It's been awhile...

So, sorry for those who follow my blog. I have not updated in awhile due to moving into the new house, concerts, church and etc. So, here ya go.

I recently went to the Hillsong United concert, by the way it was ah-mazing!, but as I was sitting there before the concert I was pondering why we have to pay for worship? Now I know that the money that they make goes to sharing the gospel with people in Australia but what I am talking about is the issue about paying to be "unashamed" in worship in a setting that provides a great opportunity to worship with thousands of people. But when we come to our churches on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, we can't even express ourselves in the same way we expressed ourselves in a worship concert. Did our image or passion for God change in a weeks time? Why do we have to go to a concert or huge worship service to worship the Father? Are our churches not a place where we can do that unashamedly (i think that is a word)? 

As I was worshipping and seeing thousands of people lift up the name of Jesus, I was also sad at the same time. Many people strive for big services and think that God is pleased by our worship, I don't doubt that, but I think that God is also a personal God that loves our personal worship of Him. In fact He loves it! I think that many people can get lost in a huge service. It's easy to say that God was there but was worshipping God your primary focus? 

Sorry, you may think I am a hypocrite for saying all of this or a loony but I struggled with the same issue when I was a teenager. My thinking was that I had to be at the best worship, best church, best student ministry, etc. While all along God was wanting me to worship Him in the here and now. Wherever I go, whatever I do, wherever I serve, let me be main reason why you are here Aaron!. 

But the flip-side of it is this: we don't know how to truly worship because we are ashamed to do so. In our minds we have to follow a certain schematic or list of rules. Maybe that is why people feel more comfortable to do it in a huge setting? I dunno, just something to think about...would love your thoughts!

May I have your attention?

As I was reading today in my devotion time, I came across the passage when Moses encountered the burning bush and how God got his attention. Moses' remark was "Amazing!" As I was reading, I tried to place myself in the picture and try to understand how this would apply to my life. It was so simple but has deep implications for all of us who follow Christ passionately. In the OT when God wanted to get peoples attention it was usually in some dramatic way like the "burning bush." What I took away from this was about how God does things in our life to get our attention. Over the past few months, we have really been praying for God to have His will be done in our lives and can I just say that God never fails! When that moment arrives it's when you least expect it to happen. The moment you have been praying for arrives and it's like "whew" thank you for carrying my burdens and proving yourself to be the Almighty God that I love and adore! But it is not so much about this answered prayer that really struck me. The thing I have taken away is this: Are we allowing God to get our attention? Am I leading a life that causes other to stop and wonder? I think it is in those moments where we can say that there is nothing special about the burning bush, but something unusually special about the fire that burns within. The essence of a Christian is in Galatians 2:20 "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me." When we can take on this attitude it is easier for God to get our attention because we live to burn for Him. I want other people to hear my story and see my life in a way that makes them stop and say "Amazing!" 

Being a burning bush without being bushed (or burned) draws attention.

Looking back...

This past Sunday 10 seniors from our student ministry celebrated the aspect of graduating high school. Which to be honest is a great achievement because some people do not have the opportunity to get a high school degree but that is not the point of this entry. I started to think back over the years when I started that first journey into "college" freedom. I say freedom because I was the one in charge. I decided when I went to class, what I wanted to eat, what to watch, where to spend my money, time and also who I wanted to date. Freedom is the word most college students grasp the last years of high school and sadly it never changes throughout the college experience. I know first hand because that was the way I felt when I first attended junior college. But another sad thing is this: most seniors who have been involved in student activities in their home churches fail to reconsider this after graduating from high school. Freedom steps in and their eyes get big and they get lost in this world. Why is it that we can have sold-out seniors in our student ministries but when college comes around we don't see that flame burn brighter? Personally, I don't think that we as student pastors or whatever you want to call us, make the importance clear to the generations that we have in our midst to understand that following Christ does not stop after high school. It's a marathon not a sprint. Partially, I think that the blame isn't necessarily on the student pastors but mainly on the parents. I know this may sound harsh but isn't this the truth? Is serving Christ and having a relationship with Him more important than making sure that you make tons of money to support yourself? Do we ever throw out that? I know it sounds like I am on a soap box but come on, how many more generations of seniors will go the wayside and forget about Christ and serving the body? I hope that the seniors that I had for under a year saw this in my life. I hope and pray they stay connected with the Word of God and develop their passion for Christ daily. I know that my life in college had many moments of doubt and confusion as to what God wanted me to become and where He wanted me to be. If it wasn't for the grace of God and people pushing me through college to strive to be the best I could become I would be just another statistic. Just a thought or two...