The Next Chapter

Dear Friends and Family,

You have made an immeasurable impact on my life. All I can really say is that I would not be who I am without you. I would like to take some time to be thankful for you. So without further ado:

Thank you to my family, who have driven me to tears, anger, and joy. You have given me something to fight for (and occasionally against haha). We have grown so much over the past couple years as we have seen first-hand God's ability to take the broken and the dead, and restore life. We have grown through Drew and Taryn's marriage. Though we face a long road to healing, I know God finishes what he starts. I love you all, and I always will.

Thank you friends. Although, the word friends seems shallow when I think of you. You are family in every way except by blood. The memories we have made together I will never forget. You have laughed with me, cried with me, learned with me, and done life with me. You have encouraged, rebuked, blessed, and forgiven me. From mission trips to bonfires, from home-made pizza to bowling, from vacations to late night food runs, you have been by my side. The times I have felt alone seem so insignificant and unrealistic as I think of your deep commitment and love for me. Know that I love you as well. 

Thank you Illinois Navigators, for your dedication to discipleship. I have learned so much in my two years with you. This learning has gone beyond Bible knowledge. Instead you have instilled a thirst for a life with my Savior and my God. Through you my desire to be an authentic follower of Christ has grown deep and strong. You have been more than a ministry. You too have been family. We have sat under the word together, prayed together, hoped together, sung together, danced together, laughed together, cried together, traveled together, almost died together, and done life together. I will always be an Illini Navigator. I love you deeply. You are some of my closest friends, my dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, and without you I know my life would be in a much darker, more hopeless place. 

Thank you Bloomington AC Church, for welcoming my family and I with open arms. You have been my home for nearly 7 years. You have loved me, taught me, and blessed me prodigally. Thank you Sunday School Teachers, for pouring into me. Thank you ministers, for your dedication to the Word, and to truth. Thank you church family, for providing food, taking us in, generously sending us on mission trips, loving without expecting anything in return. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your dedication to being the hands and feet of Jesus. I do love you all, and without you, I would not be where I am today. 

No I am not dying...

Even though that section sounded kind of morbid, it was filled with love and joy. However, the title of this post is "The Next Chapter", and for a new chapter to begin, the previous one must draw to a close. 

I have officially accepted my offer to attend Liberty University in the Fall of 2015. 

To some of you this may come as a surprise. Some of you have known/anticipated this decision for a while. To all, it means that this current chapter of my life is coming to an end. I will be leaving Central Illinois, and heading for the mountains of Virginia. I go with joy, but I do not lightly leave this chapter behind. Most of my life has been spent here, with you all, and it has been the time of my life. And so I would like to share my reasons, dreams, and goals with you, the people who have raised, supported, loved, and shared this chapter with me. 

Sounds Reason(able)

The first and least important reason for me is the financial side of things. Liberty offered me a full tuition scholarship that made attending very reasonable and completely affordable for me. That is all I have to say about that. 

The second reason I chose Liberty is because I felt after counseling with parents, friends, and counselors that Liberty was the best place for my spiritual, emotional, and relational health. I have spent a long time in the comfort zone, if you will, of all that is familiar to me. Transferring to Liberty presents me with an intimidating challenge that will require growth and reliance on God. It will no doubt be a journey with ups and downs, pain and joy, excitement and disappointment, but I believe that I will emerge a better man for it. 

A third reason I made my decision is because I feel at peace about it. Initially I struggled through a lot of fear, doubt, and anxiety. What if I didn't fit in? What if I lost all the relationships that were dear to me? What if it isn't what I expect it to be? Am I making this decision for the right reasons? Is this what God wants? Can I handle this? 

While the answer to a lot of those questions is still "I don't know", I came to a place that was peaceful as I sat staring at the Rocky Mountains spread out in front of me. I found myself quite small, in the best possible way. A verse came to mind.

"Come now, you who say, Today or Tomorrow

we will go into such and such a town,

and spend a year there and trade and make a profit.

Yet you do not know what even tomorrow will bring.

What is your life?

You are a mist that appears for a short time and then vanishes."

