Basic Beats

ESV Bible giveaway

2011-05-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! There is a giveaway here for a free ESV commemorative Bible! Come sign up and see if you get it. It's something like a $70 retail price? I have seen one in person, and it looks nice, but I wouldn't buy it if I already had an ESV. But hey, good luck on the giveaway guys!

Gospel Coalition - Day 1

2011-04-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

All right, so I have spent $400+ and the last of my wits travelling all the way up here to Chicago for a few days for a conference held by The Gospel Coalition. Now, I did not know that I would wake up this morning an entire hour earlier than I needed to be up. You see, there is that thing called a time zone... I forgot about that. All I can say is that I am glad I was not wrong in the opposite direction! But, in all honesty, I needed that extra hour. I had the worst time getting to the right place!

The one thing you need to know about McCormick Place is that it is separated into THREE huge buildings, with three large parking lots. All this cut in half by a 6 lane expressway... Oh my, I was so lost and so frustrated. I finally got to the right spot when I decided to turn off my GPS. Go figure.

The whole purpose of this conference rests on this idea: to preach Jesus from the Old Testament. Ok, ok. I know what you might be thinking. Doesn't Jesus come in near the middle of the book? You know, where he was born in a manger, raised in the Jewish culture, spoke words of life, and, in the most sacrificial act of love this world has ever seen, died on a cross, and defeated death by the power of the resurrection. All this happens in the Gospels, and those are in the NEW Testament! What do you mean preach Jesus from ye Ole Testament?

Let's look at an event in the Bible that happened after the resurrection, during the days while Jesus was on earth appearing to over 500 people. We pick up where Jesus is walking with two guys (they don't know he is Jesus at the moment, they think he is dead and in a grave). Here is the passage from the English Bible, Luke 24, starting at verse 13:

13That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles^a from Jerusalem, 14and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Alright, here is the focus. These two guys were so blind, that Jesus was right there talking to them, yet they believed he was gone for good. They failed to believe what the prophets and the law had been pointing to the entire time! Jesus took them through the entire Scriptures, the Old Testament, looking at all of the details where it had pointed in some way to Jesus.

Now when they had learned that it was Jesus who had traveled with them, they couldn't find him, and they said to themselves, "Did our hearts not burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" You see, when we look at the Old Testament and look at everything as pointing, guiding, and directing our attention to Christ, our hearts will burn within us!

I once heard a quote, "The New is in the Old contained, the Old is by the New explained", or something along those lines. I have really enjoyed being here in Chicago, and I can't wait for a second day of finding Jesus in OT passages. Hopefully, I will get hold of some good Chicago dining as well tomorrow! Have a good night everyone!

Still here

2010-03-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

This building's collapsing and caving in

The walls are falling, exits fading away

but I don't mind at all

it's gonna be alright

When everything around me is falling to the ground

all my ups are turning down

you're still here, you're still here

The streets are crumbling and my path is gone

all I can do is wait till dawn

You're still here, you're still here

All systems down and were going the same

the pilots got out, add blame to his name

Never guessed this would happen

I pray you are holding me tight

The streets are cleared of traffic, but whats left is worse

the rage of the earth, spewed out like a fury

Holy God, I am in your hands now

Keep me in your line of sight

When everything around me is falling to the ground

all my ups are turning down

you're still here, you're still here

The streets are crumbling and my path is gone

all I can do is wait till dawn

You're still here, you're still here

Where will the tide turn?

Where will summer meet winter?

Where will Heaven meet Earth?

Where can I run from your inescapable glory?

When everything around me is in restoration

all my lows are in elevation

you're still here, you're still here

The streets are paved in majestic gold

all I can do is stand and behold

You're still here, you're still here

You're here.

Fresh Socks

2010-01-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

Nothing says clean like a fresh start. Turning a new leaf over. Returning from Christmas Break. This is a new start. More responsibilities mean less freedom. That is a sacrifice that is high and I am willing to make it.

Relationships - Awesome to get things straightened out and ready to progress in many deep friendships. Fellowship with my friends and the students I lead is key to my relational fresh start. I want to focus on many, not one, as I have the tendency for. Going against the grain is what I tend to do best. It just takes a push sometimes. And a lot of help from God.
Leadership - I am at the point where I want to USE what I have been learning in all my classes. I am excited and waiting with anticipation to see how God will be using me this semester in various places. Most of all, I can't wait to start helping lead discussions and building relationships with the youth group at LGBC. I am so PUMPED about this semester!
Campus life is starting back up this week. Yeah! I am ready to get back into the mix with my fellow teammates (amazing brothers and sisters!) and the coolest group of middle schoolers I know (Edgewood!!!)!

