1 thessalonians 4:13-18

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 thessalonians 4:13-18

thoughts on my trip

as alot of you know, i'm planning on heading off to moscow, russia in the end of july of this year. same organization, just longer term again. a full year now. crazy, yet exciting. right now finances are being looked at and worked on. my first support letter will go out monday which i'm very happy about. living hope has basically agreed to do my paperwork and collect my money. so this is excellent. now comes the rest of my thoughts...

i feel like i want to teach myself so much about what i think i should be doing/do. i read in the NT about paul and the way that he feels and the way that he acts toward the people that he meets and shares his life and the gospel with. the praying that he does. that he is praying for them always and many different things for them. and i want to be like that myself. i want to be in prayer always for my russian friends. to feel for them, to be concerned about them. one i thing i think about myself is that i am not a very emotional person and i want to be for that reason. i'm glad char and i are dating because she helps and encourages me in this emotional aspect of myself. to let myself feel things and to not be scared of them. but to use them in the right way. but with prayer just the dedication to it, the remembrance of it and the consistency. the time set aside to do it. i want to make prayer daily occurances of my life that i set aside to do it. not just the spontaneous times. just requires some discipline but it leads into my other concern for myself. to not be entangled with the things of the world. and even to not be so about myself when i have time off. i want seeking God, spending time in the word or in prayer to be something that i want not just need. i mean i know i need God but i want to want Him. and to want Him enough to pursue Him and put him before other things. and i don't do that well. those two things are important issues for myself on my trip i think. i'd like to emphasize the words "i think". i am not sure if that is so, but we'll soon see. i have this sneaking suspicion that God is working on those things but on something more important that i'm not really aware of. and i know i'll be pleasantly surprised when i get there. and i'll be prepared for things that i wasn't thinking of, and what i was God will continue to perfect in me. i read that today in 1 thessalonians 3, to perfect. not to fix what was broke, but perfect what we are already doing. just struck me. a very important word choice. gives me encouragement that i am on the way, not just completely busted. coolness. so that is some thoughts i had on the subject. good times. otherwise things are great, def can't complain, love'n it all. busy with important things always but i'm making it. heres a quote for ya.


"Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?" 1 thessalonians 3:10

You can only be young once. But you can always be immature. ~Dave Barry

keeping up with the times...

home now. the semester is over finally... no school, no work which is good, no bcs friends which is bad but some rockwall peeps which is good and gf (finally!) which is awesome. so i am def happy to be home. its great to really have no major committments in the school and work sense. that feeling of freedom to do whatever i want. its great. got back from utah where me and the father were skiing. loads of fun. solitude and snowbasin were amazing. i hope i get to ski there again some day. great trails plus lots of powder, essential to great skiing. had a good time but it just makes you miss home. and i did. so going home was great- family time, got to see ben and got me laptop which is awesome. and finally got to see char which was good. hard times for her but i'm learning how to be a boyfriend. its amazingly hard, which i cant say i knew beforehand. but we are learning and working through things. so things are good. need to learn to not be scared of whats might happen and what is going on. to be there for her, to meet her needs and for us to relax and enjoy each other. to be honest and to try to do what i think/know i should. and to not worry or be scared. huge i think. but i am happy, fo sho. liking the har and the cd, point 5 covenant is amazing. ben's party tonight. drink some different brews of sam adams i haven't had before, so thats fun. hopefully no one will be too trashed but it should still be fun. also hope that game wont turn out badly... but i will be pleased to see all the old friends. good times i'm sure. want to go rap something so maybe another post will appear in a bit, just have to see. don't even know what i want to rap about but we'll see... i also decided yesterday that epic fantasy books are my favorites. the wheel of time, the dark tower, LOTR, narnia, all just amazing. almost done with the tower and just started the wheel of time. lovin it. also brings me back to the song by p5c called axis. great line "the cross is the axis on which the world spins." goes great with my epic fantasy books... lovin it. here's a quote from the beginning of the gunslinger, book 1 of the dark tower series.

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

i officially wish i was a writer now. peace yall.

our God is rich in mercy
His ways and paths are true
for me this is a surety
after all He's led me through

