New Years Resolutions

A New Year is a pretty decent time for a new and better outlook on life. I know a lot of "New Years Resolutions" get broken after a few weeks/days/hours, but here are some things I want to try to start the year off:

1) Spend less time on the internet; spend more time reading.
2) Be more healthy by eating better food, drinking less soda, and working out.
3) Prioritize free time more effectively.

If I can stick to these goals (following some specifics I've laid out) for the month of January, I'm going to buy myself an Inspiron Duo. (I don't want to hear your objections, Mac users)  Hopefully by then, these things will become habits.

I would make it a resolution to write in my blog more, but there's no use making promises I can't keep! Either way, I'll try to provide updates more often.

Psalm 95:3-5

"For the Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods. In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land."

The hands that hold the depths of the earth are the ones that hold us. The maker of the sea and the dry land also took the time to create us. I think maybe the reason we have so much trouble trusting God is because we don't really believe this. We may know it, say it, and think it. But how can we live it? That's the hardest part. How can we possibly live like we really trust Him?

I'm finding that my struggles to trust Him are rooted in the fact that I don't truly believe He's as big as He really is... and I'm sure that I don't see Him that way because I try to . I try to be in control... I try to get what I need on my own. I give Him most of my heart, but I still need a little control on my own. But as He's taught me before, I'm not truly surrendering to Him unless I give Him everything. And until I completely let go, I will never be able to see Him as He truly is.

I need to begin praying that God would make Himself and His power known to me as I begin to surrender everything to Him.

Impact Georgia Update

I spoke to a lawyer today about getting Impact Georgia declared as a non-profit organization! Looks like it will be a lot of work, take a lot of time, and cost a lot of money. I would like to ask you to start praying that God would provide for us and help us get started! It's important for us to get this done so we can start accepting donations and get ready for camp in March.

So far we have started a (temporary) website and are currently working on some promotional things.  My friend Courtney is helping us out with marketing using her stellar graphic design skills.  We are also working hard on many behind-the-scenes items.

Right now, we are really just asking for your prayers! We have a lot to do, but we are trusting God to lead us every step!

One Phone Call

Have you had one thing in your life that made all the difference? For me, it was a phone call. Almost four years ago, my youth minister John Mark gave me a phone number. I called that number and left a message asking about a summer worship leader position at a camp. That person called me back, and we started talking about it. That person was Impact Florida's Executive Director, Chad, who is now one of my greatest friends and mentors.

For the last four summers, I have spent at least some amount of time in Orlando working with Impact Florida. While there, I have made many lasting friendships and had some of the most memorable moments of my life.

In 2008, while finishing up a summer in Florida, my friend Matt said to me "Kevin, one day I think you and I are going to work together. I don't think this is the end for us." Two years later, standing outside a 7-11, we talked about a vision for making that possible. We decided to take a leap of faith and make it our goal to expand Impact's mission beyond Orlando.

Sometimes God creates profound moments when we least expect it. I never could have dreamed that one phone call would make such a difference. Because of that, Matt and I are making plans to start Impact in the city of Atlanta, GA. We are currently working toward having camp as soon as March 2011. It's crazy, and without faith in God, it will be impossible. But God does not call us to what's easy... He calls us to what brings Him glory. What an honor to be used for His glory!

Journey of Character

Today I just want to share a blog written by someone I respect a lot. Some people say they want to improve their character, but never do anything about it. Sarah is not one of those people. Her courage and faith in God have inspired me. Check it out!

http://journeyofcharacter.blogspot.com/

First post in like 2 months

Well I stopped writing in this for a while. I have a problem writing unless I feel inspired by something, or someone. In this case, I have been inspired by someone who I have written about before.

If you remember, I wrote about my friend Jeff Burham a few months ago. He, his wife, and his son are all together in Botswana Africa now, where Jeff is a missionary with Flying Mission Services. I recently took the opportunity to partner with him financially, and I cannot express how honored I am to be able to do that. If you really want to find joy, support a missionary. It is definitely worth it.

I got the chance to talk to Jeff today. I wanted to post something he said (with his permission) that really got my attention:

"I'm glad we [FMS pilots] are here to help, otherwise most of these people we fly to the major hospitals would die. One lady the other day had to have a C-section for her baby and lost a lot of blood. All she needed was some blood and they didn't have any to give her. We had to fly her accross the country for some blood."

He went on to tell me that Botswana is the size of Texas. Imagine having to fly across Texas for basic medical services. Hearing stories like this remind me of all the luxuries we take for granted here in the US.

Partnering with Jeff financially is as much a spiritual exercise for me as it is monetary support for him. I hope I never forget the hardships that people suffer, and I hope I never stop caring enough to do something about it.

Our Most Fundamental Choice - by Ryan

Here’s another post!

It’s been awhile since I contributed to Kevin’s blog but here’s another semi-intellectual, partially-educated post.

Well it’s fairly simple. Logically, only two circumstances can exist and only one side can be right. There’s either Theism or Atheism (non-Theism if you prefer). It’s the most fundamental of arguments and it’s intriguing because it MUST be one or the other.

