nonFictionality

When we encounter the unexpected, a story begins…

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12 Apr 2012
2 Comments

Sunrises, Sunsets, and God’s Purpose.

We all have one of those things in life that we treasure.  For me, growing up at near beach, I always treasure the smell of salt in the air.  But, what makes it even better is when I walk on the beach and watch the sun set over the ocean.  It is remarkable.  The way the colors twist and turn in the sky, blending together to form a beautiful picture.  Seconds later, they change again and create an equally stunning image, still beautiful, and still magnificent.

It is in those moments I realize just how much God loves me— and you.   He loves us so much that He paints a stunning image in the sky every morning and every evening, just so we can enjoy His Majesty.  He loves us so much that He provides us with something breathtaking to look at.  The sky sings Him praise in those moments.

As I thought about all of this recently, I got to thinking about how God uses all different types of atmospheric gases and particles to achieve the brilliance in each and every sunrise and sunset.  Light reflects off of each particle to give us the warm reds, vibrant pinks, and deep purples that we, or at least I, look forward to each evening (they happen in the morning too, but I rarely see these).  Each of these seemingly insignificant bits of dusts and particles of gas are playing a part in creating a masterpiece in the sky.

While His masterpiece in the sky may be beautiful, He is orchestrating His magnum opus with our lives.

We are particles, reflecting the Light so that the world can witness His glory.  We are all part of it.  You, a student, teacher, barista, receptionist, or pastor, you are a part of the bigger picture.  God wants you to reflect Light in such a way that others will be able to experience His love the same way you have experienced it.

We all come from different places, backgrounds, and struggles, but we all reflect the same Light.  We’ve all felt insignificant, but that is not the case.  God has a plan for you.
You are part of the bigger picture!

-Josh

Thank you for taking the time to read! It really means a lot! Please feel free to leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Also, if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts on dating, life, leading youth, and beach living you can follow me on Twitter here.

Posted in Light and Dark and tagged , , , , ,
04 Apr 2012
1 Comment

Beautifully Strong and Wonderfully Made

Throughout the month of March, Good Women Project, an incredible blog written for women by women, opened up the doors to the men.  Yes, the whole month of March featured open letters from men to women.  There were some great posts from incredible writers that spoke to the hearts of many women.  It is so great to see men who are encouraging women and speaking truth into their lives.

So, today I am sharing with you a letter to the women in my life and to women who I’ve never met.  It is something that every woman should hear.

Dear ladies,

I just feel like my words are not enough.
I have seen you attacked.
I have seen you destroyed.
And how men have used you objectified.  

I don’t know how you continue to stand.
You’ve felt the pain of Man’s hand
You have drowned in the shame.
You haven’t deserved any of it,

I apologize for all of their harsh words and for the tongues they could not tame.
I know it doesn’t mean much.
And I know that it just isn’t the same.

I want you to know of your beauty and strength and of the One who created you to be.
I see all of that in you even when you cannot see it yourself.
I see it all, even when you leave those feelings in a box on a shelf.
So, let’s take them out, one by one today.
Dust them off and place them back in your heart to stay.

When we talk of all the world’s wonders.
We talk of creatures of the air and of the sea.
But so often we forget the mention the most beautiful of all things,
The person who looks back at you in the mirror.
That is beauty.  

You are a creation of God.
You are a daughter of the King.
Not once has He ever made anything ugly.
You are no exception; you are His masterpiece.

Now, dust off the strength that you rarely see.
Something you say “doesn’t apply to me”.
So, I say to you now,
You are far from weak.

I see the strength it takes to walk down that street.
And the strength it takes not to hate every single man
Who looks at you like you’re a piece of meat.  

I see the strength it takes to stand in a world
Whose view of beauty is so skewed.
I see the strength it takes to overcome the lies

Ladies, I’ve seen your strength fail.
But I’ve seen you get back up again.
He is strong when you are weak.
And, dear woman, because of Him,
You are stronger than you think.

Continue to wrap yourselves in those truths and fight the lies that society tries to sell.  You are beautiful.  You are strong.  You are His.

I am praying for you today.

-Josh

Thank you for taking the time to read! It really means a lot! Please feel free to leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Also, if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts on dating, life, leading youth, and beach living you can follow me on Twitter here.

Posted in Uncategorized
28 Mar 2012
1 Comment

Students and Sex

Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to write on relationships for “Wilmington Faith and Values”.  I recently wrote this article and wanted to share it with you today.  As a youth leader, I feel as if it is something that needs to be addressed.  We need to show students a better story!

Students and Sex

I recently overheard a couple high school students talking about relationship struggles.  I’d heard the conversation many times before.  Somehow, in the midst of this conversation, they turned to me and wanted to know my opinion on the matter.  It caught me off guard and I waited a second before asking, “What do you think is the point of having a relationship in high school?”
Without missing a beat, the response was, “The sex!”
Those two words echoed in my heart like someone shouting in a cave.

THE SEX! The sex. the sex…

Media tells us that to be accepted in society you have to be in a relationship.  Media tells us that, to be cool you have to have sex in that relationship.
Media tells us that the more people you have sex with, the more successful you become.

