More Than Conquerors - Rom. 8:38-39

Summer and Sermon Update

2009-07-16T01:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite some time since my last update. I had almost forgotten how busy the summer can be for an intern in college ministry. I hope that doesn't sound like a complaint, it's definitely not. I absolutely love what I do and I'm grateful for every day that I do it. Here's a quick overview of some of the things that have been going on this summer:

About a month ago I had the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic with a group of about twenty college students to work with an organization called "Children of the Nations". We spent nearly two weeks interacting with and sharing the love of Jesus with children from the DR and Haiti. It was an amazing time of growth and awakening for all of us as we saw first hand how truly blessed we are to live in a country of such wealth. Many of the children in the communities couldn't afford food, shelter, or even clothing. The good news is that COTN is working hard to provide these essentials to as many children as possible. I truly believe that Lord is working in the Dominican Republic.

I've also recently started a new guys small group. We are going through the book of Daniel, and I have to admit, I'm really excited about it! I remember reading through Daniel several times as a kid and I'm familiar with all the stories about the lion's den and the furnace, but I don't recall anything about all this prophecy! Aside from the fact that I love spending time with the guys, it's been a real exciting process for me as I've prepared each week to lead. God's word is truly living and active and it's been a blast digging deeper into the prophecy.

Lastly, this past Sunday I had my second opportunity to preach at The Well. I have to admit that I felt a little more disorganized this time for some reason, like I was struggling to organize my thoughts well. At any rate, I'm just thankful and excited to be getting opportunities to preach. I've actually been really surprised by how much I enjoy it. Not just the actual teaching, but the entire process. There's something really exciting about starting with a topic and having no idea what I'm going to say. but then slowly seeing the sermon start to take shape as I'm studying and preparing throughout the week. This week I used Act 2:42-47 to talk about true Christian community and the implications of the passage for us today.

You can listen to my message here. I would love any feedback.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to support me both financially and through prayer. I am so grateful for all of you!

Words. . .

2009-05-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

The subject of words has been running through my mind for the past several weeks as Ryan has been teaching through the book of James. When I say "words", I mean the things that we allow to come out of our mouths. There is such power in our tongues. A playful jest or even an honest criticism by a loved one carries SO much weight and can be so damaging to the person it is directed at. Often times, the damage that words can create is unintentional but can still be so permanent. I've been doing some self-evaluation of my own ability to tame my tongue and I can say with confidence that I have a lot of room for improvement. I've gotten into a bad habit of using humor (mostly self-deprecating, but sometimes directed at others) as a way to show my love for people in my life. I definitely think there is a time and a place for sarcasm, but I also know there are many times where I have crossed the line into hurtful territory.

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." -James 3:9-10

I have a friend that I admire a ton. I can honestly say in the two years I've known him, I've never heard him say anything negative about anyone. That is what I desire for my own life. Lord, help me to tame my tongue.

Common Men, Uncommon Calling

2009-05-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've been reading the book "Twelve Ordinary Men" by John MacArthur. In the book, MacArthur devotes an entire chapter to each one of Jesus' twelve. So far, these are the things that have stood out in my mind. As the title of this blog suggests, Jesus didn't call the religious leaders and priests to be the men that would spend 3 years of their life with the Christ, but common men that MacArthur describes as,
"perfectly ordinary men in every way. Not one of them was renowned for scholarship or great erudition (knowledge acquired through study. Don't worry, I had to look it up too). . .on the contrary, they were all too prone to mistakes, misstatements, wrong attitudes, lapses of faith, and bitter failure. Even Jesus remarked that they were slow learners and somewhat spiritually dense (Luke 24:25)."
As I've been reading I've been able to draw so many parallels between the lives' of the disciples and my own. I am guilty of so much sin and wickedness, so many things I never thought I was capable of and still Jesus loves me and has called me to follow Him. I know that I have received His grace and mercy and I am one of his chosen people (1 Peter 2:9) but this is STILL such a difficult concept for me to grasp. Why would He call someone like me? Why does He call any of us? I think I still struggle with the truth that I am worthy to be called His son. The only thing I can do is rest in the knowledge of His wonderful love and mercy and live each day of my life to honor and glorify Him. Thank you Lord for your grace!