No doubt, I am ready for a change. With classes about prayer and bible studying, I am expecting to learn a huge amount about life, love, and God. This will be my finest semester yet!

A Love for People

2010-01-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

God just planted this marvelous image in my head showing his love for everyone. This image is nonetheless breathtaking and exuberant and fresh. It brings tears of joy to my eyes, even now just writing this weak effectiveless blog that very few people will read, but this is really just something for me to look back on later.

I guess one thing that really has developed this image has been a recent reading of a series called The Circle, in which Elyon (God) and his Son Justin (Jesus) vividly interpret the Great Romance (The Gospel). In it, Justin calls the Circle (the Church) his bride and says that each one of them is perfect. He goes on to show his heart and his love for the Horde (not-yet believers) to Thomas Hunter, the main character. It is the same for the Circle! He loves them both! This is also, just like the rest of the book, a parallel to Christianity, in that God LOVES not-yet believers!

We are all perfect! Whether we have sin in our lives, broken hearts, tattoos, greed, poverty, broken families, bad attitudes, perfect lives, missing teeth, ripped abs, blonde hair, chain smoke, overweight bellies, or any of billions of random characteristics, God loves us.

I guess for me, I have always known he loves us Christians a lot more than I can imagine. But for some reason I have never gotten around to believing the same love could be achieved for those who do not love him back. I know I would have a horribly difficult time loving someone using my name in conjunction with a curse word, or worshipping money, video games, music, or the opposite sex. But, after God implanted this image in my head of loving all he created because of their perfection, quite honestly, I feel like God has shown me his heart.

His heart is for us. All of us. Me. You. The pastor of a church. The drug dealer on the corner. The blue-collar worker. The prostitute. The basketball player. Lenny Kravitz. Bill Gates. Everyone in the World Trade Center on 9/11. In the U.S.A. In North America. In the entire WORLD.

1 John 4:6

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Get Off Me, Sin!

2010-01-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

It is now about 4:30, and I have been in the same clothes since yesterday. For some of you, that might not be too much a problem, especially other college students like myself. But for some reason, I can not stand to be in the same clothes for a day. I can't even stand to miss my morning shower! But today I have put it off until after I write this because this was an idea that struck me as I was chatting on facebook. I have been to busy watching movies and distracting myself from my usually daily hygiene activities. Now I feel dirty and grungy and I want to take off these old, stinky, sweated-in clothes. I want to be renewed, refreshed, and transformed.

This reminds me of our struggle everyday to put off our old self and to put on the new. Let's first see what God says about this:

Colossians 3:9-10

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with it's practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

It has to be our desire to take off our old self. Just like our daily showering and fresh clothes, I believe this has to be done every day! It isn't enought to say that you aren't going to fall back into swearing, pornography, covetousness, and sinful natures! These temptations are on your doorstep every day! they don't just leave once you are saved. If anything, Satan will strengthen these very temptations to get you to fall even harder when you succumb to them. We must remember to put on our new self every day so that God can continue to renew our minds with love and justice. We are made to reflect Him! If we leave our old selves on in the morning, we won't have that renewing and transforming that God desires us to have! We have to do this every day. Satan doesn't take days off. Neither should we.

I pray that you take off your old clothes today, and put on some new, clean ones. I am right now. Shower time!

From the Lips of Frozen Fingertips

2009-12-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Capo 2 Chords used D Dsus Em G

Dodging the icy drifts on the road
It seems the sky is full of snow
Can't wait to be back home
To build a fire and watch it grow

Im trying hard not to slip on the ice
As I shimmy my way to the door
The warmth of the house shot right through me
I remembered you as I dropped my bags to the floor

(Chorus)
It's Christmas time again
Just as in days of old
But I won't be as warm as I want to be
I won't have your hand to hold

There are presents under the tree
I had hoped to get you one from the start
Sure, you might be four hours away
But I have you close to my heart

Chorus x2

"Maker of All Things" Devotional

2009-11-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

"Maker of all things, God almighty, worthy is the Lamb" - Unhindered

How often do we wake up every day only to thing about what we need, what we want, what we are going to do today? I know that almost everyday, I begin with taking a shower and finding myself something to eat before I do ANYTHING! This is my top priority: to make myself satisfied...

I am selfish man.

I want to remember that my GOD is the maker of all things. He is the one worthy enough to be thought of FIRST THOUGHT in the morning, and LAST THOUGHT at night! I want to fall down and make myself low just to make Him higher! God creates in us a new heart. He can, because He made us! He made everything, everyone, every.... everything!

