Where is the love?

I have come to notice in recent weeks a trend in which Christians of a certain theological persuasion have begun to attack those of a different one. And to be truthful, the attack has been from both sides. I don't intend to write something long, profound, or ground breaking. What I want to say is this:
Why is it that we, believers in Jesus Christ, are turning against fellow believers and even going so far as to claim those we disagree with are cultic or preaching a satanic doctrine? It's fine if people decide to land on a different sides of the fence, but in my estimation this has gone too far. I would hold to the viewpoint of a dispensationalist--I have friends who would disagree with me on that. Does it mean that I am unsaved because I'm a dispensationalist? Am I stupid and a false teacher? These are accusations Christians are throwing at other Christians.
Maybe I'm uninformed or maybe I am really stupid. But it seems to me that if a person trusts in Christ as their Savior, that person instantly gains eternal life in Christ. Not just people who blend Israel and the church. Not just dispensationalists. Those who believe.
That means we are family. I'm just wondering why we aren't acting like it.

One thing that bothers me the most about this fight that is going on is the lack of evangelism that is taking place because of it. We're going to disagree on some things--NONE OF US are infallible. None of us have it totally figured out. But people need Jesus. And we are supposed to be telling them. Are we? Or are we spending our time attacking people who are on our team? 

Sports and Jesus.

I must admit, I'm a pretty big sports fan. There are few things I enjoy more than watching the Lakers, Vikings, Twins, or Avalanche play (that's basketball, football, baseball, and hockey for those who don't know what those names mean), but I've been convicted a lot about how much time I invest in watching or studying sports (fantasy football, etc) as opposed to the amount of time I invest studying and reading God's Word. Don't get me wrong, I do my homework and for the most part I read my Bible each day, but as I've had discussions with others about sports and spouted off random statistics or numbers that don't have any eternal value, I've often wondered how much Bible I know in comparison. Would I be able to stand face to face with someone and share verses in the same way I can stand face to face with someone and share sports stuff? Something I think about a lot.
Don't get me wrong either, I'm not saying loving sports or watching sports is bad.
I just love God so much more, and I want to be so well schooled in His Word that I can be a faithful steward of it, no matter where He leads Bethany and I after my internship in Indiana.
I'm writing this down because I'm not foolish enough to think someone can't relate. I'm not the only sports-loving guy out there who struggles with balance. So for those of you (and it goes both ways-guys and girls) who are like me, I'm hoping this challenges you as it has me.
Let's enjoy sports, but it's SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT that we know God better. That we become more and more like Jesus Christ. That we share His gospel with those who don't know where they will be when their time is up.

Something to think about. I know I have been a lot lately.

I'm no good at this!

Well, I'm officially the worst person ever at consistently writing in my blog. But I will get better.

School is winding down rapidly...And now that I'm a married man that means a lot more is changing than what I'm used to. My wife and I are applying to join a missions agency and become church planters after my 1 year internship, and there is SO much to do before that happens! But God has been so good to us.

I don't have a lot of time tonight to write here, so I'll write more then next time I get on (hopefully sooner than what I've been doing), but I want to leave whoever reads this with a thought:

Am I living my life for Christ every day, or only when it's convenient?

N.I.C.E. Missions Trip!

Hello to all! It's a little late, but I'd like to share about the missions trip I was able to go on over spring break! Ready?..... Here we go!

It all started right after we finished our Nehemiah lectures for the week. 6 of us climbed into one of the schools vans and hit the road, roughly around lunch time. I had the privilege of taking this trip with two staff from the school, Mr. and Mrs. Meysenberg. From the start, there was much laughter in the van and I could go on and on about all of the funny things that were said and that we did. But for the sake of this post, I'd like to stick mostly to what the Lord showed me and taught me through this trip.

We stayed that first night in Livingston, MT (after stopping in Billings for some Famous Daves goodness). Now, being from MT myself, I loved this. It was SO nice getting to see those mountains again, and to be back home in a sense. I miss being able to be there and experience all that MT has to offer. The couple who housed us was a younger couple, maybe late twenties or so, and they were both believers. That was cool, although we didn't get to talk much with them that night. Too much craziness in the car mixed in with hot temperatures made us all very tired.

The next day we got up and traveled from Livingston to Tacoma, WA. Nothing like a 12 hour car ride to make the day exciting, right? :) Actually, I really enjoy long car trips so I had a lot of fun. After getting 'slightly' lost in Tacoma, our host family drove to where we were and picked us up, and took us to their house. My friend and I stayed at the Atkins home, around the Puyallup area. This family had recently faced a great tragedy and so were able to hear about what God had been doing through it, and although it was an extremely sad situation, it was SO neat seeing God work through this pastor and his family. The next 3ish days we were at the IFCA regional conference, learning about church growth from Gary McIntosh. I really enjoyed hearing him speak, and was able to talk with several pastors about internship opportunities in WA and surrounding states. Each night, after coming back to the Atkins I was also able to talk more with Mr. Atkins (and his kids, who were very cute! :), and was able to hear about different ministry needs around the Puyallup area.
After the conference, we traveled back to school but stopped along the way at several other area churches through WA and Idaho. There were a lot of rural churches that had needs for interns and helpers, so it was cool getting to talk with them about ministry and what their lives look like in those parts of the country.