Noting this, we’ll put a few different things aside. Atheism is pretty cut and dry. If there is no god, there is no god. Theism is a bit different though. If you argue for Theism you’re also challenged with defending a particular form of Theism (Various Religions). However, for this let’s just discuss plain and simple, is there or isn’t there a god? (probably, not certainly)

Often, this argument revolves around how the earth came to be. It’s a Creation v. Evolution showdown every time anyone gets into this. The problem with this is that it revolves too much around the details. Mainstream Christianity tends to hold to the idea that the earth is roughly 6000 years old and the earth was created in 7, 24 hour days (however you punctuate 7 and 24 there). Even within Christianity there are quarrels about this theory and alternate theories about the earth being created over a long period of time. Evolution then counters that in many different ways that are too familiar and not worth listing. In my opinion, people get too lost in trying to defend the details before defending the fundamental ideas behind their argument such as, can the universe even exist? I, personally, don’t hold to a particular view when it comes to Creation but I do believe the earth and the universe ULTIMATELY had to be created by a creator.

There’s a bit of an issue when it comes to the universe. If one is to assert that there is no infinite creator than they must assert that something else is infinite. It goes to back ancient philosophy where the best explanation for the universe is an infinite regress back in time. We can’t have nothing and then have something. Plus, it’s difficult to fathom the idea of there being nothing. If I try to imagine nothing then all I see is black but even that black backdrop I see in my mind wouldn’t exist. Out of this idea many come to the conclusion that the universe is infinite. First, how would we have gotten to this point if we had to travel an infinite amount of time to get here? Second, the other explanation for the universe is the idea of the Big Bang. This doesn’t necessarily serve the non-theists needs however, because it contradicts the idea that the universe is infinite which is arguably very necessary to the non-theist’s idea. The Big Bang now begins to serve the theist a bit more. This is because, most importantly, the theory of the Big Bang shows that the universe had a beginning. If the universe, in fact, had a beginning, then it wouldn’t be logically impossible for there to be a separate, infinite creator that gives motion to the universe. Here’s an analogy, and though analogies aren’t perfect, we’re ultimately presented with our most fundamental choice. Does adding an infinite number of train cars to a track give a train motion or does the locomotive give motion to the finite number of train cars?

-Ryan

It's July

In case you were wondering, it is in fact July.  I'm also going to warn you in advance: this is a boring blog post. 

July means several things for me.  First, it means that I am quite ready to take a break from classes. Come Friday, I will be done until August 23rd.  I'm very excited for this break!

I leave for Florida on the 18th.  I talked about that in the last post so I won't go into much more detail, except for one thing: I've decided to go on a "technology" break.  I won't be bringing my laptop, and I don't plan to have my cell phone turned on most of the time.  I hope that God will use that time of removed distraction to really help me grow.

This Sunday at FCC, Dr. Fowler from Liberty is speaking.  I always love hearing him preach.  I was also very happy to see Pastor Dane back at church last night.  I got to go out to dinner with him and his family.  I love having a partner in ministry that is such a good friend as Dane... it surely makes ministry more fun and rewarding than it already is.

Currently I am learning how much I need to let God be in control.  Although I may feel like I know what is best for me, I realize every day that I don't.  He has proved himself faithful to me, and I pray that God will help me take that knowledge and put it into practice.

Summer Report

Sorry I took a month off of writing. I have been taking more classes, working on a lot for church, and moving to a new apartment.  Plus, things around Liberty have slowed down for the summer so I haven't had much to write about. Lynchburg is a very different place without all the Liberty students here, but so far it has been a great summer!

Today I was thinking about a lot of stuff I have to look forward to.  On July 18th I will be heading down to Orlando to work with Impact Florida for two weeks.  I love that organization and I couldn't be more excited to go on "vacation" to serve God with the awesome people that are already there.

I have been working on my ordination through Faith Community Church, and I'm excited to go through that process.  So far I have stated answers to Bible knowledge questions and affirmed my adherence to the doctrinal position of the church. I have a few more months of work to do before everything is complete, but I look forward to defining my beliefs in a concrete form.  I am working through this with a board of five incredibly Godly men that I deeply respect, and it is an honor to have this opportunity.

I'm excited for what the next few years of seminary will teach me.  The more classes I take, and the more I learn, the more excited I am about being called to the ministry.

Through all this excitement and anticipation... the one thing I always try to remember is this: nothing is more important than what God has called me to do today. How can I serve Him where I work? In my apartment complex? While I'm at the store? Even though God has given me amazing things to look forward to, I never want to miss what could be right in front of me right now.

Perseverance through Uncertainty

Read an awesome passage last night while thinking about the topic of yesterday's blog post.

1 Peter 1:6-9
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Though we do not see Him now, we believe in Him.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.  Seems like a theme of scripture, doesn't it?  God called Abraham to leave his home to a land He would show him.  It doesn't say that God showed Abraham the land, and then he went.  He went by faith that God would show him the land at the right time.

God is showing me that true faith comes from perseverance through uncertainty.

"Trust" continued...

Isaiah 55:8-9
 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
       neither are your ways my ways,"
       declares the LORD.
 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
       so are my ways higher than your ways
       and my thoughts than your thoughts."

It is becoming more apparent to me that God takes great joy in revealing this to us. Not by revealing His ways to us, but rather by helping us accept that we have such a minimal understanding.  As God continues to show me that I can trust Him, I am learning that "trusting Him" means something completely different than what I think it means.  So, before I can truly trust Him, I have to relearn what that even means.