James 4:13-14

As the Rockies loomed overhead, I found peace knowing that my best laid plans were totally covered by the mind, knowledge, and power of God. He knows what this decision will lead to. He knows each second of each day of my past and future. And best of all, he can totally frustrate all my plans, in order to bring himself the most glory. As I looked at this decision, and the doors God allowed to be opened, I found peace in putting it all under his control. Maybe this decision will backfire, but if it does, to him be the glory. If it doesn't, to him be the glory. 

A final reason I made  my decision is because I love Liberty University. The atmosphere, the people, the school, and everything they stand for. I won't talk much about that because I covered it in my other post about Liberty, which you can read here. 

Dream on, Dream on.

I do have a dream. My dream is really quite simple. I dream that the next chapter will be filled with life. The life that can only be found in one source -- an intimate relationship with Christ. I hope that like Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, I will be afflicted in many ways, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not despairing. Persecuted, but never ever forsaken. Struck down, but not destroyed. 

I hope that the next years are filled with ups and downs, joy and sorrow, love and heartbreak, but always life, and always Christ. I also dream of redemption. Personal redemption, redemption for the church, redemption for the lost, redemption of the world today, and eventually the redemption of all things. Hope belongs to those who dream. I have chosen to hold on to hope. I can't wait to see where my dreams take me. 

End Goal: ?

Most of you know I am not super hot at setting goals. In fact, I barely know what a goal is. The crazy thing is, this time I actually do have a few goals. 

First, I don't want to distance myself from all of you. You are dear to me. I will be intentional in keeping in touch with you. Intentional in keeping you in touch with my life, and what I am experiencing and learning. The love I have for you cannot be broken by distance. Future chapters in our stories will bring our paths back together once again.

Second, I want to grow. Grow in faith, knowledge, and relationship with God. I will be committed to my studies, to pursuing a community, and giving God my life by trusting him with it. I believe this decision is the next step for me in that process.

I tried to think of a third one, but hey two goals for me is like a baby sprinting out of the maternity ward. That would actually be awesome. Anyway....

Thank you. 

For taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, concerns etc. please talk to me about them. You are important to me. I am excited for the next chapter, but my roots will always be in the last one. 

I would like to conclude with this prayer of Paul's in Ephesians 3:14-21.

"I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family 

in heaven and on earth is named. 

I pray that according to the riches of his glory

he may grant you to be strengthened with power,

through his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith.

So that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may have strength to comprehend with all the saints

the breadth and length and height and depth

of the love of Christ, which surpasses understanding,

so that you may be filled with the fullness of God.

Now, to him who is able to do far more abundantly

than all that we ask or think, according to the power

at work within us.

To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations, forever and ever."

Amen, and Go Flames!

Six Inches

Heart Attack!

I guess it makes sense when you think about it. We spend most of our lives being broken, hurt, and lied to. So along comes a God with promises, and we welcome him with closed arms and walled hearts. Our defenses are up, and I guess maybe we have a right to be skeptical. After all, if it seems to good to be true it has to be right? Some of us may not want to admit it, but trusting God is something we really struggle with. We have pain we can't explain, and fears that seem really big. Throw some of our own daddy issues on top of that and a God who calls himself father isn't really the easiest to sell out for. He asks for our heart, but it is broken and we have already given away too many pieces of it, so instead we give him our head. 

Heads up!

I have a lot of useless facts in my head. Did you know most car horns honk in the key of F? Or that the average person falls asleep in 7 minutes? Guess I'm just above average. Also all polar bears are left handed.... Anyway! The point is there is a lot of information up there. There are some useful things up there too, I promise. But let's just think about those facts for a second... Are they life changing? I mean maybe you will strike up a tune in F every time someone honks their horn, try to beat the national average for falling asleep, and if left-handed, decide that a polar bear is your new spirit animal. But if you do...you are weird. 

The point is, we all know a lot of things. But only if you believe something does it change how you live. 

You know that you should look both ways before crossing because you believe that getting hit by a car would seriously suck. 

You know that you stink because you haven't showered in three days, and you shower because you believe that you're about to go to that concert and the girl you're standing next to might be cute!

You know that stop signs with white lines around the outside are optional and so you drive right through them.

 When you believe something, it changes everything. Your habits, your choices, and even your hygiene. 

P.S. Stop signs are never optional.... That was a joke.... just for the record.

So do you really believe God? 

Christians know a lot about God. But maybe we don't believe as much as we think we do. 