So, although this is a VERY small portion of how the trip went, it's a pretty decent overview of some of the different ministry opportunities I was able to see. Still praying about whether the Lord will lead me to the northwest, or to Vegas, or Utah, so I certainly haven't made any decisions about that yet, but I now have a better idea of what I'm looking at in terms of WA and Idaho.

I wanted to say a special and very strong THANK YOU to those of you who supported me, both financially and also through prayer, as I could not have gone on this trip without that support. The Lord has been so good and gracious and this was yet another example of His amazing faithfulness. I look forward to next year and possibly returning to Vegas to possibly pursue my internship there, but please continue to pray that the Lord will lead me where He wants me, and my soon to be wife, to head after school is over. Thank you all so much!! Love you guys!

How life has changed.

It's been over a year since I've posted a blog, partially due to internet restrictions at school, and also partially due to me just not doing it. But as this new year has begun and things have been happening, I've decided that it's time to make this a more consistent part of my life. It definitely helps, too, that my internet here at school doesn't block it as of right now. :)
This time last year, the Lord had been teaching me about being content, no matter what the circumstance was. I had gone through a pretty difficult breakup at the start of school, and second semester began with me finally starting to move on with my life. Death had again visited my world numerous times over the summer and fall, and so I had a lot of sorrow in my heart over loved ones I had said goodbye to, some of them for good. Money struggles, insecurities, and many other things were taking place in my life at this time as well, and although it was difficult I have seen God at work through it all. As of January 11, 2012 I am now engaged to the most amazing, beautiful, incredible, godly woman I have ever met, and I will marry her on July 21st of this year. Financially, although I am still scraping by, I will be able to pay off a credit card that has haunted me and will be able to start putting little portions away for savings to help with my married life. Death has still lingered in my world, and my heart still knows sorrow all too well, but the amazing thing about all of that is that God has stayed the same through it all. He has sustained me through every trial I've faced, every time I've fallen on my face, every heartbreak I've endured, and the most amazing thing of all is that He has remained faithful to me, even when I've been so unfaithful to Him. This year is very different from any year I've ever faced, but I'm so excited to see God at work again in my life, and the life of my wife-to-be. I'm so thankful for the love that He has shown to me, and the blessings He has given to me. I plan on writing on here once a week at the least, sometimes about passages that I find interesting or convicting, or even just about things going on in my life. So today, I'll start out with a passage I read in my Bible reading yesterday.
Psalm 33:6-7 (New Living Translation) "The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Reading these two verses, I can't help but get a sense of awe in considering how big God really is. I can't simply speak and create anything, much less create everything. My breath doesn't bring stars into existence, nor can I tell the sea where it can and cannot go. In relation to this God I read about I am nothing. I have no ability to measure up in any way to Him, nor will I ever have that ability no matter how hard I try. And yet, this same God has given me hope. Through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, I have the hope of eternal life with Him, the all powerful Creator!! That's incredible!!! The question is, will I allow this truth to impact my life, and live my life according to the awesome truth that He loves me? Will you, reader, let this truth impact your life? Are we living lives that are glorifying to God? If not, we should be. Something I've been thinking about a lot.

First Blog! Genesis 1-3

It's Monday, January 3rd, 2011 at 3:05 P.M.

This is my first blog post on here, so I figured that I would begin my blog series by going through the Bible in the next year.

I missed the last two days, so I'm going to catch up today and do all 3 readings at once.

Genesis 1-3

1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
I love the simplicity and power of this statement. It's made clear to us that we did not come from some random explosion, but that we were created, and not just for fun, but with a purpose (Jeremiah 29:11).

Day 1. God creates light, which leads to day and night. Darkness is the absence of light.
Day 2. God creates the sky by separating the water with an expanse.
Day 3. God creates dry land and seas. Then He creates vegetation and trees.
Day 4. God creates the sun, moon and stars.
Day 5. God creates the sea creatures and birds.
Day 6. God creates land animals, and then He makes man in His own image.
Day 7. God creates nothing, but takes the day and makes it a day of rest.

It's so interesting to me how God meticulously creates things with such order. It's such a step by step process that He uses, when He could have just created it all instantly. It just shows how much He truly cares about even the small details.

1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (NIV)
It's so humbling and incredible to think that we are created in the image of God, the One who created us!

The Fall is the turning point in this wonderful story. Man makes the decision to disobey God, and therefore death enters into reality. Adam and eve both die when they take that fruit and eat it, but physically not right away. Because death is now brought into the picture, we are automatically in need of a Savior. In 3:15, we see the first prophecy of the coming Messiah. "And I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman; and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Adam and Eve are kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and cheribum are placed on the east side of the Garden to protect it. A flaming sword is also placed there for protection.

In these first 3 chapters, we see quite a bit. We see the beginning of everything but God, the creation of man and their fall into sin, and the early promise of hope in a coming Savior.

Hope you enjoy some of these thoughts. I'll try to post more later :)
Blessings!

Chris