Guatemala: First Mission Trip

So, Kristen and I have been blessed with the opportunity to go to Guatemala. This will be her third time visiting with the people of Guatemala, and my first time ever leaving the United States. I am extremely excited to go and help people in need and share Jesus with people who need Him. I have always had a heart to share Jesus with people abroad, but have never had the opportunity to go. Planning this trip has been filled with lessons and blessings from God.

As you may well know, mission trips are very costly. At first, Kristen and I were both pretty overwhelmed with the cost of it all. She was invited to go, and so I told her I would help her raise the money that she needed. We set up a website, and made a few Facebook banners, and spent a lot of time creating the video that you see above. At first the response was pretty slow, but we both continued to trust God. Many of the sermons and discussions that were going on at our home church were about abiding in God and trusting in Him despite overwhelming circumstances. I was invited to lead worship at Full Gospel for a few nights, and the guest speaker invited Kristen to come speak at his church. Long story short, over the next few days, God provided enough money for not only Kristen but for both of us to go.

Since that time we have both been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people that we have come into contact with. We are taking about 4 full duffel bags full of donated clothing, all which will be a huge blessing to the people that we are going to minister to. We have purchased a few soccer balls which we are going to bring and hand out to kids. Our hope is that they see our love and know that it is only from God. Please pray for the trip! We want to have a lasting impact on the people of Guatemala. I plan on making a few posts about the trip, if for nothing else but to have it as a keepsake. Kristen and I appreciate all of the support and prayers!

I Am

I am a Christian.

Simply put, this means that I have recognized in myself a void that I cannot fill, a problem that I cannot fix, and an evil that I cannot make good. I have seen Truth, and have come into contact with Goodness, and I have found myself lacking. In my dismay, I have turned to the very source of Truth and Goodness and have found there a Savior, Jesus Christ. The very definition of a Savior is one who saves or rescues someone from danger. I was in danger of a life lived in vain, and an eternity spent in agonizing remembrance of it. I was a criminal living in a lifestyle of sin, bound for judgment when He found me. My search for Him led me to realize that it was Him who was searching for me the whole time. He found me, and he plucked me out of my low position. He took those very things that I lacked upon himself and has given me access again to the Creator, who has filled the void that was inside of me. As the songwriter says:

 “I once was lost, but now am found… was blind, but now I see.”

It is with this newfound vision that I see the world with. What I see is alarming, scary, and overwhelming. It is a society who is quickly making it their sole purpose to negate the very experience that I had with Truth. It is a society that seeks to persuade the world that Truth is relative, and that what one person feels is right is right for them, and what I feel is right is right for me. As soon as I, or people like me, raise their hand and stand against that logic, we are met with cries of ignorance, close-mindedness, and religious zealotry.

A zealot? A zealot is defined as “a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.” I will gladly take this definition upon myself. I am zealous! I am zealous, because I have cause to be. There has been a change inside of me, and I must share it with the world. I must tell the world that I was far away from God, but Jesus brought me near. I was broken, and even as a church boy, the worst of all sinners, but Grace found me and saved me.

Now, in light of recent political events, I feel compelled to share what I believe to be true from the Word of God.

I will not stand and say that homosexuality is right. I have judged it against the Truth and found that it is not. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Leviticus 18:22) But, I will love the homosexual, and recognize that their sin is not different from my own. They are in need of a Savior, just as I was.

In the same manner, I will not condone the pastor that preaches the Word on Sunday, and is addicted to pornography the rest of the week (Matthew 5:28). I will not say that abortion is acceptable, when the Bible declares multiple times over multiple people that even while they were in their mother’s womb they were called and set apart for good works. (Isaiah 49:1, 5, Jeremiah 1:4-5) I will not say that adultery, lying, cheating, stealing, lust, idolatry, wrath, vengeance or any other sinful thing is acceptable, because you have accepted it.

This has nothing to do with my politics, and everything to do with a man who has set me free from quite a few things on that list. I was there, I was in sin. I lived without hope, and without a future. But Jesus found me, and rescued me, and now I will live this life hopelessly abandoned to the cause of telling the homosexual, telling the sinner, telling the hurt and the wounded, that Jesus makes whole. Jesus conquers mistakes and changes selfish lifestyles.

You may be thinking the famous phrase that most people think when they feel convicted or feel as though their lifestyle choices are under attack: “Don’t judge me.” You are likely taking that phrase from Matthew 7:1-2:

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

What you may not know is that word judge comes from the Greek word "Krino" which means to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, or choose. You are absolutely right. I have no right to select or separate you according to your works. That is for God to do. He alone can and will divide the just from the unjust. What I can and will do is judge what is righteous from what is not. (I Corinthians 2:15) I will make no apology for saying that Truth is absolute, that Truth is Jesus Christ. I will make no apology for not giving in and saying that a sinful nature is okay. I am not perfect, I am forgiven and my sinful nature has been transformed. If it can happen for me, it can happen for anyone. I will not go with the flow and be swayed by the forceful wind of a society who tries to use the Truth to justify their continued sinful life.