I will use myself as an example because frankly I am a great one. 

God says he has forgiven me, but my past mistakes and failures are on constant playback.

God says he is always with me, but my first question when things go wrong is "God where are you?"

God says he is the only thing that can satisfy me, but I keep looking somewhere else. 

God says that time with him is what I should prioritize. And I will! Just one more episode on Netflix!

God says that he chose me because he loved me, but I keep trying to earn my salvation.

God says... and I guess I just don't believe him. 

Sound familiar? 

The longest yard... no foot... OK, six inches. 

I really want to believe God. I know it is all true, but life gets real and I find myself making decisions as if  I don't believe. I doubt, question, and reason my way around what I know is true so that I won't have to change the way I live. I'm tired of this head knowledge. I want it to sink into my heart. The problem is... how does that work?
Read more, pray more, screw up less? That's the opposite of the gospel!

It seems that the gap between the head and the heart is the most difficult six inch journey on the planet.

Waiting....

I hate not being able to fix my problems by myself. But the more I think about this gap between my head and heart, the more I realize that there is nothing I can do. 

Romans 12:3 puts faith in the right perspective:

"For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone:

Don't think of yourself more highly than you should.

But think of yourself with good judgement, 

According to the amount of faith God has given you." 

So basically, I need to get over myself. I can't create faith in myself. It has always been a gift from God I didn't deserve.  But I don't think that means doing nothing either. Maybe we should just wait. This video (by Matt Chandler) has been helpful for me. I hope it is for you:

Link if that video doesn't work

#SixInches

So here we are, waiting on the Lord. Hoping in the Lord. Trusting in the Lord. How do we wait well?

I don't have the answers, but together maybe we have some of them.

How do you wait well? How do you approach the longest six inches? How do you position yourself underneath "the waterfall of grace"?

I would love for your feedback, advice, and wisdom.
Comment below or,

Tweet or Facebook your thoughts with #SixInches

Let's wait well together.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses,

let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.

And let us run with endurance the race set before us.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus: the author and perfecter of our faith, 

who for the joy set before him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God."

-Hebrews 12:2

S.D.G

Where the Spirit of the Lord is....

This past weekend, I did stuff. 

Pretty awesome stuff if I might say so myself. Last Thursday, I packed my bags, hopped in a car and drove down to Lynchburg, Virginia. The average American probably has no clue where Lynchburg is, and to be honest without my trusty smart phone I wouldn't have made it either. 

In Lynchburg, I had one of the most life changing weekends of my entire life. My perspective was shifted, and like Abraham in Genesis 15, God brought me out of my tent and into the starlight. 

Sooooo what were you doing in Lynchburg?

Well actually I was there for a college visit. Wait! Don't close the tab or hit the back button! I promise it gets better! I was visiting Liberty University. 

Unfortunately, some of you are probably in the same situation I was in earlier this summer- Not having a clue what Liberty University was. 

Liberty University is a Christian College whose motto is "Training Champions for Christ since 1971". It is actually the largest Christian University in the world. 

I have never been a huge fan of the concept of Christian higher education. It was too hypocritical. 

It seemed to embrace mediocrity. It was shallow, empty, and pointless. 

But this summer at Band Camp...

I'm kidding. I was never in band, but that just felt right. Instead, this summer I went to Summit (an apologetic conference) at Bryan College. I had the privilege to spend two weeks with Christians who took education seriously, on a Christian campus that took education seriously. All of a sudden, I found myself slightly interested in a college like this. Then I met those Liberty people. You can spot them from across a room. And if they spot each other... well you can be sure a spontaneous chant will occur. They seemed to love their school.... ok seriously who actually loves their school? What was wrong with these people? I left Summit intrigued, and eventually decided to check into it. Upon finding my program and deciding I could probably get some scholarships, I decided to apply. I know, I know, you all wish you made as spiritual of decisions as that one. Then I was invited to visit Liberty for a weekend, for the aptly named "College For A Weekend". So I did. I packed my bags and went.

That's where things started to get weird.

As I checked in, and glanced around there were smiling people everywhere. It was actually kind of creepy. You know, the good kind of creepy. Then came my dorm mates. I was crashing a two person dorm room and taking their valuable space for three days. I would have been annoyed if I were them. Instead they moved things around, welcomed me in, asked me about myself and my plans, and offered to show me around. I skeptically agreed, assuming that everyone was putting on their best face for the interested kid.... typical. 

