top 10 blogs of 2010

10. Jesus ruined my life
9. preaching breakrfast
8. that gym guy
7. how are you?
6. the B-I-B-L-E
5. Do something people: sacrifice
4. we are Revolution
3. confessions of an OCD pastor part 2
2. difference between joy and happiness

finally my favorite Blog of 2010.

1. Lessons from my first year in ministry

Calling and Giftedness

Now I understand God calls us all to certain things. God calls us all to have a relationship with Him. God calls us all to love Him and other people. However, I believe there are times where God calls us individually to something specific.

There was a reason Jesus chose 12 men to be His disciples during His ministry. Was He calling everybody to love Him and love other people? Yes, but Jesus only called 12 specific men to have the job of His disciples.

There have been a couple of times in my life where I knew God was calling me to something specific. I knew way back in high school that God was calling me into ministry. Also, about 15 months ago I knew that God was calling me specifically to be the youth minister at fairfield first Assembly. For you, God’s calling might be why you have chosen to work as a teacher, a doctor, or a stay-at-home mom.

I have come to believe that there is a direct relationship between God’s calling and giftedness. That essentially boils down to the fact that when God calls you to something specific, God will equip you with the gifts to do that. Why? Because His name is on the line. If you tell everybody “God called me to be a ________” and you bomb miserably at ________, God is the one who looks like He doesn’t know what He’s doing. Whether it is through gifts that you naturally have or through gifts that God supernaturally equips you with, God will gift you to do what He has called you to do.

The biggest problem that can come in the way of this process is you and I. The biggest way you and I can get in the way and mess this process up manifests itself through our selfishness. Often times I have to question myself on my motives. Remember to always put everything through the Strainer.

I have seen way too many examples of people getting into something because of their own desire and calling it God’s calling. Let’s take ministry for example: someone declares to the world that God has called them into youth ministry. Diving a little deeper you see somebody who experienced love and acceptance for the first time as a member of their youth group. You see someone who was loved and rescued by his/her youth minister. Now that person selfishly desires to continue those feelings of love and acceptance and also wants to be the hero youth minister to other lost, lonely kids. That person is not good with people, has a hard time connecting with people, gets terribly nervous in front of people, and likes to go to bed at 9:30pm. I’m sorry but that is not God’s calling, that is a selfish desire.

It is the same way why God is not calling me to be a professional hockey player. I don’t know the rules. I could not put the equipment on the right way. I don’t know how to properly handle the puck. I can’t even ice skate! God’s calling and giftedness goes hand-in-hand.

Let me encourage you today to listen to God’s specific calling for your life. He has a plan for you. He has hard-wired you and gifted you to do something great for the Kingdom.

Bad Judgement

Today I was on the road when another car passed me. As the car passed beside me the gentleman driving the vehicle turned his head my direction as to communicate driving superiority. As we made eye contact, I noticed that the gentleman had some tattoos scattered across his face. During that moment I had a realization:

IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO ON YOUR FACE, YOU HAVE BAD JUDGEMENT.

Can you think of any other human features or actions that automatically brings “that person has bad judgment” thoughts to your mind?

For example, possibly a mullet, drinking/smoking while pregnant, or people who continually put themeselves in bad situations.

2010 year in review

- Officially moved to fairfield!
- turned 26
- had an amazing birthday with my church family and friends
- set out to write 126 blogs this year(this is 123)
- saw great growth in the ministry
- broke a bone in my left leg
- had surgery on left leg
- finally got to wear a youth pastor badge at a district event
- got cable
- started working out and lost 72 lbs
- grew a grizzly beard
- got to go up on stage during youth convention(Ive always wanted to do that)
- finished Pathway and started getting paid to do ministry
- finally watched the Oregon Ducks complete a perfect season

Cant wait till 2011!!!!

Most Useless Things in My House

Have you ever thought of all the useless things that you have in your house? While eating my bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and looking around my house this morning, I realized that I have some useless things that I have in my house. To give you an idea of what I am talking about, here are some examples of the most useless things in my house…

A VCR. I have One. Do I use it? No. Is it actually hooked up to a TV? No. Since getting a TV in jauary, I finally unhooked the VCR in the house. For the longest time, the VCR was only used for a clock in the living room. I did not even have it hooked up to the TV.

MY PLAYSTATION 2. In the last 6 months I maybe have used it 5 times, its outdated and is a great dust collector. Truth is I just want to buy games for it.