As part of my nature, I like to know why I am doing something.  If I am given a task at work, I like to know what it will accomplish.  If I have an assignment for a class, and I feel there is no purpose to it, I will often get frustrated and lack motivation to complete it.  What I am starting to learn is that God may call us to do things, and we may not even know why.  The hardest thing, I am finding, is to trust God through these experiences.

This completely changes my idea of what it means to trust Him.  I am starting to find that He may or may not reveal to me the ultimate purpose behind things He has called me to do.  I may not find out "why" until much later.

It would be much harder to trust God in times like this if He had not already showed me all the ways that I can trust Him.  He has been faithful thus far, so can I trust Him at times when I do not know what the outcome will be? Can I be faithful to what He has called me to even if it is not what I expect?

Anxiety and worry can plague any one of us, no matter who we are or what we do.  Trusting God, it seems, does not mean a lack of worry.  It means worrying, but trusting God anyways.  Surely we will have fears for the future, or uncertainties about the direction of our lives.  If we did not have these fears, what need would we have for trusting God?

Several people have been quoted saying something like "Courage is not the lack of fear, but triumph over it."  I would submit that trust in God is not the lack of worry.  It is looking our uncertainties in the face and saying "I may be afraid of you, but I know Someone who has an understanding far beyond mine. And I trust Him, even through He has not revealed His ways to me."

THEO 678 Blog - Part 4

How is a Christian to respond to cults? How are we to present an apologetic to people who have skewed the Gospel? It is often much easier to present the Gospel to someone who has never heard it than to someone who has rejected it. So what do we do? How can we help people see the truth of Jesus who have believed lies about Him?

We are called to make disciples of all nations, which means that we are not excused from sharing the Gospel with members of cults, despite their preconceived notions. Several groups also feel threatened by Christians, which makes our mission even more difficult. Groups like this often have a persecution complex, where the true sign of a devout follower is how much he suffers for the sake of their church or religion. How is this different from Christians who are martyred for their faith? Often members of a cult will seek persecution, while a Christian welcomes martyrdom if it comes. So, often, these groups will see Christianity as a threat and attempt to elicit negative responses from us. How do we overcome this? The easy answer is this: love.

Sounds too simple right? There are ways to present apologetic responses to them, but if you're like me, it's hard to remember what to say and how to say it. This is something we can work on and practice, but we can always show people the love of Jesus. If they expect us to be offended or disgusted by their beliefs or practices, we must respond with acceptance and love. Even if they continue to reject us and our beliefs, we must stand in confidence that the Holy Spirit can use us to show people who Jesus really is.

THEO 678 Blog - Part 3

Many of the groups discussed so far this week are defined as 'cults', which deny an essential or several essentials of the Christian faith. These cults will often require that its members stay faithful to the leader or leaders of the cult, lest lose their salvation. The members are also required to conform to a set of rules of purity and will often have to confess sins publicly. In this sense, community is more important than the individual, which will often lead to the idea that members are saved as a group and not individually.

However, while some churches may not stray from essential doctrines, there are ways that a church can become cultic. This is not to say that the church has strayed completely away from Christianity, but it would be in danger of leaning toward one of the characteristics of a cult. Sound confusing enough? I will try to explain what I mean.

First of all, a church is in danger of being cultic if it believes that they are the only 'true' believers.  This is not to say that they believe they are the only ones who are saved, like many cults do.  However, a cultic church will believe that their doctrines and methods are the best.  In this same light, a cultic church will attempt to separate themselves from other Christian groups and will only accept leaders who are exactly like them.  Again, this is not because they do not believe other Christians are saved, but simply because they have held to a minor doctrine that has caused them to break fellowship with others.  One doctrine can, in these groups, become the filter through which all other decisions are made.

What is the danger of this? The loss of the importance of the Gospel. If the advancement of the Gospel is not as important as the defense of a minor doctrine or a certain way of doing things, the church is in danger of missing its purpose.  The Gospel of Jesus must always be kept as the priority.

THEO 678 Blog - Part 2

"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.  Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." -Hebrews 7:25-27

Anti-Messiah Cults believe that Jesus' work was not sufficient. And the main reason  is because they need His work to be insufficient, because each Anti-Messiah cult has a prophet that is said to be the fulfillment of the second coming.  The "third Adam," if you will.  How can these cults justify this belief based on Hebrews 7? Jesus died once for all for the world, so another sacrifice is not necessary. His atonement is fully sufficient for all people. How do these cults justify a prophet who is said to complete something that was already completed by Christ?

These groups are somewhat similar to the groups discussed yesterday.  However, the types of cults that are in this classification are more specifically centered around a prophet rather than just a doctrinal system.  These are dangerous because many of them seem to want to unite all people into one "true religion."  Some say that Moses, Jesus, Buddha, and other religious leaders were all prophets, but the founder or leader of these religions had come to be the final prophet.

The overarching principle behind these cults and the cults discussed yesterday is this belief: one is saved by works because the blood of Jesus is insufficient.  The problem is that it is impossible to know how much is enough to be saved.  Where is the assurance?  Through Christ, we have assurance because we could never do enough on our own to be saved.  Through faith in Jesus, His blood covers our sins and gives us salvation.

