to the Son of God. The shepherds that came to see this newborn King were men that basically slept in fields with sheep. That's not an easy, or clean, job. They were the low-end blue-collar workers, the surly, hardened men that dealt all day and night with the stubbornest animals created by God. These were the men the heavenly host sent to Bethlehem to worship the newborn King. Not the mayor, not the upstanding merchants, not Bethlehem's finest, not even the innkeeper...the shepherds, straight from the fields.


The story goes on. We all know it. We all know it didn't get much easier. We all know that King Herod ordered a massacre of all baby boys under 2 years old and Joseph and Mary had to flee with their baby to Egypt.




So yes, the Christmas story is one of joy and, as the angel said, peace on earth and good will toward men. But this joy comes from the fact that our Savior was not only born a man, but he was born into some of the worst of circumstances. This baby boy that Mary gazed so lovingly at would 33 years later have the sins of the world laid on his shoulders and be violently crucified to pay that penalty. Of course, that story ends with the glory of His Resurrection.

Christmas is not a time to be sad. It's a time to rejoice!

JOY TO THE WORLD, not because the ground is covered in snow, the lights are on the tree, and "It's a Wonderful Life" is on television, but because THE LORD HAS COME. As we receive our presents, we are reminded of when we RECEIVED OUR KING. LET EVERY HEART not be filled with all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and vague, imperfect concepts of generalized love and generosity, but let every heart PREPARE HIM ROOM.

And Heaven and Nature Sing.

I think this is why I've been growing more and more uncomfortable with all of these culturalized celebrations of Christmas. Now I'm not going to go all Ebenezer Scrooge and swear off all merriment and celebration during the Christmas season, but I do want to take a different look at it. We Christians throw around the term, "Jesus in the Reason for the Season," but then we promptly restrict Jesus to His place in our nativity set and the Christmas Eve church service. A true celebration of Christmas is one where we are more caught up in and enamoured with the glory of our Savior than with a jolly old man in a red suit.

This Christmas, I want to find that joy in the Christmas story, that joy in my Savior. It just seems like all of this hustle-bustle, warm-fuzzy, holly-jolly spirit gets in the way. It's all fluff. What does it mean? Some incomplete, imperfect, vague notion of good will where everyone has a friend and gets what he wants? Our true joy is found in the ultimate and perfect notion of love...For Unto Us a Child is Born.

Church kids...

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. -- Romans 12:3-8

For the past few years, I have felt the Lord leading me in a certain direction, and it seems to be a direction that is looked down upon by other Christians. I feel like I am being led into youth ministry, specifically...church kids, like myself.

I can already hear some groans. Why on earth would I be called to minister to church kids? I mean, aren’t there millions of poor, starving people out there who have never heard about Christ? I must just be lazy, or even scared. I must just be trying to stay in my comfort zone.

Why spend time ministering to kids who have been raised in church by believing parents? Who are in good schools receiving a good education? Who have all their needs and many of their wants met? Why not pour all resources available into reaching the poor, needy, and lost?
Why? Because church kids need Jesus too.

Before I go any further, let me define what I mean by “church kids.” When I say this, I am referring to those who have one or more believing parents and have grown up in a church. Church kids participate in many church activities, most commonly their church’s youth group. They often have a lot of head knowledge about Christ and the Scriptures, but it does not necessarily mean they have a relationship with Christ. So by church kids, I do not mean Christian kids, although a large portion of church kids certainly are Christians. I myself am a church kid.

In just my few brief experiences working with youth groups, I have talked with many of these church kids. They seem to have it all together, at least outwardly. Man, I know that feeling. But like myself, just under the surface, there oftentimes lies a complete mess.

The Church today generally places most of its focus into reaching the unreached and at-risk kids in our communities. I specify “focus,” because the Church often pours plenty of resources into its own youth programs, sometimes too many. These programs often turn into glorified baby-sitting services.

