My heart has planned to serve Him. I must leave the next step to Him. --Jim Elliot

Leaving the next step up to Him. That seems to be where I always slip up. Sure, its easy as 1-2-3 to decide to serve Him. I remember all the way back to the very beginning of my relationship with Christ. I had always grown up in the church so I've always known Christ. But it wasn't until the 11th grade that I decided to quit being stubborn and make Christ both my Lord and Friend. Once I did that, it was pretty much a no-brainer to decide that my life would be spent serving Him.

It was no-brainer because it was a matter of the heart. The heart is blind to much of the unecessary trash that the mind sees and longs for--such as status, income, and knowledge. (We all know what the Bible teaches on all three: Mark 9:35 tells us just how important status should be to us. Luke 18:25 reminds us that those who are rich are gonna' have a hard time getting into the kingdom! And 1 Corinthians 8:1 reminds us that seeking knowledge can basically make us cocky....not exactly a favorable trait to have now is it.)

So as a Christian, when you open up your heart to the nudge of God, there's no telling where you may end up! Jim Elliot also said "The will of God is always bigger than we bargain for." That's definitely true! We can ignore God's tugging or nudging of our heart and use our head to do what the world recommends...but if we choose to let Him lead...there's no bounds here on earth that can stop us!

So this takes me right back to the beginning: Its not deciding to serve Him that is hard...its the waiting for Him. The "leaving the next step up to Him" part. And you know what? I don't have any solid answers on how to wait for God's leading because its something I struggle with daily.

For example: I came to Waco, Texas in 2000 to go to seminary and then on to the mission field. Well, as most of you know, I stopped going to school and now work like crazy. The world is telling me to go back to school where I had a full scholarship, or try another school, or move closer to my family. And I've found out that I could do any one of those...but my heart is receiving a different answer...and its not from the world. God's placed me within a community at St. Alban's and Mission Waco that is nurturing me and preparing me for whatever God has in store for me next.

However, I'll be honest, there's some days when I say to myself, "Self, what the heck are you doing in Waco? Get out and go to the snow and the mountains!! Move back home to Mom and her homemade milkshakes!" That's when I find myself having to stop in my tracks and wait on the Lord. Psalm 16:11tells us that God directs our paths and fill us with joy while we're in His presence.

Psalm 46:10 encourages us to "be still" and get to know God....to acknowledge Him...to go into His presence.

Are you anxious about something?
Unsure?
Needing direction?
Looking for answers?

He makes known to us the path to take when we stop running around in circles. Be still and talk to Him.

Whenever I'm reading the Bible, my number one most favorite thing to do is to imagine. I know, I know...sounds kinda' weird, or nerdy, or just plain dumb. It probably has something to do with the fact that my dad's an English teacher, so I grew up appreciating reading and stretching my mind....so yea, I guess it does have something to do with being a part-time nerd!

But on the other hand, I think it has to do mostly with the fact that I've recently come to realize and appreciate the fact that its God who has given us our imagination. The same Almighty God who flung the stars into the sky, rolled the earth into existence, and breathed life into every being here took the time to instill in us an imagination. With God, there are no accidents. Everything He puts into action has a purpose! So if He's given it to us, I think you would agree its pretty clear what we're to do with it....USE IT!! :)

So like I said earlier, I like to use my imagination whenever I'm reading stories in the Bible...and I encourage you to do the same! Try to look deeper into it than what the scriptures provide. Let me give you one such example:

I was reading Luke 5:17-26 today...go ahead and read it. I'll wait for ya'. Done? Ok, good. As you know from reading it, its the story about Jesus healing the paralytic man who was lowered through the roof of the house Jesus happened to be preaching in. Imagine it if you will...the house was so jam-packed that they couldn't even squeeze through a window, much less the front door!! Think about the paralytic man's 3 or 4 buddies who were carrying him....they may have been carrying him all day just to get to the same town Jesus was in. And when they finally get there, they can't even get to him b/c there's so many stinkin' people! They probably tried squeezing him in there through every possibly opening in the house too. So now they're sittin outside the house scratching their heads. I bet they were probably even a little ticked. Wouldn't you be?? I know I would have been. Carrying my friend in the dryness and heat all day to see if this Jesus fella' could actually make the lame walk....and then getting there to discover that they can't even get into the same building! Yea, I definitely woulda' been talking some major junk!