No. I am a Christian. I have been changed. I have been forgiven and redeemed. I lived in sin once, and have been called out of it and set free from it. Call me a zealot if you wish, but I will not apologize for clinging to the one thing that can soften hearts and change lives. I will not compromise what I believe to satisfy the status quo.

I am a Christian. By my nature I am different. I was far away from God, but Jesus brought me near. He changed my heart, and He can change yours too.

I am thankful

This has been one of the best years of my life, and I am so thankful that God has had His hand of providence always working in my life. Each encounter I have faced this year has come from his goodness and sometimes His correction. I am so thankful that I have a God who knows who I am, who cares where I am, and who guides where I'm going. These are just some of things that He has blessed me with this year.

I am thankful for...

The love of my life... My beautiful girlfriend, Kristen Dawn Palmer. We met for the first time when she was visiting Tennessee with her family. To hear her tell the story, I was quite the charmer... NOT. As we recall it, my first words to her were, “So... you live in Maryland?” Not exactly a cut-to-the-heart one-liner, but at least a conversation was started. We met again in January of this year, and the rest, as they say, is history. There is never a dull moment in our relationship; we are always laughing and have more inside jokes than a mammoth of the north in a bee-goat... (inside joke) There have been mountains to climb, but the cool thing that we are learning is that it is easier to climb a mountain when you have help beside you. She, of course, is learning how to deal with my metaphors about life, mountains, and journeys. Almost ten months together, and we have loved every minute of it, and will continue to on into our future!

A piece of paper... Long in the making... I walked the big stage, and got my Bachelor's of Science in Broadcast Communication. Of course, I wasn't satisfied with it, so now I'm back at the grindstone for two more years trying to hash out a Master's degree. What can I say? I'm a professional student through and through.

An old church... Full Gospel Family Worship Center. Such an awesome place to grow in ministry and to be encouraged to become engaged. Pastor Rickey is an awesome man with such a heart after God. The people of Full Gospel were always gracious and encouraging, and I will never forget my time there. I am thankful that God blessed me with the opportunities to grow in faith and in ministry at Full Gospel.

A new church... Word of Life Outreach. Again such an awesome place to get connected and such an awesome opportunity to minister. Pastor Eli and I have been friends for a long time. There is some debate as to exactly how long that has been, but nevertheless. He has a heart for people and a heart to see people come to know Christ. The people of Word of Life have met Kristen and I with nothing but open arms and love, and for that we are thankful. We are looking forward to getting involved and growing with Word of Life.

A job... I have a job that pays money. I could stop right there having said a mouthful. I have an awesome job with an awesome boss. It's been a great opportunity to expand some of what I already did with school, and a great place to work on people skills! The customer is rarely right, but they don't have to know that!

Family... I am, as always, thankful for my family. They are a soft place to land. I know there is always a place with my family. There is always a word of encouragement, sound advice, and a free meal! Being introduced to much of Kristen's family this year has been awesome. They have all been very warm and inviting, and took me right in. I consider them family too!

Old friends... Of course, I would be remiss without being thankful for all of those friends that have made an impact on my life, and have been my friend regardless of circumstance or situation. You all have shown yourself true friends throughout our friendship and as always I appreciate your counsel, your ear, your conversation, and your friendship.

New Friends... Maybe I'm sappy, but this did something for me. I work at the UPS Store in Clarksville, and we get a lot of print jobs. One particular customer comes in often with watercolor and oil paintings to make copies or get enlargements, so I've kind of gotten to know her. Well, today was a similar situation. She came in with a watercolor and needed some copies made. As I was doing the print job, we struck up a casual conversation about school and her son who was pursuing a Master's degree as well. When I was finished, I handed her the copies and made to the cash register to check her out. She stopped before she paid and said, “I'm going to ask you a crazy question.” I was bracing myself for something overly weird, but she simply said this: “You have helped me several times at this store, and you've made quite an impression on me. I consider you a friend. So, I'm simply wondering if you believe in prayer?” I responded without hesitation. “Yes ma'am, of course I believe in prayer.” She then proceeded to tell me that she had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and that she had been asking as many of her friends as she could to lift her up in prayer. It was very humbling as a young man to have made such an impression on an old painter that she knew that she could ask me to pray for her. So, I'm thankful for my new friend, and I will lift her up in prayer as she starts her battle.