Genesis 1:1 "God created the heavens and the earth."

Does that ring any bells? The very first event EVER recorded before anything else. Creation. The Maker. Our Maker. Amazing.

God, you never cease to blow me away with your amazing glory and creative majesty!

"New Creation" Devotional

2009-11-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

"I am a new creation, I have been born again" - Leeland

It is one thing to serve a God who has created me. It's a completely different concept to come to the realization the God has reborn me. Though I am a sinful creature, I have found new life in Jesus Christ. The old me is dead. THANK YOU GOD! Not surprisingly, that old me was a hardened taco shell filled with Grade D beef. It was so easy to do the wrong things, to say the worst words, to see the pictures my mother would be furious to know that I have seen, and yet I did it all without a sliver of regret or guilt. But like I said, that was the old me.

I AM NEW! Reflecting on who I used to be, I am grateful to be reborn again. In Christ, I am made NEW! What a great feeling, to have all my sins washed away! I AM a NEW creation! Death has no power over those made new again. Satan can try his bag of tricks all he wants to. Unfortunately for him, being a new creation means that you get the privilege of overturning Satan's own tricks against him.

Standing in the midst of God's love. That is where I want to be forever. I want to be where God is. I used to be on the outside looking in. Kind of weird, considering I was technically always "in" the church building, but being in consistent intimacy with God has brought my life to a new level. I see things differently now. What was colorless and bland is now blindingly beautiful and radiant! God has created me again, and this time, I can pick up my cross. I know that this life is not going to be easy, especially the path that I am choosing. But I know that new creations are also who God uses to progress the story of the history of everything. This world will try everything it has to stop me...

Bring it on, world. Bring it on.

>:]

Sunset

2009-11-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

Can you hear the sound of crashing waves?
The sand on the shore, like thousands of pearls
Glistening in the amber color of the sun

The geese fly in landing peacefully
Ripples casting water to and fro
Bending the reflection of the November sky

As the sun sets low
You will find me here
Waiting on the shore
These shades of red
Run through my head
Oh please, Sun, please don't set

Can you see the glory of God's beauty?
It's marked by the warm colors of the sky
Transitioning into a canvas of stars

The sun is perching atop the horizon
The cool evening air make me wish you were here by my side
If only the sun would never set again

As the sun sets low
You will find me here
Waiting on the shore
These shades of blue
Bid day adieu
Oh please, Sun, please don't set

So many things to say
To many thoughts in the way
Waiting on the shore
Just to let it out

To scream and shout
Oh please, Sun, please don't set
On me
On me
Oh please, Sun, please don't set
On me.
On me
-----------------------------------------------------------
(Sunset Reprise)
Cause if there is just one little thought that I'd like to share
It would be how much this life would compare
If you hadn't walked into my life at all
I think the Sun would fall, I think the Sun would fall

Cause if there is just one little thought that I'd like to share

It would be how much this life would compare

If you hadn't walked into my life at all

I think the Sun would fall, I think the Sun would fall

Basic Beat

2009-11-09T17:44:00.000-08:00

Well, another week has now begun.

My favorite color, green, has been taken to a whole 'nother level. I guess it just takes a little extra something to really make it pop! I have to say that the last weekend was by far my favorite weekend of the year.

But I really feel like a lost and broken, incomplete person. And slightly on the lonely side. Thank God for friends!

And papa Fernando Bernal is just plain amazing! Haha!

My plans are sooooo messed up right now. I have no clue what I am doing. Should I continue on, throw caution to the wind, or hold back, and risk never knowing?

I wish I could spill, but something is holding me back.

Fear.

I am scared. What do I do? God is working on me right as I write. Putting these thoughts on paper (or at least pixels) is helping to organize my feeling a little bit.

Why does this always happen? I feel like I am on a roll and things are going my way, and all of a sudden I feel like I am falling off the tightrope and back into dismay. I finally made it to a point where I was ready to reach out, and now I feel disconnected.

Or maybe the thought of a relationship just leaves me with the reminder of failure...

Rays

2009-10-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

I’m awakening to a new and exciting day

I wonder slowly to the window

I see the sun is rising over the horizon

It's a beautiful day, it’s a beautiful day

It's a beautiful day

I walk down the stairs and to the right

Crossing the door frame I enjoy the breeze

The air is brilliantly exuberant

It's a beautiful day, it’s a beautiful day

It's a beautiful day

Where will this day go?

What will this day show?

