The computers were down most of the day at work, so I decided to fold brochures in order to not throw my "system" off by working offline. So for a good chunk of the day, I sat in a swivel chair and at a big wooden desk while folding 8'' X 14" papers. It wasn't long that I started complaining and yawning!

Anyways, what struck me was that as I sat there in the stale, white fluorescently lit office, the song "Seize the Day" by Carolyn Arends played...twice actually. The words cut straight through my boredom and frustration in an instant. For the chorus of the song is this:

Seize the day.
Seize whatever you can,
For life slips away just like hourglass sand.
Seize the day. Pray
For grace from God's hand,
Then nothing will stand in your way--
Seize the day!

Wow....for life slips away like hourglass sand. Isn't that the truth!!

What good is it to sit in a cubicle or a smug office and type into a computer, sign letters, and talk on the phone all day? Is it worth it? Why do we do it? Is it because we love doing it? Or could we be doing something much more nobler, something much more worthwhile, something much more fun? There are places in the world rarely seen by man....cultures rarely experienced...feats not yet accomplished! Why not take a step into the unknown?

I seem to be asking myself these questions a lot lately. There are many days that I ponder about when I get to take my next vacation so that I can get out of the office. And there are plenty of days when I long for my sabbatical to Alaska!!! Should I be doing this? Shouldn't I look forward to each day of service as if its a vacation?

My thoughts aren't too fluid today, but its just something on my heart--why are we doing what we do?

--Do we go to college simply for a piece of paper that allows us a high-paying job that we won't necessarily enjoy after two years?

--Are we working a decent paying job now that we don't like at all simply for the cash flow?

I dont' have too much to say on the topic except this: it seems that if we are in school or at a job for these reasons then we're not heeding the words of Christ in Matthew 6:25-34. In that passage He encourages us to not worry about our future and to not store up wealth for future use, because tomorrow will simply take care of itself.

I recently had to take that step while in grad school. I was miserable as a student there. And its not b/c I was doing poorly either--I made all A's while there. But I felt my life being sucked from me there. And the only reason I was there was to make myself "ready" for ministry...to get another diploma saying I was ready to make more money. Well, let's just say I got out of there. For professors and papers don't ready us (even though they can certainly aid the process), the Holy Spirit does.

I'm not doing the topic much justice right now...forgive me. But perhaps Carolyn Arends will:

"Seize the Day"
Well I know a doctor, a fine young physician,
He left a six figure job for a mission position.
He's healing the sick in an African clinic.
He works in the dirt and writes home to the cynics.
He says, 'We work through the night so that every day, as we watch the sunrise we can say,'

Seize the day.
Seize whatever you can,
'Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand.
Seize the day. Pray
For grace from God's hand,
Then nothing will stand in your way--
Seize the day!

I know a man who's been doing some thinking
He's as bitter and cold as the whiskey he's drinking.
He's talking about fear...about chances not taken
If you listen to him you can hear his heart breaking.
He says, 'One day you're a boy and the next day you're dead. I wish way back when, someone had said,'

Seize the day.
Seize whatever you can,
'Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand.
Seize the day. Pray
For grace from God's hand,
Then nothing will stand in your way--
Seize the day!

Well one thing I've noticed, wherever I wander
Everyone's got a dream he can follow or squander.
You can do what you will with the days you are given
I'm trying to spend my on the business of living.

Amen. Seize the day! Live it as if its your last!

My apologies to you guys for another extended absence from blogging. My parents visited from Virginia this week...and being the momma's boy that I am, I never left their side. :) From this point on though, expect regular entries every other day or so.

Goodness gracious...for the past 3 or 4 weeks, my life has been anything but normal! I returned from the mission trip two weeks ago from today and housesat for the two weeks after that. In the middle of all that, my parents made the two-day drive down from Virginia. Last night was the first night I've slept in my own house since July 5th!!!

In the midst of all this craziness, there's so much to look back on...but as I focus on the mission trip itself, I make it a point to remember each face in the group that went and the expressions on Ann and Laymon's faces as we spent time with them while repairing their home. There is no doubt Texan and Tennesseean lives were changed that week....even a Virginian's life was forever changed! :) Yet despite this, its so easy to forget the week...forget God's working on our lives. It seems hard, especially when looking at the previous journal entry where we looked at those who met Jesus and were never the same afterwards. However, on the flipside, there are those who met Jesus but weren't catapulted into a new life of love and power. Just look at Judas, one of Christ's own disciples! Furthermore, take a look at the rich young man in Mark 10. These were fella's who met Jesus, talked with him, dined with him, and even followed him but chose paths contrary to what Christ taught. Judas even handed Christ over to authorities to be arrested!