The next morning, we were told we had to go to some thing called Convocation. The picture I had in my mind was like a few praise songs, a "Jesus loves You! Go get good grades!", and that everyone would be on their way. I was wrong. 

Stop Everything! This is Everything!

Convocation brought Liberty campus to a screeching halt. 

But this stop had a purpose. Everyone and their mother crowded into the Vines Center (no literally there were mothers there I promise), found their seat or standing room, and slowly grew silent. Then Liberty University worshiped God. If that sentence doesn't shock you, read it a few more times. Coming from a secular university I was overwhelmed. This doesn't happen. This should not be happening. As the singing concluded I had to brush a tear from my eye as I felt the Spirit move. #ThingsChristiansSay  But for real. A man stood up and walked to the front of the stage. His words summarized everything my heart wanted to scream: "This is what it's all about."

After some words, and more praise, Liberty walked back out of the Vines Center. And they knew what it was all about. 

It didn't end there.

In every advising session, every late night burger run, every conversation, I found a campus united in purpose, united in vision, united in Christ. As I heard Christian music, and saw prayer circles as the football players warmed up for the big game, I had to ask the person next to me..."How do you get used to this? This is weird man."

Football games don't have Christian warm-up music! You play "Turn Down for What?" or "Amazing" by Kanye West. And maybe a couple people pray, but the whole team? And now the other team is doing it too! It's contagious! We've got to get out of here!

But in all seriousness, Liberty was serious!

Why so serious?

Serious about football, serious about academics, serious about worship, and serious about Jesus. And now that I look at it, that is the way it should be.

"He is before all things,

And in him, all things hold together"

-Colossians 1:17

Jesus is Lord over all things. Over football, your psychology class, your worship time, your dorm life, your family, your pain, your circumstances. If we are serious about Jesus, then we should be serious about everything else too! Liberty made that real for me. I saw the gospel infuse the parts of college life I never thought it could. I saw the commitment to excellence that many Christian organizations throw aside. I saw God.

So it's got Jesus stamped on everything..So what?

It's true. A lot of people claim Jesus, and a lot of them don't live like him. Putting Jesus's name on everything doesn't mean much. "But some of them don't live it!" you say. That's fair, but neither do I! Apart from grace we are all hypocrites. Our righteousness is like filthy rags...bloody menstrual garments if you want to go all Greek with it.Yea I know that is gross... but so is us trying to act like we can get it together. 

So no, not everyone is living it, at Liberty or anywhere on this earth. All I can say is what I felt, and what I saw, and what I experienced. And to wrap it all up in a nice, scriptural burrito:

"The Lord is the Spirit,

And where the Spirit of the Lord is....

There is LIBERTY. "

-2 Corinthians 3:17

Liberty Website

Is There Healing for this Broken Heart?

I Too,  Have a Dream

or 

Is There Healing for this Broken Heart?

I too, have a dream. It lurks just below the surface of my conscience, where my mind dares not often go. My dream is like a wild horse tied in a stable, a warrior bed-ridden, a mighty man bound in shackles and chains.. It cries “Freedom!” but remains in bondage.
Its beauty is unparalleled, its strength unrivaled, its wildness intoxicating.

It is a dream of revival and purpose, of passion and redemption. 

A dream where amid the trials I know I am his possession.

A dream of absolute confidence in a love unshakable.

A dream of believing that his mercy is truly unchangeable.

A dream of a greater calling, joining the redemption story. 

A dream of a life living fanatically for his glory.

A dream where my addictions, abuse, and anger fade away.

A dream where I  finally feel something when I pray.

A dream in which my life is devoted to a cause greater than myself. 

A dream where justice, freedom, and passion swell.

A dream in which my own inadequacy is forgotten, and God’s grace is my all. 

A dream of a life consumed by the gospel.

Oh, to be Wild at Heart, to love deeply, and to seek God desperately. 

Even as these words spill onto paper, the wild horse tenses each muscle, the warrior sharpens his sword, and the strong man strains at his bonds. Is today the day? Will my dream become reality? Not today.