But let's take a different route: imagine being the poor paralyzed chap. Imagine waking up that morning after not being able to even lift your leg or arm your whole life and thinking..."Maybe today's the day! Maybe I get to hug my wife today! Maybe I get to run back to my house!" You get to where Jesus is supposed to be and its really crowded. In fact, you can't even see him! And then you see your friends' tired, red faces and you know that something's wrong. They're not telling you what's going on, but you can tell they're frustrated. They put you on the ground and walk away for a bit...you're trying to figure out what in the world is going on! Some time passes and then they all of a sudden come running back to you! They're pretty excited and are breathing heavy...and before you know it, they're carrying you up a ladder onto a roof! And, well...I'll let you use your imagination to come up with the rest. :)

Let me just encourage you to think about what was going through that paralyzed man's head. One word keeps popping into my head: maybe. Maybe is a great word...b/c when it is being used, it means someone is using their imagination. When you say "maybe", you're thinking about what could be. That paralyzed fella' probably had that word runnin through his mind over and over.

Do you long for something better? Do you have a dream that you've thought will never happen? Well let me fill you in on a little secret: The paralyzed guy in Luke 4 probably dreamed of walking again every day...but likely figured it'd never happen. Philippians 4:13 tells us all things are possible through Christ Jesus. So today, try saying to yourself "Maybe..." I know it sounds a little far-fetched or just plain weird. But probably not as much as the idea of the paralyzed man being able to carry his mat home that night.

"Deeper"
I want to be weaker
Be a help to the strong
I want to run faster
But this old leg won't carry me
I want to be, I want to be.
Maybe I could run
Maybe I could fly, to you.

Hey guys! Real quick...thanks to my good friend and brother, Daryl (www.okiboy.blogspot.com), I've now got a comments page for you guys!!! Underneath each entry I make, there will be a "comments" link for you to put thoughts, questions, suggestions, etc. It also works as a guestbook and you guys can communicate to each other as well! Just click on it and follow the directions! (And don't forget to read yesterday's entry! :) Blessings...Aaron

You know what...I'm gonna' be totally up front with ya'--I'm not sure how I even get myself out of my hammock in the mornings....for two reasons basically: 1. I'm usually so wrapped and tangled up in it like a big 'ole spider web that it takes quite a bit of maneuvering and planning just to get one foot on the ground! and 2. I let myself get wrapped and tangled up in a different type of web--guilt. I let frustration and despair from past sin and shortcomings get to me so that I waste valuable time moping around the house or office...just ask my friends and coworkers, they notice it! :) I find myself living out what Paul wrote in his self-description in Romans 7:7-25--"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out...what a wretched man I am!!! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

Things don't have to be that way though...I know I get dirty all the time. I fall down and fall short of the goal...but guess what, God picks me up, dusts me off, and puts me on the right path. :) And if we read the very next line in that passage (verse 25), Paul seems to shout out in joy--"Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Furthermore, in Romans 3:23-24 we're told "...all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, AND are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." What better news is there???

One of my favorite songs in the movie "Charlotte's Web" is the song Charlotte sings for Wilbur called "Chin Up"! I know you know what I'm talking about! :) But it can be such good advice...can't you imagine Christ reaching his hand under our chin and tilting it upwards to heaven while saying to us, "Chin up, child. Chin up." Or let's look at it in a different way--through the words of a powerfully simple praise song we can joyfully sing, "We fall down...but we get up! Because a saint is just a sinner who fell down, but got up."

I have the tendency to either begin or end with favorite songs of mine, so in that tradition, let me leave you with one by Delirious? called "Investigate". It's a prayer I often offer to God to keep me on that path He wants me. I pray its an encouragement for you:

Investigate my life and make me clean
Shine upon the darkest place in me
To you my life's an open book
So turn the page and take a look
Upon the life you've made
Always, my days, I'll praise

Investigate my life and take me through
Shine upon the road that leads to you
I know you'd heard the words I'd say
Before I'd even lived one day
You knew the life you'd made
Always, my days, I'll praise

Peace for the journey...

"Holy Fire"
Holy Fire from heaven
Descend to us we pray
Let us burn again
Holy Fire from heaven
Consume our hearts today
Let us burn again...let us burn again

All my peeps in the house raise their hand if they're familiar with the phrase, "On fire for God"....ah yes, by the looks of it there's a good number of you who have heard it or used it before. (Forgive my imagination...I've had some late late, sleep-deprived nights watching the biggest sporting event in the world...the World Cup baby!!) :)

Anyways, it is pretty safe to say that most Christians have heard that phrase used. You come home from a camp or retreat where you feel as if God has spoken to you and you make a commitment to Him...that you wont' let the fire He lit in you die out. Or you've been on a mission trip and have been so moved by witnessing the power of Christ firsthand, that its as if you've been set ablaze for him. I know I've used it plenty of times personally...what about you? Contact me and let me know your take on it.

