wow... i have gotten all of your messages and words of concern, and i am totally overwhelmed that all of you remember me, let alone even CARE about my well being... usually on these trips, people are forgotten about within a couple weeks, but here we are months after NYC and i am still receiving calls and messages asking how me and my family are... i really appreciate it... to let all of you know, my family and i are all OK... our house is fine, my mom's work is fine, my grandparents house is fine, the special care home my grandma is staying in is fine... if there's one word i think God hates, its "lucky"... we definitely were not lucky, we were BLESSED... B-L-E-S-S-E-D... BLESSED!!!!!!... it was like God put a forcefield around us and told the winds and water, "NO, not this house"... many others, however, were not as fortunate... the pictures on TV and on the internet cannot even begin to let you see the craziness that goes on down here... the casino industry is totally devastated (which is a huge economic blow), all of the beachfront (including houses, restaurants, and other buildings) is totally gone, whole neighborhoods totally wiped out, hundreds of people walk the streets because they have no place to live and no work because both were destroyed, major highway roads uprooted like an earthquake hit... biloxi is about equivalent to a third-world country right now... the water isnt clean, many are without power (God has provided us with both power, and a lot of drinking water though)... it looks a lot like Hiroshima looked after the atomic bomb was dropped on it... if you have ever seen those commercials for the "save the children's foundation" where theres an old man holding a child among a pile of rubble, saying, "for just 17 cents a month, you can save this child's life", that is what biloxi looks like right now... words just cant express the devastation here... anyways, once again, i thank all of you for your prayers and concern... God is still good, even if we would've lost everything we had... let me know how you all are doing... take care, and i love yall...

-Luke

This is a very neat passage which deals a lot with what I'm learning in life right now. Two disciples hear JOHN speak (not Jesus), and something stirs in their hearts which makes them want to follow Jesus (as in to examine Him closer, or search Him out for themselves, as a result of John's testimony). He is faithful to their inquiries and turns and asks them what it is they seek. They address Him as "Rabbi" (Teacher, which shows a heart that longs to find truth, and authenticity... a heart that is teachable and ready to pursue). They ask Him where he is staying. He answers, invites them to the place, and hangs out with them for the remainder of the day. Andrew and Peter were a result of John's Testimony... NOW, it gets REALLY exciting!... God said of John, "He came to bear witness of the Light, that all through him (little "h", which means the text is speaking of John) might believe" (John 1:7). A witness is defined in the dictionary as a "person who sees", or in the infinitive verb form, "to see". The reason that John's life effected so many people is because he was a literal witness of the Light! His testimony caused two of his own disciples to turn around and inquire and take a closer look at this "Jesus the Messiah", therefore, ultimately, enabling them to become disciples of Christ! How is the world going to change, you ask? Well, i believe it will change when the people of God begin SEEING God, which, in turn, strengthens their testimony and allows them to become a WITNESS. Far too often do we taste, but never see... did you ever think that perhaps the "taste and see that the Lord is good" thing is a step-by-step process rather than an automatic combination of the two? Maybe God allows us to taste Him so that we will have the desire to pursue Him even more whole-heartedly. Maybe we taste Him so we can fall on our face in confession of sin so that we may be pure before a Holy God, because the one with clean hands and a pure heart can ascend the hill of the Lord (Ps. 24:3-4). And dont forget, "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). Now, I'm not a Dr. of Theology, but this is what God has been teaching me. I believe the call is to pursue God with our minds, hearts, souls, and strengths, and to not stop after we've tasted Him, but to continue until we see Him. Those are the kind of experiences that change lives, nations, and worlds.

In Pursuit of Transformation,
The Luscious One

so, im kinda new with this phusebox thing... PLEASE, if i know you from paint the town, or from anywhere else, or even if i dont know you at all (i think that covers everyone), ask me to be your friend!!!... chances are you'll discover me before i discover you, and i desparately want all you cool people to be my friends!...

Luke-n-phusebox friends BFF 4-eva!

no doubt,
The Luscious One