Painting

Tonight was fun. I got to go help a friend paint and finish touching up their house before they move! I like painting. It shows progress. You start with one thing, and end with another. And at the end, I can look back at the wall and show progress.


That's how I think our walk with Jesus should be. Don't just be a blank wall. Once you begin your new life in Christ, paint your walls! Start putting your faith into action! James says that faith without works is dead. (Bible book, not Gilbert. Well, I guess Gilbert said that too...) We are meant to live our faith, not be content with just sitting around believing. Even the demons believe, and tremble! And if our faith is on the same level as the demons, what good is it?


That was just for free. No cost to you, the reader.


Anyways, today was interesting. I was so stinking tired this morning, for no apparent reason. History was cool, we talked about the Reformation and Martin Luther. How one man, by the will of God, started questioning what he was being taught. That's amazing. God gives us the intellegence to question something we don't believe in. Yet we can find strength in His all-surpassing love. 

Am I that bad of a person? That's a theological question. Short answer, yes. I am a wretched sinner not worthy of the love of Jesus. Yet God, by His love, sent His Son to die for me, the wretched sinner. Now I have the amazing ability to hopelessly devote my life to following Him. And the best part of it is, I am terrible at it. But His grace is sufficient for that. When I fall, which I do often, He picks me up and sets me straight. And I'm gonna be honest, I fall a lot. But I've noticed something. I've become a little more knowledgeable about the Bible recently. Like, idk. It's easier for me to put my theological thoughts down and know the verses to back them up. I pray this continues!


I'm so ADD, lol, Facebook distracted me for like, 10 minutes. I could have already had this posted. 


Oh well. Passage tonight, instead of verse.



What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 
(James 2:14-20 ESV)

-Justin

It's been a couple of days

Since I last posted. But I have been pretty busy thought. Friday and Saturday we were setting up and taking pictures for the Upward Basketball Ministry at our church, and that was quite an adventure! I'm still trying to catch up on sleep from the weekend. I have work tonight, and I am sure you can tell how excited I am about that. Lol. Anyways.


I guess I have trouble understanding people sometimes. And my actions towards them aren't reflective of how they want me to act. That's my problem. I misinterpret how my friends want me to act sometimes. It's hard to have a turning point in your relationship with someone, and expect things to be roses and sunshine. I'm not sure what to do.


That was for free. Anyway, James debriefed us on his Haiti mission trip he took at the beginning of the year, and it got me so fired up for Italy! It's going to be so amazing to see God work through us. I know He will. 


This post has been sporadic. I'm gonna leave it and post again after work.



Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 
(Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)


-Justin

Sanctuary

That's the name of a song we played in band in high school. It's slow, and long. It's 10 minutes. But if you make it through, it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. I'll post a link to a video. Just listen to the audio as you read my blog. It's so stinking amazing.







Anyway, there's a theological side to this too, kinda. 


This song brings to mind like, rest. Well, most of it. It gets loud around 5-7 minutes. But most of it is calm, and pretty. It makes you feel at peace. When life is turmoil, as it often is, Jesus is there to give us rest. 


"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28


Jesus has rest. No matter what you go through, no matter how heavy your burden, give it to Him and find rest in his arms. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.


It's just comforting to know the Lord of creation has the power to take my burden and ease it. If only I ask.


Tomorrow is scuba! Words cannot describe how stinking excited I am! I just have to get through an hour of math first. But I know it will be worth it! Then I'm borrowing my friend Blake's longboard for the weekend, gonna spend some time learning to determine if I want to invest in one of my own.


Anyways, that's all for now. The song still has about 2 minutes left by my clock. No telling where it is for you guys as you read. It's awesome. I would thoroughly suggest listening to the whole thing. Just switch tabs from my blog to something else. 


Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 


Rest sounds pretty good.



Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” 
(Joshua 1:9 ESV)


-Justin

I almost didn't post tonight.

But, I decided it was worth it. I was gonna do another music/sermon post, but I will hold off on that one. Tomorrow is worship band practice so there should be some inspiration there. Hopefully.


I just feel kinda blah. That's all, really. And I don't know why.


Well, for one thing, I've kinda reached a lull in my fundraising for Italy. I know it's 6 months away, but to me, that doesn't seem like enough time to raise the rest of my money for it. God has blessed me so much already, I just, grow impatient. It's a virtue, patience. And I'm not that good at it. But, I'm learning. A little more each day.


I think one thing that is kinda bugging me, is that I miss my friends. I mean, I graduated high school and have made so many new friends in college. But, looking back over my childhood and teenage years, I had some amazing friends in my life. Now they are all over creation, and I miss them.


I think I'm just so afraid that we will never talk to each other again. And I know that isn't true, just, it is disheartening. 


Not really sure where this post was going. It's kinda all over the place.


If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5)


-Justin

...And we will have medication and counseling in the back, for those who need it.

My government professor said that today. It made me laugh. He has a very dry humor and is not afraid to speak his mind, regardless of who he offends in the process.

