Las Vegas

I am sitting in the Las Vegas airport, waiting for my flight back to Orange County.  My dad was on business out here, so my brothers and I flew out yesterday morning to spend the last day with him.  We just relaxed by the pool, ate great food, and saw Spamalot! The Musical.  The show was hilarious!  

Even though we had a good time, I could not help but notice the emptiness that was so apparent everywhere I looked: from billboards to hotel facades, casinos to the massive Barry Manilow picture on the side of the hotel that flashed his fake smile over the city.  The cries of emptiness and pain were evident amidst the glitter and lights. 

This reminded me not only of the pain and brokenness of the world, but also of how we, as Christians, can fall into the same trap of fake lives, building facades so that we look "Christian" on the outside. We can do all the right things, say all the right words, and pray all the right prayers.  

Jesus addresses this in Matthew 23:27-28.  In talking to the Pharisees and religious leaders, he says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."    

These were the words in my mind as I walked down the Las Vegas strip.  These are the words I hear when I notice that I have fallen into Pharisaical living--"righteous" on the outside, but an unclean heart on the inside.  

I hope and pray that we all seek authenticity in how we live. I don't mean to give an exhortation to act rude, mean, and cold if that is what we are on the inside.  Rather, let us have a sober mind about how we act as Christians:  talk to God about your heart condition, ask others to pray for you, and seek the transformation of your heart.  The Holy Spirit will change us from the inside out.  

May our hearts be the focus, not the outward appearance, for the Bible says, "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man." (Proverbs 27:19)  God is concerned with our heart, not the glitz and glam of our outward appearance, no matter how bright and attractive it may be. 

I'm A Youth Pastor?!

After a long interview process of a couple of months, I have been offered the position of Youth Pastor at Pacific Church of Irvine!  I start this Sunday!  I am so excited!!!  God has definitely been guiding this process, and I cannot wait to embark on this journey.  

May the Lord guide me...

The Storm Before the Calm

The current weather is so indicative of this week of finals for me.  It was a flood of craziness, a rain of stress, disconnect, and gloom.  I'm not bring dramatic, I actually feel like it was a storm spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.  However, I see the storm subsiding and the calm arriving.  Oh, summer!  

I Am Officially Done with the Semester!!!

I finished my last final!

Now I just have to wait until Monday to go home.

Motivated by the Kingdom

My last post, which was written a couple hours ago, ended hopeless.

However, I sucked it up and started studying for Jesus' Life and Ministry.

It was an amazing experience.

I was blessed by the way that Jesus brought the Kingdom in his ministry.

Everything he did focused on how he fulfilled what Israel could not.

He was the righteous remnant of one. 

His baptism was representative of the crossing of the Red Sea.

His 40 days in the wilderness was void of complaining, idolatry, and testing God.

His death was on behalf of the world, and his resurrection gives life to all!

It is wonderful how God uses his Word to bring us out of apathy and into joy.

I was surprised at the change of heart I experienced through studying for a final.

We ought to look at how God uses the ordinary for us to experience the extraordinary! 

Brain. Dead.

I finished my John final!

I had to write EVERYTHING I knew on the Gospel.

We could use our laptops, which was nice.

It ended up being 4 1/2 pages single-spaced.

My brain is fried.

One more final:

Jesus Life and Ministry @ 5:00pm.

Where hast thou motivation gonneth?

I Love Lists on Blogs!

Okay, so I realized that I love doing blog entries with lists in them.  They look cool and are easy to read (and write).  Plus, I love lists in the first place.  It must be my type-A personality.  Anyway, this is my list on my thoughts and what is going on this week. 

• Just two more finals left!  I cannot wait for this to be over.  However, finals were pretty easy this semester.  No more than one thing a day.  
• I found a new awesome place on campus.  I'll probably blog on it later.  It's just a shame that I found it so late.
• New favorite thing: washable crayons for wall art!  Very childish, I know, but awesome for studying for tests and preparing for sermons.  My dorm wall is currently covered in brainstorms on John 3-4.  The only downside (or sometimes upside!) is that the other guys on the hall can get a hold of them and write messages in unexpected places in your room.  
• I am excited to be home in my own room.  There is just something about having your own place that makes me feel centered.  Books, art, plants, and candles-- my escape! 
• There is a sweet European band called Alphabeat that is amazing!  Watch their music video, "Fascination."  It rocks! 
• God is the God of the ordinary.  He uses ordinary people, places, and things to show and teach us extraordinary things.  
• I am going to Las Vegas next Friday with my brothers.  We are flying out for a night to meet our Dad, who will be there for business.  We will be seeing Spamalot! the Monty Python Musical.  It should be a cool time of relaxation and fun.
• Summer classes I'm taking: New Testament Theology independent study with my greek professor, Dr. Yoshikawa.  I am really excited for this!  I will also be taking Political Science and Social Problems online through Saddleback College.  Should be pretty easy. 
• Still looking for a job.  Waiting on a call from the church about the youth pastor job.  Trusting God's provision and greater plan in whatever happens. 
• I saw my brother's musical, Into the Woods on Saturday.  He played Jack from Jack and the bean stock.  He did awesome! Go Jordie!
• Why is it so hard to receive grace over trying to earn it?
• I may get straight A's...or close to it. Crazy!
• God is Good!

Failed All-Nighter

About a week or so ago, my ever-so-awesome roommate, Steve Salisbury, and I had a 10-page paper due the following morning and neither of us had started.  

Being the end of our third year at Biola, we realized that neither one of us had ever pulled an all-nighter.  You see, we are the kind of guys who go to bed early to get up early.  1:00am is usually our quitting point, no matter where we are on an assignment. 

But this night was going to be different.  We were going to attempt the impossible: Stay up all night!  Then go to Denny's at 6:00am to celebrate before 8:00am when our papers were due!

We were stoaked!  We documented the night hour by hour:

10:51pm

12:28am

1:44am

4:01am

SLEEP!

So much for our all-nighter...

Drained.

I am so tired.

Not only physically, but emotionally, spiritually, and socially.

I want Jesus.

I want to hear his voice say, 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-burdened ...

and I will give you rest."

Yes, rest. 

How beautiful that sounds.

Rest from the fast-paced,

paper-to-paper,

person-to-person,

email-to-email

craziness we call life.

There is so much more than this.

There is so much more than 

grades.

Papers.

Finals.

Jobs.

Money.

I just want Jesus. 

Grace for a Slob

This is what I look like today.

Greasy, unwashed hair.

Stubble.

Twice-worn, coffee-stained t-shirt.

Faded sweatshirt with bleach stains.

Oh, and I didn't brush me teeth for the first few hours in public. 

I say all this, not to be dramatic or materialistic (which I probably am). 

I'm not about to say,"I know I don't look good, so don't judge me!"

I'm not intentionally dressing down to look cool either. 

I bring this up because as I saw what I looked like and thought, "I am a slob!"

Not only in my appearance, but also in my heart. And mind.

But regardless, God loves me and chooses to work in and through a slob.

In working through the book of Numbers for Old Testament Theology,

I have noticed the same idea.

Numbers could also be called "The Suckiness of Israel"

That's all the book is: an account of the ways that Israel failed to obey God.

The God who saved them out of Egypt!

But God still worked in and through them.

He kept his word to bring them to the promised land!

He keeps his word to us.

He gives us grace, even though we suck.

I'm a slob.

And I still receive grace. 

Praise the Lord!