He is holy, and the whole earth is full of His glory!

- Our goal then is not to steal his glory but to magnify it!

So I come to you tonight from a really comfortable bed, in georgia, after a really long day. Last night we left after AO and got into Atl. at around 4:15 here. Then we got up at 7 to head to the first session. It's been a long day, but very very eventful...

Events of the day:

- Singing praise with 9000 college leaders. it occurs to me at this point that this is a little like heaven. We just sit around and adore him all day long, but this should be our goal in day-to-day living. To adore Him by the way we live. Why does worship feal so natural... almost instinct? BECAUSE IT'S WHAT WE WERE CREATED TO DO!
- I'm NOW officially in the Guiness(sp?) book of world records!
- Louie G rocked my world.
- Donald Miller is absolutely amazing... he speaks just like he writes...
- Brought to tears when God answers a prayer and shows me just how needy i really am!
Oh Praise the One

Who paid my debt

And raised this life

Up from the dead


At one point in my life I had a crimson stain that covered my life becuase of my sin. Then Jesus, in His grace, washed it as white as snow!



- I was in the world debut of a 10 minute preview of footage of "Narnia". No one else in the world has ever seen the movie and they showed us an unfinished clip at the end tonight. It was awesome... yeah. The effects are amazing.
- I slept 2 hours in the last 40...
- We got drenched on the way in today, then froze through two sessions.
- Christian Stanfill lead worship... good stuff!
- The dude played the fiddle again... they did "Come Thou Fount"
- I lost my voice
- had a 3 hour debate on Arminanism vs. Calvanism

this is a little different than my usual blog, maybe b/c im dillerious at the moment, so im gonna end this here and probably delete it later...

Catalyst has been awesome so far.... tomorrow is Erwin McManus... lookin forward to that...

I'm lookin for direction on some things at the moment, so next time you have a conversation with our maker, if you wanna remember that, I'd appreciate it.

All In,
justin

Yeah, so this nailed me. I'm thankful that when I do often struggle, He uses it to refine! We live by grace.
We... Live... By... GRACE...



Ephesians 2:4-6

4Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, 5he embraced us.

He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ.

He did all this on his own, with no help from us!

6Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.



I was sitting in class this early today after a rough morning and this came to mind.

"A day that requires complete dependance on Him, is a good thing. "

When we are dependant on Him is when we are usable. I walked around for the rest of the day with this "free" feeling. Not dependant on myself for anything, and resting in the FACT that the whole world truly is in His hands. If he can personally name each star he can control my bad morning.

Learn to ask "How lord?" instead of "Why Lord?" If you woke up this morning and got out of bed, He is already at work in your life. That's not the question. When he allows something to come into your path you aren't comfortable with, start asking "How, Lord, do you want to be Glorified by allowing me to go through this?" instead of "Why, God, did you let this happen to me?"


Psalm 46



1 God is our refuge and strength,
       an ever-present help in trouble.

    2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
       and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea

Consuming fire,
Fan into flame
Give us a passion
For your name

I’ll love everything about her! From the way her smile stretches across her face, to the way her shoulders curve. From the way she looks while she’s sleeping, to her grumpy mood when she wakes up. Every little thing that makes her who she is, that’s what I’ll fall for.

Lately, for some reason, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what “she should be”. What will my wife be like? Where this came from, I’m not really sure. Maybe it’s just where I am.

Sometimes when I stop, I think about her. This all never crossed my mind much until this summer. Some time ago I found myself in a place I really didn’t want to be. Heart-broken and scared of what I really needed to do, I knew it was time for some things to change. God was screaming to let him be number one, but at the time, someone else filled the spot. So I spent my time since then learning who God was, both in my life and in the lives of others. I knew him, but I had to fall in love with him. I had to get to know him on that personal level. So, needless to say, my focus was and is completely on him and not on dating or anything of the sort. Lately though, I started to wonder when that “focus” will include someone else.

I know before you can decide on what “she/he should be”, you have to fall in love with the one who sculpted them, the one who designed their every fingerprint, their every emotion, and every corner of their heart. To truly understand what human love can be you have to learn to truly love the one who designed them to fall in love with you.

I know she is there. Hopefully, she is praying for me, just as I pray for her. Maybe she even thinks about me when she stops to look at the stars too. In the mean time it’s my responsibility to act in a way that would make her proud and would show her I love her. After all, actions do speak louder than words. I don’t want to have to apologize for my past one day.