The thing is, while you or I may be able to recognize all of these as empty lies, there is a generation accepting it as truth.
There is a generation okay with being lied to because it provides them with the sexual gratification that has been highly praised by their “role models” in the society.

But what do we do?
Do we turn the TV off and ignore the media?
Do we shut our children off from the world and not let them out of the house again until they are twenty-five?
Do we hand out cards saying that those who have sex before marriage are going to Hell?

No.

We shouldn’t do any of that.
We cannot ignore what is being displayed in the media.  Ignorance just welcomes naivety.
And we cannot try to scare students into Heaven by telling them that their mistakes are going to send them to Hell.

What we can do is show them a better story.
This means that we need to show them what life is like when you live it according to God’s design by giving them healthy examples of relationships and that we have to be healthy examples of relationships.  We have to teach them that their identity is not found in the relationships that society so often encourages, but that true identity is found in their Creator.  We have to ask hard questions.  It is our job to sit down and talk with them about their intentions in relationships and how they can approach dating and from a healthy perspective, the perspective that media rarely subscribes to.  We may have to have uncomfortable conversations, but they will be totally worth it if it means that they are being pulled out of the Darkness that society has cast upon their generation.
We have to run into that Darkness, grab their hand, and show them the strength, peace, and confidence that the Light provides.  We have to show them that God’s plan is better than anything they could ever dream or imagine.

-Josh

Thank you for taking the time to read! It really means a lot! Please feel free to leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Also, if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts on dating, life, leading youth, and beach living you can follow me on Twitter here.

Posted in Relationships and tagged , , , ,
24 Mar 2012
1 Comment

Celebrate rescue.

It is in His arms that I find comfort.

For, it is Him that has rescued me.

I celebrate that.

And I will sing at praises at the top of my lungs because I am full of answered prayers.

My prayer for you today is that you will experience this comfort.

My prayer is that you will be set free and that you will be able to say that you have been rescued by the King.

My prayer is that you will celebrate in His Light and that you will be filled with answered prayers.

Take heart, He is here.

 

-Josh

 

Posted in Uncategorized
21 Mar 2012

What to do once you’ve found yourself.

I’ve written before on the importance of finding your identity in Christ before pursuing a relationship with someone.  I stand on that and think that it is one of the most important things you need to do, not just in relationships, but, in life.  I have discovered that you cannot live a fulfilling life if you do not know the One that has filled you.
I know from experience that it gets so incredibly easy to lose our sense of identity when in a relationship, but that is exactly why I stress the fact that knowing who you are in God before entering into a relationship is so important.  See, I’ve felt the loss of identity.  And I have felt the strength return when I found it again, not in the arms of another girl, but in the arms of Christ.
When trying to find your identity in God, you have to actually spend time with God.  I know, this may seem rather simple, but it is something we often forget.  We expect a deep relationship with Him to develop overnight, but that takes time.  And it takes effort.  It is important that we get to know Him better. Because, getting to know Him better, means that we’ll be able to see His love in a clearer light. And, by experiencing His love, we will begin to see a better picture of ourselves because we will be able to look at ourselves from the eyes of our Creator and not the eyes of men.
Another key to discovering your identity in God is to trust Him.  You have to trust Him when He says that He has a plan for you (Jeremiah 29:11).  You have to believe Him when He says that His plans are greater than anything you could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20).  You have to trust Him in your weakness and impatience.  Don’t let impatience get the best of you! Continue to trust Him and have faith in His promises, because He is faithful!

So, some of you may be saying, “Josh, I know all of this. You’ve written about it before. Stop repeating yourself. I’ve drawn close to God, but now I’m ready! What do I do now?!”

Whoah there, partner! Calm down!  Remember, patience is key.

But really, once we figure out who we are in God and we feel like we’re ready for a relationship, we don’t really know what to do or what steps to take.  It gets confusing.  We don’t want to rush God, but we feel like we’re ready.  So, for those of you who have done all of the above and are ready to start looking for that special someone, I’ve written down a few things to ask yourself while on the hunt.

  1. Does he/she know who they are in Christ? Or do they look for their identity somewhere else?
  2. Does he/she love God?
  3. Do they exhibit characters of Christ such as patience, acceptance of others, love, gentleness, etc.?  Or do they gossip and talk down to others?
  4. Are they being patient?  Or have they been impatient and have you seen them dating a new guy/girl every time you turn around?  Not that being impatient is a bad thing, but it usually communicates a lack of trust in God’s plan and, on a deeper level, a misplacement of identity.

Before you go out and jump into a relationship with the next person that walks by you on the street, think about the questions I have posed.  And pray.  I know, this is the answer you hate hearing, but really, pray.  Pray about the relationship in the future or the possible relationship in front of you.
God has answers.
You just have to be willing to listen.

Praying for you today,
Josh

Thank you for taking the time to read! It really means a lot! Please feel free to leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts on dating! Also, if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts on dating, life, leading youth, and beach living you can follow me on Twitter here.

Posted in Relationships | Leave a Comment

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