School Time again

Wow, my school has started and what a week! I have been allowed to enroll in two online classes this semester and it is so cool. I am so jacked up to be studying like this again. God has blessed me with a way to work out a schedule and I am really diggin' it. Wednesday this week was awesome at youth group. We had a most worshipful service and we had a good size group. We talked about Peter and the fact that he made many mistakes in his day, even as a disciple of Christ. And what is cool is when he made these mistakes, Jesus didn't start yelling at him and threatening him. He calmly, as probably only Jesus could do, would take Peter's mistakes as opportunity to TEACH, Peter. Hmmmmmmm, maybe in our efforts to become more Christlike, we could show some of the same response. We all have friends that we are working with and sometimes they frustrate us because they doubt the credibility of what we have in Jesus. So maybe we need to take heed and try to think of them as Peterlike, and give them a real Christlike response. After all, the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. :)
Peace
Wayne

Friday Already!!

Man you guys, I really am trying to be punctual with these. I read a post by someone the other day that seemed to question another person's Godliness. It read as if there was some frustration on behalf of something that this person in question didn't understand. I know clear as mud right? Anyway let me put it this way....it is easy and dangerous to cast judgement on someone just because of their moment of frustration. We all know that when we are held responsible for events or even just certain activities in our daily life we like to think we know what is going on. The frustration this person could have been feeling was most likely because of their lack of being in the know of a situation that they should have been in the know of. See when someone is held responsible for something, they will be the one questioned in times of uncertainty. To judge someone as being in it for themselves and not for God is really kind of harsh. We need to be careful, and understanding in those times because the Bible is clear that the way we judge others is the way we will be judged. It reminds me of a scripture found in that same chapter.....Matthew 7 verse 3 says " and why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own." Jesus is pointing out that the minute we become judging like that over something we really know nothing about, we become the bigger problem. We cast a negative spin on the situation, sometimes with disgust, (as seemed to be in the post), when we really need to be discerning instead. Discerning would be to try and figure out why that person was seemingly upset or at least trying to understand the person and their position in the situation. So we need to be careful with the way we present our concern of others when we don't understand there actions. Then maybe the best thing to do would be to go to them and ask them straight up instead of writing a blog or a live journal about them. Afterall, even Jesus himself showed some disgust when he cleared the temple, but I would be willing to say that there was absolutely no change in his Godliness. :)

Peace

Wayne

Wow, I'm slackin'

Wow I can't believe I haven't done a post since last Sunday! I am 0 for August! That's terrible! Well I gotta tell ya, I have been busy with Hoops for Christ. It was an awesome day of basketball and God was there. We had the chance to share the wonders of God on more than one occassion. Best of all, all of the teams except one were unchurched individuals. What an outreach tool! The group Kaleo was an inspiration also with testimonies of God's prevenient grace. I have to admit, I don't know if anyone reads these and sorta had that feeling of why bother, but even if no one reads these it is good for my soul. See even when no one would listen to Jesus and even when He was totally exhausted, He still went through with the ultimate sacrifice of giving His life for our sin. He could have said at any time, God I don't want to anymore, take me home. There is a song that says "He could have called, ten thousand angels, but He died alone for you and me. So in my efforts to be Christlike, I will continue to express myself in this fashion, believing that somewhere, someone, will be able to get some good from it.

God loves US!

Wayne

A Way Out

Had a great jam session with my man Jordan and his buddy from St.Louis. It was fun playing drums hard and loud again. We even had the neighbor come and ask us to turn it down. WAY COOL MAN!! Thanks Jordman, we have to do it again! Anyhow in a prayer group I am in my friend brought up that sometimes things are tough and you just don't know how you are going to fair. You want to stay firm in the faith and trust God, but you just feel tired. He then mentioned that his verse in times like these is 1 Corinthians 10:13. It says "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." Such an awesome promise! To know, as a believer in Christ, that God will see to it that we never get more than we can handle. BUT, even more exciting is when these times come up and we are realing with worry, we can take a moment and know that SOMEWHERE, there is a way out. Says so right there in His Word! That is soooo COOL! So know that if you are struggling with something right now, and you know Jesus as your personal savior, that there is a way out. He promises that to us as in the verse. Comforting news in hard times if you ask me.

Keep trusting in Him, and know that He is watching over you and will always provide you a way out!

Peace,
Wayne