It’s 12:44 in the morning and I have no idea why I’m still awake. In a matter of hours, the PBC student body will be getting together for a day of outreach. (Beyond the Butte) I signed up for street evangelism and I’m pretty excited about it. To be completely honest, I have no idea what the plan is, but we’re definitely gonna hit the streets of Portland with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It’s gonna be great. Till next time…
It goes without saying that God is so good! One year ago I was going through one of the most difficult times in my life but by the grace of God here I am, still standing strong and moving forward in life. I just got back from my school’s kick-off retreat and it was so much fun. In a lot of ways, it was officially the end of summer for me. Ever since I moved back to Antioch for the summer it’s felt like a dream, and between being in Portland and Las Vegas during the last three weeks, it still felt like a vacation. Is life really supposed to be this good? I’ve been on this journey since the summer started. The Holy Spirit has strategically allowed me to experience the presence of God like never before. From the very first sermon I heard, to this past week at our retreat, the Lord has been leading me on an amazing ride.
Character
It started with my character. Who I am is more important than what I do. If my life isn’t backing up what I stand for then that’s a problem.
The Presence of God
I can do nothing apart from God. The more I try to, the more frustrated I’ll become. I must rely on the Lord to lead me in life and I can never substitute my ‘God time’ with anything else, I have to be disciplined with my devotional life. I recently had the privilege of meeting Bill Hybels and I’ll never forget what he told me. He said, “Whatever it is you do that brings you to the presence of God, keep practicing those things and never stop doing them. Fads and trends will come and go but the presence of God will never change. It’s the presence of God that will lead you through life.
Application
The only way I’ll see fruit in my life is to actually apply everything I’m learning. For me personally, evangelism is what’s on my heart the most. I want to see people the way God does. I want my heart to break for those who don’t know the Lord.
I’m excited for what’s in store this semester. I’m really looking forward to this next year and I know that it will only get better from here on out. It’s such a great feeling to know you’re right in the middle of the Lord’s will for your life.
This is the end of another chapter in my life.
Most of us can’t escape the busyness of life, and if you’re like me, you get frustrated when your ‘planned’ schedule doesn’t always go the way you want it to. I’m the type of person who plans his months in advanced. By the first day of each month I pretty much know where I’ll be for the next thirty days or so. As much as I love it when my schedule goes smoothly, I’m learning the joy that comes when it doesn’t go smoothly is actually better than when it does.
This past Friday I was supposed to drive out to the Oakland Airport to pick up a package. I waited all day until I finally found out our order was coming in later than we had expected. Because it came in later than we expected, I had to postpone my trip to Oakland until the following morning. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but I had plans to drive out to Modesto (close to two hours in the opposite direction) and spend the day with a couple of friends. Driving out to Oakland meant I had to wake up extra early on a Saturday morning! So yeah, it wasn’t what I had hoped for, but it is what it is. When I arrived in Oakland to pick up our package a man named Theodore, who was sitting in the waiting room, over heard me talking about how I was picking up a package for my church. Sure enough, this lead to a great conversation between the two of us for a good half hour, which by the way was not in my ‘planned itinerary’ for the day. When we were done talking I had the wonderful opportunity of not only getting to pray for him, but I also had the chance to invite him to church and bless him with a CD of one of our sermons. (I know it’s not much but it was all I had) I left the airport with the confidence that Theodore was one step closer to the Lord.
Just about 99.9% of the time my ‘planned’ schedule doesn’t go the way I had hoped for, it usually means the Lord has a divine encounter waiting to take place. It took me a while to realize this, but it’s true, and it happens every time! One of the greatest feelings in the world is to know that we’ve done our duty as a Christian and led somebody else closer to the Lord. So the next time things don’t go the way you had hoped for, get ready for your divine encounter! If you’re open to it, you’ll find it.
