7 Ways to Be a Missionary in College, Veritas blog

I just submitted a blog post for veritasmizzou.wordpress.com. I hope you read it, I feel it is important for college students to know that they don’t have to be on staff or volunteer for a campus ministry to be missional and serve college students. In fact I believe that most college students are going to learn from their peers, and it is important to have other college students being missional. Anyways check out the blog post and let me know what you think. It should be up sometime today or tomorrow.

Don’t Waste Your Cancer

Do you ever come across a story that tears you apart inside?  I am an emotional person, which leads me to believe that our God is emotional, and if this video and story doesn’t make you emotional, then I will be left speechless and confused (but still confident in God).  The story of Zac Smith is remarkable, but not for the reason you would think.  Watch this short clip, I promise its worth it and then stay tuned for some discussion thoughts.

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

You might ask, how is this story remarkable, you are sadistic, he still has cancer and might not live till next year!  But thats what is remarkable to me, that this man, this mere man is much more with Christ.  That he is so confident in his Savior that he can still praise God even though he may never be able to walk his daughter down the aisle, or see his sons turn into men.  How strong is your faith?  Would you react the same way Zac did when faced with a life changing event such as this?  How would you glorify God in your suffering?  Do you even have a theology for suffering?  This video is so great because it just reminds me of how much we all need Christ and how much He really did for us.

I challenge you to take a moment and pray for Zac, but don’t pray out of pity or some selfish desire to say ‘see God I pray too, I help people’.  But pray out of thankfulness for men like Zac, men who help us remember why we truly live day in and day out, to glorify God in all that we do.  Pray also for Zac’s family, and that they would know that their comfort comes in Christ just as Zac’s does, that of course things are going to be hard when Zac dies, but that Christ is our foundation and that He is theirs as well.  So pray for Zac and his family and pray for yourself, pray that you would know the love of Christ like Zac does.

A change of pace (awful music reference)

Normally when I guest blog for friends I just post the same exact blog post here on my own blog.  Well I realized that I’m being selfish and so I am starting a new trend.  I’ll give you a little synopsis of what it is I posted but I won’t give you the whole article, only the link.  I think we should all venture out and read other blogs, I love blogs and reading so I want to share with you some blogs I love to read and write for.

Our Healthy Desire is the blog I posted for this week.  It’s great, really it is.  My friend Bethany decided to create this blog about eating and the healthy choices we should be making but usually aren’t.  It is a wonderful blog and I am honored to be asked to contribute.  Anyways, my post is on our fastfood lives and how we are always wanting things to go because we are so busy.  I really hope you enjoy this post! Follow the link below.

http://ourhealthydesire.wordpress.com/

I like crafts, my first craft blog

One thing you probably don’t know about me, unless you are one of like four people in my life, I love crafts!  This sounds weird I know, I’m still the same guy that loves sports, good beer, food, rock music and video games, but I love a little hands on project.  So this week I am going to start a hopefully weekly blog post on cheap craft projects that I have either previously done, or a step by step through one I am doing now.  So for our first craft, lets look at a little wall decoration.

Yes, like the flower… (TULIP pt 2 of 6)

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no on does good, not even one.  Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  Romans 3: 10b-18

Yes like the flower… (TULIP pt 1 of 6)

TULIP, does that ring a bell to any of you? It probably isn’t the first thing you think about when you wake up or the last thing you pray about before you go to bed, at least for most of you. This past week it has been for me, weird I know. The idea and belief system behind TULIP has been monumental in my walk with Christ, and how I view christianity in the world around me. Though I will say its been a progressive line of thinking, like all of our christian walks with faith. We take steps, sometimes baby steps, and sometimes steps in the wrong direction, but none the less we take steps. TULIP is no different, it needs to be taken in steps, but taken none the less.

Waste Land and its lasting impact on my life

Two weekends ago I attended the True/False film festival in Columbia Missouri, I love films so this is a natural treat for me and thousands of others in Columbia.  The True/False film festival is comprised of documentary films, some of them advocates for social justice, some of them telling a cute and funny story, others are on everyday life that we just don’t see.  Amongst all the great films that I saw, and some that I didn’t but heard were great one stuck out to me more than the rest.  If you are one of my friends or saw me at all that weekend, you know which film I am about to mention, Waste Land by Lucy Walker.  This film was more than just creatively done, beautifully captured with a well told story, it was convicting.

Give us this day our daily bread

Uncertainty, the unknown, darkness, anxiety, confusion, unpredictability, vagueness, wonder, worry.  All words we associate with our future, all words we associate with how we live our daily lives.  I don’t know one person in my life who doesn’t think about their future and one of these words pops up in their thoughts or in their situation.  I know this is the case for me, just ask some of my closest friends, I get anxious about whether I am in the right line for a film at True/False or whether I am driving too fast on my way to L’abri, sometimes I feel like some of these words never escape me, and I know I’m not alone.

My time with support raising

Sometimes it’s hard to understand what support raising is and the function that it holds with christian ministries.  For those of you who don’t know what support raising is let me explain a little.  Support raising is, well, fundraising in some senses, done by lots of christian ministries for certain activities or events.  For instance some missionaries who are traveling to another country to help with a christian ministry are asked to raise support before they go, other ministries like those on college campuses, inner city youth programs or other non-profit ministries ask their staff members to raise support.  The actual task of raising support goes something like this;

Ah, the good ole days

Since graduating from the University, and moving on to ‘life’ I have realized that I miss a lot of the things that I did while in college.  It seemed like I had more time to do random things, like going on camping trips before the semester starts with two of my good friends.  I guess one thing that hinders these wonderful trips is the fact that I am in the City of Kansas and not Columbia where everyone else is that would be able to adventure with me.  All my friends, though they are good ones, in KC are in one of the following; a.) Grad school, Law or MBA, b.) Full-time job, c.) too cool for school.  Though i probably shouldn’t be able to go on these trips I really want to, and I miss them.  This comes up after I found my photos on my camera from my glorious adventure to Minnesota/Canada.  Well it would have been Canada if Jeff and I wouldn’t have forgotten our passports and Patrick would go back on his vow never to leave America.  I also came across Jeff’s blog about his year in review and it made me think about mine.

Glorious as it is, it feels good to say, I can’t do that now, Im an adult.  But am I really?  Im not so sure I would classify myself there yet, let me get a few more dollars under my belt and I will classify myself there.  Anyways, enjoy the pics of our trip, and the good ole days.