THEO 678 Blog - Part 1

This week, I will be writing blog posts related to my Western and New Religions class at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.  Today we discussed Anti-Trinity religions, such as Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Oneness Pentecostals.  The goal of today's blog is to refute these denials of the Trinity.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive defense of the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  It is certainly not to be considered a exhaustive discussion of this topic. I realize that I will not be creating a comprehensive apologetic on this topic.  I do, however, wish to bring some important points to light.  I will first defend the deity of the Father and the Holy Spirit, and then the deity of Jesus, which is most often contended.  I will end by showing how a denial of the Trinity is incongruous with Christian doctrine.

God the Father is affirmed by scripture to be the only God. He is affirmed to be fully God, uncreated and eternal.  Mark 12:29 says that the Lord God is One.  Here, Jesus quotes  Deuteronomy 6:4-5.  Isaiah 45:22 also states that there is no god other than The Lord.  The Holy Spirit, as God, is said to be a part of creation in Genesis 1.  In Acts 5:3-4, Ananias is accused of lying to the Holy Spirit.  Later, in the same passage, it is said that he did not lie to men, but to God.  Peter obviously believed that the Holy Spirit was holy, and deserved to be worshipped as God.  In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, implicating that all three are Deity.

Jesus is called a lot of different things by different people.  By some, He is called a great prophet or teacher.  Clearly scripture portrays Jesus as much more than this.  John 1 calls Jesus the Word, who was with God from the beginning.  It says that Jesus was present in creation, and was with God at creation.  This shows that Jesus is not a created being, but is himself God.  Most importantly, He claimed to be God on several occasions!  In John 10:30, He claimed to be one with the Father.  Jesus also said in John 8:58 that "before Abraham was, I AM." Here, He use the name for God, found in Exodus 3:14, for Himself!

It is clear that Jesus believed that He was God, and that those who follow Him believe that He is God.  Therefore, there is no way He could simply be just a "good teacher" or a prophet.  He is either God Incarnate, or He is a false prophet.  I, obviously, believe that Jesus is God.  There are many more reasons I could cite for this, but as I said, this is not meant to be an exhaustive apologetic.  Simply, it is meant to show that these Anti-Trinity groups, such as Mormans and Jehovah's Witnesses, cannot be considered "Christians" by my definition.

You may say "well, Kevin, they believe in Jesus, isn't that enough?"  I do not believe this is the case.  First of all, these groups do not consider Christians, such as Baptists, Methodists, or Catholics, to be saved.  Both Mormons and JW's, who may claim to desire fellowship with Christians, cannot believe that one is saved unless he or she is a part of their church.  Most importantly, neither group believes in the full Deity of Jesus.  Mormons believe that Jesus was a god, but not equal with God.  The sacrifice of Jesus, according to their theology, is not sufficient to atone for sins!  There is a works-based salvation involved in their theology, which is clearly contradictory to Ephesians 2:8.  This is also prevalent in JW theology.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was first the Archangel Michael, and that He is not God.  He did live a perfect life on Earth, but was not bodily resurrected.  They instead believe that Jesus was raised as a Spirit.  For this reason, their theology is incoherent with the Bible.

The purpose of this post was simply to show that these two groups are not in agreement with orthodox Christian theology, especially in regards to Jesus.  His Deity is an important part to true salvation, and must be adhered to in order to truly understand who Jesus is.

Jeff

I met my friend Jeff our freshman year at Liberty when he lived a couple doors down the hall from me. He is a great friend, a faithful brother in Christ, and a fantastic pilot.  He, his wife, and his newborn son are headed to Africa with an organization called Flying Mission Services.  He will be in Botswana providing air ambulance and med-evac flights.  For more info on them, check out their blog at http://jeffandsarahburnham.blogspot.com/

Jeff is a man of great faith. I had the chance to see him at his send-off party today, and I could not stop thinking to myself what an honor it was to be friends with faithful Christ-follower. It takes a lot of faith and trust in God to dive into the unknown. Jeff is a great inspiration to me, and I will truly miss him!

Jeff, thank you for being my friend all these years. I hope we never stop being friends. Not a day will go by that I do not pray for you.

The Value of a Man Devoted to Christ

Today, my parents and my adorable sister came to see Youth Sunday at my church. My church is 2 hours from their house.  So they drove all that way to see me and my brother play music this morning with the youth group.  It reminded me of how truly blessed I am to have a loving and supportive family.  I wanted to take same time to talk about my parents, and especially my Dad.

On the outside, you might look at my father and think that he's just an ordinary guy. Just an average Joe, working his 9 to 5. But he is much more than that. He is the perfect example of the man I want to be.

The average dad only spends 8-10 minutes a day with his kids. This was not true for my childhood. And as much as is possible, it is still not true. My parents make every effort to see me or my brother or sister. They make an effort to spend time with us. They show us that they love us. And it has truly made a difference.

Only 12% of families pray together. I can't remember a family dinner where my dad didn't pray and thank God for the meal and for Jesus.  I got to be part of that 12% because my dad knew the power of a praying family.

Do I consider myself lucky? Every day.

This is the value of a man devoted to Christ.  My dad may look like a normal guy, but he's not just any guy. He is the greatest man I know. He has shown me what it means to love one woman and devote himself to her. He has shown me what it means to put family first and love your kids. He has shown me what it means to be a man who remembers what is truly important in life.