Cool, cutting-edge, and entertaining, these youth worship experiences often center on the individual and his or her own personal experience. They go a long way toward helping our youth appear godly, making the Church feel much better about itself. But what kind of serious, authentic heart change is taking place? Are these youth being prepared to go out in the world after high school, become leaders in their churches, and advance the Kingdom themselves?

But while the Church’s youth manage to go through 6 years of youth group, graduate, and then leave the Church in droves, the Church remains blind. “They’re in church. They must be okay,” is still the mindset. “Let’s focus on those not in church.”

Not that it’s a bad thing to bring in the unchurched. That’s awesome! But when you bring them in to the already faulty system without addressing the root problem, you’re just feeding that problem.

If the Church wants to have a true impact on the next generation, on the young people who will be the leaders of tomorrow, it has to begin with its own.

The Kingdom of God is not designed to advance by blitzkrieg. Too often there is a “save-and-move-on” strategy. So many are reached with the gospel and caught up in some powerful moment, but as soon as the actual presence of the “invading force” has moved on to the next spiritual conquest, they quickly slip back to the old regime. It’s not enough to just have kids in a church. That much has been proven in America today as the Church’s next generation can’t seem to run away fast enough.

These youth need ministry, real ministry. They need people who don’t just expect them to come to church and behave, but they need people who care about them, love them, and are willing to invest in their lives, even self-sacrificially. They don’t need to be sequestered in some brightly-colored room with couches to just do their own “youth thing.” They need to be integrated into the church and have opportunities to minister themselves. Not just coordinated group mission trips or service days, but opportunities where their own individual, unique gifts and talents can be applied in the Church to the glory of God and for the advancement of His Kingdom.

Youth do not need to be coddled or to be entertained. They don’t just need people who will laugh with them; they need people who will cry with them and listen to them. People who will take time to get to know them and minister to their needs, not just a one-size-fits-all ministry strategy. Most of all, they need to be challenged. Youth today are bogged down by low expectations. (For more on this, check out http://www.therebelution.com/) They don’t just need ministry; they need to be able to minister!

The Church is not ignoring the problems facing its youth, but it’s trying to fix the problem with a brightly-colored band-aid when reconstructive surgery is needed.

This is why I feel called to youth ministry. I believe God has gifted me and given me life experiences that allow me to relate to this huge population of church kids. After all, I am one of them myself. As the World Magazine editor Marvin Olasky said,

“With much attention paid to converts, teens who grow up in the church sometimes
feel like second-class citizens in their own home towns.”

This is a problem. Converts are so important, but until the Church starts focusing on the youth within its own four walls, we will continue to see its next generation flooding out.
Obviously, we are all called, as Christians, to outreach of some form or fashion. And it is very true that we often grow so much more when we step out of our comfort zones and go new, sometimes dangerous, places. All Christians need to look for opportunities of service and outreach, not just in their own circles, but also out in the world.

All that I am saying is that within what many would call my “comfort zone,” I see a great need for ministry. Besides, I doubt you’ll find anyone who has done much work with youth in the church who will tell you it is all fun and games. Even in just my limited experience, I have been angry, frustrated, confused, etc., but I still love it. Many times, it’s not very rewarding, but it needs to be done.

I write this blog post partially to talk about the needs of church kids, but also to say that within the Body of Christ we are all called to different types of ministry. You don’t need to go live in deepest darkest Africa to be a true servant of Christ, unless that’s where He has called you. In fact, if He’s called us to serve Him right where we are, we would be disobedient to insist on serving Him overseas!

As Christians, we need to be supportive of each other. We need to thank God everyday for our brothers and sisters who are called to the areas of ministry where we are just not gifted or where we are not called ourselves. We should also not feel confined to our one niche either. Mission trips and volunteer service in the community are very important for the Church, no matter who you are.

I encourage you to look at how God has specifically gifted you. Take into account the life experiences and skills He has given you. Even take into account your own desires for ministry! Many times He uses our own desires to point us where He wants us to go! Of course, He sometimes calls us to go against those desires. We must be open to His calling, no matter what whether it’s to deepest darkest Africa or to the youth classroom in our local church.