Jon Foreman Show

2009-05-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago I got to go see one of my favorite musicians play a free show at UCSD. If you've read my past blogs, you know that I'm a huge Jon Foreman fan and he DID NOT disappoint. Perhaps what I found most encouraging and impressive was not simply the music but also the way Jon conducted himself. St. Francis of Assisi is famously quoted as saying, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." Even though he didn't mention the gospel of his faith, I left feeling like Jon was an amazing witness for Jesus. In my opinion, Jon has every right to be prideful or arrogant, but he was just the opposite.

The Shack

2009-04-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

I finally gave in and read "The Shack". I don't usually run out and read popular Christian literature (I learned that lesson with "The Purpose Driven Life") but so many students had been asking me how I felt about it so I wanted to be able to give them my opinion. I went into it with a very critical mind mostly because I had been given very mixed reviews from several sources that I respect. After reading it I was actually pleasantly surprised. I would say that it has a lot of good but also a lot of dangerous content. While I definitely still think a lot of the author's theology was flawed, I think "The Shack" serves the author's intent to make people long for the presence of God in their lives'. The story is absolutely gut wrenching. I found myself in tears several times and not really knowing why but it really is THAT powerful.

Now for the negatives. I felt that at times the author painted a very irreverent, unbiblical, and inaccurate picture of God's character. While he did a fantastic job of showing God's love for us, he failed to show the other side of the coin and as a result, depicted a very "user friendly/God is whoever you want him to be" God. Very dangerous!

Overall, I would definitely recommend "The Shack". You definitely have to take it for what it is and really stay focused on the author's original intent. If you go into it expecting a theologically sound book you will be disappointed. If you want to read a book that brings comfort and goes a long way in helping us understand God's love, this is the book for you.

I AM Holy

2009-04-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

As promised, three weeks ago I had my first opportunity to preach at The Well. Actually, now that I think about it, it was really my first opportunity to preach ever. We had been going through a series on the attributes of God called "I AM" (see posting below) and I elected to talk about God's holiness. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. That's not to say that I didn't think I would enjoy it, just that I didn't expect to want to do it again. Ever since Ryan gave me the date that I would be speaking, I had been feeling worried and anxious. They say the number one fear is public speaking. . .I can definitely relate. It terrifies me. I felt extremely nervous all the way up to the point that Allison said my name and I walked up to the front of the room. Then something amazing happened. All my fear disappeared. I firmly believe that God was working in me. I've spoken in front of 15 people before and been absolutely unable to control my nerves. . .knees knocking, sweating profusely, the whole bit. That night at The Well there were around 130 students. Part of me expected to walk up, say something ridiculous in my nervousness, and run out of the room in shame. God is faithful!

As for the sermon, I'm happy with how it went. I obviously have a TON of things to work on. There were definitely several things I wish I hadn't said, mannerisms that needed controlling, etc. That's what I love about my job though. I'm in a great postion to learn and grow.

You can listen to my sermon here.
I would love to hear any feedback!

New Series and First Time Teaching

2009-02-12T00:32:00.000-08:00

This week we will be starting a new series at The Well. I'm really excited about it. Ryan will be teaching on the attributes of God. I just finished reading "The Knowledge of the Holy", so I'm anxious to see how the ideas I learned from Tozer will all tie together. This series will also give me my first opportunity to teach at The Well. I feel a mixture of emotions. I'm really excited, but at the same time I'm absolutely terrified. If you've ever heard Ryan preach, you know he's a tough act to follow. But, as I've been processing through it, I've realized that the Lord has given me a great opportunity to learn from a really gifted teacher so I look forward to the challenge.
Today we went on Palomar's campus with a video camera and interviewed random students. We asked them two simple questions: Do you believe in God? and What are some words you would use to describe Him? It was amazing to see how many students professed a belief in God, but how few of them could describe Him beyond the surface answers like loving, powerful, there for me, etc. While all these descriptors are true, they left me with a desire to help students develop a more personal idea of who God is.