And to me, teaching your son these things is the greatest success a man can know in his life. And Dad, that's why I think you're the most successful man in the world.

Thoughts on 'Young Life'

While hanging out in CNU's Student Union today, I ran into my friend Elizabeth, who is on the same Young Life team as me. She introduced me to one of her friends, telling her "this is Jimmy, he works on the Young Life team with me." This struck me as very odd, as I have never felt that I my time spent doing Young Life activities has been work. For those of you who do not know what Young Life is, it is an organization that seeks out high school kids in order to either show them how awesome a relationship with Christ is, or (for those who know the Lord) how to grow in their faith. So how is this different than other ministries? We are one of the only ones I know of that actually seeks out students WHERE THEY ARE instead of waiting for them to come to us by word of mouth. This means we go up to our respective high schools multiple times a week and make an effort to hang out with the kids we meet. It sounds kinda creepy, I know, but I swear we're a legit organization.

So why do we do this? We believe that high school students have no reason to listen to some guy or girl they've never met. Why should they take us seriously if we start talking about God to them without even taking time to learn their name? Instead, we choose to follow in Christ's footsteps: love them with the same love that God has for them. By doing that, and by holding bible studies and clubs full of fun activities and short talks about the nature of Jesus Christ (I swear it's not as lame as it sounds), we hope that they will listen to us because we first invested in them. Then, hopefully, they will become interested in this Jesus that we've been talking about.

Anyway, back to the point of this entry. The reason it really doesn't feel like work is because it's not! All I do is hang out with high school kids, talk to them a little bit about God, act like an idiot in hopes of making them laugh, and just generally loving them. That's all I have to do. It's definitely not the hardest position in the world. So how can so little work be so effective? It's because we don't try to teach kids a lot about God. Kind of lost? Let me explain. Instead, we introduce them to God and then let Him teach them about Himself. If I wanted someone to know about me, I wouldn't refer them to an acquaintance, I would tell them myself. So why should I, an imperfect person, try to tell someone about the living, perfect God when I can introduce them to Him and let Him take over.

It's so easy to try to take on the world by itself. But we have to remember that we are limited beings. God is powerful. And what's more, his desire is to be our strength. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul says "But he said to me 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" Take comfort in knowing that God is more than enough to get us through anything. Once you surrender to his strength, He will absolutely show you how powerful he really is.

Introduction to Ryan

Kevin has been trying to get me to write on this blog for a while so here I am Kevin you can stop whining.

So here’s an introduction to me and the type of stuff I’ll write on. I’m in my first year at Liberty and I’m studying Philosophy, as the side bar says. Being in my first year, I’m not the brightest cookie in the tool shed and whatever I talk about will not be so advanced into the arguments for the existence or non-existence of God but I hope to provoke thought.

I think and reflect on a lot of different things. It’s been a pattern of mine for a very long time and out of that has grown a passion for validating Christianity through intellect. Intellect alone can’t save anyone of course, but I find it increasingly more important to have an intellectual understanding about what one believes. I think that all people ought to involve systematic skepticism into their beliefs, especially Christians. I mean that we should reflect on what we consider to be truths of Christianity and consider their truth against reality. This doesn’t mean that we should be trying to disprove ourselves, but rather we should really consider why we believe what we believe. If people are to be won over we must not assert what we believe to be truth so harshly without reflecting on what it is that we believe first. If we believe someone who claimed to be God was in fact God and did in fact raise from the dead, we better be able to defend that adequately because that is quite a hefty claim to make. If we grant to others that we don’t have all the answers, then more people would likely be won over. We may not be able to answer every question but we ought to have a logically rational basis for believing something and I believe this basis exists.

Also, it is important to note that God cannot be proven with absolute certainty in a philosophical sense. For example, I was on Facebook and saw that someone on my news feed became a fan of atheism. I clicked on it to see what was said on the wall of this group. The most recent post began with, “I am an atheist because of deductive problems with God.” Well of course he has deductive problems with God! If something is deduced, it essentially means that it is absolutely certain, assuming that is both valid and sound. We can’t deduce that God exists anymore than we can deduce that God doesn’t exist or even the other person in the room with us exists. The best we have on any of these is induction. With induction we can only argue for what is probably true, not absolutely certain. However, induction is still a powerful tool and that is where I begin…

-Ryan Jones

Stir

Lessons from Downhere - Part 3

Check out their music and albums www.downhere.com!

Stir
You belong here, everyone's invited
You can't fail here, 'cause we can't fail united
It's safe to be yourself here
And it's time to go beyond here

Anyone who has known me over the last few years knows that I adamantly believe in our need for relationships with other people. I truly believe, as the song says, that we cannot fail united. As believers in Christ, we have an unbreakable bond holding us together. When I think about this, I also think about all the other Christians who I have ignored, or perhaps even ridiculed. It makes me realize how unlike Jesus I really am. He always sought out the least among society. He healed sick people who others had given up on. He spent most of his time with people who I would never even give the time of day. Let us learn from Him and love those who seem unlovable.

We've got life to give,
So why don't we do what we we're saved for
Come along, why don't we stir?
You know you and I could do so much more together
We are the new at heart, so why don't we stir?

When I hear this song, I really think about how much more Christians could do if we stood together for Jesus. Think about where you work or where you go to school... do you know who the other Christians are? If so, do you have a plan to reach the unsaved among you? We have Christ within us, and we have been called to stir among the people we come into contact with.