-- btw...a good book to read on this topic is Growing Up Christian by Karl Graustein. Check out the website at http://www.growingupchristian.com/

A New Meaning for the word Homestay...

Wow, this thing is harder to keep up than I thought it would be. I'm so determined not to let this blog drift into the trivial frivolity that my old Xanga so often featured that I tend to just leave it blank rather than register my thoughts. "I should write something in my blog..." I think to myself. "But I don't have the answer to world hunger yet..." I reply, choosing instead to browse the endless world of Facebook.

Well, nothing profound today, either. I did have some thoughts on the election, but I posted those on facebook. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to double-post things on this blog and facebook. Besides, by now it's kind of late to be posting post-election reactions. To sum it up: stop complaining and pray for our new President. God is in control. But I digress...

CHOIR TOUR! Samford Ministries Choir took our fall mini-tour to Panama City this past weekend. This being my first tour to plan as the SMC Tour Officer, I now have a whole new appreciation for what Mrs. Hinkle and the Zimmermans did year after year for us in Covenant's youth choir. And this was just a weekend trip!

Indeed, we did go to my hometown of PC. It was quite a nice trip. We stayed at First Baptist PC's Family Life Center on Friday night and had a service project at the Rescue Mission's warehouse on Saturday morning.

Saturday afternoon we hung out around First Baptist and wandered around downtown Panama City for a while. The weather was gorgeous, and it was so nice to see the ocean again. If there's one thing I hate about Birmingham: it's landlocked.

Saturday evening we had a full concert at my church, Covenant Presbyterian, and then had an ice cream social afterwards. Choir tour after choir tour with my church's youth chior, filled with crazy homestays, and now it was I arranging them for the Samford choir. How strange! And my homestay brought a whole new meaning to the word for me, because...well...I actually got to stay at my home! It was so nice to sleep in my own bed.

We sang in the Sunday morning services at First Baptist and then headed back up to Birmingham where I now anxiously await the arrival of Thanksgiving.

Altogether it was a great trip. I was pleased with how it turned out. It was good to have the first tour I plan go to my hometown. It gave me a little practice first before I start jumping into unknown territory.

And now the planning begins for mega-tour in the spring! We already have a location picked out, but it's definitely a state secret.

But for now it's back to the hum-drum of class for a couple more weeks. Nothing too thrilling going on in the classroom. On the bright side, there are some other exciting things going on that keep me from being too sad that there is still one more month left of school. ;-) But that's neither here nor there...

Until the next profound thought or major event occurs, this is Stephen...signing out...

A Break for Fall...

I think Fall Break is a wonderful idea. How did I go all the way until my senior year of high school without knowing about this concept? It is certainly a welcome rest in the midst of quite a crazy semester.


And what better place to spend a Fall Break than in the Great Smoky Mountains? My family along with Josh Crute and his family have rented a cabin in Wears Valley, TN (which is just outside of Townsend, TN, which is just outside of Pigeon Forge, TN), and boy, does it have a view! The valley just opens up beneath our cabin, which has an entire wall of windows looking that direction. The sunsets are spectacular.


Josh and I drove up here on Friday to meet my parents (who have been here since Monday). My grandparents were here too, briefly. They left Saturday morning, and Josh's parents drove up Saturday afternoon along with his brother Jeremy, who is a freshman at Covenant College.

Saturday we did a couple short hikes and ate dinner at the Bear Camp Grille here in Wears Valley. Ole' Smoky Burger = delicious.

This morning my dad made his famous scrambled eggs with ham, and then he and I along with Mr. Crute and Josh and Jeremy headed out to tackled the 8 mile round-trip hike to Charlie's Bunion. (An odd name for a outcropping of rocks with a fantastic view).