I really do not know

It doesn't really matter

I stroll down to the coffee shop

I don't like coffee so don't stop-

To buy me a espresso drink cause

It's a beautiful day, it's a beautiful day

It's a beautiful day

Seeing your face shine in the sun

Makes the day seem so much for fun

As the light rays flicker over the field

It's a beautiful day, it’s a beautiful day

It's a beautiful day

Where will this day go?

What will this day show?

I really do not know

It doesn't really matter

Rays of sunlight shine all around us

It's a beautiful day, it's a beautiful day

Rays of sunlight dancing dancing

It's a beautiful day a brilliant bouquet

Where will this day go?

What will this day show?

I really do not know

It doesn't really matter

I truly do not know

where this day will go

Maybe we'll share an Oreo

cause that would make this the most beautiful day of all

The Poncho Post

2009-10-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Poncho the Penguin here with a new interview with Herbie the Exciting! I met up with as he was sitting in TOL. This is what the Chilean had to say:

Poncho: What is on your mind right now?
Herbie: Going home and the fall break that is to follow after my next class at 2. Should be an exciting weekend.

P: What are your plans for this weekend?
H: Let's see. Other than the 4 hour drive home which I am quite used to by now, I will be spending time visiting family and playing in the praise band at my home church. I hope to visit some friends as well. I might even put in a few hours on the PS3!

P: Where do you live?
H: I live in a small town called Brookville, Indiana. It is about an hour away from Cincinnati, Ohio. The big main feature of this area is the Brookville Lake. I have met a few people from Grace College that have been to the lake a few times to camp or other various activities.

P: What is your major?
H: Currently, I am enrolled as a Youth Ministries, Management of Information Systems, and Business Management triple major. This is a crazy mix, and I plan on doing some crazy accomplishments with it.

P: What is one thing about you that you want others to know?
H: I want people to know that I love them. People are awesome to hang out with and be around. I care for them and I like to help them out in as many ways possible. Many people know this about me, especially the people who ask me for help! This brings great joy to me and if I should ever need help, I know that many of my friends would be willing to help me out too! I love mutually helpful relationships! We can't do everything by ourselves!

P: Do you like penguins?
H: Hahaha... Yes.

P: Thank you so much for your time, Herbie.
H: Thank YOU, Poncho, for being such a trusty sidekick!

P: Oh... You're too kind!
H: No, Poncho... YOU are too kind!

<(")

Beautiful Way to Grow

2009-10-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Friends. They are the chosen ones that help me grow in Christ. They are the ones who go with me to evangelize. They are the ones who go on carousel rides with me. They are the ones I find growing relationships in. They are the ones that give me space when I need it, and love when I don't deserve it. Friends. They fill my day up with joy. They populate every corner of my life.

The beauty of it all is that friends are like rays of sunlight fleeting to the ground to meet me where my blossoming petals ingest their radiant beauty. God has sent into my life like a glistening snow fall a furious flurry of friends that support me, that I can depend on, that I may have enjoyable times with.

Given the extreme circumstances and the radical way of life that is Christianity, it is absolutely key to have a foundational group of pals that will stick with you, that will listen to you, that will give you helpful advice, as well ask ask you the hard questions that need to be asked.

This is a letter of thanks to all of my friends. You are my beautiful way to grow, as a man, as part of the human race, as a follower of Christ. You, my friends, give my life spice, variety, ever changing dynamic feelings, and one of many reasons to explain why there is a God. Just as I want to have fellowship with others, God wants fellowship with us. I know that I have a hard time finding time to talk to all of you, but I know God has plenty of time for everyone!

Thanks friends, for showing me love.

Maps

2009-10-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Jesus answered, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

I noticed as I was looking over this passage today that I have a map to Heaven. I just want to share some of my thoughts on this as I expound this passage. I feel I must interject on your day so that you may also experience what I have discovered. Being human, I know that what I write may not be 100% on par, but my prayer is that we can all learn even just a little bit more about our Almighty and Amazing God.

The Way

What is a 'way'? It is a road, a path, a general term for a thoroughfare to get from one place to another. It is an interstate. It's a dirt road. It is a specific trail. When Jesus says he is the Way, it means there is only ONE path, road, interstate, lane, driveway, path, to Heaven, and that is through Him. Who needs a map when there is only one road to heaven? If Jesus declares that he is THE Way, then there are no other roads that can lead to Heaven. Not Buddha, Shiva, Allah, not even being a good person. Nothing else can get you to Heaven. Nada. Zilch. Be on his Path. Make sure you our on the Way.