We are the "new at heart," as the song says. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone. the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)  Thank God! I would hate to be stuck the way I am. By His mercy He creates in us a new heart... one that desires to serve Him and love Him. Let us use this gift to stand together, united in Christ, as a light in darkness.

Beggar Who Gives Alms

Lessons from Downhere - Part 2

Check out their music and albums www.downhere.com!

Beggar Who Gives Alms
There are no mystic jewels, embedded in my prose,
No moonlit haloed cherubs, perched on my piano,
No lyrics laced with pixie dust, no angels sing along.
I am just a beggar who gives alms.

"And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had'" -Luke 21:2-4 

Gold and silver have I none, but such I have give thee,
Borrowed words from the one, who gave the gift to me,
The pearl that I could never buy, this life, this dream, this song,
And I am just a beggar who gives alms.

The sense I get when listening to this song goes along with the widow's gift in Luke 21. God is not after what's left over... He is after everything we have. This is unsettling, to say the least. I have so much that I really really want to hold on to! How can we come to a place where we desire to give Him everything? This is, for me at least, one of the hardest places to come to as a Christian. 

I am not the creator, but a scribe with a pen,
I'm recreating visions, through a cracked and broken lens,
Only one has ever seen the home for which we long,
And I am just a beggar who gives alms. 

When we stop and really think about what God has done for us, we will realize how truly amazing it is. Something that we never could have received on our power has been given to us. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)  Not one of us could ever do enough to save ourselves from sin and death. But God has freely offered us salvation through His Son. This is what draws our hearts to give Him everything. The Apostle Paul said "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8)

If you are like me, you desire to have a heart like this, but find yourself struggling to fight against the forces of this world. Don't worry... I believe that God will help us come to this point if we will faithfully seek Him. But we must be committed to seeking His heart by spending time in prayer each day. Only through His power working in us will we ever be willing to give Him everything.

God is Good

Hello Littleman Journal readers, this is Jimmy Robson, rhythm electric guitar player for the Littleman Band, brotha-from-anotha-motha of Kevin and Ryan Jones, and (most importantly) Christ follower. I am a junior at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. I am studying to earn a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in journalism, with hopes of one day writing for some sort of Christian publication. Kevin has asked me to contribute to the blog, and I am more than happy to oblige him, as A) I love to write; and B) It's good practice for my future career!

Something that has been on my heart for the past week or so has been the story of Job. I know its sort of a morbid topic, but it is an important concept to grasp all the same. About a week ago on Saturday, April 3, 2010, my best friend Matthew Shortt lost his brother, Daniel, in a car accident in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was seventeen years old. Matt received news of it the morning it happened while he was still at school Radford University in Virginia. Although this was a terrible tragedy, it is not the focus of this post. Don't get me wrong, I miss Daniel terribly, but it is Matt's reaction to the situation that left the biggest impression on me. Matt has not once blamed God for the loss of his brother, but rejoices in the fact that Daniel is now with Christ.

Matt reminds me a lot of Job. The Bible tells us that Job declared "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised," (Job 1:21). What faith! Although Job was stripped of everything he had, he never once blamed God. In fact, he PRAISED God! Job had every right to curse the name of God (and according to Job 2:9, his wife encouraged him to), but he refused. Job did this because he had faith that there was one truth in the world: God is good. He knew that by blaming God for everything that had happened to him, it would be the equivalent of doubting God's goodness.

If we can't trust that God is good, what hope can we find in the world? Jesus told his disciples while he was on earth "…in the world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world," (John 16:33). I admire Matt and others who have the faith of Job when the world seems to be falling apart around them. It is their faith that PROVES that Grace is more precious than anything we can hold on earth.

Two New Contributors!

The Littleman Journal will now include the writings and thoughts of Jimmy Robson and Ryan Jones, members of the Littleman band! Information can be found on them on the info bar to the left. Each post will also include the author at the top so you know who wrote what.

You can also sign up for email updates from the Littleman Journal to the left. Just enter your email address to receive updates in your inbox!

Thanks for your support everyone!

Cathedral Made of People

Lessons from Downhere - Part 1

Check out their music and albums www.downhere.com!

"Cathedral Made of People"
If they shut down the churches,
Where would you go?
If they melted all the stained-glass windows
Replaced every sanctuary with a condo
Where would you go?
Where would you go?

We are a cathedral made of people
In a kingdom that the eye can't see
We're a house, we are the bride
Where God's Spirit lives inside
And nothing ever could stand against her


This is something I often think about. In America, we are very comfortable in our faith. The government doesn't persecute us, nor has it made our faith illegal. But what if it did? How many of us would remain faithful to Christ? Throughout history, and even today, people have given up everything for the sake of Jesus. They have no where to meet together and worship Him, unless it is in secret.

This is why it is important to realize that the church is not defined by a building. The Church of Jesus Christ is His people. In Matthew 16, He promised that the Gates of Hell could not prevail against the church He would establish. This should challenge us to look beyond our church walls and look outward toward the lost and hurting people that Jesus would seek out.

If they burned every Bible What would you know?
If they tore your marked-up pages
How would you grow?
And declared your devotion to be criminal
What would you know?
What would you know?

