Ethan

At my church we are getting ready to kick off a 50 day Prayer journey through the book Acts 29, obviously there is no actual 29th chapter in Acts however the idea behind the book is this, that since the book of Acts does not actually end, the 28th chapter ends abruptly and in the middle of the story. the reason for this is that the book continues, the story that was started in the first 28 chapters is continuing today, this is the 29th chapter. in the midst of this prayer journey we are hosting Youth Sunday at Perrow,  I have been assigned to speak on Zeal, which honestly i’m a little worried about since i have never been very zealous however I beleive this is God saying i need to start to be, so in the midst of my life i have been charged with immersing myself in the Holy Spirit, and zeal. As part of that I have asked God to make me more zealous and show me what zeal truly looks like, leading up to the 18th, so far I have found myself being attacked rather vigorously by the devil in what is apparently an attempt to hinder my growth and experience in the future, i’ll admit I have allowed it to this point but I no longer intend to. I know spiritual warfare is rough, and takes, well zeal (hmm very interesting) I must fight back vigorously, and I am, as of just about now! I ask you to pray, for me in this time, and also to seek God and the movement of the Holy Spirit in your own life, leading up to the 18th, and beyond that to Pentecost, and even beyond that until, well into the infinite future!  I’ll admit I am frightened in many ways to embrace the Holy Spirit but to be honest i’m tired of not being used like I could be and if not only for that, I’m going to embrace this with all I’ve got, I just pray God gives me strength!

not actual accident

I was driving the other day and was involved in a car accident, it was my first, and quite frightening, for the record the damage was not so bad, just body damage to both cars, and emotional for me(lol) but as I am getting used to driving, and find myself being much more careful, and occasionally freaking out when i think someone might be about to hit me, something i hope passes very quickly since this has been happening more often than the likely hood of getting hit should allow for,  I keep catching myslef pondering the reality of death, and how very possible it is that i could be dead right now, and would have had no warning at all.

The accident happened so quickly even now I cant say i know what happened so i wont try to tell you, but i do know had it happened on the interstate or at higher speeds or on a busier or more narrow road, I would no longer be able to write, or listen to music, or any of the earthly joys we enjoy so much . I don’t think I had ever grasped the immediacy of death and how permanent it can be. in any case i’m very thankful my life did not end this past thursday, and hope it lasts for much longer, however I am far more determined to make what is left, count for far more than fun, because while I may think I can serve God in bigger better ways later, I dont know that, dont have that assurance, so I better do it now, cause I may not be able to tomorrow!

Ethan

Today I was out doing some promoting for Ichthus Music festival, something I signed up to do a few months ago, as I went to 5 different churches today I found several different scenarios, one where there was no one around, another where the parking lot was about half full of cars however the front door was locked and after finding a back door unlocked I found the the doors leading to what a assume were hallways, from the stairwell it opened into were all locked, and yet another where I walked past 5 people on my way to a door leading into and office which was locked and though I could see there were people inside no one made an effort to open it for me, and none of the people I passed made any effort to talk to me. I will give Kudos to one where until I stated my purpose the secretary was practically jumping out of her seat to get the youth pastor so that I could speak with him.

But I was just blown away that the people at these churches made no effort to talk to me who is a representative of the youth today, at least i assume i am since i am a youth, and that when this unknown youth walked up to their buildings, inside or right past them the people at these churches made no effort to reach out to me. as I said in the beginning I had to wonder what I would think if going to these churches was the last attemot I was making at reaching out to someone before in my own assessment 3 of the 5 churches failed miserably to “save me” the exceptions being the one where I spoke with the secretary, and the one that was more than obviously closed.

I think one of the last things the church needs today one more voice tearing it down, but I think in light of this experience it is wholly appropriate to call out the church as a whole and to say we need to work much harder to be open to people who may wonder into our churches on any given day looking for something if only just a friend.

Ethan

When someone takes a shower they first apply shampoo in their hair. They have to squeeze the bottle to get the contents out. The contents that goes into your hand is expected to be what the label says it is. Then you lather it in your hair. After you have fully spread it around in every area of your head then you wash it out. And that leaves you with shiny, clean, fresh smelling hair.
Well, if you listen, God will talk to you. Whether it’s when you’re in a really trying time, or it might be in a really odd situation. One time for me last month I really felt like I had an epiphany. While I was in the shower a few days ago, God showed me an illustration that was very simple but quite amazing. He said, “See that shampoo bottle?” And I really felt like he was telling me that what the labels on the outside say might not be the same stuff in the inside. He said guard your heart. And make sure that what’s on the outside is what’s on the inside. If “squeezed” (i.e. Stress, pressure, etc.) then what comes out is what you have been saying you are. So that if squeezed (or in a hard time) let your insides be for the best and help in that situation. After you feed on the good (lather up) make sure and wash out the old (rinse). Just get rid of it. Like, when you get new furniture you have to get rid of the old before you bring in the new. And that will leave you with shiny, clean, purified heart.