Anyways, today was a good day. We talked about arguing in English, and it was pretty interesting. Then had lunch with some of my friends from marching band, definitely was fun to catch up with those guys! I'm kinda debating on what to do next fall, be it find a job as a percussion tech at a high school, or continue marching band at UTA. We will see!

Tomorrow lies ahead, and I have math (ugh) and history. And I'm gonna go run. My goal is to get in pretty good shape before we go to Destin again this summer. Because I kinda want a beach body. I mean, why not? Being in shape can't be bad for you.

Also, I played racquetball today! It was so stinking fun! I'm not good, but that's ok.

The plan for tonight was to just give an "average" blog post. Nothing too theological. Just some random gibberish.

I'm gonna wrap this up, get a shower, then go get gas and come home and play Xbox. Sounds fun!


So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
(1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)

Whatever you do.

-Justin

Just some thoughts

That's all this is.

There's one thing that I've been thinking about lately. I don't want to die now. Now, I know that thought isn't Biblical, because the Apostle Paul said that "To live is Christ, and to die is gain." And I agree with that. To live on this earth, for a follower of Jesus, is to be a shining light of His great, all-encompassing love. To die for His name, even better. Because then the wait to join Him will be over. So you may be asking, well, Justin, why do you not want to die? And I will answer you that question, right now. Not later.

I don't want to die right now, because I know I will stand before a Holy and Perfect God and be judged for my life on this Earth. And I want Him to look at me and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I'm so terrified that because my priorities in life have been so jacked up, that God will say to me, "Well, Justin, I put these people in your life for you to witness to . Share my love to, and be an example to. And you didn't do that, because you let your personal vendetta get in the way." 

I know my theology isn't nearly as good as some people I know, and I just pray that God works through me and grows me in Spiritual wisdom, and opens my eyes to see the opportunities I have been given. That's why I'm so pumped about my trip to Italy. I get to do the work of God. For real. Not just talk about how much I want to. I get to do it, live it, preach it. 

I love spell check. It really helps. Opportunities always has a red squiggly line under it when I type it.

That was off topic, lol. Anyway, I didn't want this post to be a downer. But, life requires that sometimes.

Some David Crowder always does the heart and mind good. Here's my favorite video by him, and a song that truly, truly is a prayer. 

"Shine Your light so all can see it, lift it up, 'cause the whole world needs it. Love has come, what joy to hear it. He has overcome, He has overcome."

A verse, and I'm done. 

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

(Matthew 6:34 ESV)

Don't worry about tomorrow, because you may not make it through today. Just get through today, and let tomorrow worry about itself.

I promise God will do what He wants with tomorrow.

-Justin

Grilled Cheese and Chicken Noodle Soup

That, my friends, is what I had for lunch. And let me tell you, it was delicious.

This will be a pretty short post, because I'm tired. School is at 9:00 tomorrow, which is early. For a college kid at least.

I'm actually laying in bed, not sure what to type. It's just a blank kind of feeling.

We talked in church today about stewardship. Tim, my bible study leader and family friend, used the parable of a rich man who gave three of his servants each some of his money, according to their abilities. One received 10 talents, or 10 days wages. One received 5, and one received 1. The first two invested their talents, and were returned double their original investments. The third, for fear of doing the wrong thing with his master's money, went and buried it in a field, until the master called all of the servants together. To the two who increased, he congratulated them and threw a feast for them. To the other, he shamed him and cursed his name.

What do we learn from this? God has entrusted us with his word, and we are to go out and invest it and bring back the results. Seems relatively straightforward. Our class used the reference to money in this story to parallel with modern day, because money is easy to relate to.

However, I saw something different. Sometimes, we go to invest the Word into someone who is lost without it, and don't get to see our return on investment. In talking to my "rep" from Global Expeditions about my Italy trip this summer, he told me that this trip won't be like the "average" mission trip where the Gospel is preached, and hundreds get saved. He said, "Don't lose heart, but God may only work visibly through one or two people in that week you're there." But I can walk away knowing I invested into someone's life.

"He who began a good work in you, will see it through to completion." I may not see the end result, but I know that the foundation I helped build through the work of God, is the first step.

Scriptures for today. Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:25; Luke 14:26-33 ESV)

Just some good stuff. We are called to renounce everything we have, to hopelessly devote ourselves to the One that provides for our every need.

-Justin

Insert witty blog post here

So, today has been eventful. I'm just gonna walk through it.

This mornin', I woke up and went to Ally's competition at the Convention Center downtown. Got to watch her level two and level three teams from on the floor through the lens of a McNeill Images camera. Yay! That was fun. Their routine ended with the whole team and the parents having some doubts about how the girls did. But the awards came through and we won! Yay! Oh, and I parked on literally the opposite end of downtown, so I for sure got some walking in today.

Alrighty, then I went home, almost dozed off watching Mythbusters before work, and then headed to work. Tonight was pretty slow, which I didn't mind a bit. Now I'm home, gonna finish getting this post, well, posted, get a shower and play some Call of Duty before it gets too late or I fall asleep in the middle of a game.

Just some thoughts. I like leftover steak from Texas Roadhouse, despite it being leftovers. Inception is best enjoyed in relative quiet, not in the loud of a cheerleading competition. Jack Nicholson plays a darn good Joker in Batman. Almost as good as Heath Ledger.