One day I’ll look at her and I’ll know. One day I’ll live at rest, at position number two, in someone else’s life. I’ll know that He sculpted her for me. Ill finally see that He designed her hand to perfectly fit in mine.

I look forward to building memories with her. I’ll look forward to the slow dances, weird inside jokes, and long conversations. I look forward to finally realizing that she’s the one I want in the rocking chair that’s right beside me on the front porch when we’re ninety. When we’ve lived life to the fullest and now all we have to do is sit there and reminisce, she’s the one I want to talk to.

I’m very content with Jesus though. He is truly, all I need. The point of life is to become someone, not to find someone. Who you become last through eternity, who you find does not. In the end, only one relationship matters.

i've been thinking a lot lately about finding a way to make money.... well go figure, right? not really a whole other job or anything, i dont have time for that... just something to do that i enjoy but would be some extra income...

now i know i could sell my body... haha, i would go broke... but something more than that, but less than starting a "mini-microsoft" or the like...

i'm just lookin for somethin to do... anybody got any ideas?

**edit**
Robert Lewis has just informed that i could sell Avon or MaryKay... what about this? hmm...

photo from justincredible

This is the most ridicilous thing I've seen in quite some time. I walked to the counter in the KUC, ordered a smoothie, and was chared $5.15...

"Now, thats a large sum of money for a smoothie" I thought... but instead of questioning the cashier i just handed her my piece of plastic and went on. Several minutes later she, with two hands, chucks this thing at me from across the counter. Why in the world would someone want this much smoothie? This is crazy!

That was a while ago and now I'm sitting in COBOL class still sipping away... maybe ill finish it at church tonight. . .


EDIT** i was a Dairy Queen last night and over heard a group of assumed h/s kids talking about this new things call "Phusebox" and how cool it was... just thought i'd throw that in there.

EDIT**2
Smoothie Purchased - 12:30
Smoothie finished - 3:45

photo from justincredible
there are a few pics up of coldplay i thought you all would enjoy... probably more to come...






photo from justincredible

i can't go on with out saying it, "geoge strait is the king of country music and Jesus Christ is the king of the world!", but other than that... something else that needs to be said isthat the coldplay concert was absolutely amazing...

it was more of an experience than a concert and it seemed that's what they were going for...

perfection...

favorite moment... when he said goodnight as he reached up and turned off the lantern (or the johnny cash tribute stuff) that was hanging from the rafters...

sorry if you missed it...

what is this moblogging thing? I dont see it, yet everyone is talking about it.... i hate the feeling of being in the dark on the latest cool new phusebox feature...

photo from justincredible
Yeah, so my morning was a little rough. I left my house at 7:07 this morning. I arrived at school over 1 and 1/2 hours later.... You ask, "What happened to make my journey to school take an hour longer than it should have?

Well, it all started with leaving a friends house last night. I got in my truck, observed my gas tank level indicator was a tad below the 1/4 mark, and made the executive decision that I would wait until the morning to purchase my gasoline. Having made the trip too and fro Woodbury on less fuel than this before, I expected all would be fine. So, I make my right turn onto highway 96 (not highway 75) and point straight for the house. Now, if you've ever driven down highway 96 (not highway 75) you are aware that there is nothing, I repeat nothing, around once you leave the city. Somewhere around the 1/8 point of my trek home I take a second glance at my fuel level indicator and see that it has suspiciously dropped... to below the "E". So I put on my "well, I hope I make it" attitude and press on towards home not thinking much more about it. I arrived, enjoyed a nice nights sleep and all was well... until this morning.

Now, I'm on my way to school on highway 45 (not highway 75) otherwise known as "Auburntown Road", the most dangerous, windy, country road you've ever seen, and I start to sputter along. I'm thinking "Oh No..." So I turn off the air and push just prayin I make it to town. I did not. My truck just kinda says "Okay, that’s enough" and abruptly stops like a childish temper tantrum.
I yank it to the side of the road and make my next decision there. I usually don't have a cell phone signal here (yeah, its WAY out in the country), but somehow (praise God) I did this morning. So I phone my dad, he laughs, then proceeds to deliver my much needed fuel.

In the mean time while waiting patiently in my truck a lady I know stopped by. She used to be a substitute of mine in h/s. While exiting my truck I forget something important. I walk up to her car, chat for a few seconds, reasuring her all is well, she drives off. Then, upon my return, I grab the handle and immediately considered the pro's and cons of yelling obscenities at my truck. I had locked my keys inside. (It was quite a picture I’m sure with me on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere!)

