nonFictionality

When we encounter the unexpected, a story begins…

14 Mar 2012

Accepting the Mission

When I think about all of the stories in the Bible, one of the images that strikes me most is Christ’s purpose on this earth, which was to shine Light.  There are days where I meditate on this image.  I will sit for hours just in awe of how beautiful the life and death of Jesus was.  I’ll talk about it to friends and probably bug them to death with the persistence in which I bring it up.  I can’t help it though.  I cannot help but think about the purpose, or mission, of Christ in this earth.  He came into this world to make His Father known and to shine the Light inside of Him that was His Father.  And, He succeeded in that mission.

But, He went about it in a way that people of the time did not understand.  Many people today don’t get it either.  I’ve often wondered why it is such a hard concept to grasp.  I have tried to look at it from their perspective, and I’ve realized a few things that might help us understand this whole concept of Light and Dark.

To understand this concept, we must first acknowledge that there is an Enemy out there who wants to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10).

The second thing we must acknowledge is the other half of the verse mentioned above.  Jesus went on to say that He has come so that we may have life, and life to the full.

As we begin to understand that there is an Enemy who wants to destroy us, we will begin to understand that Jesus give us life.  And that that life is the Light in which I refer to.

That was Jesus’ mission.  He came so that we might have life.  He wants us to have life.  He wants us to have hope.  He wants is to have joy.

And He accomplished that mission by walking into the Darkness.  He did not care what others thought; He knew what His mission was.  And He did not stray from it.

See, while Jesus may have done so much, He said that we were going to do far greater things (John 14:12).  But, how can we do anything even close to all that He did?  How can we even begin to shine Light?

First, we have to believe in Him and know who His Father is.

Second, we have to walk into the Darkness.  This thought alone overwhelms me at times.  But I know that it is what I must do, because THAT is what Jesus did.

Jesus took the ridicule of those who did not understand.

Jesus showered love and grace on those who didn’t deserve it.

Jesus had faith in His Father above all else.

That is all stuff that you and I can do!

So, let’s do it!

Let’s accept this mission and shine Light into the Darkness!

 

Who’s with me?

-Josh

Thank you so very much for taking the time to read.  Your support means more than you know.  God has a plan for you to shine Light into the places He has brought you.  And, let me tell you, those plans are big.  If you don’t believe me, just check out Jeremiah 29:11.  As you go about your day, I pray that you’ll remember the mission in which Jesus has given you.  Continue to shine, friends. And continue to walk into the Darkness.

 

Posted in Life Decisions, Light and Dark | Leave a Comment
07 Mar 2012

#KONY2012

“Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live.”

One of the coolest things about blogging is the community that has developed from it.  I have connected with people through blogging, Twitter, and Facebook that I may have never met otherwise.  It is a phenomenon.  Something can be shared and, within minutes or even seconds, it is retweeted, liked, or shared so that others can see.

Today, something needs to be shared.  It is bigger than my weekly post or your weekly post.  It is greater than the oncoming election or the latest movie to hit the big screen.

Today I share with you the story of a man.  Joseph Kony.  The video below tells you all that he has done and all that you can do to stop him.  As a community, I urge you to watch this video, reblog it, retweet it, share it on Facebook, tell your friends about it.  It is time that we come together and make a difference.  Stand together. 

Posted in Life Decisions | Leave a Comment
07 Mar 2012

When was the last time you said “thank you” to God?

When was the last time you thanked God?  Sometimes I realize that I ask God for so much without ever thanking Him for all He has given me.  I get confused and mix things up.  I start to find myself in the mindset that God is here only to hear my requests and grant them.  But I am so wrong in those moments!

God is not here to serve me.  I am here to serve Him.

It’s so easy to forget this.

In a society where all we do is want; we forget to look at everything we have.

I know for a fact that you have more in your life than you have actually thanked God for.

Do not let all of your wants overshadow His constant provision.  He is our constant provider, we have to serve Him and thank Him for all that He has done and is doing.  As you do this, you will begin to feel His presence even more mightily in your life.

And don’t just trust me on this.

Trust Him!

-Josh

I recently sat down to thank God.  During this time I wrote the following:

Dear God,

Thanks.

Thanks for all you are doing in my life and the things you have yet to do.

Thanks for my family and friends and the encouragement each of them brings.

Thank you for laughter and joy.

Thank you for the smell of salt in the air as I drive toward the beach.

Thanks for conversations that last for hours on in.

Thank you for the mornings when I wake up and blood is still pulsing through my veins.

Thank you for purpose and the dreams you’ve placed inside of me.

Thank you for energy, and, dear Lord, thank you for sleep.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Thank you for the chance to teach.

Lord, I don’t deserve any of this. 

I don’t even deserve you.

But you don’t care.  You love me anyways.

And you’ll love me always.

Thank you.

-Yours.

What are some things that you have neglected to thank God for lately?  Don’t just tell me, thank Him.  Take that time out of your day.

Thank you for taking the time to read.  Have an incredible day!


Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
29 Feb 2012
2 Comments

Stopping. Something I never really do.

Have you ever just stopped?

Stopped writing.

Stopped moving.

Stopped doing.

Today I stopped.