A verse or two or a lot. One of my favorite passages. "Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” "
-Matthew 8:18-22

Jesus said the costs of following him were radical. But that is the kind of faith we need to have. I sure am not there yet. Jesus asked his disciples to know they weren't guarunteed a place to sleep every night, to leave their jobs, families, friends, all of it behind to follow their radical faith. We are still exxpected to do the same thing. Understanding the cost of following Jesus is not just being in the pew Sunday mornings. We need to be hopelessly devoted to our God. The road to salvation is perilous and overwhelming at times. But the reward at the end of the road is more wild than we could ever have imagined. So, yeah!

Stay frosty!
-Justin

Was gonna title this something creative, but oh well. Day the third.

Hahaha, that stinks. I had sat with my cursor on the title for this post for a good 6 minutes. Nothing. Oh well.

Today was good. Math at UTA is dumb. I don't even need math in my like, career desires. Anything I could possibly want to be, doesn't require how to find the radians of a circle, using pi and degrees. Dumb math. But, my day was miraculously better once I got to Scuba. Self-contained-underwater-breathing-apparatus. Scuba. Anyway, just talking about all the fun stuff we are gonna do brightened my day. Then after that I went to Lone Star Scuba shop to buy my own boots, mask, fins, snorkel, and logbook for my dives. I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!

Ally, mom and dad get to wake up early tomorrow for her competition. I will get to the convention center a good couple of hours after she has to be there, just to sit and watch her perform and stay for the awards, maybe. Anyways, it's cool to see her and her friends get fired up about their cheerleading. Lord knows, I'd pull a hammy doing that junk.

Today was a short post. But, a verse it still needs. Also, I'm debating on labeling my blog posts, but I don't think I am comprehensive enough on one subject for it to need a tag. 

Anyway, my verses: James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

Good stuff. 

-Justin

Day the second

I probably won't start all my posts with Day the ___, but until I get a spark of creativity, that's how it's gonna be. Lol. I say lol a lot in text form. I have yet to get to the point where I speak lol, but I'm sure it's forthcoming.

I kinda wanna start walking through some stuff I would love to preach on, if I ever was called to do that. A series I would do is on some popular and not-so-popular worship songs and where they get their biblical inspiration. Tonight is "Here am I, Send Me" by Matt Papa. He was our worship leader at this amazing youth leadership camp, Super Summer that I went to last summer. Here is a video with his lyrics included. Enjoy!




Matt Papa gets the lyrics of this song from Isaiah 6:1, when Isaiah has a vision of the throne room of God. He falls on his face before his Lord, and is in awe. God calls Isaiah to go to the nations and deliver His message. Isaiah does this, without hesitation. If you have the capacity to go, go!

I like this song, because it is based solidly on what we are called to do as Christians. Once we are a believer, our job is to spread the message of the One who saved us. That's what I want to do in Italy. I have the amazing opportunity this summer to go with a group of students to Milan, to spread the fame of Jesus' name. It's so stinking exciting! I created a Facebook group about it, Justin is going to Italy. Click on the purple letters for more info on it!

Verse(s) of the day: Romans 11:33-36 ESV

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.


-Justin

Day the first, part two

Well, I thought I was only gonna do one post a day, but today was a two-posted kind of day.

Yay! I have two followers! Mom and Leigh! Which means 3 people read this! Me, mom, and Leigh! Haha.

Tonight at church was amazing. I got to play drums with the youth again, and it felt so good. James, Ben, Travis and I just jammed through like, 6 songs. I missed playing with James, a lot.

Tomorrow lies a new day. The plan is to wake up, at some point, shower, go to English (I think that's what I have tomorrow morning,) and do some English-y things, then go eat lunch with James and hopefully talk about what we want to do as a mentorship. I am so excited!

God works in amazing ways. For sure.

Tonight's verses are good ones. Well, every verse is a good one, but these are pretty cool. I wish I was artistic, because these inspire a vivid picture in my mind.


I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2 ESV)

TTFN, Ta ta for now!

Day the first.

My attempt at blogging. Soon, I want to make this a Vlog, a video blog where I post videos that are basically my narration of a blog post. Maybe I will narrate Shakespeare one day for a Vlog. I better write that down.


Anyway, my goal with this blog is to enlighten you (the reader) on what goes through my mind as the days go by. 


Today, I want to talk about life. 


Life right now is me getting a degree at UTA, preparing my heart and money for a mission trip to Italy this summer, dealing with just, life in general. I'm almost done reading the book Radical: Reclaiming your faith from the American Dream. It has challenged a lot of things I believed about "church" and has truly been an enlightening read.


Right now on my iTunes as i type, I'm listening to Redemption Day, sung by Johnny Cash. The chorus sings, "There is a train that's heading straight to Heaven's gate, to Heaven's gate. And on the way, child and man and woman wait. Watch and wait for Redemption Day." It's a good song.




Anyways, this is just the first post of many, so there you go


Also, I hope to put a verse that is on my heart in each post. Today's verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."