Month: February 2012

Quote: Community


The Christian community is one of the few places on earth where those who represent the full scope of human life, literally from the cradle to the grave, come together with a singular motive and mission. The church is (or should be) a place of racial, gender, socioeconomic, and cultural reconciliation — because Jesus commanded that our love would be the telltale sign of our devotion to him (John 13:35) — as well as a community where various age demographics genuinely love each other and work together with unity and respect.

— David Kinnaman

$10,000

Update on this post about donating half of my salary away.

Hello, friends!

First of all, thank you to the dozens of people who have shown support and encouragement.

Thanks to my friend Christine for sending me a $100 Starbucks gift card.

Thanks also to my mom, who is not a Christian, who lovingly understands what I’m trying to do.

After some discussions and ruminating, I thought I would be a little smarter about it.

– Each month I’ll put $900 or more in savings.

– This will accrue at least a little interest.

– At the end of the year, I’ll have at least $10,000.

– Over the year I’ll pray about an awesome charity.

Continue reading “$10,000” →

Question: How Do I Fall In Love With God?

Anonymous asked:
What are ways to fall in love with God? I find myself trying so hard to find his ways attractive, to want to love him, but sometimes I will realize I have gone without even thinking or caring about him, or choosing sin. And that makes it seem like we don’t have a relationship, and that seems wrong. I don’t think I’m not saved, but I just don’t know how to get more serious about him. I want to want his ways, but when it gets tough it seems like I must not want it enough to stick it through.

It’s first of all very awesome that you’re asking, since most people fall “out of love” with God and immediately run to anything else but Him. Sort of like running from the doctor when you’ve been diagnosed with treatable cancer. But you may also be taking it really hard on yourself when not-feeling-God is actually part of the growing process with Him.

If you have an “off day” and beat yourself up over your apparent lack of faith, that’s the same as feeling stupid about feeling stupid. It’s an endless pity party and doesn’t help. It’s really okay to tell God, “I don’t feel you right now, I don’t want you right now, I don’t know what to do from here.” He can handle that, you know.

Continue reading “Question: How Do I Fall In Love With God?” →

I’m Giving Half My Life Away

Update here on February 14th 2012.

I ended up picking a charity! Read about it here, from November 26th 2012.

An interview with the charity I donated to, here. I decided to help fight human trafficking.

How you can help to fight human trafficking with me.

Eugene Cho’s blog post about the donation, who is the head of One Day’s Wages, the charity I donated to.

—

God just spoke to me in the car. Rocked.

I decided I’m going to give away half of my paycheck and earnings to donations and charity for this year, or for life.

Continue reading “I’m Giving Half My Life Away” →

Quote: Pilgrimage

All the animal life in us, all schemes of happiness that centered in this world, were always doomed to a final frustration. … If we thought we were building up a heaven on earth, if we looked for something that would turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man, we are disillusioned, and not a moment too soon.

— C.S. Lewis

Quote: Delighted

It is written that we shall ‘stand’ before Him, shall appear, shall be inspected. The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ, that some of us, that any of us who really chooses, shall actually survive that examination, shall find approval, shall please God. To please God … to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness … to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son — it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.

— C.S. Lewis

Quote: Safety


We may have experienced things in our lives that caused us to build emotional walls to protect ourselves and create systems of thinking that give us a false sense of safety. Often we are not aware that we are doing this … If we continue to feed our old way of thinking with lies and fears, the sin of disrespect will control us.

— Grace Driscoll, on the root of disrespect and control

Quote: Simply


“God loves you simply because he has chosen to do so. He loves you when you don’t feel lovely. He loves you when no one else loves you. While we may theologically and intellectually understand the transaction, motivated by love, that took place at Calvary, the reality must reach our hearts in order to complete its course. We are loved. Let the words linger in our ears. We are loved.”

— Max Lucado

Quote: Known


“The message of biblical Christianity is not ‘God loves me, period,’ as if we were the object of our own faith. The message of biblical Christianity is ‘God loves me so that I might make him — his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness — known among all nations.’ Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him. We are not the end of the gospel; God is.”

— David Platt

Quote: Dirt


“When my daughter was a toddler, I used to take her to a park not far from our apartment. One day as she was playing in a sandbox, an ice-cream salesman approached us. I purchased her a treat, and when I turned to give it to her, I saw her mouth was full of sand. Where I had intended to put a delicacy, she had put dirt.

Did I love her with dirt in her mouth? Absolutely. Was she any less of my daughter with dirt in her mouth? Of course not. Was I going to allow her to keep the dirt in her mouth? No way. I loved her right where she was, but I refused to leave her there. I carried her over to the water fountain and washed out her mouth. Why? Because I love her.

God does the same for us. He holds us over the fountain. ‘Spit out the dirt, honey,’ our Father urges. ‘I’ve got something better for you.’ And so he cleanses us of filth; immorality, dishonesty, prejudice, bitterness, greed. We don’t enjoy the cleansing; sometimes we even opt for the dirt over the ice cream. ‘I can eat dirt if I want to!’ we pout and proclaim. Which is true — we can. But if we do, the loss is ours. God has a better offer.”

— Max Lucado