all or nothing

Samson was a man who was dedicated to God by his parents from the time of his birth but who did not dedicate himself to God. He was infatuated with women who often led him astray. He was a Jew who decided to marry someone outside of his own people against the wishes of his family. And during his marriage celebration he told a riddle and then got scammed by his wife who told the answer to the crowd so that Samson lost his cool. Anyways, she was killed later and Samson went to a prostitute, and then married a woman named Delilah.
Delilah was a piece of work! A crazy, manipulative woman. She was asked by the enemy to forsake her husband for some money. So she asked Samson how he could be overpowered… Samson fed her a line, she took it, and then she tested him. She tied him up after he had fallen asleep, and yelled, “The enemy is upon you!” Samson woke up a broke the ropes like they were nothing. She began to pout in order to find out the correct “kryptonite” for Samson’s power.
This same scene was played out three different times and Samson gave Delilah three different answers. After the third time she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is. It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death. [17] So he told her all that was in his heart…”
I believe that this story is played out every day in our relationship with God. I feed God a line, and he test it, and finds out that I am not being truthful, until He finally asks, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me?”
God does not want our words, or our lines, nor does he want our actions. He wants our hearts. All of them! He wants every nook and cranny, the best of it and the worst of it, the brightest spots and the darkest corners. God wants all (every part) of us, and wants us to share all that is in our heart.
Have you dedicated yourself to God? Have you given all of yourself to Him?

Liz Graduated!!!!!!!

Well it has been a long road. Six years ago from tomorrow, Liz and I started dating with the expectation that she would be attending pharmacy school. And for those six years I have been looking forward to the day where she would walk across the stage and receive her degree. It happened last week on Wednesday when she was hooded as a Doctor of Pharmacy, and climaxed Friday when she walked across the stage at the Colonial Center along with 1100 other graduates. I was blown away! I was emotional! Feelings of happiness and joy… feelings of unbelief and amazement… and feelings of sadness all going through my head simultaneously.

I was happy because she had completed what she had set out to do, and there was a deep satisfaction knowing that I have been privileged to walk along with her on this journey. I was incredibly proud of my wife, who was awarded with an academic achievement award from the drug company, Merck and graduated Suma Cum Laude. I could not believe that six long years had passed so quickly. I look back and remember the day we first kissed and the day she said “I do.” I remember the countless nights of watching her study and I can’t believe that her college career has come to a conclusion. And then I was sad for some reason that I still do not understand. Maybe because I am going to miss what we have done or the life that we have lived over the past six years. Or maybe because I now realize that our lives will be taking a radical change over the next few months. Or maybe because I am going to miss Columbia in some weird way. I am not sure, but there was a sense of heartache as I watched her shake the hands of the deans on the jumbo-tron.

But the overwhelming feelings are of contentment; with Liz, with the past six years, and with how our time has been spent. And then of anticipation with the great unknown that lies ahead of us. I can’t wait for the next few chapters of our life to be written by the Hand of my God. I hope the next six are as exciting and full as these. We look forward to letting you know.

my thoughts exactly

"The LAST THING I want our church to be is NORMAL! I’m begging God to do the UNEXPLAINABLE and the UNDENIABLE so HIS church will become UNSTOPPABLE!"

"When we make 'normal' and 'average' our goal…the Kingdom loses and hell becomes more crowded!!!"

http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/05/03/sunday-night-reflections-97/

Perry Noble, Pastor Newspring Community Church (http://www.perrynoble.com/)

insights from a high schooler

This fall I was substitute teaching for a science teacher at a private school in Columbia, SC. I looked over at the board at the end of class and was astounded at the wisdom I saw in the frustrations of a high-school junior.

This statement is a true picture of our society and the world which we live in; where people are satisfied with the status quo, the short standard, and normality. Where people are living for happiness’ sake, to obtain what they can, to build mansions, to store treasure, and to maximize their pleasure. The people in our world have a lack of purpose; if you don’t believe me, ask yourself why suicide is becoming the #1 cause of death around the world for people between 16-25 years old.
If all this life has to offer me are the things I can see and feel… I am ready for this life to be over. There has to be something more to live for than our normal lives, than amassing things. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So if all I have to live for is on earth, I am of all men to be most pitied.
There is a purpose much greater than yourself or anything you can imagine.
Jesus so clearly calls us out of the normal life, into a world where anything is possible with Jesus living in us. He calls us into a new life of being a radical, which comes from the Latin word meaning to get back to the root of things. Christ calls us to be radicals, not for the sake of rebelling, but to show a life worth living for a Greater purpose; rebels against religion, fighting for the sake of radical relationship with the Savior of the world.
Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we would walk in them.” In other words, God spent an eternity dreaming up an amazing life for you to live, better than you could ever imagine, more fulfilling than any other, if you are only ready to step out of the comfort of normalcy.
I am ready for something other than the “American dream”. God show me the life that you have been dreaming of for me to live so that You might get the glory.

unanswered prayer???

In one of Garth Brook’s well known songs, he says that “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” Although this is a great song, it is just not true. For a prayer to remain unanswered would mean that God either does not hear us or is ignoring us, both of which would go against the character and promises of God.
Every prayer is answered with one of three responses; “yes”, “no”, and “not now”. As many of you know, my car has been in the shop for 11 months (yes eleven). And I have been praying for this to come to an end. But for some reason that I cannot understand, God answered with a “not yet”. Well this week God has changed His answer from a “Not now” to a “Yes”.
There is a saying, “God is not always on time, but He is never late.” God tells us in scripture, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
No matter how sincere a prayer might be, God knows what is best for us, but most importantly He knows what is best for Him.
If God doesn’t answer your prayer the way you wanted Him to, is that ok with you? Are you satisfied with just having God? Or must God answer your prayers the way you want, in order to be on your good list?
God is so good. “Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be His counselor? And who could ever give Him so much that He would have to pay it back? For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory. To Him be glory evermore. Amen.”

why i love vacation

this is what i did las week and why you have not heard from me in a week. last week i was at the beach with almost all of my family... 16 of them to be exact.

i am back and will let you know whats going on in our life. but for now, here are a couple pics from the week.

SC needs more...

There are close to 4.5 million people in the state of South Carolina, which seems to be a lot until I tell you that we have more deer in the state of SC than we have people. Out of the 4.5 million people in SC, about 35% of those people attend church and only 25% are followers of Christ. I don’t know how that makes you feel, but it overwhelms me. As I think about it I feel like my chest has someone sitting on it.
Church planters say that in order to reach the remaining 75% of the people in SC, we would need just over 3,000 churches and would need to spend nearly $74 billion. Yes that is what a “B”. The former number is doable and should be a goal for us. But the latter number of $74 billion needed to plant the churches is all but impossible.
Besides making my chest pound and hurt, what does this mean for us? And what does it mean for the church?
It means that we must take a hard look at what the biblical church really is. Church is not necessarily a multi-million dollar building, or a pastor with a 6 figure income, it does not mean Easter and Christmas musicals, or youth group ski trips, senior adult ministries, or anything else that the church has gotten caught up with in the past 60 years.
The church should go back to the biblical roots of the early church and should return to scripture as its authority. This means it might forsake the building, get rid of the seminary trained pastor, meet in someone’s house, and be under 20 people in attendance. But although the church would look radically different from the outside, at its core it should be very similar. Jesus would be its core.
In essence we need more churches, but don’t have the $74 billion that it would take. We must press forward to plant more, we must put the leadership into the hands of people who are faithful, whether they are qualified or not, then move on and restart the process.
What do you think about this?