I walk to the side of my truck, stare at the cloud-topped mountain that are accented by a beautiful overcast morning and ask a simple question... why? So then, once my normal self returns, I prayed, "God, just be glorified... I dunno how, just do it."

My dad rolls up, gets my gas, laughs at me, then goes to my house, retrieves my keys, delivers them to me, and 30 minutes later, I'm in business in the ocean of cars that is the MTSU parking lot.

Thank God, the day got much better from that point on. But now, as I sit here and reflect, I have a few thoughts on the day.

- It was much easier to say, "God, just be glorified" in my situation than it would have been for these people. (That’s the point of the picture up there) It could have been much worse.

I was reminded that I'm truly just floating along in this world; my hands aren't on the steering wheel. And that if God could carve out the mountains in front of my face He was taking care of me.

- My other thought comes down to battle. It's the battle that we face everyday, the battle between God's soldiers and the enemy. At a time when I need to be on my game with heading back to school and getting extremely busy, it seems like a lot has been going wrong and tempting me to worry. I’ve had to constantly remind myself that I’m only being “pushed around” in this world and I’m only here for one purpose, his glorification!


The enemy will not have my thoughts, my mindset, or my attitude! My focus will be clear and MY BANNER WILL BE HUGE….**JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!**

JUSTIN: You are charming, talented and have a very positive attitude to life so it is hardly surprising that you attract success and recognition. Focussed and patient you understand that material rewards are a result of discipline. Being so creative and with a need for self-expression you may be drawn towards the arts, travel is also likely to be important. A loyal friend, you are a person who must be allowed freedom and independence.

Your mercy found me,
Upon the broken road,
And lifted me beyond my failing,
Into Your glory,
My sin and shame dissolved,
And now forever Yours I’ll stand.

In love never to end,
To call You more than Lord,
Glorious friend.

(Chorus)
So I throw my life upon all You are,
‘Cause I know You gave it all for me,
And when all else fades,
My soul will dance with You,
Where the love lasts forever.

And forever I will sing,
Lord forever I will sing,
Of how You gave Your life away,
Just to save me, Lord You saved me.

With You, where the love lasts forever.

Take time a read these lyrics. I was at a United concert last night and this song blew me away! By far my favorite. "So, I throw my life upon all that you are"... "When all else fades, my soul will dance for you!"... When life goes to the can, I'll still dance for Him. Because you see, the Joy thats in my heart is not dependant on the circumstances around me. It's deeper than that, I can't control it! I have the creator of the world living in me, taking every step i take with me, and He's not going anywhere. The same one who painted the sunset yesterday, the same one who told the ocean waves where they had to stop, the same one who put the stars in the sky and knows each by name. So, no matter what happens in life, I'll be dancin, cause He is right there with me!

simply amazing, check it out. . . and maybe you can grow your own crowder.

http://www.growyourcrowder.com

David Crowder's influence apparently goes far beyond music...

"I pray that when I die, all of hell will throw a party in celebration that I am no longer in the battle!" - C.T. Studd

Not kidding, this may be the coolest thing I've ever seen.

Surfing for Him. . . awesome!

http://www.surfingthenations.com/

Below is a link about this ministry. This story ran in the New York Times.

http://www.theocracywatch.org/rel_inst_hawaii_times_june1_05.htm

hmm....

The roar is under me and the wind is blowing through my hair. I’m going way too fast and am tempted to slow, but at the moment I’m completely consumed with adrenaline. The jump ahead looks far too dangerous to mount, with my two other passengers, but I press on anyways. At the beginning we prayed for safety, so we’ll be fine, right? We hit, we fly, we land, and I press harder on the gas. Bugs and dust in the face and an emotional rollercoaster between fear and awe. I’m riding four wheelers again.

While a friend is driving I bow my head and close my eyes. I feel the cool night air on my arms, my feet are still wet from the river, and I’m uneasy because now I’m not in control. I’m on for the ride. Suddenly, my heart lights up.

Someone is teaching me.

I hear “This is how life is meant to be lived.”