THE KITCHEN TABLE. Unless it is a special occasion, my kitchen table does not get used. I like using TV trays in the living room or at the stools at the kitchen counter. Im sure when I have a family this will change. Until then, TV trays work just fine.

THE FOLLOWING DVDs: THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?, CLASH OF THE TITANS, & THE DAVINCI CODE.

MY ALARM CLOCKS WHEN THEY ARE SET BEFORE THE SUN COMES UP. Can you say snooze?

________________

What about you? What are some of the most useless things in your house?

Give Me Your Eyes

This is an incredible song, I heard it last week and its totally what I was feeling. I feel sometimes I become to involved with ministry to see others as Jesus would. I think its human nature to do this, but this song has become my new prayers, hope you enjoy!

best service opener ever...

Here is the video of the service opener for North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Georgia from December 19, 2010 called “Santa Went Down to Georgia.”

One of the coolest, most creative openers that I have ever seen.

Enjoy…

Top 10 TV show theme songs of all time.

10. M.A.S.H.
9. Saved By The Bell
8. Friends
7. Monday Night Football
6. Chuck
5. Fresh Prince of Bell Air
4. House
3. The OC
2. The Office
1. The Wonder Years

More on why I chose these 10 coming soon.

5K for Speed The Light

I love running, love, love, love it. So I thought to myself why not run for a good cause? April 9th 2011, I am running a 5K in fairfield, now the payment of the race goes to a teen center I thought it would be cool to get sponsors for this event. By sponsoring me all procedes would go towards Speed The Light. So I ask you to please be in prayer for me and if you would like to contribute to speed the light, that would be awesome and just email me or let me know.

I have 3 months to raise as much money as we can! please support me in this with prayer first but secondly if you can financially.

Also if you would like to run this with me I encourage you to. A 5K is only 3.1 miles! Think about how much help a missionary would get for our 3.1 miles.

Messy Spirituality

Walking by a pet shop on his way back to school, a young boy stopped and stared through the window. Inside were four black puppies playing together. After school he ran home and pleaded with his mother to let him have one of the puppies. “I’ll take care of it, Mom, I will. If you can just give me an advance on my allowance, I’ll have enough money to buy one with my own money. Please, Mom, please.”

The mother, knowing full well the complications having a new puppy would bring to a busy household, could not resist her son. “Okay, you can get the puppy, but I will expect you to take care of it.”

“Yes, Mom, I will.” Filled with excitement, the little boy ran to the pet shop to buy his new puppy.

After determining that the boy had enough money, the pet shop owner brought him to the window to choose his puppy. After a few minutes, the young boy said, “Um…I’ll take the one in the corner.”

“Oh no,” said the shop owner, “not that one; he’s crippled. Notice how he just sits there; something is wrong with one of his legs, so he can’t run and play like the rest of the puppies. Choose another one.”

Without saying a word, the boy reached down, lifted his pant leg to expose a chrome leg brace to the owner.

“No,” he said firmly, “I think I’ll take the puppy in the corner.”

It turned out that what disqualified the puppy from being chosen by others is what most qualified him to be chosen by the little boy.

It’s amazing how few of us believe in the unqualified grace of God. Oh, yes, God loves us, as long as we’re clean and whole and fixed. But it turns out that what disqualifies you and me from “spirituality” – the mess of our lives and our crippledness – is what most qualifies us to be chosen by Jesus.

~ from Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli

Difference between Joy and Happiness

This year I have been studying and thinking through the Old Testament book of Job. Last night I had an amazing discussion about the difference between joy and happiness.

Frequently these two words are used as one and the same. While they do share some characteristics, they are actually different. Happiness is an emotion usually directly related to circumstances that are currently happening. So when the circumstances are good and going our way, we feel happy. On the other hand, when things break, get old, disappoint, when we do not get what we want, or when things do not go our way, we feel sad and are not happy.

One exercise I went through to help me get this concept was to write down specific things that make me happy. Here was my list in no particular order:

Seeing things set to record on my TIVO. Not things recorded, but things scheduled to record.
Watching Troy Polamalu play football.
Pushing through a hard rep (known as a wall) while working out.
Listening to 90s music.
Getting comments on my blog.
Drinking a perfectly temperatured peppermint brewed coffee.
Having a secret $100 in my wallet (very rarely happens).
Putting on jogging pants & a soft tshirt, then taking a nap on a cold, rainy day.
Hearing The Office theme song.
Seeing the kids of revolution experience God.
Serving food to the homeless every month.
Eating amazing Sushi

If I had more time to think, I could have filled up pages of specific things that bring me happiness. You could too. Think about all the things in this world that makes you happy. It could be small things or big things. Anything from a good cheeseburger to when a baby wraps their tiny hang around your finger. All these are temporary and bring temporary emotional happiness.