I just watched the original Tron, from 1982 WOW!!!! thats a long time ago!but I was surprised as I watched it (the first time in 3 yrs) that within in the film lies an amazing allegory for our world then and now. If you have seen Tron you may know what I’m talking about, however I would not be one bit surprised if you have either never heard of Tron, or if you have it’s only because you saw the teaser trailer for Tron Legacy when you went to see Alice in Wonderland (that was a pretty killer trailer) so I will try to give you a basic idea what i’m talking about without giving too much away because you really must watch the movie yourself.

In Tron we follow a character named Flynn as he travels into the world of computers, to defeat the Master Control Program, which is a program that has grown form what was originally just a Chess program to have succeeded in taking over the cyber reality and has made it his duty to set himself up as god, and take “Users” or the humans who created computers, and all programs,  totally out of the picture, the programs which choose to continue their belief in the “users” are captured and sent into a “video game” where they must fight to survive until they are either killed or abandon their belief in the “users” if they do not they are labeled as “religious fanatics” and bombarded with messages claiming that their belief in the “users” is nothing more than superstition, and is “ridiculous”. As I was watching I just couldn’t ignore the obvious similarities to the world we live in, where we as Christians are bombarded with messages constantly telling us God is just a “myth” or that we are simply “superstitious”, that we are “religious fanatics”, the difference is that the Master Control Program of our world is not so obvious in his attempts to convince us that God does not exist, he prefers to sneak in through media, and culture, the subleties are far more powerful than outright denial, and while in the end we all know that there is only one “user” and that He will reign victorious, far too often we see brothers and sisters, best friends, and cousins, loved ones all around us, buy into the lies of the “Master Control Program” or Satan, and start living like the rest of the world, making Humanity god, and living for their own pleasure and sinful desires. now given we all fall sometime but I think the allegory offered in this story is one that is while somewhat inaccurate (aren’t all allegories?)   it teaches a very good lesson and makes us little more aware of the battle for our minds that truly rages around us.

Deuteronomy 24:18

but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there;

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, butagainst the rulers, against the authorities, againstthe cosmic powers over this present darkness,against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ethan

P.S. I’m really psyched about Tron Legacy, it looks pretty great!

I’ve been getting a lot of flack it seems because people think I am “ignoring” my Spiritual gifts. They ask me what I want to do as a profession and when I answer that I wish to simply have a job and provide for a family someday they seem to be in shock. “But you’re gifted at speaking, politics, teaching other Christians! Why don’t you use the gifts you’ve been given?” Did I say I would ignore the gifts I’ve been given?! The answer is no.
My heart has taken a change in direction over the past year. I used to want to be a big politician or a preacher somewhere. I used to want to be the leader of a big Christian band leading people to Christ. But then I had a change. I actaully became a leader of something, and I fell. HARD. It went from a huge feeling of being on a spiritual high to me barely knowing if I was even on the right spiritual path. I looked at it in hind sight and discovered a lot of things. 1st: I was spending time that should have been 1 on 1 time with God searching for stuff to strengthen others, when I was the one that was becoming spiritually weak. I admit that I took the fall. I wasn’t anywhere mature enough spiritually to be a leader of any kind. (I’m still not.)
Now you’re probably wondering where the change came in? The change came as I stepped back and examined myself. Had I really done all of those things for God? Or had I done them because everyone told me I was spiritually mature and was SO humble? My guess is the second. I took a leap away from where I had been and started trying to truly seek God. I’ve learned that just because you have a gift that doesn’t mean you have to lead everything involving that gift.

Ecc. 5:12 , 1 Thess. 4:11-12. That is all I want: To work hard, be content with what I have, and thankfull to the God that gave it all to me. Amen.

Carter

Lets start off by saying that fasting is not going on a diet. It’s not about giving up food (or whatever) just to get God to give you something back. It’s not twisting His arm and being like, well I’m doing this, so now you give me that. No, it’s seeking God and asking Him: “Lord, what can I do for you? What do You want done in my life?” It’s seeking Him out. Fasting is a time I redirect my thoughts; to get rid of clutter in my life. It’s a constant means of renewing oneself spiritually. And when eliminating junk (i.e. soda pop, fattening sweets, or just food in general) then it brings you closer to God. You can then focus on building a deeper, more intimate, and more powerful relationship with God. When you hunger for God, He will fill you. When you hunger for more, you will receive more. My spirit gets SSOO sensitive to God when I fast. It’s really quite amazing!
Also, it’s not a good idea to enter into a fast if you’re not serious about it, if you’re not committed. If it doesn’t mean anything to you then it won’t mean anything to God. Before I start fasting, I pray about what He wants me to lay down for a while, for Him. When the Holy Spirit calls you to fast, He is preparing you for what is ahead. There will never be a “convenient” to fast. So, you just have to jump in and get your feet wet. Just like the Nike slogan: “Just do it.”
The Lord loves you deeply like you will never know. He wants you to spend time with Him. Think of it this way. When you are/were dating someone you wanted to spend every moment thinking or being with him or her, right? Well God wants you to spend every moment with Him. He wants to get to know you more. Do you want to get to know Him more? Are you hungry for Him?
The Lord will reward your diligence. It takes a lot of self-discipline to fast. Whether it is a total fast or a partial fast for how ever many days. He will see your willingness.
So when fasting, spend the time that you would normally be eating or snacking on food and instead – “Snack” on Him and His Word.

If there’s anything you too would like to add or point out about fasting, then please feel free to comment.