This dream screams danger to my soul. In its ravishing beauty it brings cold chills to my heart. It is simultaneously my deepest craving and my darkest fear.
To be that which I am not. To feel that which I do not. It cannot be. I cannot be.

My dream remains bound by fear, doubt and uncertainty. 

Can I really love deeply, and feel emotionally, or will such healing not be realized this side of heaven?

These thoughts arise when I pull back the curtains for just a glimpse of my dream. The sight of this wild, beautiful, and dangerous faith evokes more questions than I can answer. So the dream waits, hoping that one day it can shake out its mane, draw its sword, and break its chains. I long to set it free, I long for a place in which that identity is mine. But for now I wait.

Someday, I am promised, He will trade "beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise for heaviness" (1). Til then, I hope and expect to see his goodness "in the land of the living." (2)

Perhaps, the stallion even now is loosed, and begins to take its first steps in freedom. By chance, even the warrior might have left his bed, and donned his armor. Oh my hope, that the strong man has been loosed from his chains. 

Perhaps my dream is waiting to be freed? 

Or maybe, just maybe, my life is becoming my dream.

"Who the Son sets free is free indeed." (3)  

Perhaps it is time I believed? 

Today I can embrace that I am a "new creation" (4) and am truly free from everything but God's possession. Free from my sin, my shame, my addictions, my lust, my guilt, my past, my future, and my fears. All lays conquered at the foot of the cross. This fear and doubt, this refusal to live free is more than a bad habit. It is sin. 

If I doubt my freedom, I doubt the adequacy of the cross. 

Thank God for his mercy. Today I will live free.

Tomorrow I may forget, but his grace is enough.

Now then brothers and sisters stand firm. For freedom he set us free. We must not submit again to the bondage of sin. (5)

As Dr. King said long ago, "Let Freedom Ring."

(1) Isaiah 61:3

(2) Psalm 27:13

(3) John 8:36
(4) 2 Corinthians 5:17

(5) Galatians 5:1

Until Lambs Become Lions

Rise and Rise Again, Until Lambs Become Lions

I was recently watching the 2010 Movie "Robin Hood", and was struck by the quote that has become the title of this post: "Rise and Rise Again, Until Lambs Become Lions."
In the days that followed it echoed in my mind. 

To Rise,

You must be down. And to be honest, down is where we frequently find ourselves, where I frequently find myself. Fallen down, beaten down, weighed down, broken down, thrown down, sitting down, down.

Each day we walk through a world that adds to the weight on our backs, the shame on our hearts, and the questions on our mind. Our fallen nature is everywhere.

We are the addicted who told God we would never look at porn again and have failed again. We are the teen throwing up and starving themselves to finally be beautiful again. We are the mother, who is covered in shame for the abortion she can't take back. 

We are the slave, beaten, raped, and abused to please the powerful.

We are the empty looking for fulfillment in sex, money, and drugs. 

We are are the orphan crying for a mother and father, for love. 

We are the murderer, the thief, the prostitute. Who are we?

We are the Lambs.

And Rise Again?

So we fall, and fall again. We reach the end of our rope, the last of our strength, and the final drops of our joy. Rise again? 

I often get to a point where I am tired of getting up. My best efforts to rise again seem exhausting at best, and at their worst, worthless. Isaiah confirms my fears.

"But we are all as an unclean thing,

Our righteousness is like filthy rags..."

- Isaiah 64:6a

Surprisingly I find that I am extremely comfortable with that. I understand filthy and unclean. My guilt is familiar, shame my friend, and grace and freedom frightening and strange. In this inadequate state I refuse to rise again. But my soul screams that I don't belong here. Rise again?

And Again,

I remember that we are the Lambs, and that we have a Shepherd. He did not promise us it would be easy, in fact he told us this world would hate us. But in the middle of this war against our souls he makes a promise:

"...I am with you always, 

to the very end of the Age."

-Matthew 28:20b

As the battle of each new day rages on it tries to take away all that we have and replace it with shame, guilt, pain and fear. But the promise rings out like the trumpet above the roar of battle: Our Shepherd is with us. All he asks is that we give him our life.  We can stay down... or grab his hand rise again.

Until Lambs Become Lions. 