Tomorrow, we'll be getting up early to do the drive around Cades Cove and see all the wildlife...deer, turkies, maybe even bear! Then we'll head into Pigeon Forge, do the whole "tourist thing" and ride go-karts, and then have dinner at the Apple Barn. This place is amazing! I've only eaten there twice, (high school senior trip and freshman fall break), but oh my goodness...I can already taste the apple fritters with fresh apple butter. MMM. That will be the highlight of the trip, but really, since when is the food not the highlight of my trips? :-)

We'll be headed back to Samford on Tuesday, which will be nice. Not getting back to classes, of course, but getting back to friends, etc. Also, I'll be co-leading the Sr. High guys Bible study at Faith PCA with the Faith college minister, Martin Wagner, and that will start on Wednesday night. I'm really excited about that. It'll be a great oppotunity. I'm loving Faith more and more each time I go. I have plenty of reasons why, but that's for another day's blog post about the Church... :-)

Well, time to go. The sun is setting behind Wears Valley, and dinner is being served. As you know, this blog will always play second-fiddle to supper.

Bird o' Prey...

Just had to share this photo I took today while walking back from the Caf. This is Samford's resident bird o' prey...a hawk perhaps? Any bird experts out there? But he's been seen more and more regularly around campus. Looks like this evening he just decided to chill by the fountain, although I was a little nervous getting this close to take his picture. He doesn't look very friendly...

God will still be God...

I'm not gonna lie...I'm getting worried. We are a month out from our nation's Presidential Election, and things are looking grim, at least from my point of view. I'm supporting John McCain and Sarah Palin, but my point in this post is not to push a particular political ideology or candidate. I have many brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with me on politics, but we share a deep concern for the direction of our country. Whoever you think should be our next President, just substitue names as you see fit, and I would hope my message should ring true for you as well.

It seems like each time I look at the polls, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach grows all the stronger. Surely he can't possibly be ahead! Do the American people not know what this man stands for? Do they not understand the irreversible implications that many of his policies would have? My mind has already started shifting into "how do we survive the next four years with the foundations of our country still intact?" I remind myself, "we survived eight years of Bill Clinton." But then I think, "this man is so much more dangerous than Bill Clinton. Combined with a heavily Democratic Congress, our country could start heading down a path under this man's leadership that would very hard, if not impossible, to reverse." I just don't know that we can afford a Barack Obama presidency.

But as my concern and depression grows in anticipation of November 4th, I'm reminded of one simple fact: Whoever occupies the Oval Office, God will still be God. Well...yes, of course. I knew that. But am I living that out? I know that, but I do I believe it?

I am very proud to be an American. I prize my citizenship in the USA above many things in this world, and I cherish the liberty that was bought for us with the blood and courage of our forefathers. But is it only in the United States that my citizenship lies? Is it a problem to find my fortress and strength in the most powerful nation on the planet? Countries and nations pass away, even world powers. Is America on the downslope? I don't know. I see that as a possibility. But, aside from morbid predictions, what happens when the the country I place my citizenship in fails? Where am I?

This is why we, as Christians, find our true citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. Sure, as we walk this earth during these brief and fleeting moments, we consider ourselves U.S. citizens, but what about eternity?

So what are we to do? What do we do when leaders are elected that do irreparable damage to our nation? What do we do when we see the rise of powers in our nation that do not respect the Lord Almighty? Do we worry and fret? Do we wring our hands? Do we march in passionate protests or spew hateful speech?

God will still be God. No matter which mortal man occupies the Oval Office, the Supreme and Sovereign Creator of the Universe is still in His heaven. His work will continue to be accomplished. Souls will continue to be saved. His people will continue to gather together and worship. His Name will still be glorified.

Some forsee and worry about persecution of the Church in the future, even within our own borders. While this certainly remains possible, I do think it will be quite a while (if ever) before any kind of serious persecution (the likes of which occurs around the world even now) happens to American Christians. But what about now and in the immediate future? How the Church deal with the increasing antagonism towards Christ in our country?

The Church will still be the Church. Just as God will always be God, His Church will always be His Church. Though there will be trials and opposition, the Church will continue her work in anticipation of that glorious day when she is finally united with Christ in that great wedding feast, the fulfillment of the ages. The Church may not always have her shining steeples and freedom to speak publicly, but the Church will always be the Church. I love the narrative in the Bill Gaither Trio's "Church Triumphant" song...