We have access to any version of the Bible, yet if you're like me, you struggle to even open it and grow from it. Many Christians must face the troubling fact of going to jail for reading the Bible. I confess that I would know very little of the Bible if my many print and electronic versions were taken away. I have unlimited access to the richness of God's word, but I ignore it on a daily basis. How can I take such a beautiful thing for granted?

When they throw you in prison
What will you do?
When they hate you for the things that you know are true
They can tear down this temple,
But they can't touch you.

May this song be a challenge to us. We have been granted the gift of salvation and grace through Jesus Christ, and no one can take that away from us. No matter what else they may take, Jesus will stand for us and with us. His kingdom goes beyond what the eye can see. While we may lose everything of material value, we have been given everything we need through Jesus. May we, as Paul, believe in the truth and beauty in these words:  "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." -Philippians 3:7-8

Walking the Path

"She told you exactly what you needed to hear, that's all. Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize, just as I did, there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path." -Morpheus, The Matrix


In my many conversations with people, it has become obvious that one of the most difficult things for a person is to be unsure of his or her future.  It is something we all fear.  The first time this really hits us hard, it seems, is right after graduating college.  Being a college graduate, who still has no idea what he's doing, I hope this post will help you overcome that fear.

In The Matrix, Neo acts on the assumption that he is not the "one." This is something he would not have done if he was truly the one.  He re-enters the matrix with Trinity and they save Morpheus.  It is then revealed, through his abilities, that he must be the one! So Neo wonders... why did the Oracle lie to me? Why did she tell me that I'm not the one?"  And thus, we come to Morpheus's declaration: "She told you exactly what you needed to hear."


Sometimes God tells us what we need to hear in order to fulfill His purpose for us. This is difficult to understand... you may say, God is not a liar, He would not lead me astray.  But at times we simply follow a path we believe He ordained for us, only to find that it has changed a few days, months, or even years later.  This does not mean that God has deceived us... it simply means that He tells us what we need to hear in order to fulfill the larger purpose He has set before us.

I thought for certain that God had called me to receive a degree from one seminary, but yet I only spent a semester there.  But that was not a mistake.  I was supposed to spend that semester in Raleigh... it was a fulfilling and rewarding time.  But I never would have gone there for those few months had I known that I would only be there for one semester.  But God told me what I was supposed to hear in order to accomplish the bigger purpose in my life.  And He will do the same for you if you seek Him.

Curtain torn in two

"You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies"-Exodus 26:33

In the Old Testament, God chose to live among his people on a box called the ark of the testimony, more commonly known as the ark of the covenant. A priest would enter the holy of holies only once a year to offer an atonement for the people there. (Exodus 30:10)  This was a place so holy and sacred that God would strike anyone dead who did not follow His commands regarding it. For this reason, the priest who entered this place would wear bells on his clothing and a rope around his waist so that he could be pulled out if he died.  This is a picture of God's holiness, and the consequences of approaching Him as a sinful creature. By his grace did he allow only one a year to come into His presence to offer a sacrifice to forgive the sins of the people, because "without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22)

Ultimately this veil is what separated God and mankind. We were doomed to remain in this state of separation unless God intervened. And guess what? He did.

Three gospels record the same thing happening as Jesus breathed His last breath on the cross. The veil of the temple, the symbol of separation between God and man, was completely torn in two.

God has no longer chosen to live on a box behind a veil in the temple. Through Jesus' shed blood, we can enter the "holy of holies" and come into His presence. This is why He shed His blood for us. Sinful man no longer needs to fear, because Jesus made us holy in His sight.

Good Friday

We enter into one of the most important times of the year for followers of Christ around the world.  Today is the day we remember the suffering and brutality that Jesus endured on our behalf.  He took the punishment that was rightfully ours. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  I think also of a song that says "It's an unfair deal on the part of Christ: He got my sin, I got eternal life."  If we stop to really think about that, it should bring us to our knees in worship. This is our hope of glory.

Ours is the only faith where we are powerless to save ourselves. Our good deeds can never do anything to bring us salvation.  Many see this as a stumbling block: "What do you mean I can't be good enough? I feel as though I am a good person. That should be enough, right?" Nope. It doesn't matter how many times we go to church, or how many people we help, or how many benevolent organizations we give our money to. These are all great things to do, but they can do nothing to save us. Then where is our hope? How can anyone be saved?

Our greatest hope is found in our greatest weakness. While we are completely powerless to effect our own salvation, God is completely powerful to do so. And He has! Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross to bear our sins. That is the story of Good Friday. But it is not the end of the story... It is not the final verse...

"The Power of the Cross"

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the victory cry

This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Be My Everything

"You're everything
I could want and I could need
I can just, feel your touch
and I can't breathe
And how you shine so
the blind can see
and how you call out
you beckon me
the deaf hear the voice of love
you bid me come
and the cripple run
You're the one"

-David Crowder

I don't know if we realize how frightening these words can be. It's hard to understand what it means for God to be our everything. I mean, how much would you have to give up if you truly wanted God to be the only thing you need? What if he took everything away? Could you worship Him still, like Job did? (See verse)  As hard as it may be to come to a place where you can trust Him alone, we can know that He is able and sufficient to be everything we need. The same God who spoke the universe into existence is the one who cares for us. He certainly cared enough about you to send His own Son to save us from death. Romans 6:23 shows us our need for Him to save us from it. He became a curse for us that we may no longer feel the sting of death. And if we trust in Him, we will find that He is able to be all that we need.