The glory of that promise seems to quickly dim as we look around. Pain, disease and death continue. The powerful prey on the weak, the innocent are killed, the abused cry themselves to sleep. Too quickly we stumble and fall once more. In the words of Winston Churchill as his nation faced injustice, evil, and fear, I ask you to  "Never, Never, Never Give Up."

The days that it feels dark are many, but even the darkness is only the absence of the Light. Our search for something better than this mess is perhaps the greatest evidence that there is something better.

One day our Shepherd will wipe our tears from our eyes and Lambs will become Lions, more than conquerors through Christ. But Today is not that day. So let us rise with Christ. We will fall, shame will knock us to the ground, but like Robin Hood in this clip (Until Lambs Become Lions) we must commit to rise and rise again. 

So Rise.

Rise and cast your shame at the cross. Rise to fight for those still without their Shepherd. This summer I began to realize that I was tired of being down. So I commit. I commit to, by his grace alone, rise again each time I fall. I pray that we could all be Christians who rise again. That we could join together to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. That we would bring the Lambs to the Shepherd. 

Rise Again,

                 

            Addict, enslaved by sin, our chains have been broken for us.

Rise again, You, who see no beauty in the mirror, we have beauty worth dying for.

Rise again, Mother, showering in guilt, Jesus paid it ALL.

Rise again, Slave, abused and powerless, we will fight for you. 

Rise again, Empty one, always unsatisfied, he knows your every need. 

Rise again, Orphan, afraid and alone, we will come for you.

Rise again...

Until Lambs Become Lions

The Journey is Just Beginning

I've been walking quite some time.

In fact I've been walking all my life.

Well walking not in the strictest sense of the word,

I have crawled, walked, and ran all in turn. 

The path stretched behind me doesn't make sense to me.

Clouded with pain, darkness, loneliness and tragedy.

Yet in these dark mists little lights shine brilliantly,

Faith, Hope, and Love, reappearing continually. 

The path ahead is likewise shrouded. 

Doubts, fears and uncertainty my vision have clouded

Why walk one might ask? Why not settle down?

Why travel where darkness and pain will be found?

Despite all those thoughts I choose to press on.

In this darkness I know only I do not belong.

Another wrong turn, another dead end.

Another mistake, I am lost again.

Knees scraped and bruised, from falling so oft.

I sit down, I give up, I am done, I am lost.

Through the mists of my despair a man walks to my side.

Lends a hand, says "Come with me. I'll be your guide."

In the darkness his lantern is blinding, I turn away and see, 

The path now well lit, stretched out behind me.

My heart at the lights first gleam it had leapt,

Now horror, as I saw where I'd stepped.

Through mud, and through thorns, and flowered fields too,

I'd stumbled and trampled and blundered right through.

Wounded, tricked and knocked down others on my way.

Ashamed, I wanted but could not turn away.

Even worse my guide's offer was not the first of it's kind.

All along the way I had said "Another time."

Astonished I saw what I could not explain,

My guide had followed and led anyway. 

I turned back to him, but my gaze hurried down.

I looked at my clothes ripped and torn, bloody and browned.

Without looking up I had one word - "why?"

Instead of responding we started to cry.

"My child, will you follow, I know the way!"

"Of course Dad, I'll go wherever you say."

We pick ourselves up and turn to the path ahead. 

Alas! My resolve oh how quickly it fled.

His lantern shone, but the path still wasn't clear.

My steps at first eager, were slowed by my fears.

With compassion he turned to me and said: "I can see."

And with every step I must say "I believe."

The Journey is Just Beginning.

#ImPluggingIn

Here I am, Lord send me. But first.... let me take a selfie.

Frankly, I don't even need to be sent. I have access to the whole world sitting in my pocket right now! Needing a word of encouragement? I can just browse through the Twitter feeds of my favorite mega-pastors! Haven't told anyone about Jesus recently? Simple, I have 140 characters to tell them how much I love him! Can't remember that great verse where Jesus said something pretty important? I've got my YouVersion handy! I can even give it to you in 22 different translations! My Instagram feed is equally inspiring, from #nofilter pictures of nature, to me artistically reading the Bible with an artistically foamed latte. Don't worry, I only take selfies if they have a deep quote attached to them. 

I laughed too, until...