"God Has Always Had A People! Many a foolish conquer made the mistake of
thinking that because he had forced the Church of Jesus Christ out of sight,
that he had stilled its voice and snuffed out its life. But God Has Always
Had A People! The powerful current of a rushing river is not diminished because
it is forced to flow underground. The purest water is the stream that bursts
crystal clear into the sunlight after it has fought its way through solid rock.
There have been charlatans who like Simon the magician, sought to barter on the
open market that power which cannot be bought or sold. But God Has Always
Had A People! Men who could not be bought and women who were beyond
purchase. Yes, God Has Always Had A People! There have been times of
affluence and prosperity when the Church's message was nearly diluted into
oblivion by those who sought to make it socially attractive, neatly organized
and financially profitable. It has been gold plated ,draped in purple and
encrusted with jewels. It has been misrepresented, ridiculed, blotted and
scorned. These followers of Jesus Christ have been according to the whim of
the times elevated as sacred leaders and martyred as heretics. Yet through it
all, there marches on that powerful army of the meek, God's chosen people that
can't be bought, flattered, murdered or stilled. On through the ages they
march. The Church, God's Church Triumphant, is Alive and Well!"

How true! Now okay, you're saying, "aren't you being a little melodramatic?" I'm not insinuating that Barack Obama's going to bring about the end of the world. I don't know for a fact that he would do irreparable damage. God has His plans, and I have no idea. I do respect Barack Obama, although I disagree with him. But this post, again, really isn't in response to the idea of an Obama presidency. We cannot put our faith in government. We cannot remove ourselves from government, but cannot put our faith in it. Government's fail, nation's crumble. It's so easy to get wrapped up in anxiety and worry about the future.

But we have a hope. We have an eternal hope of what awaits us after this life, but even in this life we have a hope. No matter what happens in our government, no matter where our nation goes, we know that God will still be God, and His Church will still be the Church.

I don't know about you, but I find that very encouraging. With that knowledge, I can look ahead to November 4th, not with fear, but with hope.

Paradise...

"I will glory in my Redeemer,
Who carries me on eagles' wings.
He crowns my life with loving kindness.
His triumph song I'll ever sing.
I will glory in my Redeemer,
Who waits for me at gates of gold!
And when He calls me, it will be paradise,
His face forever to behold!
His face forever to behold!"

-- from "I Will Glory in My Redeemer," Sovereign Grace Music


If you were like me, you grew up with mixed emotions about heaven. You were told that it was a wonderful place...not just wonderful, but perfect. You saw the pictures in your Children's Bible of a shining city made of gold under a golden sky with gold-tinted angels traversing streets paved with, yes...gold. You knew that if you were saved, you would get to go to this place when you died and live there forever. But wait...forever?

That's when the doubts would start to creep in. Forever? Really? What exactly will we be doing forever? Even now, my feeble human brain cannot begin to wrap itself around the concept of eternity, and for that very reason, I tend to find it terrifying.

On this side of heaven, we are finite beings living in a finite world. We are unable to comprehend eternity. Humankind is also marked with a distinct fear of the unknown. What is this eternity, anyhow? What is heaven like? We're told it's perfect, but we're not so sure. Of course, we know it's much better than the alternative, but if we'll be spending eternity there, wouldn't it get...who knows...old?

This is where I've been, but this is where God calls us to trust Him. How foolish it is of me to even begin to think that I might know a better plan for myself than God! Of course, this really is an area where we all have to trust that God's knows best and that His heaven is unlike anything we could ever imagine and the most perfect place for us to spend eternity. Why is this trusting so hard for some of us?

I think it's often because of these "artist's renditions" of heaven we see so often. The angels packing harps and wafting about amongst puffy white clouds. The shiny gold city where everything is that same shade of gold that, let's face it, looks rather unattractive. Even the idea of worshipping God forever...our sinful minds have a hard enough time authentically worshipping God here on earth for half an hour...but forever? Does God really know what He's doing here?