The Truth

What is the 'truth'? It corresponds to reality. If it isn't true, it doesn't exist. It can not be true if it does not exist. If the truth is a lie, it would not be true anymore. If Jesus is the Truth, he can't be a lie. It also logically follows that the Truth cannot be a lie, so Jesus, as Truth, corresponds with reality and cannot be a lie. You can't see Him? Oh... that makes Him a lie. If you think that, think about gravity. Can you see it? Wind. Can you see it? Warmth. Can you see it? Yet, all these things are true, because they correspond with reality. I can't 'see' Jesus with my eyes, but that doesn't mean I can't feel the effects of His work in my, as well as another's, heart.

The Life

What is 'life'? In this specific passage, John uses the greek word zoe. This is a word for life that means eternal life. Living forever. Jesus said he is Life. If Jesus is dead, he would not be alive. Since He says He is Life, if He were dead, that would make Him a liar, and therefore He wouldn't be the Truth. But He is the Truth, which logically means He is ALIVE! Eternity is a long time to live.

The Map

You see, even though Jesus is the only way to Heaven, He doesn't want anyone to be left out. Not Muslims, Shintos, Neopaganists, Christian Scientists, Confucianists, Hindus, or Wiccans. That is why God has given His grace to all. He loves all of the people no matter what they believe or what they do. Do not get me wrong though. God is a just, righteous God. If a person heard the gospel and rejected it, on Judgment Day, the last day at the End of the World where all your counts against you will be brought to the trial, that person would be sent to Hell, the place created to keep Satan and his demons, a place never created for mankind. Why do we even need God? Ever heard of the Ten Commandments? If you have broken even one, it is as if you have broken them all. Even a little white lie is punishable by Hell. But that is where the Savior, Jesus Christ, steps in. He died for our sins, so that the atonement for our sins by blood sacrifice might be fulfilled. In three days, Jesus rose from the grave. He had LIFE! He is alive.

I pray that if you are looking for a way to heaven, you just found it. Please, if you have any questions, or comments, let me know. Give me an email or post on my facebook, whatever. He is the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.

Crushed

2009-10-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have noticed a few things over the last few weeks. College is taxing. To your wallet, body, mind, faith, plain everything. It takes a lot of work to do halfway decent in college. It takes a great sacrifice to do well in college. It takes an epic rearrangement of priorities to succeed in college.

A great threat to college life is crushes. A certain someone catches your eye, and it seems like the next minute you are scanning Portal for their name so you can be their facebook friend. Little do you know, this is only the harbinger of actions to come. What can seem like a meaningless chat brightens up your day, while having little or no effect on the crushee at all. Then things get even more crazy if the certain someone has a crush on someone else, who probably has a crush on someone else, who has a crush on some other random person.

Basically, I hate crushing. It's too confusing. It's too hard. It makes me feel horrible when things don't go as planned. It brightens up my day. It fills my life with Joy. It confuses me. It brings meaning to my day. I feel like a dummy. I feel like I can wait for years. I feel like I need to act now. I feel content. I feel anxious. I feel mislead. I feel misleading. I feel like God has a great sense of humor.

Fortunately, my life is centered on God. I realize from a most recent relationship that I am not the spiritual, Godly leader that I need to be yet. Therefore, until I feel like God and I are in Sync with the decision to build a stronger relationship, I am putting my relationship with any girl at all ever on the back burner. No matter how much I want to just go out and explain myself... I can't. I am still very much fresh out of a relationship, and I am still under construction. My heart is still not healed. It probably never will be completely healed. My God will be my Healer. God is my Lord. God is my Father. God is my Love. Until I get to that beautiful point of rescue, my heart will be hidden. I don't need any relationship at this point other than the one I have with Jesus.

I write this to show my God is my source of Love, not any human. If I can accept the Love of God, he will provide for me a wife that I will be able to provide for. Until the day that He shows me the one, I will not make a move. I took relationships into my own hands once, and by the same hands, it was torn to shreds. I give up my right to decide my future. That is for God to decide.

Sunny Sunday

2009-09-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

What a day!

I went to a new church today with my friends. Calvary Baptist Church. Met some new faces, got in a picture, and enjoyed the service. I don't really know why God took me there this morning, but it was by divine appointment, as are all things.

Later in the day, about one o'clock, a random man asked me if I wanted to be in his film about the Gospel of Mark. Willingly ready for anything at all times, I replied, "Yes." Little did I know, the next two hours I would be setting up the scene for the 'good' thief and his carrying of the cross (which happened to be two tree trunks nailed together, and it was very heavy. When this movie comes out, that guy's grunts and pain stricken face are REAL, not acted out!). I had the opportunity to play the part of a Roman soldier with the duty of forcing the thief up the hill with forceful coercion. It happened to be a very unique twist to the midsection of my day.