So as we look at the choices we have once Christ is met, look at the examples in Scriptures:

1. You have folks like Paul and the Samaritan woman at the well who change their lives and the lives of those around them once they experience Christ!

2. You also have those like the rich young man and Judas who, sadly, turn away from His teaching and lead lives of destruction.

Why did the two different groups choose the paths they took? Well, I'm not too certain, but I have an idea....

Turn to Isaiah 6. Found it yet? Its the book in b/w Genesis and Revelation. :)

In this passage, Isaiah met God as well. His meeting was probably a bit similar to Paul's meeting w/ Christ. Read verses 1-4. Can you imagine what it would have been like to go through that?? I probably would have wet my pants!!! To see the Lord "high and lifted up"...with the angels singing...which of course caused everything around poor Isaiah to shake and tremble!

What happens next is important: In verse 5 once Isaiah witnesses the presence of the Lord, he sees how low and sinful and dirty he is. He cries out "Woe is me!!" I can only imagine what that would have felt like...he probably felt like he should have died right then and there. But in the verses to follow, Isaiah was touched by God, and told that he was cleansed and forgiven. Wow!! How awesome that must have been!!!

So when we look at the 4 characters we've talked about recently--Paul, the Samaritan woman, the rich young man, and Judas--they probably all had similar feelings around Christ. To witness the power of Jesus, whether it be through his presence, miracles, perfect life, or amazing teachings probably left them all feeling worthless and dirty. I know it would me!

But the difference b/w them all is their reactions:

--The Samaritan woman, who had slept with many men outside of marriage and was probably the joke of the town, realized she was cut free from the slavery of guilt and sin and went to boldly tell the good news!

--Paul, who was responsible for the persecution and deaths of Christians, and even called himself the worst of sinners dropped the weight of sin off his back and ran the race Christ marked for him. (Hebrews 12:1)

However,
--The rich young man walked away from Jesus in sadness b/c he was more in love with his money than the Lord. Mark 10:22

--Judas ended up hanging himself over the despair he had after turning Christ, his own friend, in to be murdered.Matthew 27

So what will you choose? We all know we've sinned Romans 3:23. We look at Christ and what he's done for us and we can't help but cry out, "Woe is me! What good am I?!?! I'm nothing but a dirty, rotten person!"

But if we let him, Christ will touch us and wipe off that dirtiness...that guilt...that shame the disables us. He did it for Isaiah, for the Samaritan woman, for Paul, and for countless others. He'll do it for us too. We just need to ask and let Him.

Well, I'm a few days removed from the St. Alban's EYC mission trip to Tennessee, and I still can't effectively communicate what exactly the trip meant. Certain words continue popping up--such as "incredible" and "amazing"--but I'm unable to put intellible sentences together! Any detailed account of what happened moment-by-moment during the trip will be both overwhelming and a bit too much to read and write in one sitting. Therefore, I'm going to avoid writing of the daily happenings. (If you're interested in that, please feel free to contact me though!) Instead, over the next few entries, I'm going to share certain happenings and lessons that I took away from the experience.

With that, let me open by saying that I sure hope this past week wasn't simply an experience. It pains and worries me to think that the youth and sponsors will walk away from this trip thinking to themselves, "Boy, that was such a great experience!", or "I'm glad I experienced that!" An experience comes and goes and not much is to be said of it in the long run. A tetanus shot--now that's an experience! You get one and its either not so bad, or it kicks your butt! And you walk away saying, "I hope I don't have to experience that for a good long while!" Experiences, whether they are good or bad, hit us big at first but become distant memories later on.

So to think that we'll walk away from the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains and say, "What an experience! I'm sure glad I got to see that!"...well, it scares me.

Its my prayer that each member of the team met Jesus that week...and will be freshly and forever changed as a result. For some folks on the trip, it may have been the 100th time to witness Christ....but for others, it was their very first time. And no matter how many times it happens, each time someone runs into Jesus, history is forever changed.