For one thing, we must remind ourselves these "ideas" of heaven we have are nothing...absolutely nothing like what God has in store for us. When are free from our feeble bodies and sinful hearts/minds, just imagine that! We can't even comprehend it now, but I seriously doubt we'll be bored in the presence of the Living God.

Also, in a book I was reading today, I saw an interesting quote from a Scottish theologian named Donald Macleod. On the subject of heaven, he writes:

"Paradise was no mere seminary where Adam and Eve whiled away the hours in
theological discussion. I'm sure they did that, and that they did it with more
relish than any of my students. But Eden offered scope for art, science, and
technology as well as theology. The same will doubtless be true of the world to
come. Bearing the image of the heavenly, we shall explore, colonise, serve, keep
and enhance our magnificent environment [...] The scenario is a thrilling one:
brilliant minds in powerful bodies in a transformed universe. With energy,
dexterity, and athleticism here undreamed of, we shall explore horizons beyond
our wildest imaginings."

We're told in John that there will be no physical temple in the New Jerusalem. It will be everywhere because God will be everywhere! Worship won't just be confined to our idea of sitting in pews singing songs, our every action will be, in essence, worship of our King. Everything we undertake will truly be bringing glory and honor to Him. Now that is a beautiful picture...

I don't know about you, but I can't wait!

Filling the Holes...

"Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued
I must not only labour to overcome it,
but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it,
and he must become to me more than vile lust had been;
that his sweetness, power, life may be there." -- The Valley of Vision


How true! Something the Lord has been showing me recently is that there is a whole different side of sin that we rarely think about, one that I would say is even darker than the obvious. Of course, sins are sins. Pretty straight-forward.

But what about those little "pet sins" we all hold? I say "little," but we all know how big they really are and the havoc they can wreak in our lives. These sins, whatever they may be, are wrong simply because the Bible says so, right? Whether they fall in the realm of arrogance, lying, gossip, laziness, purity, addictions, or any other variety, the Bible tells us these are sins and that they are wrong. That is good enough, right? However, what are the indirect implications of these sins?

When I hold onto one of these sins, when I find my comfort in that sin, I am not holding onto Christ, and I am not finding my comfort in Him. As dark as these sins are in and of themselves, and as much pain they already cause, how much worse it is that by having these habitual sins we're in essence replacing our Savior!

I have struggled for so long to find that midway point between letting sin go unchecked and trying to fix things myself. I've heard "give it to God." You know, I've even taught about "giving it to God." Rely on His strength. When we try to fix our sins ourself, we just make things worse or become arrogant. I've known this in my head, but in my heart, I've desperately searched for how to actually do this. When I stop trying to do things myself, sin goes unchecked. When I resolve to remove the sin, I do it my own way and fail. I want to give it to God...but how?

This passage from Valley of Vision that I read today put it in a way that I've never really thought before. It's not just removing the sin that's the problem. That just leaves a vacuum. Sure, I can remove a sin from my life, and all by myself. But it's only temporary, because there is a huge hole left that my sin is all-to-eager to fill back up for me. It's not a matter of will-power. It's where I go to fill the holes in my life.

Removing a sin makes no difference if I never fill that hole with something that will last and transform. That hole must be filled with Christ. It takes thought. Instead of just saying, "this sin is bad. I should stop doing this sin," I need to think, "why do I commit this sin? what am I trying to accomplish with this sin?" That identifies one of the "holes" in my life. Once that hole is identified, it needs to be filled with Christ.

Of course, I know this is not as easy as it sounds at first, and I will have to rely on Him as I try to make this radical readjustment in the way I look at sin. It'll take a change in habits. One habit replaced with another, a righteous habit.

This may not seem that profound to some of you, and that's awesome. But for me, this is a brand-new realization and understanding. Isn't it amazing how God works to show us these things?

My life just got a little simpler...

Stephen Moss for Junior Class President?