Joy is something entirely different from happiness. Joy, in the Biblical context, is not an emotion. Joy is attitude of the heart. It is not necessarily based on something positive happening. Joy is something that lasts; happiness is something that is temporary. When happiness fades away, joy remains. Joy is something that is bigger than you and I and our current circumstances. Joy brings us peace in the middle of a storm. Joy is something that God deposits into us through the Holy Spirit. The enemy tries everything in his power to steal your joy because it is that important. On the other hand, the enemy will tempt you with things that will temporarily give you happiness but at the same time drift you away from God.

There is a big difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is an emotion and temporary; joy is an attitude of the heart. Hold on tight to your joy.

BIBLE VERSES THAT TALK ABOUT JOY YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Habakkuk 3:17-18, James 1:2, Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16, John 16:19-24, Galatians 5:22, Hebrews 12:2, and much more (joy is mentioned 242 times in the Bible).

Disturb us, Lord

Disturb us, lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.

- Sir Francis Drake

Top 10 Fictional Characters of all time.

There have been so many incredible fictional characters in pop culture. Here is a list that I made up for the top 10 fictional characters of all-time in movies and television. It was really tough trimming down this list.

JUST MISSED THE CUT ~ Kosmo Kramer (Seinfeld), Creed Bratton (The Office), Kevin Arnold (The Wonder Years), Michael Scofield (Prison Break), Ricky Bobby (Talladega Nights).

TEN ~ Rocky Balboa, Rocky movies. The most motivating character of all time. The true underdog, rag-to-riches story where a no name boxer comes out of nowhere to be the heavy weight champion of the world. The Italian Stallion is known for training hard, being able to take multiple punches to the face without going down, and never quitting. He is a sensitive guy who is also a romantic. He loves his friends and family deeply and wears his heart on his sleeve. Hey, any fictitious character that has a real statue in a major US city has to be one of the top characters of all-time. Favorite Rocky quote, “Was ya ever punched in the face 500 times a night? It stings after a while, ya know

NINE ~ Jack Bauer, 24. This guy is a machine. He’s tough. He’s patriotic. He’s hard. He kills a lot of terrorists. He keeps his word. He operates well on no sleep. Two favorite Jack Bauer quotes, “I’m gonna need a hacksaw.” (After he out of the blue killed some guy and is going to cut his head off and put in a duffel bag.) And, “The only reason you’re still conscious is cause I don’t want to have to carry you.”

EIGHT ~ Ron Burgundy, Anchorman. One of the most quotable movie characters in history. The lead anchor and rock of the Channel 4 Action News team of San Diego possesses a voluptuous vocabulary and a magnificent mustache. Burgundy has a way with the ladies that is unlike any other. He oozes confidence. He has a great fondness for a good glass of scotch, poetry, his dog Baxter, and he also plays a mean jazz flute. Favorite Rob Burgundy quote, “I’m gonna punch you in the ovary, that’s what I’m gonna do. A straight shot. Right to the babymaker.”

SEVEN ~ George Costanza, Seinfeld. What an amazing character! He often referred to himself as a “short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man.” However, it makes sense that when he got fired, the Yankees shortly rattled off a run of world championships. Known for being a great liar, a slacker, a fake architect, a fake marine biologist, and being the butt of a lot of jokes. His relationship with his parents is hilarious

SIX ~ Dr. Evil, Austin Powers movies. Dr. Evil is the chief villain and the nemesis of Austin Powers. His character is supposedly a parody of different James Bond evil villains. He had the typical childhood being raised by Belgians. When he was insolent he was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds — pretty standard, really. Turns out that he is the long-lost twin brother of Austin. He has a real son and a clone that is 1/8 his size. He is a good rapper. Dr. Evil is what makes those movies good.

FIVE ~ John McClane, Die Hard movies. This movie character has been around since 1988 when the first Die Hard hit theaters and was seen in theaters as recently as 2007 in Live Free or Die Hard. Total we have gotten to know John McClane through four different movies. The best way to describe him is a Jack Bauer-type with more humanity. He is tough, machine-like, and hard like Bauer. However, he also has a much lighter side that is very funny. My favorite thing about this character is his frequent audible inner monologues where he talks to himself in stressful situations.