Let's look at some examples:

1. The Apostle Paul, who is accredited with leading and starting the first churches and writing most of the New Testament, was once a persecutor of Christians. He was even at the stoning of Stephen! (Acts 7:54-8:1) But something happened shortly after he took part in the murder of Stephen. Paul met Jesus.(Acts 9)Its quite incredible...for in the very passage that Paul was met by Christ, it opens with Meanwhile, Paul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. Two verses later, the Lord knocked Paul right off his feet and onto the ground. Paul was speechless and blind! It goes on to say in verse 20 that after he regained his strength, he immediately set out to the Lord's work! Thanks be to God!

2. In John 4, the Samaritan Woman encounters Christ. As she went to the town well to draw water, she came upon Christ sitting at the well. This must have been a very intimidating experience b/c not only was she a woman...but a Samaritan woman in the midst of a Jewish man. Furthermore, she had basically shared her bed with several men...and not even as their wife! But Christ meets her where she is nonetheless, and in verse 28 it tells us she drops the water jug where she is and goes back to share the Good News she has heard. It doesnt' stop there either! Just read verse 39!! It tells us that many more Samaritans came to know Christ as a result of that once lowly, dirty woman!

Paul and the woman at the well were living shameful lives...and were headed on a collision course with disaster. Paul was responsible for the deaths of many Christians and the woman was living a life of sexual and moral sin. However, they both met Christ on a path...and both ended up choosing different ones as a result. Paul shaped early Christianity for crying outloud! And the woman changed her city for Christ! These are just two among a host of testimonies the Bible provides...just look at Peter, Mary Magdalene, and Cornelius!

Folks who met Jesus were changed...simple as that. It wasn't simply an "experience". Paul didn't just have a Damascus Road Experience....his life was altered...changed. The woman at the well didn't have an experience w/ Christ there. Instead she was given a new life and freedom that she never knew before. And as a result, she boldly shared Christ w/ the city that once scorned her.

So its my prayer that we just didn't experience a good trip to Tennessee. I hope Christ knocked us off our feet like He did Paul. Perhaps He told some us to leave our burden at the well like He did the woman. We've got work to do...lives to change. Let's begin with ours!

Please note: This will be the last published entry until July 14. During the brief hiatus, please lift up the following youth and sponsors in prayer as we are in Tennessee on a mission trip: Ben, Sean, John, Stuart, Chris, Carlton, Aaron, Karen, Mary, Laura, Beth, Kindell, Anna, and Atalie. Thanks! Now, continuing with YouthAdvance!...

The most interesting thing happened to me yesterday (July 4)--

I was walking along the Brazos River with some friends and we came upon a turtle. The poor fella', Figaro (we'll call him that), was rolling around at the surface of the water, amongst some logs and debris. We all thought that was rather curious but continued on down the river until someone pointed out that Figaro was caught up in something. Upon further review, poor 'ole hapless Figaro was caught on a fishing line!

It was at this point that the St. Francis of Assisi came out in me. (While in college, I did an intensive project on this reknowned patron saint of the poor and non-human. As a result, a bit of my spirit was transfigured into that of his...so that when situations arise that involve the injury or death of animals, St. Francis comes to life within.)

So as everyone stood there fixed on Figaro and his deathly dilemma, I felt strangely compelled to step down into the muck. (I have a few choice words for St. Francis once we meet in Glory, let me just get that off my chest real quick. :) ) After positioning myself in the water and mud and drawing Figaro closer, I found that a hook was stuck in his mouth!

It looked pretty bleak as poor Figaro would stop moving for minutes at a time and then slowly show signs of life as he gasped for air at the surface. It began to look worse as I struggled to free him. With each tug of the line, which was wrapped tightly around several logs and his legs, Figaro would squeal and moan in pain. As my heart reeled over this, I eventually grabbed Figaro and began to work the hook out of his mouth. Continued moans and a bite of my finger were made as the process dragged on for minutes, which seemed like days.

As the water around Figaro and me turned red from our blood, I finally freed dear Figaro of the hook that snared him and the string that entangled him....only to see him immediately swim away without a glance back.

What do I have to show for it? Simply a scar on my finger and a few eyewitnesses. But there's the sweet feeling of knowing that Figaro is still part of the community of the Brazos River.