I could go on and on about the many blessings that God has given me with this year. What I am most thankful for is the ability that He has given me to look at circumstances, situations, blessings, and struggles and know that He is in control, and that His hand is always there. I recognize that I am nothing without Him, and that each blessing was only because of Him.

My prayer for this new year, and the rest of my life is that I will always be able to step back from my situation and recognize the goodness of God.

The Final Summit Review

The Final Summit
By: Andy Andrews

The Final Summit for me was a good read, but not a great read. I am very familiar with the work of Andy Andrews, as I have read The Traveler's Gift, as well as the The Noticer and The Butterfly Effect. While The Final Summit was filled with nuggets of wisdom, it lacked the power that was present in The Traveler's Gift that left me, as a reader, feeling like I had walked away with something that I could hold onto.

I found it hard to suspend reality and accept the storyline in this book. A summit of some of the greatest minds in history in order to “save humanity” is a bit of a stretch for me. While I agree with some of the points that were made, I'm not sure I agree with the conclusion; “Do Something.” In its simplicity this answer seems great, but it is lacking the one thing that ultimately has the power to change the human race, and that is Jesus Christ

If there is one point that Mr. Andrews seemed to have missed in his portrayal of the woes that each of the traveler's faced, it is the fact that each of them were aided by a heavenly force in the moment of their greatest test. Each of them obtained help from Gabriel, or Michael, but ULTIMATELY... From God. “Do Something” seems to insinuate that there is something that we can do in and of ourselves that will save us from our sin, or from our situation. This premise simply is not true. It is only through surrender of ourselves and of our situation, and fully relying on the Creator that we can ever have the hope of a brighter tomorrow.

Now, am I saying that “Do Something” is a bad point? Not in the least. I agree that in the moments of greatest adversity, true greatness can be seen in those that do something; that choose to lead, or choose to make a stand. I think it is an awesome principle to live by, that this day, right now, I choose to make the best of my situation and do something. No longer will I be lazy and complacent, but I will work and strive and “press,” as Paul says, “toward the prize.” HOWEVER, it is only when that work and struggle is done in and through Christ that it will amount to a victory.

Keep in mind, this is merely my humble opinion.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

.. And the violent take it by force!

God has really been speaking to me recently about the power of understanding the battle that our spirit man is in; of recognizing who our enemy is, and the role that we play in the fight against him. A good example of this started when a very expensive camera was stolen out of my vehicle. Now, having physical property stolen doesn't really sound like spiritual warfare. My emotions weren't attacked. I wasn't tempted to sin, although I was a bit angry when I found out about it. I wasn't put into some moral dilemma that tested my convictions to their limit. While there may not have been much spiritual weight to it, I still felt the need to take it God. The Word tell us to take our cares to Him because he cares for us, and will sustain us (Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7) So, that's exactly what I did.. I took it to the Lord, and I laid it down at his feet. His response... was for me to pick it back up.

But seriously, the scripture that came to my heart was Matthew 11:12:
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

The kingdom suffers violence, and the violent take it by force! I really felt the call of God to go deeper with it; to get into the ring with the enemy and to thresh it out. That's exactly what I did. I got violent. I prayed scriptures (Deuteronomy 28:13, Isaiah 54:17, Psalms 91:9-16). I spoke directly to my enemy with the boldness and authority that God has given me, and I claimed it back. It was my property, and it wasn't a question of whether he was going to give it back or not, because I was forcefully taking it!

Now... here's the kicker. It wasn't but a day later, and the camera that was stolen from my vehicle was back in my possession. Before the detective on the case could even open up the case file and contact me about the facts, the camera was turned back in. If that's not a powerful testimony about the faithfulness of a Holy God, as well as to the power and authority that we've been given through His son, Jesus Christ, as well as through the gift of His Holy Spirit, then I don't know what is!

Too often, we as Christians just take the violence. We go through things in our life, and we call it a test, or we call it a part of God's plan to take us to the next level. We get downtrodden, and we even begin to look unto God and wonder where our deliverance is, or worse yet... where He is. I, for one, firmly believe that God allows us to go through those things, because he's already given us the power to overcome them! He's given us the keys to the Kingdom! Jesus said in John 14:12, Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Jesus calls us to greater things. Jesus calls us to be above and to walk in the authority and power of the Spirit!

That's a truth that I'm taking with me into this new year. I may suffer violence, but I'm not willing to roll over and take it. I'm going to get back up, dust myself off, and let out a battle-cry.. then I'm going into the enemies camp, and I intend to take back everything that he's stolen from my life. Every promise, every dream, every hope. I hope this rings true for you as well! Get violent!! You've been made mighty to the pulling down of strongholds in your life! Make this a year of victorious battle, and don't be afraid to pull out the war-paint again! You are a warrior, who has been given an impenetrable array of armor! Pick it up. Put it on, and fight the good fight of faith. Don't let the enemy best you! If God be for us, who can be against us!!