Does God Change His Mind?

2009-02-06T01:07:00.000-08:00

This week in our small group we discussed an article written by Dr. Robert Chisholm, a professor of Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary. The article, titled "Does God Change His Mind?", had some interesting assertions that I had never considered before. The topic was brought on by our study of the book of Jonah in which God seemingly changes His mind and decides against destroying Nineveh after the entire city repented and turned to Him. In his article, Dr. Chisholm states,
"Some theologians argue that the biblical references to God changing His mind are “anthropomorphic”—they picture God as if He were a man. Even though God does not really change His mind, these texts describe Him doing so, because from the human perspective that is what appears to be happening."In other words, because we are human and cannot begin to adequately describe how God works, we resort to using human terms like "change his mind". As I thought about it, this seemed to make the most sense to me. But, Chisholm continues,
"This proposed solution arbitrarily elevates one set of texts over another and fails to take seriously Joel 2:13 and Jonah 4:2, which identify God’s willingness to change His mind as one of His fundamental attributes, closely associating it with His grace, compassion, patience, and love."
Chisholm then explains,
"When God announces His intention to reward or punish, the announcement may be unconditional or conditional. On the one hand, God sometimes issues a decree or commits Himself by oath to a particular course of action. Such statements are unconditional. God announces what He will do and He will not deviate from His announced intention. The oath gives the statement a binding quality."(Abrahamic Covenant)
"On the other hand, God’s promises and warnings are often conditional. He may not follow through on a warning or promise, depending on how the recipient of the message responds. For example, in Jeremiah 26:4–6 God declares, “If you do not listen to me and follow my law...and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets...then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth.”
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure where I fall on this issue. I do know that I look forward to respectfully and fearfully discussing theological debates like this further when I enroll in seminary. For now, I am content to simply admit that the Lord is sovereign. He knows EXACTLY what He is doing, and that's good enough for me.

Here is a link to the entire article:
http://www.dts.edu/media/publications/kindredspirit/article/?ArticleID=38a4a59b-6401-4821-9e08-d19ebf1e6c78

Songwriting, etc. . .

2009-01-15T11:44:00.001-08:00

I'll start this blog by borrowing lyrics from a song written by one of my favorite musicians and adapt the words to fit my purpose.
"There's a song that's inside of my soul, and I've failed to write it over and over again."
I'm a musician. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a great one, but I have finally embraced the fact that God has gifted me with some musical ability. I'm fairly confident that I'll never reach the success level of a Paul McCartney or a Bob Dylan. However, I do know that in this stage of my life God has called me to lead His people in worship. This calling, partnered with the truths God has been teaching me about Himself, has left me with a strong desire to write my own worship songs. So here I sit day in and day out trying to write. Maybe it's because I'm my own biggest critic or simply a lack of creativity, but I couldn't write a decent song if I stole all the words and melody from "Come On Eileen". I recently heard an interview with Jon Foreman where he talked about how he wrote "On Fire" and "Dirty Second Hands" in 15 minutes on his tour bus. Are you kidding me?! I wonder if he has ever felt my current frustration. Of course, he would probably be the first to admit that he has written a lot of sub-par songs in his life too. I wish I could write a sub-par song. . . :)

Winter Retreat '08

2009-01-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

This past weekend The Well took a trip up to Big Bear for our 2008 Winter Retreat. It was a wonderful time of snowboarding, sledding, and fellowship. We were blessed to have Brandon Fischer come and speak to us. Brandon is currently a teacher, but prior to that he spent several years working and speaking up at Hume Lake Christian Camps. This weekend he challenged us to take an honest inventory of our lives to discover just where we are with the Lord. This resonated with me in a very powerful way. I spent much of the weekend in prayer asking the Lord to reveal the things in my life that may need changing. I asked myself some very important questions:

How can I be a better steward of the ministry I have been called to?
How can I make a lasting impact in the lives of the guys that God has called me to disciple?
What areas of my ministry have I failed in up to this point?
What areas of my life do I need to surrender in order to become more like Jesus?

