| overflowing joy |
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love, what an incredible emotion-filled weekend. friday night i went back out to the church at brook hills with nicole. it was awesome. they were finishing up their study of the book of Revelation. we read from chapter 20 and the beginning of chapter 21. we studied on what Heaven is going to be like, and it was incredible. i dont even know the pastors name over there, but he is truly a man after God's own heart. after hearing about what Heaven is going to be like, i long to be there. but, at the same time, i know that it's not my time to die because God still has a lot in store for me. saturday morning, we had a car wash to help raise funds for Fire By Night. when we first got there, i could feel the warfare and we werent getting any business. then, i brought everyone together to pray. after that, we were solidly busy until we left. the power of prayer really is amazing. that night i went to bible study at john's house. there were more people there than i had seen there in a long time. jamie was there, but we didnt really talk. she did give me a sucker, but that was the extent of our conversation. she left without even saying bye to me. i think that she is upset with me. cassie was there, and that was really cool. we have been asking her to come for a few weeks now. she blew me away with her knowledge of the Bible. i knew that she was smart and that she loved the Lord with all of her heart, but i had no idea that she was had that kind of knowledge. sunday morning we had a man come and sing at church. i didnt really like his voice, but his songs touched me. then, on sunday night, i got to preach my first sermon. i had a few people come to hear me. dad was there, and that really meant a lot to me. vonda and her friend were there. ryan had to work. vance was there. jesse and his brother justin were there. nicole was there. and cassie was there. love, it was amazing. it had to be, it came from God. all i did was stand up there and open my mouth and God spoke the words through me. at the time, i thought it was kind of short. but after listening to it on tape i realized that it was about 25 minutes and thats how long a typical sermon lasts. i depend on vance to critique me because i know that he will be honest and i can take criticism from him better than i can anyone else. this is what he told me: 1. paul persecuted Christians, not Jews (oops!) not too bad for my first sermon. oh and listening to the tape i noticed a few 'ums' and 'uhs' that i need to do away with. and i think i paced too much. oh and one final thing, i completely forgot to do an invitation. but hey, you live and learn. i wont make those mistakes again. of course, i got a lot of positive comments from the different people that were there. a few of them really stood out to me. the first one was from my dad. i really dont remember exactly what he said, but he shook my hand when he said it. that was the important part. i dont remember the last time, if there ever was another time, that i shook my dad's hand. its one thing for him to pat me on the back or hug me and tell me that he is proud of me as a son. it meant so much more to me for him to shake my hand. that to me, was a sign that he was recognizing me as a grown man. i nearly cried, really. the second one was from one of the deacons in the church. he came up to me and said that people have to look up to me physically now, but if i continue to do God's will in my life and try to live a life pleasing to Him (which is what the sermon was on), then people would look up to me spiritually as well. the last one was from cassie. at the end of the message, i said something like, 'the more time that you spend trying to please others instead of trying to please God, the more that you will mess your life up.' she said that really impacted her and really hit home because she is one of those people who tries to please everybody. i am just overflowing with joy from the fact that God found me worthy enough to give me a message and to give me a time and a place to give it. i truly cant wait until i get to do that full time. and yet, i am content doing Gods work as a youth minister right now. and finally, sunday night after church, i bowled my best game ever at 205. i was in the zone. as im sitting here typing this, God is talking to me. there is a conversation going on here at work about suicide. the debate is the usual one, whether or not if someone kills themselves will they go to Heaven. of course, i have an opinion on the matter. i think that in God's eyes, sin is sin. it doesnt matter what the actual act of sin is. as humans, we try to put a rank on sin, and suicide is near the top of our list. therefore, we tend to think that suicide is a worse sin than telling a lie or cheating on a test. God doesnt see it this way. all sin is detestable in God's sight. thus, if a Christian commits suicide, it is no different than if he died before he had a chance to ask forgiveness for telling a lie. my sins were forgiven two thousand years ago when my Lord died on the cross for me. thats my opinion. i wonder what yours is. anyway, God told me to keep my opinion to myself this time. i think that part of maturing, is learning when not to speak. God told me that it wasnt important for me to share my opinion this time and that it would only cause an argument. it seems that everyday i hear God a little clearer than the day before. |
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