Cal Poly Encouragement!

I was encouraged today to find a couple of girls having, what looked liked, a Bible study at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Except on closer examination, via ease-dropping, I soon learned that it was more of a discipleship meeting. One girl was asking questions (of which I couldn't hear...she was a quiet talker and facing the opposite direction) and the other girl was giving Biblical advice and constantly pointing to her past examples and the perfect example of the Cross.

I'm not exactly sure why I was so encouraged by this news. Maybe it was because I had not seen it yet on campus after being here for 3 weeks. Or maybe it was because I am so used to seeing meetings like this all around Cal Baptist. Nevertheless, discipleship is flourishing and spreading like wildfire. Even on secular campuses!

Soli Deo Gloria!

The SBC

One of my professor's wrote an article for Between the Times today and it was quite insightful to the direction that he (and I) feel that the Southern Baptist Convention is moving to in the near future.

You can read it here. 

Our Burden

I recently had a conversation with a girl in high school who had to cancel her mission trip to Mexico on two different occasions: the first trip was to Tijiuana due to all the gang violence as of late. The second was to Mexicali because of the Swine Flu. Her church was finally able to find of a hole in the curtain separating the US from the world in Jamaica.

I think it's great that these Christ followers are willing to relentlessly seek to do the work of the Kingdom. Even when it's inconvenient.

But why is it that we refuse to send missionaries to dangerous places?

Are we afraid of what might happen to us?

Is the risk of losing our lives to great?

I even see this at my school. They will not send students to India because of the danger. Why don't we just sign a reliability release form?

Jesus took the biggest risk. He knew He would be murdered on Calvary. He knew, yet He went. And it turned out to be the mission trip that brought Salvation to this world. His blood washed sinners clean. It is my prayer that we do not back down as Disciples. That we take off the burden of fear and put on the burden of the Cross.

Just Do Something

The answer to my prayers?!

Wisdom Teeth Chronicles

My wisdom teeth were stolen from me on Tuesday...and as I was waking up after the mugging, I found myself sitting infront of a salt water tank. In this tank I saw a fish that I never thought I would be so excited to see, Nemo....yes, Nemo.

I repeatedly told the nurses and my parents that there was a "little Nemo" in that tank. I was astonished. I couldn't get enough of the little sea creature. Later on the drive home, my dad asked what the name of my girlfriend is (this question is always asked and never has an answer), but I thought I would give him a name for once, Britney Spears.

The life lesson I learned from this little adventure, don't do drugs.

Made Me Think

Last week, I was in my very last Biblical Preaching class (Biblical is a loose term) and one of the sermons opened very thoughtfully with the most sinful city in America, San Jose. It was surprising to me that it was not Las Vegas, and apparently it surprised some of my classmates who are from LV. They both in unison let out a rejoiceful, "YES! It's not Vegas!" It made me think.

Yesterday, while I was in staff meeting at church, one prayer request read, "Pray for my sister, she is recovering from surgery in Utah and is surrounded by Mormons." It was apparent that the request was for spiritual strength to get through their "evangelism." It made me think.

I've recently started reading a book titled The Reason For God. And in it, the author Tim Keller began to depict the city that he decided to plant a church in, New York. He was saying that the reason he chose this city is because of all the liberal/theologically absent thinking in the area. It made me think...

Why are so many people in our Christian culture afraid of being apart of a conversation about God? Why are so many people happy that they are "not" in a culture flooded with sin? Shouldn't we be excited at the possibility that we live in the city with the most sin in America? When I heard that statistic at the beginning of the sermon, I thought, "I want to live there." And immediately after, I heard the shouts of acclamation. During the staff meeting, I prayed for something that the requester was not thinking. I hope that lady recovering from surgery is used by God to start a revival in that lost state.

I'm not saying this to make anybody think that I understand what it means to be Christian, because I don't by any stretch of the imagination. But I am saying this to try to make myself, and hopefully somebody else as a vicarious consequence, to think about where I am in life. Where is it that God has put me to make a difference? Am I in a city that does not have a light? If so, what am I doing to make the Gospel known?

It is those cities and places that Paul had in mind when he wrote this in Romans 10,

"How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'"

Paul made me think. And hopefully the Gospel makes me act.

Prayer For Obama

Obama will be in my prayers. It is an historical event and I am blessed to live in America where the Presidents can so peacefully switch power. I pray that Obama will have guidance, protection, and wisdom from God in this presidency. But most importantly, I pray God will break down Obama's opinions on abortion and make them fit more in tune with a Biblical Worldview.

Also, I'll agree with everybody when they say he is a great rhetoric, but not as good as Piper!