Enough of the Apathy

.. An old piece I wrote a long time ago. Became relevant again to me recently, so I thought a repost was in order.

Friday, August 28, 2009
It’s as if I’ve opened my eyes for the first time and began to look around. Maybe at myself, maybe at the people around me… but what I see is apathy. People living just for the sake of being alive. For myself, I fall into this rut of the same routine, day in and day out… living just to reach my pillow at night, only to wake up and do it again. And the whole time I’m relatively indifferent about the whole process. Why is that? Is it culture that dictates my lack of passion?

We’re taught these days to be accepting of everything and everyone, because truth for one person may not be truth for the other. We even strive to be accepted by all. Where in the world did these ideas come from?!? Why do we allow ourselves to be brainwashed into relativism? Where is the passion in that?? If I’m gonna live for a purpose or a conviction, then not everyone is gonna like it but I will not waver, and I’m certainly not going to stand idly by and just “accept it” when someone stands for something that I know to be false. What if Martin Luther had fallen for this apathetic approach to life and just accepted what society told him to accept? We would have never gotten the 95 theses, and the Catholic church would have continued to make a mockery of organized religion.

I’m sure we don’t need a history lesson here, but there are countless others who stood up against the flow to take a stand for their own deep rooted convictions... I can think of 13 right off the bat. Their names were Simon Peter, Andrew, James the son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon, Matthias, and my personal favorite; Jesus Christ. All with the exception of one (John) were brutally murdered because they stood for something that the world told them not to stand for. Talk about passion…

So what does the Bible say of my apathy? Oh, what do you know… right there in Colossians 3. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Colossians 3:23. It tells us right there in black and white that WHATEVER we are doing, we should do it passionately with zeal, fervor, and purpose. I don’t know about you, but that’s who I want to be. I want to wake up every morning, shake off my apathy, and live with purpose. I want people to know that I’m unwavering in my convictions and that I will not yield.

Life is vain if all I do is live. I want more than that. I was created for more than that… I was created to be passionate and to stand when all those around me fall. Because just like those 13 guys… I am grounded in my convictions, and I believe, even unto death, in my faith in Jesus Christ and in my life’s desire to passionately serve him and him alone. What do I have to be apathetic about?? I have a purpose and a hope, and that’s where my passion thrives.

I’m just saying… enough of the apathy

If I had a nickel...

The other day I was digging through my change in the car because I was thirsty and I wanted a coke. Any other day, the cup holder would have been overflowing with quarters, but apparently I had used them all, and so I was forced to demean myself to pillaging through dimes and nickels. Every coke machine on Austin Peay’s campus cost $1.25, and of course all I could find was a buck twenty. One lousy nickel was all I needed.

So me, being the smarty pants I am, got spiritual… “God,” I said, “You are a big God, and you can do big things… but today, I’m not in need of big things. Today God, I’m in need of a nickel, and I would absolutely LOVE it if you will supply me with a nickel between this parking spot where I’m standing, and the class that I’m about to go to.

(For those of you who don’t know Austin Peay, parking isn’t that great, so it didn’t take a lot of faith for me to believe that I could find a nickel walking from Egypt to the Mass Communications Building...)

So, I began my journey, truly believing that by some supernatural force, a nickel was going to appear, like Scotty had just beamed it there from the Enterprise. That whole 15 minute walk was spent, eyes to the ground, searching desperately for a nickel. But guess what?? I never found my nickel…

I had actually forgotten about my silly fleece that I had laid before God, until this evening when I was walking out the door of my church to go home. I was saying good-bye to everyone, when my pastor stopped me, and said, “hey, wait!” He then leaned down, picked something up off the ground and handed it to me. It was a dime…

Now, there’s nothing overly spiritual about a dime. There’s not even anything remotely Godly about someone stopping to pick up a coin that they believe belongs to someone else, but there is something to be said about God providing for us. I only needed a nickel, but God provided a dime. God gave me double what I asked for!!

Now granted, that dime would’ve been nice when I had the other buck twenty, so that I could actually get a coke, but I think that’s where the lesson lies…

Too often we get so caught up in asking God for nickels, for those things that we really think we need to be happy. We even get upset and angry when those nickels don’t show up when we “think” we need them to… But maybe, just maybe, if we will give up our nickels, and trust that God has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 37:23-26, Proverbs 3:6), we will see that His plan for us was never nickels, it was always dimes… God’s plans for us are bigger than anything we could dream for ourselves!

Something to think about…