I know that there are areas in my life and in my ministry where I have failed miserably. At times this realization has led to feelings of discouragement and frustration. But I will continue to move forward as I rely on God's perfect grace. Even now, I am humbled as I consider how truly amazing His grace is.

The Knowledge of the Holy

2008-12-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

I've been reading A.W. Tozer's "The Knowledge of the Holy". I've read it before, but this time I really want to study it. A few of Tozer's thoughts have been highlighted in my book and in my mind:
"Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them."
"When the Scripture states that man was made in the image of God, we dare not add to that statement the idea from our own head and make it mean "in the exact image." To do so is to make man a replica of God, and that is to lose the unicity of God and end with no God at all."
"If we insist upon trying to imagine Him, we end with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts; and an idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hands."
"Of what God is conscious when He is conscious of self, only He knows."

My prayer is that I would develop a more reverent view of God. A view that does not compartmentalize Him in my mind, but rests solely on what He has chosen to reveal about Himself through His word and His Spirit.

Ryan Paulson

2008-12-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

A few of you have asked me about the teaching at The Well. I want to do my best to thoroughly answer this question rather than giving it a quick "it's good". Our Pastor, Ryan Paulson, has been at Emmanuel Faith for a little over a year now. We are extremely blessed and thankful that the Lord has brought him to us. God has given him a unique ability to teach and relate to young adults. Below is a link to The Well's website. If you go to the "Experience" section you will find a link to our weekly podcast. Here you can download and listen to all the sermons Ryan has taught over the past year or so.

www.thewellefcc.org

Finally, Brothers. . .

2008-12-18T21:17:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned below, for the past several weeks I have been leading a small group through the book "Disciplines of a Godly Man". Tonight we discussed one of my favorite chapters up to this point: The Discipline of Mind. The chapter was centered around Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
The author, Kent Hughes, also makes a profound statement:
"It is impossible for any Christian who spends the bulk of his evenings, month after month, week upon week, day in and day out watching the major TV networks or contemporary videos to have a Christian mind. This is always true of all Christians in every situation."

In a world where raunchy media is commmonplace and waiting to fill our minds, please pray that the Holy Spirt would be made real in our lives to help filter out all the garbage.

Also, Thank you for your partnership. I am grateful for all of you! Merry Christmas!

Seasons

2008-12-01T07:11:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: When I started this blog I did not intend for it to be a forum for me to voice a complaining spirit, and that is not my intention now.

About a month ago I had coffee with a close friend of mine. During the course of our conversation an interesting subject came up: How should we as believers handle the difficult times in life? My friend explained that God allows us to go through different "seasons" in our lives' to mature us and to give us hope for the future glory that He has promised us.

Lately I have been dealing with a heavy heart. I can't point to one specific situation in my life that had led me to feel this way, but I know that for several weeks I have felt a certain anxiety, a restlessness, maybe even a sadness. It just seems easy to look at my past failures, shortcomings, and poor decisions and wonder, "What in the world was I thinking?" As I reflect on these issues, one truth is apparent. Many of these shortcomings came at a time when I made a decision that directly conflicted with God's word. Like most people, I think I have a tendency to want to take control in my life. Those are the times when life seems hard.

Please pray that I would allow the Lord to take control of my life. He has my heart, but there are certain areas in my life that I know I need to surrender completely to Him.

