Tuesday, September 7, 2010

“Don’t upset the apple cart!” - 9 Months later

Hey everybody!

It's been more than 9 months now since I wrote in you mister blog. It's not that I haven't wanted to but things have been good and now that I've been back to working 40 hour weeks again I haven't had all this ridiculous time to write it all out.

Major updates:
1. I'm now a full fledged Pepsi Employee. I was hired on Jan. 25, 2010 praise the Lord. I also got promoted and have seen incredible thing that the Lord has provided through this job. I also get to work with Ian which is pretty sweet.
2. I'm taking up hunting for the first time ever and my mom is freaking out about it which makes me laugh. She doesn't know how anybody can shoot such a beautiful animal... haha... this'll just be more intentional than when my brother takes one out with his car... sorry Scott.
3. Personally/Spiritually life has been great. I just read my last post and was amazed at how I was feeling and see how far I've come since that.
4. Moved from the House which is kind of sad now because that means Ian went off and got hitched, DC moved back to Philly and out of the original musketeers only John and I are left to live together and hold it down! 'Cept that John and Kate get married in a month so that won't last long. It’s been awesome though because Max has moved in with us for about a month now and will be until he’s heading off to Rhode Island for the Navy.

...Which brings me to the topic on my mind... or at least in typing #4 made it the topic for this post.

CHANGE...

Most people in some way shape and form see change as a negative or something that is uncomfortable. Most people get to a point in which life becomes comfortable and they don't want anything to differ from the everyday stuff they are used to. But I challenge all of the people who will read this that if you look back at your life just over the last 365 days and inspect the changes in your life, short of a messy break-up or a lost loved one or other traumatic experience, most will say that they have been blessed by the changes that they have experienced.

However, for those that are true believers, isn't it our duty in life to change? Aren't we all signed up at conversion for a life of continued sanctification that will eventually lead us to change into something more Christ-like than the day that we originally converted?

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If we truly believe that God's will is perfect and pure then it is a command of us to change. Now I know I'm stretching it a bit to make the leap from - oh I now have a job... to change for Christ, but in that call I believe that we are called not only to make life changes but to make ourselves submit to the current of the flow of how Christ works in our lives and be willing that when that current pulls us one way or another to be able to let go of anything we are holding onto (picture a rock in a stream) and let the current just pull us when Christ is trying to take us. I believe that we will end up there anyway, but it's our decision on how painful we want the journey to be. I look at my pastor Craig as a great example of this. Craig was in law school when he felt the calling to ministry. How many of us can honestly say that if we were on our way to make a WHOLE lot of money and felt a little tug at our heart to say give all that up and follow me would be like "SWEET Sounds awesome God, LETS DO THIS!" but believe it or not that's what He calls us to.

Example: Matthew 4:19
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

And they did... they got right the heck up and followed him!

Don't get me wrong... in a lot a ways change is very hard and can be both painful and can feel, in the midst of it, like it's the wrong thing. But ultimately our father in Heaven provides for us the best outcomes of our life. I'm by no means great at this, though I do seem to enjoy change a lot. I'm still very stubborn and kick against the current when I don't like where it is going but ultimately I lose energy and "go with flow"... did you like how that worked out with my stream/current picture?

So here's what I leave you with, are you excepting of change... I hate to use a now pop culture reference but are you still holding the wheel or have you let "Jesus take the wheel"... I shudder at the thought that I just wrote that so please excuse the lack of originality.(edit: I was just reading a previous entry that I wrote and realized I had used that reference before... sigh) I challenge each and every one of you, including myself, to say Lord how would you like me to change and where would you have me go or what would you have me do... and then FOLLOW!

So I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog again, I hope to write again often. I've missed just flushing some thought out into a text box... and of course I have to leave you with a music choice... and it's a great one:

ANBERLIN - WE OWE THIS TO OURSELVES off their new album due out this week!!!