I realized I was kind of convicted. Which did I refresh more often, my Twitter feed, or my soul? Did I put more thought into how beautiful God's creation was, or what Instagram filter would make others think it was beautiful enough to like?  In the last months, I haven't written anything on this blog. I didn't really have anything to say. But that changed as I thought about technology, social media, and Christianity today. Obviously Jesus didn't walk around Jerusalem surfing the social scene on his iScroll. I doubt the oblivious disciples hashtagged #SonOfGod when they told people about what Jesus had taught them.  And I don't think that Jesus was prophesying about Twitter when he said "Come follow me." However, the question remains, what do we do with all of this amazing technology we have access too? There is a simple answer:

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,

Do it all for the Glory of God."

~ 1 Corinthians 10:31

But what does that even mean? How do we do social media for the Glory of God? How do we use technology for the Glory of God? #wut

We're all alone together.

Riding public transit is an interesting thing. Depending on the time of day, I frequently find myself packed into a bus, uncomfortably close to complete strangers. But I think the most uncomfortable part is the absolute silence. Woe to the traveler who dares raise his voice above a low whisper. Fortunately it is easy to stay quiet when there is absolutely no one to talk to. I do manage to make this time quite productive though. I browse the bus, shopping for headphones in the sea of people drowning out the "noisy" environment, or check up on my neighbor's Instagram feed. Unfortunately when I get off of the bus it isn't much better. Just take a look around. Most people are lost in whatever song is currently playing through their headphones, and that couple over there are on a date, along with all of their friends and followers. To be fair, I have to admit I am a culprit too. After all it is a lot less awkward to throw on the headphones, avoid all strangers, in a world of my own. The thing is though, I see now that this is killing our generation. From the girl that gets 100 likes on every Instagram picture, but looks in the mirror and sees no beauty, to the kid with a 1000 followers, but no one to talk to about how he doesn't want to live anymore, somehow, we have gotten it wrong.

It seems that today we are more connected than ever before, but also much more lonely. 

Counting By Ones

Today, society is all about numbers. Really it is no wonder it is so easy to feel like a nobody. We determine value based on likes, views, profits, and followers. Let's just be honest, you are not going to break Ellen's selfie retweet record. But more seriously, in our world full of totally connected, totally lonely people, maybe we should start thinking and counting more like Jesus -- One by One. Over and over he ignores the masses and focuses on the individual. In Luke 8:40-48, Jesus stops for the one woman in the crowd who was unclean and lonely, and he calls her daughter. In John 6:9-13, Jesus finds one boy in the crowd, and uses him to feed five thousand. In Luke 22:54-62, even as he is dragged away to be beaten and crucified, he picks out Peter in the crowd, and looks straight at him as he denies him. The list goes on and on, and the point is clear. I often feel like just one in a crowd, and I think a lot of us do. Isn't it awesome to realize that Jesus counts us one by one. He knows you and he loves you. And that is one thing you can say in 140 characters that just might change the world.

Go Unplugged or Get Plugged in?

What I am definitely not trying to say is to return to the stone age. You don't need to burn your phone. You don't need to drive a horse and buggy, and you don't have to delete every social media account you possess #Overkill.

I do have a challenge for you though. If you have gotten to this point without checking Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, you are on the right track. 

In the next week, I challenge you to do three things to start changing your approach to technology.

1. Wherever you are, Be all there.

If you're meeting someone for lunch, turn your phone off. Make the people you are around a priority. Let them know you care more about what is going on in their world, than who literally can't even right now.

2. Say it to their face.

Lets just be real, it is a lot harder to tell someone you appreciate them, that they are really good at something, or that they looked beautiful, in person, but it is also way more meaningful. Try to do this once a day.

3. Snail Mail
This one is gonna be the hardest. Think of someone you appreciate a lot, or someone that you notice is going through something hard and write them a letter this week. Let them know you care, that Jesus cares, and that you are praying for them.


I'll take the challenge with you. Comment below if you are willing to try to help the lonely feel loved. Let me know how it goes! If you want, share this blog post on Twitter with the hashtag #ImPluggingIn

Prayer:

Daddy,

It is so easy to feel lonely and worthless.

This world wants us to believe no one cares.

Remind us that you care and that you know each of us by name.

Help us to use what we have been given to share that love with the lonely.

Make us a generation who love recklessly and inconveniently.

Just like you did.

In your son's name.

Amen