In my previous entry, I talked about how easy it is to feel all parched, weak, and in need of nourishment from God. Jesus talks about and the Psalms describe God as a good shepherd who leads his flock to "quiet waters", out of danger, and into "green pastures" (Psalm 23). When the prophet Elijah was running for his life...he eventually collapsed in exhaustion and was on the verge of death, and God came and fed him and nourished him.(1 Kings 19) After fasting for 40 days and being constantly tempted by the devil, Matthew 4 tells us that Jesus was immediately attended to and taken care of by angels.

It seems like its when we're the most weak or dead on the inside that God comes to us to nourish us, or in other words, put a spark in us. The thing about a spark or a small flame is that its potential is unending. However, it is really easy to put out while its still small. Think about how hard it is to keep a match lit when it is windy or wet! So when God gives us that spark on the inside, its up to us to enable it to grow...and not only enable it to grow, but to let it spread! Forest fires are, at times, impossible to stop b/c of their fury, strength, and size...however, they usually are started by a single flame or spark that can often be extinguished by a little water.

Many of you will go away to camps or mission trips this summer and come back changed....on fire. If you're not careful, that spark or flame can be put out as soon as you return home....but let me encourage you to fan into that flame so that it'll grow into a beautiful and powerful blaze! Remember, it needs to grow (through prayer, Bible study, etc.) and it needs to spread (to other people)...that way it will never go out!

Finally, you don't have to wait for a camp or mission trip to catch fire! Pray the words of the song at the beginning of this entry:
Holy Fire from heaven
Descend to us we pray
Let us burn again
Holy Fire from heaven
Consume our hearts today
Let us burn again...let us burn again

Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives..."
So ask God for it in holy expectancy...for His Holy Fire from heaven will come and consume your heart today....ask Him. Ask Him.

Ever since moving to Texas, I've learned to really appreciate the value of a nice cool glass of water...or even better, Bush's Sweet Tea!! Mmmmmmmmmmmm. The heat and dryness around here literally sucks the moisture from your mouth so that you quickly get parched, especially if you're outside in the sun.

That's just how life is too isn't it. The energy and joy we have often gets drained by trials and troubles of life--hurt friendships, loss of family, arguments, stress, busy-ness etc. It makes us tired, drained, and thirsty for a revived spirit. Personally, I've gone through that a lot lately...the stresses of moving and packing, exhaustion, and missing my family has really taken its toll on me the past few weeks. But the Lord has led me to the "quiet waters" of Psalm 23. Notice how He not only leads us to the waters to quench our thirst...but he leads us to quiet waters so that we can drink in peace and safety. :) Such an encouragement.

Thirsty? I pray that you seek the arms of God so that He can lead you to those waters. Let me leave you with the words of a song that has sustained me of late:

All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
As deep cries out to deep

Come Lord Jesus come...Holy Spirit come. Amen.

Read 1 Timothy 4:12 Can there be a better way to start off a webpage for youth than with one of the most powerful scripture passages for youth??? I think not! :) Paul was writing Timothy (who was most likely a teen!), encouraging him to do TWO main things: 1. To not let anyone (the old folk) look down on him because he was young, and
2. To be an example to all those around him by the way he talked, the way he lived, the way he loved, what he believed,
and the way he lived morally.

So does it sound like a piece of cake to do? Or does it sound impossible or crazy? Personally, I know that when I was in high school, I thought that this was nothing but wishful thinking. Because how was I supposed to get the grown-ups to look up to me??? It wasn't recently until it hit me--Part 1 of the verse happens BY LIVING OUT THE SECOND PART OF THE VERSE! By setting and example in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. So let me encourage you to be that example that Paul calls us to be! You can do it! Peace...

Testing. Testing. One, two, three. Is this on? Ok, I think it is....:).

Hola peeps!!! To the youth of St. Alban's in Waco, my friends, co-workers, my family in beautiful Virginia, and the random wanderer--WELCOME to the Youth Advance, where you can come for daily thoughts, scripture verses, prayer requests, and more! Here's another way to look at it: Come get your daily fuel!!...a chance for perhaps a little inspiration and direction. This is your friend and brother Aaron here...I hope this is of service to ya'! It's my prayer that this blog is used to the glory of God! So let's begin the glimpse....