Not quietly and conformed where I know all will be okay but, on the battlefields with Him where I’m really not sure everything will go the way I want. Where I have to look at Him and say “Okay, I’m in your hands and I’m trusting you with everything, my fears, my future, my passions, my hopes, my dreams. Do with me what you will. Glorify yourself by using me, whatever that looks like” This is the adventure. There is no telling where God will take you or what you will do. You have no control. He is pushing you around. Just like that four-wheeler was pushing me.

By holding anything back, we only sell ourselves short.

I could have played the coward and said “Stop, I want off” and set my feet on sure, solid ground, but I would have missed the “ride”, the adventure.

I want to be pushed around by God. Realize this life isn’t mine to live for myself and let go. I want to jump in where I can’t see exactly what’s ahead, and let him take me where he pleases. “Jesus, I’m ready for my adventure! I release control, take me.”

So, we made the trek last night. Four hours down to Atlanta to attend the second to last Louie-led edition of 722. If by some chance you’ve lived under a rock (or are just deprived) and don’t know what 722 is; go to http://www.722.org and you can watch everything. Otherwise, you understand how cool it is to go.

As I evaluated the happenings of last night I come across two main things that stick out to me, one “natural”, the other is something the selfish part of me isn’t comfortable with.

We walk in, it’s crowded and hot, we’re a tad late, and sit on the floor in an isle. Suddenly, I find myself consumed again. Consumed by a God I can’t understand. One who shatters every comprehending, “Hey, I think I get this!” bone in my body. I’m uncomfortable at the thought of how he works from time to time because I’m finite and can’t see the whole picture he is painting. So this is what I naturally fall to, being uncomfortable. This uncomfortableness (this is not a word I know, Microsoft just told me so) though is one I’m content in. If God were something I could “get”, he wouldn’t be God.

As I continue to ponder the “uncomfortableness” thought, I ask myself a question. “Why does this feel so natural?” “Why am I content and comfortable in “uncomfortableness? This is completely against my ‘wanna feel secure/hate the risk side of things’ nature.” I find the answer no less than a moment after wondering.

It’s because this is what we were created to do. It is sewn into every fiber of our being as a human. It is what God intended for us to do when he thought each of us into life. To stand in awe of Him! To be consumed by Him. To come to the feet, bowed down, realizing our position in the grand scheme of things, and worship Him. Making much of Jesus. He created us for His glory. It’s the only reason we’re here. So naturally, it feels “natural” to do what we were created to do.

Louie stands to speak and you can feel the attention of the room drawn to one person. On the edge of their seat, Bibles and note-taking materials rustle as three thousand college age folks lean in to hear what God has laid on his heart today. Of which he so efficiently communicates.

This is the part where the selfish side of me is gently disappointed because he knows the answers. He just likes to “not think about them” from time to time. The message was on Grace. But, not the easy side of it we often like to hear. The part where we’ve been saved and nothing can pluck us out of his hand. This was the works side of Grace. Not that works are what saves you, but grace doesn’t exist without them. It’s like boiling water without steam, as a friend put it. Fruit proves grace. Grace is outward, visible, productive and fruitful. We are put on this earth to fulfill works he has already laid out for us. God gives us power to serve God. Hmm… this one took a minute… Then he made a statement that is often debated, but completely true. “What you get in Heaven is based on your works here on earth” (2Cor 5:10) You can either have a peanut to lay at the feet of Jesus, or you can have a few truck loads. I’d hate to get to the thrown and only have peanut to lay at the feet of my savior. Yeah, I’m in heaven, but I’m ashamed. My face is in my hands and I’m crying because I finally see that I wasted it. I have only a peanut to show for my life and everything He gave me here on earth. This flies in the face of the whole “fire insurance Christianity” that’s so prevalent.

This is the balanced side of grace.

Louie earlier said something I didn’t expect. He made the comment most of us think is inappropriate and overstepping our bounds. He said it’s ok to say to your friend “I’m not sure your saved.” Part of me inside went “uh-oh”. Our culture tells us this is exclusive and intolerant. Most would reply with something along the lines of “How dare you question my salvation!” In asking a question like this though your not being judgmental, you simply see no fruit, so you’re worried. It’s what a true friend would do. Hearts that are hit by grace are hearts that turn and serve God. If grace isn’t coming out, did it ever go in?

After the evening I was left with a thought of “I only get to bow down one time for the first time and I wanna lay down as much as I can at the feet the God of wonders”


So, was it worth 8 hours on the road, 3 hours of sleep, and a really hard morning getting up at 6? Yeah, … it was.