He brought to my attention
this thing i say i know
but now with comprehension
along my trek i go

with happiness and cheer
a new sight before my eyes
not seeing in my mirror
reflections of the devil's lies

these things i now remember
when i sing His praise
happy that this defender
will protect me all my days

one of the other things that God has taught me this semster is about His mercy. He has really made it apparent and impacted my view of Him with it and for that i am quite grateful. not seeing Him as an overlord but someone who is merciful and loving and yet still pushing us onto perfection is a much better view. the knowledge that everything doesn't have to be "perfectly right" or even "right" at all sometimes for God to manifest Himself or to do amazing things blows my mind. i can't believe it. but i know it is true. i am dating someone now, who6p! "third times the charm." lol. its char again, so thats been good. hard because of the distance thing, but i have had people remind me that all our talking is building a good foundation for a relationship which i agree with, i just currently miss the combined interaction with others but next semester when we are visiting each other it will be there. not just us when we see each other. def a good thing. i believe things to be on the upward slope for my walk, back to where i need to be, finally recovering from the consequences of my summer's decisions. for that i am also grateful. as well as for truly being involved in things again, my church and my job, to a lesser degree though. happy happy am i. however i need a quote to leave you with, so here goes. this is 1 peter 1:3-5 ESV:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

flowing

(this is a rap, btw)

my semester

in the midst of tough times
baring my secrets in these rhymes
letting my true feelings show
not hiding out behind some blinds
setting out to let you know
that i'm just your average joe.
often i still struggle
as i sit around and juggle
two perspectives on myself
its like i'm seeing double.
putting God on a shelf
only worring about my health
instead of lying on the altar.
i crawl off and then falter
trying to live my own life.
but my God, He's like Gibraltar
strong enough to keep me from strife
and abet me in acting like His wife.
For God is always workin
this i know for certain
making me like His Son
not standin behind the curtain
like the Wizard havin fun
but bringin change cause He loves me a ton
so i won't run away and hide
for my God moves like the tide
His ways are not our ways
but i promise that He's on our side
this i'll remember all my days
that life ain't a frustratin maze.
He's guiding us along
with His hand so strong
through all the noise and din
until the breaking of the dawn
when He comes back again
and we all can see who wins.

rhyme scheme: AABABB with alternating 6 and 8 syllable lines.

thanks to tim for getting me back to this. feel immature writing it but its true, never to old to struggle with things. was encouraged with a song at church on sat about God's ways not being ours and i wanted to leave the verses for your quote. its isaiah 55:8-9 and 2 peter 3:9

"For My thoughts are not our thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My though than your thoughts."

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

wow, another post so soon

thats right sports fans, back again. i've got the time to journal some, so i shall. its a good intro for me before i seek God by meself. i wanted to today to rant about being angry at other people and being selfish as the beginning of that. i know that for myself a lot i get upset at folks who don't do things my way or things that i think that they should. like roommates or folks at the gas station. or angry at people who want things from me but then don't do anything about it. my pastor at home talked about forgiveness this weekend and i think thats part of the issue. realizing other people arent perfect either and that i should be caring, forgiving and merciful towards them. cause i def want that from others when i mess up. plus being angry doesn't give a good rep for God's changing folks. luke 6:37 fits admirally here. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." nuff. hope those stros hold in there. crazy... quote time.

"When it’s all stripped away
Hidden underneath the clay
I am simply someone
Searching for You to save me"

stripped away by disciple

journal

so if i started up again, but don't get to excited sports fans, this may not continue to be a regular feature of david's existence even though he has the free time. but today i'm going to do what i do best, rant...

so i've prayed for opportunities to share the gospel with people, and i've run into just random people numerous times this week, along with lost friends of mine. but one of two things happens. one, they say something not christian that i shouldn't laugh at or could reply back to and show Christ and i don't, or the in to a convo doesn't come up. the first part is the hardest i think, because i wish i could be on my feet enough to say something that will glorify God, not point me out as a Christian necessarily, but glorify God. cause i don't want to not appear as a Christian or put people so much at ease by being like them that i cease to be like Christ and bring conviction when i speak or act. but i know paul talks about being like all people to win some to Christ and i don't believe that this should be minimized, but it doesn't mean maybe what i think that it means. i think that it means like in some ways that people don't think that Christians are weird in the sense if being a nut, but still weird in the sense of being totally different and at the same time convicting and making people desire what they have. and i thing this is done with words and deeds, duh. but important words is the key. really led by the Spirit and not some textbook example or cute little phrases. the Word is huge. its so powerful if we let it be. we really need to listen to people and the Spirit. and we should see how Jesus acted toward people and mimic Him. i just feel wrong if i don't say something, which i think might be right, but i just don't know. i don't want people to think that i approve of sin, but i don't want them to think that i'm judging them either. but i want them to be convicted of sin and become repentant yet not shove me away because they feel belittled. and i think both are possible because the Bible talks about both. that people respect and love the church and the people in the church but at the same time, hate and persecute them. and the second thing, the bible says preach the gospel inseason and outofseason. but i dunno if thats means everytime you see people. i know it does mean whether you want to or not and God tells you too. not dependent on your preferences, but if the convo isn't there then what? i just dunno. anyways, thats all i got for now. you should all listen to the new project 86 cd, and the rest will follow. its amazing. as usual. the new norma jean cd, o God the aftermath. and the new david crowder band cd, a beautiful collision or 3+4=7. all impressive. i will leave you with a douglas adams quote which i think is h-igh-larious.

He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.