After a hard-fought campaign, my reelection bid for class president has fallen short. However, unlike another time I lost reelection to a student government office back in high school (we shan't dredge that one up again), I'm actually okay with this. Oh, of course I wanted to be class president again. I mean, I wouldn't have run otherwise. But I won't say my competitive nature didn't have anything to do with it. :-)

In fact, this may have been God's way of letting me know I'm doing too much. What with being the Samford Ministries Choir Tour Officer, RUF leadership team, oh yeah, and classes too, I have more than enough to keep me occupied. And now, wonder of wonders, I actually have a night off during the week! Now the question is if I'll actually make good use of that night off...jury's still out on that one.

Tonight, the group o' friends is over here at James for our weekly dinner-in. Still not quite the same as it was over in Ramsay, but that's not really what's important. I have really enjoyed this semester so far. It's funny; I've only known these people for two years, but it seems like so much longer. I have been so blessed with so many wonderful friends here at Samford, and I am enjoying spending time with them this year. I have so much to be thankful for.

Tomorrow, Lee, Josh, Bryan, and I are off to Oxford, MS to watch Samford take on Ole Miss. A blow-out, you say? Possibly...but hey, we'll still have fun. And then Sunday morning I'll be headed back to Faith PCA. I've tried both Faith and Altadena Valley PCA now after making the decision to find another church besides Briarwood, and I really think Faith is where I want to wind up. It's just a little smaller than Briarwood (okay, a lot smaller), and I like the idea of being able to get a little closer involved with a church family. Being from a smaller church back in Panama City, I just feel much more at home in a smaller church. I do still love Briarwood though... :-)

Overall, I think it will be quite a nice weekend. It's been a good one already! :-)

-- Stephen

A New Blog

Well, this has been quite a waste of time...

I decided earlier this evening that it was about time for me to start "blogging" again (as if my previous Xanga experiences constitute serious blogging). I greatly enjoy writing, and my time spent on the computer used to at least be spent doing something semi-useful like writing about my life, being creative, etc. Nowadays, my time spent on the computer is consumed by the likes of Facebook, which squelches personal expression and (with the exception of the useless Notes application) limits its participants to mindless games and fake interaction. I don't mean to hate on facebook. It really can be a good thing, and it's much better than MySpace. (I still feel like I need to take a shower after I log on to MySpace...it's just...sketchy?) However, with this much-ballyhooed yet much-maligned "new facebook" that's being forced upon us, I'm feeling especially cynical towards this social networking site on steroids.

So that brings me to tonight, as I decide to pick up the habit of blog writing once again. How should I go about this though? I first got this Blogger account. But what to do with it? For those of us without much web design knowledge, we're pretty much restrained to the pre-packaged themes. And a title? You want me to come up with a title? Something original, I suppose...times like this, it would be nice to be an English major. (What am I saying?)

So then I return to the old stomping grounds...Xanga. It was like returning home from college and finding your parents had turned your old room into an office. I didn't even recognize it, let alone could I figure how to use the blasted thing. I couldn't get any of the themes to work or look right (it used to be so easy!), and then there are basically 20,000 new gizmos and doo-dads that made me feel ancient and old-fashioned already at a mere 20 years of age.

And so I am back to Blogger. At least it's simple? ish? However, I am still frustrated. My entire evening has been consumed trying to figure out something that used to be so simple. So this blog will not be all flashy and exciting. It will simply be a means to express my thoughts and maybe post the occasional picture. I'm actually pretty excited. I haven't done this in a while. It's a nice habit to get into. I find writing, especially about what's going on in my life, to be therapeutic in a sense. Many times, I'll start writing about a problem. and by the end, I will have it all worked out. (For many of you, this will explain why my emails are often the length of short novels).

Is this blog intended for other people to read? Eh? Sure? Why not...hey, if you care enough to read this thing, more power to you! But this is mainly for me. Some good therapeutic blogging... :-) Also, as the title I finally decided upon suggests, this will be a way for me to document the providence that God shows in my life, even just on a day-to-day basis. I will not even begin to try to compete with Anna B's blog, though...that is art. :-)

Well, that is about it for now. I have spent far too much time on this already tonight.

G'night,

Stephen