Later, I got to play a little soccer with my sister hall. Well, not really. Let's just say I got to run after the ball a lot! I didn't mind, it was good exercise and a good chance just to hang out with my sister hall. It was a great way to end the day!

Finally, I just finished reading the first half of a book titled Unveiling Islam and took a quiz on it. Yay quizzes...

Posted Again

2009-09-27T00:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, just wanted to mention that a whole summer has past since I last wrote in this blog. I am not sure how much you may know about what happened over the summer. Not much, except hanging out with my previous girlfriend a bunch. My life began to change two weeks before the start of my second year of college. I took a youth ministry module to Philadelphia. God taught me that my life needed a lot of cleaning up spiritually, physically, and relationally. I had built up so many treasures of this world, while neglecting the treasures that God has been trying to give me.

Now, I am in my third week of college. And thus, the madness of college life is reinstated once again. I love this college. New friends, new classes, new crushes. I will never forget my past, but I will not stop writing an amazing future.

What Is Important?

2009-09-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

Thinking of Giving Up?

I've been contemplating with a fellow college friend of mine. We are both single guys and we are both struggling with girl issues. I recently got out of a relationship, and he has been single for much longer. It's not that we don't want to date, but rather we don't want to date who we want to date. Instead, we want to date who God wants us to date. You see, I have been through three relationships. The first was ok. The only problem was we were too young to date. The other two, however, I decided to take my chances with personality and looks being the basis for our relationship. Both of these relationships grew very physical, very fast. Through these last two relationships, however, I have discovered that, just like marijuana is a gateway drug, kissing is a gateway physical contact. It starts with holding hands and hugs. I am totally cool with these! But I find the real problem is when kissing comes into the relationship. Granted, alone and by itself in the appropriate context, I believe kissing is fine. However, EXTREME caution must be used. I find it extremely difficult for me to treat a girl as a person when kissing enters into the relationship. Therefore, I must set boundaries for myself. These boundaries are MUCH more strict than my previous relationships.

I have failed in the past with relationships because I cannot put God at the center of it. All I have ever done is date due to the love I have for the person, rather than the love I have for God. But that all changes this year. This year, I am taking my relationships to God. God WILL be the center of my next, and successful relationship.

The Difference Between Me and Hymn

2009-04-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

The Church has a problem. A really big, huge, gargantuan problem. Church is boring. As th e church, we have made the decision to completely separate ourselves from the world and its problems. We see the world as a dirty, rat infested plane, with the church, high, mighty, and holy, on a much higher plane. If we keep this up, we are going to be just like the pharisees in Jesus' day. In fact, I would go as far as to say that we are the pharisees. This is the problem. We are too in love with our rituals and have no compassion for the world outside of the church. When we forget about those outside of our church walls, we are not going forth and making disciples as Jesus has commanded us. Instead, we are teaching ourselves to be dull.

In Proverbs 17:27, Solomon writes, “Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.” Many people believe this verse applies to discipleship. I agree with that statement, but I also think it could mean something else. I think it can be illustrated as a battle. On one hand, the are the churched people with their swords. The other, unchurched people with their swords. When these two clash, the churched and the unchurched both have the chance to sharpen each other. We just have to be careful not to be so far away that we look as though we are retreating, or too close that we kill each other.

I like many of Stevens' ideas on how to make the church more relevant. I think that we run into a problem in churches these days because the generational gap is so large now. Only one hundred years ago, the average life expectancy was around 50 years. Today, that number is up by a quarter of a century to 75 years on average. Now, instead of creating a church to fit the preferences of maybe 2 or 3 generations, it has spiked up to 4 and 5 generations. And as people get older, the less they like change. This makes it near impossible to implement any type of change in the church today. The world is moving at two hundred miles an hour at Daytona speedway while the church is still in bed waiting for the alarm to go off.

Providing that we can make a change in the church to make it relevant, why would we even want to? To get more people to go to church! No one is going to go to church if it has nothing to offer them in the daily stresses of life. The Church today is struggling to compete with movies, music, magazines, video games, the Internet, radio, and many other mediums of popular culture. Before all this technology was invented, only rich people and those who lived in big cities could entertain themselves with “high” culture, made for upper class people. Since the invention of the television, popular culture has just skyrocketed out of control and has choked the life out of the church. Or has it? Maybe the church is just to stuck in the rut of old problems and issues that are not relevant during this period.

