Making Better Choices

For Father’s Day my church played a video that focused on the choices men will make as they go through the cycle of life and get married, have kids, and watch their kids grow. It was especially touching to me because it made me think a lot about the choices I have made and how they impact my future, including my future wife and children.

Between that video and something that happened this morning, it dawned on me that even though you can receive forgiveness for your choices, the consequences of your choices could be permanent. And you can’t take those choices back. They follow you forever. Someone close to me told me this morning: “you can’t just start over. There’s no reset button.”

Sometimes, I wish there was. I definitely wished that this morning. Sometimes I wish that life was like a video game, where you can simply go back to a save point and do everything a little bit differently, because you remember how things ended up last time…and you want to avoid making the same mistakes twice.

But life doesn’t work that way. Our decisions are permanent and everlasting, and we get to live with them forever.

I pray that this makes me think harder about decisions I make before I make them. While I have no doubt that I am going to make mistakes in the future, I can certainly make things a lot easier and better for myself and for my loved ones if I make Godly decisions, rather than those decisions that come from raw emotions, such as anger, resentment, and jealousy.

The theme for the college ministry at my church this year is from the gospel of John : “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30). I must learn to make less choices based on my own desires, and more choices that are bent upon God’s Will.

Easier said than done.

Now I walk with You Lord

I finally managed to get the new Hillsong United album and am currently listening through it, but I’ve already picked out a favorite song.

It’s called “King of All Days”, and it goes like this:


"In your surrender
As You lay down Your life
You took up a sinners cross
And Your life rescued mine

In this redemption
Love and mercy display
And lifted my eyes to see
That Your truth never fails

Lord of the heavens
King of all days
Without You my world slips away
Redeemed by Your mercy
Consumed by Your grace
Now I live for You

[CHORUS]
I'm found in the arms of love
For Your love it has saved my soul
I'll run to Your arms of love
Your life's gonna lead me home

Glorious savior
In Your light I am free
If things of this world will fail
Still You are all that I need

Lord of the heavens
King of all days
Without You my world slips away
Redeemed by your mercy
Consumed by your grace
Now I live for You

[BRIDGE]
And at your cross
I lay my burdens
At your feet
Where Your love covers
All I've done
Now I walk with You Lord"

The bridge is especially powerful. God wants us to lay our burdens at His feet! I say that’s easily say that that’s one of the hardest things for me to do. I get so busy and stressed and I start to think that the only person who can help me is me…but that’s not true. God wants us to reach out to Him.

And reading the above passage, I realize how cliché it might sound, but its true! Get the CD, listen to the song, and look at yourself and see how you feel. You may be moved.

Kyle

An Essay on Politics: WWJV (What Would Jesus Vote?)

Back whenever I started actually giving a little bit of concern towards American politics, I thought that I would always vote Republican. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church and whenever you are in a Southern Baptist church, everyone tells you that you are supposed to vote Republican. They tell you that God wants you to vote Republican.

Before I go any further, I will admit to you that I voted for John McCain in the 2008 Presidential Election and that I am a registered Republican. You can take that as a disclaimer if you like. Now, back to what I was talking about.

I have a huge issue when people bring God into politics. What I mean by that is suggesting that God votes a certain way, or that God has a certain political belief. To suggest that the God of the Universe surrenders Himself to the ridiculous political ideologies of humankind is absurd. Folks, He doesn’t think on our level. He’s not concerned with who’s a Democrat or who’s a Republican. He’s God. Period. He’s concerned with Love. He’s concerned with people obeying His commandments.

I think the church tries to involve itself too much in politics and not enough in loving people. Granted, politics play an important part in our day-to-day lives, whether we realize it or not. They impact the church in various ways, both good and bad, and I understand that. But at the same time, I find that the church is so concerned in pushing a particular political agenda, that it tends to venture away from what it was originally supposed to be doing: reaching folks for the gospel.

Please understand that when I make these statements, I’m not trying to attack the church as a whole I am simply trying to make a point. I’ve spoken with a lot of pastors from a lot of churches that actually place less emphasis on political parties and more on choosing a candidate that lines up with your beliefs.

I have a lot of friends on both sides of the political spectrum, but I think it’s safe to say that a vast majority of my friends tend to be more conservative in their ideologies. I think that’s great. For the most part though, I don’t think that they are better people just because they chose a particular candidate in a recent election, as opposed to my other friends who may have voted differently.

I wonder when people will get to the point where they put aside their political differences and just love each other. I have friends on both sides of the spectrum who spend a lot of their time taking potshots at other people for their political beliefs. Sometimes, it’s in jest, but other times, in many times, it’s really hurtful. Come on folks! Get over yourselves!

I voted for McCain because I felt like he would represent what I believed and would push the issues I felt were important to me and what I felt was most beneficial to our country, as opposed to Barack Obama. I didn’t feel like Obama would address my concerns, and I think, for the most part, that I’ve been correct on that. I don’t agree with a lot of the decisions he has made.

I wish more people would do the same. I wish more people would focus on choosing a particular candidate or pushing a particular agenda because they feel like it’s what should be done for the improvement of our beloved country, and not just because they feel that they are supposed to vote for a candidate or whatever because of his party, or his skin color, or whether or not he is a good public speaker.

I think I’ve said enough on this matter. If you feel differently then I would love to hear from you!

No title

I can rarely recall a moment in the last few years where I've actually stopped. Just stopped. What do I mean by stopped? I mean sitting down and doing nothing. Maybe reading. Maybe writing. Maybe sipping at a bit of coffee while I catch up on things.

My life the past couple of years has been a big blur, especially the last 6 months. I worked two jobs, took a class at school, stayed involved in a campus ministry, played drums at church, managed to find (and keep) a girlfriend, and still have a shadow of the social life I used to live. Wow.

These past three weeks has been amazing. I have maintained a steady sleep schedule, found time for my friends, started putting real time into an awesome job, developed my relationship with Rebecca, and actually managed to find a little bit to myself.

I've discovered new things about myself, and new things about the life God wants me to live.

Tomorrow, I go back to school. I stay in school for month, while still working my evening job, then I head back to Alaska with a team of students to do some ministry on the beaches of Kenai. Then I'm in Glorieta, New Mexico for a week with more friends, then I'm back in Lafayette and getting into the swing of things before school starts in August. I plan to be back in the classroom full time, working as quickly as possible to get out of here and get my life on track.

As I sit here, thinking ahead about chaotic life I am about to go back to, I often wonder if I am losing myself when I don't take time out of my busy schedule to just sit around and enjoy the company of myself and sit in the prescence of God. A quiet time has long departed from me as a daily routine and the journal folder on my laptop has not been touched in over a month.

One of my goals, for the rest of this year, is to try my hardest to take time to myself, and re-discover myself, and to spend time in His presence, and to pursue Him with all of my heart.

Better said than done...