FOUR ~ Optimus Prime, Transformers. I am talking about the cartoon that I loved so much as a kid, not the movie that came out recently. This character is incredible. He is the commander of the Autobots. One minute he is a semi-truck cruising down the road; the next minute he is a gun-firing, fighting machine. We can all learn about some leadership tips from Optimus Prime. He has changed my entire thought process about semi-trucks.

THREE ~ Dr. Gregory House, House. This tv doctor is unlike any other tv doctor on medical dramas. This medical genius thrives on solving medical puzzles. He leads his team of diagnosticians in really wierd cases that most doctors would give up on. He treats people like dirt. He makes fun of people. He is brilliant. One of his life mottos is that everybody lies. He seems to not have any filter on his speech. He is the guy that always seems to say what we all sometimes think but would never say. He has a sweet cane and has his own style. He rocks some awesome facial stubble at all times. Very complex, interesting character.

TWO ~ Dwight K. Schrute, The Office. One of the most quotable television characters in history. Multiple websites are dedicated to Dwight quotes. He’s intense. He has his own bobblehead. He has his own functioning beet farm. He operates his own agri-tourism place (similar to a bed and breakfast). He has his own crossbow range. He is a volunteer law enforcer. He can raise and lower his own cholesterol with his mind. He wants to be frozen when he dies, so he can come back stronger. He is a karate purple belt. What is there not to love? Favorite Dwight quote, “Reject a woman and she will never let it go. One of the many defects of their kind – also, weak arms.”

ONE~ Sheldon Lee Cooper, The Big Bang Theory. My favorite Charater of all time, hes smart, wears super hero shirts, reads comic books, hard worker, forward thinker, obsesive compulsive, thinks hes the next stage in evolution. Hes not crazy, his mother had him checked. BAZINGA.

There you go. That’s my list. Who did I miss? Who’s on your list?

Lets Talk About Love...

I get frustrated with the word “love.” It is too broad.

On one hand I love a caramel white mochas from Starbucks. On the other hand I love my family.

I love the Oregon Ducks. I love my amazing parents who brought me into this world and selflessly took care of me for many years.

I love the tv show the big band theory, the movie dumb and dumber, Spring, Christmas, traveling, writing, and my iPhone. I also love pouring my heart in worship, receiving fresh words from God through Scripture, having deep intimate friendships, having intellectual discussions, and my savior and rescuer – Jesus Christ.

The English language is very limited when it comes to “love.” We use it for everything. We often use the same descriptive word for how we feel about our sports teams, a juicy steak, our pets, and our families. If we were to be honest, there is no way that the love we have for our familes can be compared to the love we have for a juicy steak – they are not even in the same ballpark.

That’s what I love about the Greek language (even though I have forgotten so much of it since I took Greek for a semester in college). In Biblical Greek, there are three words that translate into the English word “love” and all three have very different meanings.

Eros (ἔρως érōs) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Modern Greek word “erotas” means “(romantic) love”. However, eros does not have to be sexual in nature. Eros can be interpreted as a love for someone whom you love more than the philia love of friendship. It can also apply to dating relationships as well as marriage. Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself.

Philia (φιλία philía), which means friendship love in Greek, a dispassionate virtuous love. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality and familiarity. In ancient texts, philia denoted a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers. This is the only other word for “love” used in the ancient text of the New Testament besides agape, but even then it is used substantially less frequently.

Agapē (ἀγάπη agápē) means a divine, godly love. The verb appears in the New Testament describing, amongst other things, the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. In biblical literature, its meaning and usage is illustrated by self-sacrificing, giving love to all – both friend and enemy. It is used in Matthew 22:39, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” and in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you,” and in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” This love is selfless, it is willing to sacrifice, it is unconditional, and it is the love that God has for you.

It’s true, sometimes I get frustrated the limits and lack of creativity for the English word “love.” I think it would be incredible to have 3-5 words that fully breakdown and define all the different ways we use the word “love”, much like in Greek. (Anybody want to make up some words and try to make them stick?)

I rest in the fact that I am unconditionally loved (agape) by the Creator of the universe. He loves me enough to think that I am worth saving and worth redeeming. While I am frustrated with the English word “love”, I can’t get enough of God’s never-ending love for me.

He loves you too. Maybe you need reminding of that today.