Yesterday in my quiet time I came across this verse in Hebrews 12. I'm not sure its entirely relevant to the blog topic, but it was a source of encouragement to me.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Family

2008-11-27T23:09:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving. As I sit around the dinner table surrounded by my family I'm overwhelmed by the Lord's goodness. Seldom do I take the time to reflect on His blessings in my life. When I do, I find that I truly have much to be thankful for. My sister, brother-in-law, and their two young children have recently moved home after a three year stay in Sweden. My brother and his wife also made the trip down from Orange County to spend the day with us. I look over at my Dad and Mom and I think back to the times when I was young and we didn't always see eye to eye,(mostly because of my own selfishness and immaturity) and I am thankful that they never gave up on me.
In a time when high value is placed on material possessions, I am filled with joy when I reflect on my family.

His Love Is Strong!

2008-11-17T23:28:00.000-08:00

I have found myself to be greatly encouraged by Jon Foreman's music. For those of you who don't know, Jon is the singer and songwriter for the San Diego band Switchfoot. Over the last year he released four EPs (one for each season) of his solo work and songs that he felt weren't Switchfoot material. The result is a collection of mostly acoustic driven songs that have a very personal feel. For many of the songs, Jon took passages right out of scripture and wrote music around them. One of my personal favorites is "Your Love Is Strong". For me, it is reminder that the Lord is in control. He knows what we need and is faithful to provide for us. Even when we go through difficult times, we can take comfort in knowing that His love is strong!

Joshua Wilderness Institute at The Well

2008-11-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

Last night we had a huge group at The Well. Typically we have anywhere from 90 to 100 students, but last night we had an additional 40 or so. We had a group from Hume Lake come down and join us. It was really cool to have everyone packed into our little room. The students were from a program called the Joshua Wilderness Institute. It's a 9 month program where the students leave home and stay up at Hume. The program requires the students to make some pretty serious commitments regarding music, movies, and dating, among other things. It is described as "a 9 month fast from the world". It was also nice to see my friend Dominique who, as some of you already know, has committed to the program. Please keep the "Joshua" students in your prayers. I can't imagine the personal discipline required to stay committed!

Also, there is a link to Dominique's blog under "My Friends" section. She periodically posts updates and prayer requests.

If you want to learn more about Joshua Wilderness: http://joshuawilderness.org/

New Men's Small Group

2008-11-07T23:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first day of my new men's small group. Over the next couple of months we will be going through the book "Disciplines of a Godly Man" by R. Kent Hughes. The book is a call for Christian men to step up and lead disciplined lives and is focused around this verse in 1 Timothy:

"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

I am excited to see how the Lord will use our time together to develop godly disciplines that will help us be better husbands, fathers, and men of God. Please pray that our study would bear fruit. Not just for my guys, but for me as well.

Door of Faith Orphanage

2008-11-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

Recently a team from The Well had the opportunity to go down to Mexico and serve at Door of Faith Orphanage. In the past I have had some experience working at orphanages in Mexico, but DOFO exceeded all of my expectations. It was obvious from the minute we arrived that DJ (the orphanage administrator) and his wife do a fantastic job of making sure everything runs smoothly. DOFO currently has 120 kids, ranging in age from infant to college. DJ strives to make everyday life as much like an average family as possible. Every meal is enjoyed as a family, each child's birthday is celebrated individually, and each college education (when the time comes) is paid for.

The kids were incredible. Even though they were well taken care of, it was obvious that they really enjoyed and even craved our attention. After DJ finished giving us a tour, our group was walking back to a seating area to discuss or plan for the day. As I walked past a little boy, no older than five, I reached out and touched his head. He immediately grabbed my hand and began leading me around the playground, all while giving me commands to push him on the swing or kick the soccer ball with him. I didn't understand a word he was saying but it didn't seem to matter. He was just happy to have someone to play with. I couldn't help but think that this must be what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 19:14:

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

DOFO's website: http://www.dofo.org/

Reason For My Blog Name

2008-09-19T01:25:00.001-07:00

Over the past several months my small group has been going through the book of Romans. In Romans 8 Pauls writes, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. . ." He goes on to encourage believers in the future glory that all of creation eagerly waits and even groans for. He finishes the chapter with a great promise in verses 38-39. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord". For this reason we are more than conquerors. Praise God!