The next issue is one that I have struggle with for a very long time now. I come from a Baptist church that uses the King James Version exclusively. I also have a friend that has a very KJV-only view. My biggest battle with this issue is if I can't understand what the KJV means, how is God going to use that to change my life? I'm not saying that the KJV is bad, but I do believe it was a translation written for a different period, where the language was vastly different, and people had different understandings of the words. The KJV is still very much necessary to do a cross translation study on verses, but I believe we can have a more relevant church if we start using a more relevant translation that new believers can understand.

People also like to use Revelation 22:18-19 as leverage for the KJV-only argument. “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book” I'm not sure exactly what God meant, but I am fairly certain he did not mean that translating the Bible into a more relevant language was adding or subtracting the words of the Bible. If this is the case, the same verse could be applied to the translation from Greek to English, English to Spanish, English to Pidgin, Greek to any other language you can think of. It makes no sense to me to use an old translation from 1884 to teach a 2009 world. Why did the English need to translate it? Because they couldn't understand what the previous version meant. Why should we incorporate newer translations? Because most unchurched people don't understand Old English.

Music and television clips are good to use in church environments. Who better to describe the hurt that is going on outside of the church than secular artists such as The Used, Taking Back Sunday, and System of a Down? These artists show us up front what it means to live a life where hurt abounds and nobody cares and it is just better to die. These are the people we are trying to reach. These are the people who need to see God's love and grace.

By the same token, we can get a lot of clips from movies that show the same kinds of struggles that people deal with every day. There are so many movies that deal with revenge, self-image, stress, and personal strife. There are almost limitless possibilities on the number of topics to incorporate with a message from the bible. These clips can also help get the message across to people who are sucked into these movies and series that occupy their nights at home.

I believe that the Church as a whole needs to revolutionize its relevancy to the rest of the world. It's high time that we go out into the world, take Jesus with us, find God there, and influence lives for the better. Picture this: We are to be like Jesus. Jesus went to parties, drank wine, and hung out with some pretty deceitful and dishonest people. Do we do that enough? Are we imitating Jesus who did these crazy thing's in the name of God's indiscriminate love, or are we imitating the pharisees that stuck themselves to meaningless tradition and didn't show a scrap of love to those who with blood, sweat, tears, mind, body, and soul, desperately wanted it? Our church is boring. Let's liven the place up a bit.

Spring Break Fun!

2009-03-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

I had the coolest experience over Spring Break to lead my home church's youth group for the week. I started out wednesday with a game of marshmallow towers where the students used marshmallows and spaghetti sticks to build the tallest tower. I talked about how we sometimes tend to want to get revenge on people who are mean to us. Revenge should be left to God because he will choose what actions are best to glorify Him. We can't disobey God and expect to be fulfilled in our our pride of getting revenge on one another. To finish off the night, we played a charades type game.

On Sunday, We started off with a game where the two students playing would take a bite of a banana and try to spit it out into a cup while they had a panty hose on their head. Obviously, none of the banana was going to go through, but the students didn't know that! We ended up with two very banana'd students! Then I spoke on peer pressure from Daniel 6 and explained how we should be like Daniel and follw God's commands rather than popular belief, or "peer pressure". After the talk, we played a game called 'Fruits' and fellowshipped for the rest of the night.

Overall, Spring Break was a blast! Spent lots of time with the family and Talia, as well as got plenty of sleep. Also got a little sick. I hate allergens or colds or whatever I had. Totally skipped all the homework I wasn't gonna do anyways, and now here I am. Ready for the new day.

A new day where I can once again experience God's wonders. His world, His people, His amazing Grace.

Until next time,

~Herbie~

Marathon Race Through Constituated Fluctuations

2009-03-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

Sounds like a great weekend I have planned. Saturday, we have a fun event planned fo CL volunteers, and Sunday, as usual, ***CHURCH***. Some awesome things happening in the praise band that I play drums for. We have a very good set for this Sunday morning, and the hot rods are still intact. We are going to play From the Inside Out later in the month or so, but I still can't wait. That is one of my most favorite songs!

In other news, my girlfriend is the most beautiful of ALL girlfriends!!!

Recently, tragedy struck the little town of Myna, Raston. The townsfolk reported that a large creature was seen ripping houses down. Luckily, the owners of the house were on vacation to Kuslo resort in the southern Wess regions. Emergency personel arrived and the police filed a report stating, "The house had been struck by blunt force on the south end of the structure." Oil traces have been discovered near the site, indicating some sort of machinery was present. Back to reality, Herbie.

Thanks Jim. In light of the previous winter, spring has finally sprung! Today we had a high of nice n' warm, and I got to hang at the lake for the sunset!

That's all for today. Have a good evening!