I stopped to think about my life.

And all that I live for.

I stopped to think it all over.

I don’t know why I had never really stopped before.

I stopped and I thought about the way I speak.

I stopped and I thought about whether all of the ways I communicate are done so effectively.

I stopped and I thought about all of the passions God has placed inside of me.

Because they have a purpose.

These passions.

And how they, in a way, define me.

So I stopped.

I stopped to think about my definition.

And how I do not want to strive for worldly recognition.

I do not want my name to be known.

I do not want the words that I speak to seem more important than the One on the throne.

So, I stopped.

I stopped, to declare once and for all.

That I will share a message of hope now and every moment till the day that I fall.

I want to live and make known His name.

Because I can live with not having any earthly fame.

I want to shine Light into the Darkest of places.

I want to run with all my might, ignoring the looks on the critics’ faces.

You run, I urge you to join this race too.

We’re going to charge the gates of Hell.

We’re going to pull out our family, our friends, and our students.

We’re going to show them Heaven.

And we’re going to show them that the Enemy is the one that loses.

 

So stop.

Take a second out of your day.

What has God placed inside of you?

Are you willing to run this race?

 

-Josh

We need to stop every once in a while and evaluate our purpose. I encourage you today to look at everything you are doing and everything God has placed inside of you.  I want you to stop and find your purpose.  Then I want you to continue on your journey with renewed energy, ready to fulfill that purpose with all that you’ve got.  Please feel free to share what you find.  I would consider it a great honor to be able to pray for you as you run this race.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Life Decisions, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
22 Feb 2012
5 Comments

The stupid mistake I’ve made in writing to my future spouse…

Last week I shared with you a letter I wrote my future wife and got a lot of feedback.  Every once in a while, I like to share a letter like that with you.  And it seems like a lot of you write to your future spouses as well.  I think that’s great, and I love writing to my wife as well.  But, if I’m being honest, I don’t love it that much anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy thinking about what my future wife will be like.

I imagine her voice.

I imagine dates we will go on.

I run through scenarios of how I will one day ask her to be my wife.

I imagine all of the creative ideas she will come up with for my birthday and I sincerely hope she will catch on to the fact that I would hate a surprise party.

I’ve tried keeping a journal just for her.

I’ve prayed for her.

I say that I’m becoming the man that she has been dreaming of.

I’ve done all of that.

But, at some point not too long ago I realized that I have been stupid.  Wait a minute before you get defensive.  Because I’m not saying that those of you who write to your future spouse are stupid.  I’m not saying that those of you who daydream about what lies ahead of you are stupid.  I’m not saying that any of that is stupid, because I think it is awesome to think about your future spouse and to dream of the future.   All I’m saying is that I’ve been stupid.  I feel like that’s okay to admit.

I’ve been stupid in getting so distracted searching for and dreaming “the one”.  And it is so easy to do this.  It is so easy of me to dream about my one-day wife.  I can dream about our dates, our wedding, and our life.  But I can become so consumed in this that I put it as my sole focus.  When this happens, I begin to say, “I’m doing everything right now for her.”

That shouldn’t be the case. Ever.

It wasn’t long ago that I realized how flawed my thinking had become.  It wasn’t long ago that I realized that I had begun to place her on an altar.  The crazy thing it, I haven’t even met her yet!  I haven’t even met her and I already struggle with putting her in the place of God.  And, if you are not careful, I believe the same can happen to you.

It’s so hard not to think about all of these things all of the time, especially for a guy who would rather watch a romantic comedy than a horror film.  But, I think that, if we are going to be all that we are meant to be and if we are to embrace all that God has in store of us we have to do a few things.

  1. We have to put God first.  You may have heard this before.  And you may have brushed it off before.  But, it is important.  We have to seek God above all else and, when the time comes, “the one” will be there.  This does not excuse us from effort, but it does mean that we don’t have to be thinking about them all of the time.
  2. We have to find joy in the things around us.  I remind myself of this all of the time.  I have to tell myself that, while there is so much joy and happiness to be had down the road, there is joy to be embraced now!  I make it a goal every single day to embrace this joy.
  3. We have to thank God for all that He has given us.  I do this first in my prayer time.  From the small things to the big things, I thank God for it all.  I do this to remind myself that God has provided and is still providing.  So, before I ask Him for anything, I thank Him for all that He has given.  This has radically changed the time I spend with Jesus.  And it has been such a great change!
  4. We have to hang out with our friends.  This is important.  You’ve got to have friends.  Even now in a season of singleness, you need friends.  They will be there for you now when things get tough and when you celebrate.  They’ll be there when you start dating someone and even, and I hate to say this, when you break up with that someone who you thought was “the one”. Only to find out that they’re someone else’s “one” and that your “one” is still out there somewhere.

I know that those seem very simple.  But they are things that I’ve been learning that I wanted to share with you so that you won’t make the same mistake I did.  So, continue to write, continue to dream, continue to love.  Just don’t let your letters, your dreams, and your one day love take the place of God.

-Josh

Thank you again for reading.  It really means more than you know! I hope that all that God has revealed to me will help you.  Have an incredible (insert time of the day in which you are reading this)!

Posted in Relationships and tagged , ,

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