So here it is. Christmas. There are two firsts for me this Christmas:
1.) It's the first Christmas of my 20's.. and
2.) It's the first Christmas without my family.
I'll admit, I was kind of depressed that I would be spending Christmas half a world a way from my family. Hearing of all the wonderful Christmas plans that my friends had made with their families caused me to sulk in my loneliness for a while. It seemed at every turn there was a family enjoying a meal, or a commercial with a family eating Christmas dinner. Christmas this year seemed like it was just going to fall short of being Christmas...
As the clock struck twelve (Christmas), I read aloud Matthew 1 as I played my guitar slowly. I actually got excited reading the genealogy of Jesus for the first time. As the names got closer and closer to Jesus I started to play harder and read louder. By the time I got to verse 14 I could no longer hold back, I shouted that Azor was the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan! Jesus was coming soon! I continued on almost sweating: Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born JESUS, who is called Christ!
My hair stood on end as I read verse 21: "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." THIS is the first Christmas that I've truly reflected on that. Jesus was born into this world so that He could take our punishment. I would encourage you to reflect on that. I don't know who you are reading this, you may have just stumbled on this randomly, or you may be a close friend. Either way, may you be transformed by the love of Jesus Christ this Christmas season.
Christmas Break
Friday, December 19, 2008
As Christmas draws nearer I've been thinking more and more about getting away for a few days and just camping. I don't know if this desire has sprouted from my immediate family being half a world away or if it's just my masculine side telling me to get out and live life in the wilderness for a while. It seems that I'm surrounded by concrete so often and that everything is man-made. It would be great to be in the woods reflecting on how marvelous God's creation is for once... I think that I may just do this with Josh the weekend after Christmas. It'll be rock and roll.
In other news, I actually cooked lunch for people other than myself today. Roberts family was brave enough to let me do it, so I prepared chicken adobo (filipino goodness). It looked like this:
It worked out though, I think. No one threw up at least...
In other news, I actually cooked lunch for people other than myself today. Roberts family was brave enough to let me do it, so I prepared chicken adobo (filipino goodness). It looked like this:
It worked out though, I think. No one threw up at least...
Wow. So I Have A Blogger Account?
Monday, December 15, 2008
I totally didn't realize that I had a blogger.
Nor did I realize that I've already posted TWICE on it. Maybe I'll post more often? I don't know... regardless, I wanted to share something I realized this week: I need to engage the lost around me more.
I realized this when I was at the Jacksonville Jaguars game with Robert on Sunday. My warm and fuzzy, Christian bubble that Liberty University has so wonderfully crafted around me was rudely popped by a wave of alcoholic tinted screams of profanity hurled from Jags fans behind me towards any and every member of the Green Bay Packers. I started to count the different profanities that I heard and quickly realized that it was futile because I can only count so high. I even witnessed a man with his child almost get into a fight with someone in front of him. I don't know what it was about, but they were throwing every cuss word imaginable at one another.
I became very uncomfortable.
This is what gets me though... I did not reflect Christs love upon them. Rather, I cast judgment in my mind. Instead of talking to these people, I kept my mouth shut and my eyes focused on what was on the field, creating my own set of blinders to what was going on around me. What would've happened if I had reached out to these people and met them where they were at instead of hiding in my shell and retreating from the world? I'm not really implying that the buzzed guy next to me would've become a preacher if I had just been nice to him, and I'm not really saying that anything would've changed at all. But maybe, just maybe, if I had acted in the way Christ would have, someone would have notice the Light.
So, I guess what I'm getting at with all of this is we need to be Christians that stand up in the midst of culture and meet people where they're at. I'm pretty unhappy about the way I've met adversity and that needs to change.
Nor did I realize that I've already posted TWICE on it. Maybe I'll post more often? I don't know... regardless, I wanted to share something I realized this week: I need to engage the lost around me more.
I realized this when I was at the Jacksonville Jaguars game with Robert on Sunday. My warm and fuzzy, Christian bubble that Liberty University has so wonderfully crafted around me was rudely popped by a wave of alcoholic tinted screams of profanity hurled from Jags fans behind me towards any and every member of the Green Bay Packers. I started to count the different profanities that I heard and quickly realized that it was futile because I can only count so high. I even witnessed a man with his child almost get into a fight with someone in front of him. I don't know what it was about, but they were throwing every cuss word imaginable at one another.
I became very uncomfortable.
This is what gets me though... I did not reflect Christs love upon them. Rather, I cast judgment in my mind. Instead of talking to these people, I kept my mouth shut and my eyes focused on what was on the field, creating my own set of blinders to what was going on around me. What would've happened if I had reached out to these people and met them where they were at instead of hiding in my shell and retreating from the world? I'm not really implying that the buzzed guy next to me would've become a preacher if I had just been nice to him, and I'm not really saying that anything would've changed at all. But maybe, just maybe, if I had acted in the way Christ would have, someone would have notice the Light.
So, I guess what I'm getting at with all of this is we need to be Christians that stand up in the midst of culture and meet people where they're at. I'm pretty unhappy about the way I've met adversity and that needs to change.
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