As the hours passed afterwards, it quickly became evident--Figaro and his mess was a picture perfect example of what I always get myself into...having to have God take me in to His hands and free me.

You ready for the meat???...then let's go!....

As I look back at Figaro, I'm often reminded that I tend to get wrapped up and caught in sin. And like Figaro and the hook, I routinely get attracted to sin's outer-coating that uses curiosity to draw me in. And once sin's hook is planted, its so easy to get wrapped and tangled up in its line.

Paul encourages us in Hebrews 12:1 to throw off the sin that so easily entangles us.... Its so important for us to do this before we get wrapped up in it--much like Figaro was in the fishing line.

A second illustration I got from Figaro's fiasco was that of his pain and response to it. In order for me to pull the hook out of his mouth, I had to cause Figaro more pain...I had to wiggle the hook and, at times, tighten the string around him. To hear Figaro squeal in agony nearly caused me to quit...but I knew death was certain if I did not free him, so I continued. Even after Figaro snapped at me and bit my finger, I persisted for his sake. Isn't God the same way? In order for healing to begin, additional pain sometimes has to be endured. In the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), the wine used to clean the injured man's wounds smarted....but was soon soothed by the rubbing oil. How do we respond in such situations?

Finally, once Figaro was released, he immediately swam to the depths of the water without as much as a look of gratitude. It hurts for me to say this...but I see so much of myself in this instance. How often has God healed or rescued me, only for me to completely blow Him off? Nine times out of ten? Its seems certainly possible...especially after reading Luke 17:11-19. In this passage, Christ healed 10 men of leprosy, only to have 1 come back to thank Him.

I wonder what Figaro is doing right now...maybe napping...or snacking...or leisurely swimming around. But if he's anything like me, he's probably got himself in another mess. I'm not sure how many times Figaro has to fall into traps before he learns his lesson....but I know that I wonder if I've even learned my lesson yet.

Have you?

Well, in just a few days from now, the youth of St. Alban's (and a few of us old folk!) will be working in the beautiful rolling hills of Tennessee. Ah yes, there's nothing better than the cool mountain air on an early summer morn! The work? Lovin'!!!...simply trying to be an expression of the love God has shown us.

Living here in Texas...hills are few and far between. So much so that it is easy to forget the beauty and creativiy of the Almighty God. What comes to your mind when you think about rolling hills and majestic mountains? Do you think about the eternal Artist who formed and molded each cliff and slope? Or do you think about the animals He breathed life into that make their home in the shade of each tree and shrub that this Gardener planted? Perhaps you think about the Potter that took the landscape into His hands and drew the streams and rivers with His fingertips.

The band Third Day had a few thoughts on it--so much so that they wrote a song called "These Thousand Hills", which is inspired by Psalm 36:

These thousand hills roll ever on
Footprints of a Mighty God
They bring me to my knees in praise
Amazing love, amazing grace

Was on a hill my Savior died
A broken heart and bleeding side
Hill of the Skull, Mount Calvary
The blood He shed, He shed for me

When Heaven's hills at last I roam
Forever settled in my home
I'll join the saints around Your throne
Your kingdom, Lord, rolls ever on

These thousand hills roll ever on
Ripples of a coming storm
The morning star precedes the dawn
These thousand hills roll ever on

What a song!!! And completely inspired by Scripture! But I must admit...until I saw the lyrics, I thought they sang:

These thousand hills will never know
The footprints of a mighty God
He brings me to my knees in praise
Amazing love, amazing grace.

(Yea, yea, yea...so I was a little off!)
I love the "real" version of the song...but I so much like my misinterpreted version as well!! For I know that while I'm in Tennessee next week, I'll be looking at the hills around me and thinking that all these thousands of hills in their beauty, might, and splendor will never know the love of the God who made those footprints!

So let me encourage you--whether you're in Texas, on the ocean, or working in the Appalachian Mountains--to spend some time and allow yourself to soak in His love. For while He made the huge bulging mountains, the raging seas, and the great rolling plains...He also designed each and every one of us for a purpose.

Remember that Christ Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20-21 that our faith needs only to be the size of a seed in order to move those same mighty mountains that He created! So soak up His love....let Him nourish that seed of yours so that it can sprout, and grow, and bloom!