Finding God

In March, I began reading through the Bible chronologically, or in order of when events took place. Lately I have been working my way through 1 Samuel and the related Psalms. The Psalms have always been one of my favorite books, simply because they speak of real life issues: anger, betrayal, fear, faith, and continual trust in the Lord when every other aspect of one’s life is crumbling. The story of David, though it is a story I’m quite familiar with, has really caught my attention lately. I’ve been in somewhat of a rough patch in life for the past few weeks. I’m being pursued by a collection agency for about $8,000 in medical bills; I’m worried about being able to pay my student loans of over $18,500; I’ve been dealing with some relationship issues; and I still haven’t been able to find a home church or get truly plugged into the community in which I live. I know most of these issues are somewhat trivial and not really things to be overly stressed about, but I’ve just been feel...

About a month ago one of my good friends followed the call of God and moved to Austin, TX to begin a new chapter in his life. He used to serve as the worship leader and associate pastor of the church that I currently attend. He also started a high school youth ministry while he was here. I had volunteered to be a part of the team back in late September, simply to help out where I could and possibly gain some experience in the field of ministry. I had never lead a group of high school teens before, and would never claim to be well-versed in the area of ministry by any means.  I would consider myself to be a fairly "new" Christian, considering that I spent the first nineteen years of my life faking my way through religion. I have never read the entire Bible, I don't have many verses memorized, and I haven't lead anyone to Christ since I was in the second grade. It's clear that I don't have the experience or the expertise anywhere near what is required of ...

Routines will be the death of me. Each day blurs into the next, causing the week to zip by. It feels like only a couple of weeks ago that I began my senior year of college, but that was six months ago, and I’m preparing to graduate in a little over two months. Time is not my most abundant asset as a full-time business student with two jobs and three volunteer positions, also attending two small groups per week. But despite the breakneck pace of my week, I still find some comfort in filling nearly every spare moment of time with something ‘productive’. At least, that was until Friday night. On Friday night I began to realize that my body was not functioning like it should have been. I became extraordinarily weak and achy, and I hardly slept a wink. So began more than four and a half days of fighting influenza, and I’m still not finished. Not my favorite cup of tea. So far I’ve missed two days of school, my volunteer shift at The Carriage House, and nine hours of work. As ...

**This blog is saturated with scripture. I chose not to quote directly because I want to encourage you to dig deep into the Word. Read this with a Bible next to you. Read the verses and challenge yourself to think differently. Be honest with yourself; live it out. Love God // Love People. *       *       *       *      *       *       *       *      * “Welcome to church, where we sing songs and don’t mean it, say that we serve and love others but never do it, read the Bible but don’t apply it, pray for the Holy Spirit but ignore it, and stay cooped up and happy in our little church building so we don’t have to share our faith or confront the reality of this world.” The pastor flashes a million-dollar smile in his thousand-dollar suit as members of the congregation beam back their own smile...

Over the past week I have been thinking obsessively over buying a pair of road bike shoes for my bike. I currently only have cheap plastic commuter pedals with toe straps, and it can be extremely inefficient to ride long distances in a pair of flimsy tennis shoes. I already have clipless pedals, but I need road bike shoes in order to use them. A pair of road shoes can cost anywhere from $80 to $350, but I was strongly considering simply charging them to my credit card, despite the fact that I don’t have cash to cover the cost. Every time I ride, I think about how much better it would be if I had a pair of brand new, Specialized carbon-fiber-soled road shoes; or if I had a carbon fork and seatpost from Easton or Bontrager, a pro-grade Echelon helmet, a hand-built Rōl wheelset, Swissstop engineered brake pads, a new Specialized Body Geometry saddle, or a custom bike-fitting from the local Trek store so I could ride more comfortably and with more efficiency – and I’ve only had my newest b...

You step into the sanctuary of a church. The five-piece band is playing; bar chords from the electric guitar pierce the air, vocalists sway to the music under the primary colors of the stage lighting, and quarter notes pulse in metronomic fashion from the bass drum and through the sub-woofers. Two coffee makers and a tray of doughnuts sit atop a table draped in a black tablecloth, offering boxes sit near the doors, and rows of comfortably plush seating line the sanctuary floor. Everything seems to be in perfect order. But one thing is missing. No one is worshiping. Sure, members of the congregation are singing. Some of them may even be tapping their feet, clapping, or raising their hands. What most of us would describe as modern-day worship is currently taking place, but has our understanding of what is means to truly worship become so narrowly defined as to only include the practice of singing along with a well-rehearsed band in the comfort of million-dollar church structur...

Life lately for me has been quite tedious and uninteresting. My days are dull and uneventful, and I’ve noticed that moments of true happiness are rare and few. I feel like I have been simply pushing my way through life – through the thirteen-hour workdays and hardly restful nights; through the long, lonely, and boring days at my apartment, and through the notions of apathy that seem to so frequently invade my thoughts. I’ve tried, rather unsuccessfully, to combat the problems currently facing me, but I’ve come to realize that I am in a spiritual rut. I’ve fallen again into the strange comfort of convenient Christianity. I simply go through the motions and choose to believe in a God who is only there for me to get what I want. I never choose to sacrifice anything lest I be robbed of the few comforts I have and choose to hold onto. I find it odd, that though I know that being a follower of Christ is about more than a simple transaction between man and a Deity, I still so of...