Have A 'Wonderful' Day

2009-03-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

To those of you that might know me, you know that in general response to the question "How are you today?", I usually reply with, "Amazing" or "Awesome". However, I was reading in Psalms 90 and I read something that has, let's say, kind of put things into perspective.

I think the New International Version states it best:

Psalms 90:10b - Yet the best of [our days] are but trouble and sorrow, for they pass quickly, and we fly away.

I think this passage is comparing our earthly days to the days we have to look forward to in Heaven.

As I read this, I reflected on some of the best days of my life. It was interesting because I just finished recalling some high school memories with a friend. Nevertheless, it astounded me. God says that those days are still trouble and sorrow. And then I got to thinking about my relationships. No matter how amazing I think the time I am spending with my girlfriend, it the long run, it's still sorrowful and troubling! Don't get me wrong, I love every minute I spend with her, but compared to God's love, mercy, peace, joy, salvation, awesomeness, guidance, care, and knowledge, not even my wedding day will be as good as 1 millisecond of time spent in Heaven with God.

I think from now on, I am going to enjoy my days that appear to be amazing, but I will also keep this verse in mind. These are not my best days. They are my worse at best. But for now, I will make the most of them!

~Herbie~

The Quiet Song

2009-02-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

So this is a song that I wrote back in high school. Senior year I think. In band class, everyone would gather around in the drum room and sing to this tune, while I played the basic beat behind to drive it as well as amp the volume. The kicker was whomever was at the lights providing visual effects, usually Ryan Richardson, as well as Sarah Puls and Jessica Rader.

The Quiet Song

*whisper during the verse* #SHOUT DURING THE CHORUS#

......

This is a really quiet song (quiet song)

This is a reAlLy LoUD SONG!!!

LOUD SONG!!!

*Drum fill*

This is a really quiet song (quiet song)

This is a reAlLy LoUD SONG!!!

LOUD SONG!!!

......

Yup. That's The Quiet Song.

Down With The Sickness

2009-02-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend started out fairly well, I noticed that I had plenty of free time when I looked at my homework schedule for this coming week. However, I manged to quickly catch a dreary cold. Colds are not my favorite thing to wake up to, but alas, I caught one. Like that persistent minnow, I've been trying to throw it back into the pond of worldly sicknesses, but it is obviously trying to make my weekend miserable.

No doubt, a rough weekend this has been. I jumped to hasty conclusions, been frozen, had headaches, blew atomic sneezes, and was late for praise band practice. Not to bad of a weekend!

Of course, God managed to help me keep my sanity. Sometimes I think that God lets us suffer to emphasize how Awesome he is. For example, I just read in 2 Kings 1 where the king Ahaziah was sick. God used this so that the King would go to Him for help, but the King refused God's help and instead sent for help from some other god of a foreign land. God got angry with him, and killed about 100 of his troops. then because God was so angry with him, God let him die. I think had King Ahaziah went to God for help, his life would have been spared.

This is something we all need to be reminded of. Time and time again, we rely on doctor's and their medications and treatment to take care of us. Don't get me wrong, the Bible also says to be wise and it is very wise to get check-ups for health issues. But I do think we tend to overlook the power that God has over our physical body.

That being said, I think I'm going to bed early. My 9 o'clock class has cancelled, so I might just sleep in until CCT at 11.

A Beginning

2009-02-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

This is the start of something fresh. I'm all up for it. This is the beginning of an amazing journey. This Basic Beat is not just a post, it's a commitment. From this point. This is where it starts. Basic Beats is going to be a new time consumer, obviously, but I also want it to be more than that. My hope for Basic Beats is to share what I learn with you. I don't have a clue what I am going to talk about, or if I get to post a lot, or what will happen with this blog, but I just know that God will work through this.

I'M SO EXCITED!

I never thought I would be a blogger, yet here I am!

Ok, to start off with, I've been waiting. For a long time now. When is God going to come back and save us from all this suffering? Every time I log on the internet, there is news of horrible events raging throughout the world. And I know the answer in the back of my head is that this is all working out for the best. I recently heard this quote: "God is right where he was when Jesus died on the cross."

You see, God has suffered the loss of his Son. He shares this world's pain. Why? Because it shows how vastly he loves us!

I will leave you off with this. We are all waiting. We are waiting for God to redeem us and that is going to happen! We just have to wait longer. So long as I know that God will redeem us, I don't have to worry about it. Psalm 130 says that the author waits on the Lord more than others wait for the sunrise. This is breath-taking! We KNOW that the sun will rise. We have it pretty much down to an exact science!

So this is my goal for this week, as well as for life: I want to grow so much, that I come to wait for God more than I wait for the dawning of a new day.