The next one is August 9th for all you college age folks out there.

dang good movie last night i saw... (yoda, has nothing to do with willy wonka)

but i seem to have forgotten my quote i was going to write about... probably b/c i got 3 hours of sleep... thanks for the floor spot bj...

was the movie good?
yeah, at time is questioned a couple of the liberties they took with the original story... but how do you argue with tim burton... or willy wonka....

i sure am glad im just a normal kid, im not crazy smart, i dont watch TV all the time, my parents aren't rich, my mother fed me food other than chocolate, i was taught to compete, but not at gum chewing... we saw in this movie what happens to kids like that (you blow up like a blueberry, get sucked up into a pipe, disfigured by stretching machines, or thrown to your death by a angry mob of possessed squirrels {never knew squirrel was spelled like that}... not a good thing... then little people from other lands come out and sing songs about how stupid you are... im really just glad im normal...

definitely a movie to see, especially if you liked the first one!

I may never own a chocolate factory, but I've got more than I could ever comprehend with the God of Wonder that lives in me. . . and the story I'm taking part in (through Him)... Dahl himself could never imagine!

As i sit to write this afternoon I am tired from work. All day though, as I process box after box, one question has rought every thinking bone in my body. One posed by a close friend just Wed. night, and now one i can't understand. My friend looks at me, seemingly out of nowhere, and says in a loud voice "Man, why aren't people passionate?!?!"

I think I replied with an "I just dont know", but the question still lingers within me. So I ask myself, and I think, then God lays on my heart an answer.

Why aren't people passionate about their relationship with the creator of the universe? Did you catch that? The CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE! The same one who created everything they are passionate about! I can only think of one answer... the deceiver.

Satan pushes the idea that our Lord and Savior is weak. The things of this world are important. He was just an old man a long time ago. You've got your fire insurance, go on about your way. Don't worry about taking people to the party with you, they'll find their own way. Then we unknowingly accept these concepts as reality, or maybe we don't in our thinking, but we do in our actions. . . This is the biggest lie ever told in the history of mankind... Our God is weak, therefore we aren't passionate about Him!

When in reality, one day, every knee will hit the dirt and every tounge old and new, willingly or not, saved or unsaved, will shout at the top of their lungs JESUS IS KING!!! (even the phsych teacher you'll meet in college who swears that God is just a handicap idea created by humans to make themselves feel safer) Satan will be defeated and our God will reign! The victory has already been won! (see the book of Revelation)

Jesus asked Peter "Do you love me?", He asked him this 3 times.. at this Peter was hurt. But, it seems to me that Jesus is asking Peter something that we miss. I think he is asking him, "Peter, are you passionate about me? You love me, but are you passionate about me?" He is asking YOU the same question! We see that Peter defintely learned to be passionate later on. (read about how he died!)

We're passionate about lots of things...guitar, music, politics, art, cars, our b/f, g/f, the country, clothes, our religion, sports, and many other things... but why not our relationship with God himself? The one who gave us this feeling we call passion!

Satan tells us a lie! And, we believe it! If we are not passionate, we are not affective in the world we live in! Satan knows this!

Look at the pic below this writing... why aren't people passionate?

"Jesus, PLEASE make me passionate about you, your kingdom, your work, and your renown! Let me live every moment of every day for your glory alone! I'm begging. . . "

photo from justincredible


Occasionally, in my wondering through this waiting room we live in, I forget. I forget what I am, a representative of the most high God, a new creation, cleansed by the blood of Jesus. I forget that he was the sacrifice that gives me a relationship with my creator. I loose sight of the reason I live my life. I forget his love for me, and that no matter how fast i could run or how far I could go, He is faster and will go farther than I ever could!

He went to the cross with YOU and I on His heart and now WE are identified in Him!

He is waiting on YOU!

He is PLEADING "{insert your name} I want you! I want to do more through you than you could ever imagine! Draw everything you need from me. I have more than enough. Put your life in my hands, I ... LOVE ... YOU!"


But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:12-14

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:7

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Colossians 2:13-15


Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

I'm resting on the counter by my office today and my boss walks up and mentions the time I need off to go to NY. . . without me ever mentioning it to her. . . then she proceeds to inform me that it will be no big deal for me to take that week off!

I had never mentioned it to her because i was worried and nervous about asking b/c i've already had a lot of time off, but she mentioned it to me...

walking away, all i could say was "Thankyou Jesus". . .