The Relinquished Life

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I have had severe writer's block in the past few weeks! I was blessed by reading the March 8th reading in Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest, and so I would like to share it with you. I hope it helps you also in your walk with the Lord.

"I am crucified with Christ." Galatians 2:20 No one is ever united with Jesus Christ until he is willing to relinquish not sin only, but his whole way of looking at things. To be born from above of the Spirit of God means that we must let go before we lay hold, and in the first stages it is the relinquishing of all pretence. What Our Lord wants us to present to Him is not goodness, nor honesty, nor endeavour, but real solid sin; that is all He can take from us. And what does He give in exchange for our sin? Real solid righteousness. But we must relinquish all pretence of being any thing, all claim of being worthy of God's consideration. Then the Spirit of God will show us what further there is to relinquish. There will have to be the relinquishing of my claim to my right to myself in every phase. Am I willing to relinquish my hold on all I possess, my hold on my affections, and on everything, and to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ? There is always a sharp painful disillusionment to go through before we do relinquish. When a man really sees himself as the Lord sees him, it is not the abominable sins of the flesh that shock him, but the awful nature of the pride of his own heart against Jesus Christ. When he sees himself in the light of the Lord, the shame and the horror and the desperate conviction come home. If you are up against the question of relinquishing, go through the crisis, relinquish all, and God will make you fit for all that He requires of you.

What is your life about?

I have had a growing conviction lately that I have been focusing too much on secondary things. Sure, I feel like I do what I have been called to do... especially in my role at Faith Community Church. I believe that I have been called to go to seminary so I can be more effective in ministry. I enjoy fellowship with my Christian friends. But I am coming to believe that all of these good things should only be secondary. It is the Gospel that should be first... in everything that I do.

Sadly, I don't know if the Gospel has ever taken precedence over my "work" for the Gospel. The Gospel should be why I do what I do. And I want it to be.

I want my life to be all about spreading the Gospel. Everything else I do should have that goal alone. Whether I'm working at church, or working another job outside of church, or going to class, or eating at a restaurant... in everything I do, I want to share what I have in Jesus with others. This should be the ultimate goal of our lives! But if you're anything like me, it probably hasn't been for the majority of your life. Luckily for us, it is never too late to re-prioritize.

I was reading The Art of Personal Evangelism by Will McRaney today, and something he said stuck out to me. He said that as a witness, we never effectively share the Gospel unless the Holy Spirit has proceeded us. I am praying that God will reveal to me where He has proceeded me, and where I can be given opportunities to share Jesus with people who need Him. This is indeed my greatest calling, and it is so for all Christians. I invite you to join me in this prayer, and make your life about spreading the Gospel!

Burn Us Up

I have never really had a CD player in my car. Ever. Unless you count a portable one tethered into my cassette tape player. But my new car finally allows my to listen to CDs on the go. So I recently listened to Shane and Shane's Pages. If you've never heard it, you need to at least hear the song "Burn Us Up." It's a song about Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (or Rack, Shack, and Benny.) The song beautifully depicts the scene where Nebuchadnezzer threatened to throw anyone who did not bow to his statue into the furnace. I've always liked the song, but for some reason it struck me in a different way this time.

The bridge of the song starts out by like this:

"You are able to deliver from the fire of affliction!
It's the declaration of my Lord!
You're not an image of gold!
You're the God of Old.
You have made us. Come and save us. We are yours!"

The part that caught my attention is the next line: "but even if you don't." In Daniel 3, the three men say that they will not worship the image of gold. They know that God is able to save them from the fire of the furnace. But they will worship Him only, even if He doesn't. They were much more concerned with the glory and majesty of God then their own safety.

I believe we also need this attitude. If we desire for God's glory to fill the earth, we will begin to care less about our own happiness. We will learn to find joy in Him and not in the world. I also think about John the Baptist, who said "He must become more, I must become less." His goal was not to create a large ministry for himself... he gladly gave this up so Jesus could enter the spotlight.

Of course, John's story doesn't have a happy ending like the one in Daniel. John is beheaded in prison... he dies in obscurity. He is not saved from his affliction. The story doesn't always end the way we think it should. But His promise goes beyond this life and beyond anything we can imagine.

"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." -Luke 7:23

Opportunities

Sorry it's been quite a while since I've written something. Here are just a few thoughts from today.

I'm taking an evangelism class this semester in seminary at Liberty. While this class does not seem very hard academically, it will definitely be a challenge spiritually and emotionally. We are required to report on several witnessing experienced. I emphasize that the requirement is the report, not the witnessing. It would be ideal if I entered this class as someone who regularly shares his faith, but I cannot say that's true for me. I rarely share with anyone. So I'm trying to see this class as an opportunity. It's going to be tough and it's going to force me to really rely on God for help and strength (which is in itself another opportunity.) Trying my hardest to think of it that way made me think of something else.

How often do we mistake opportunities for hassles or annoyances? I know I do it all the time. I could very easily view this class as a big pain, and whine about all the "assignments" that I have. Or I could take this chance to learn how to tell others about Jesus without fear. This is just one example of the many opportunities that I would rather not miss.