I tend to lean on the side of logic. I’ve come to the realization through the years that, just like everything else, people have a different view of what would be deemed as logical or illogical. As a follower of Christ, my logic “hinges” on, to put it in simple terms, what Jesus would do or how He would act, how He would treat this person or that person. It has always ticked me off to see people take their so-called, “Christ”-rooted logic and use it for evil and injustice to others. I consider a perfect example to be all those lovely people that bash the gay community with their “God hates F*gs” signs, an illogical injustice when measured up to the humble loving logic of Christ. This example is an extreme, of course; I notice all sorts of “tiny” injustices served to others and lived out by others, all of them being rooted in our own selfishness, our own pride. So if injustice is rooted in selfishness and pride, then what is justice founded upon? Ahh, such a simple answer is coming, so much so that one might call it cliche’. Well folks, there are reasons for cliches’ and that is because more times then not, they are correct. The foundation of justice is humble love and we need to look no further then the life of Christ and the grace of God to see the highest example. To humbly love others, to rid our hearts of selfishness. As I think through this more and more, I begin to realize how selfish we can be, there are the extreme examples of bashing gays, bashing those of different race, making jokes at the expense of other people. As Crowder puts it, “the harder I try, the more clearly can I, feel the depth of our fall, and the weight of it all.” The harder I try to be more like Christ, to die to myself, to rid my heart of selfishness, to live out the humble love of Christ, the more clearly can I begin to feel the depth of our fall. I can truly see how far I am and we are as both followers and non-followers, as both a church and a world. I get a glimpse of how far we are from being worthy to be called little Christs. I can feel the weight, the challenge, the calling of living my life as a passionate, humble, loving follower of Christ.

The whole premise for this came about as this afternoon I was reading through the book of James. As I came across the passage of James 4:17, the words struck a chord within my heart.

James 4:17 NIV
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Wow, it made me think of how many times I saw someone who may have needed help and I didn’t even ask them if I could give a hand. It made me think of the many times that I have been driving and seen someone stranded on the side of the road and didn’t stop just to ask if I could help. I think of the many times in which I’ve seen a middle school or high school student or, heck, anyone for that matter, that was just sitting alone, keeping to themself and how I need to consider the opportunity I have to share in life with them by sharing my story and caring about their story, caring about their life. Even as I pass someone I don’t know in the hall or at a store or in a parking lot and I could simply just smile give them a head nod, acknowledge their existence simply by showing them a little love gesture. And how many times I ignore those I don’t know but even more so when I ignore those that I do know. Even if I don’t know them well, God has had us share a bit of our life together and yet instead of acknowledging that person, instead of sharing the humble love of Christ to that person, I would rather look the other way and pretend I didn’t see them so I can continue on my way undisturbed. Selfishness.

Some of you reading this may feel as though this things are just “minor” details, little hiccups or mishaps that occur on a daily basis but you don’t care about them because you’ve callused your heart from the little mishaps and have found contentment, perhaps even pride, within the fact that “Hey, at least I don’t steal or kill anyone”. Yet to make a very corny metaphor, that’s exactly what we are doing. We are stealing away from others the hope that we have inside, the hope of Jesus Christ, we steal that from them when we don’t share it with them. We kill the chance they have at eternal life, eternal love, eternal peace. I haven’t even mentioned the big injustices that we do nothing about, things such as homelessness, hunger, hate, and so on, and how we ignore these “major” problems because we don’t have the time to humbly love and serve others. We’ve become to consumed with ourselves, with our own comforts, with our own lives. Selfishness.

There is power in the little things that we do for one another. There is this power because the little things have been left for dead. If there is any challenge, any message that I would like to relay, then it is the most simple and the most cliche’ and sometimes the most ignored: to love others the way that Christ first loved us. Love others in the little things because those opportunities are always around us. Don’t wait until a missions trip or a service project to come around to show love to others. Be faithful to Him in the small things.

Philippians 2:1-5 NIV
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 6:3 NLT
We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way that we act and so that no one may find fault in our ministry, in His ministry.

Sitting in my office on a sunny day is like telling a middle school student to back down from a year’s supply of mountain dew. Even though I know it’s not warm outside, the sun beckons me to come kick off my shoes, lay down in the grass, watch the clouds and time float by, or even better, go play some disc golf! I love the summer for so many reasons- too many reasons to list here. A few main reasons I love summer is because I am able to do so many of the things I am passionate about! I work in the summer for the City of Troy running day camps for 6-12 year olds. I love just hanging out with kids, playing games, going on field trips to the pools, and just enjoying life (yes, it is a plus I get paid for it but not the point). It is a blessing to be able to passionately enjoy life and be rewarded for doing so. I love disc golf! Going out kicking off my sandals, the grass between my feet, the wind in my hair, and my disc cutting through the air- it makes me smile just writing about it. And, of course, the best sound of all on the disc golf course is the way the chains ring when your disc lands so gracefully into its home. I love just spending hours out on the disc golf course with my sister and my friends, enjoying life and creation. (I have a feeling that this year I will finally get my first ace!) I love being able to go on mission trips and serve Christ, and serve others, and grow in my relationship with Him and with others. I love lying down at night at various secluded spots in the area (I have taken time to find such spots) and watching the stars. I love summer because I love enjoying His creation. So I write this all for two reasons. One, because it warms my heart just thinking about the days to come. To put it more poetically…

“Little darling, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter. Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here. Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it’s alright”

The other reason is because I want to talk about passion.

The other week I was speaking for the Upward Basketball ministry at Woodside. As I was walking into the building, I walked past a boy and his mother. The boy was so enthusiastic and passionate as he told his mother about the five points, two steals, and one block he had in the game. The way he was talking, you would have thought that he was making his case to be inducted into the Upward Basketball Hall of Fame! I smiled as I thought about the conversation, because the child spoke so passionately about something that did not matter. Something that, in too short of a time, he wouldn’t remember. But that didn’t stop him from speaking so passionately about his achievements to his mom, his dad, his sibling, his friends, heck, probably anyone who would listen. And I thought about how, for this kid and so many other kids, there would be no way I could go up to them and tell them they had no chance of making the NBA. You cannot tell a child that they don’t have what it takes or that they don’t have a chance of accomplishing their dreams, their aspirations. Not just because it would be horribly wrong for someone to do such a thing, but because they wouldn’t believe you. You could tell them they couldn’t do something and it would make them work more adamantly and more passionately for it. Why? Because their passion deep down creates a burning desire to achieve their goal, to become something.

I thought of the passages in scripture in which Christ talks about children. You know when he says to be like children, to have faith like a child, and that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I believe that not only should we have faith like children, but passion like them. A burning desire deep down that, regardless of who tells us we cannot be like Christ, inspires us to throw off their criticism and keep it from hindering us. A passion that is used as fuel for our fire.

When I think about living passionately for Christ, I think of the passage that I would have to call my “life passage” or mission statement or whatever other title you want to put it on. All I can say is I hope to live my life like this: a life filled with faith; a life filled with discipline; a life filled with humility; a life filled with love; a life filled with passion!

2 Corinthians 6:3-10

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

We own nothing and yet we have everything! Why? Because we already have all we need in Him. So let us live passionately, throw off the sin that so easily entangles, and let us live as a fire all consuming for His holy name!

Won’t you join me?

“Love is the soul’s drug; music is the soul’s remedy.”

I actually enjoy that some of the best quotes remain anonymous. Those types of quotes may not have been said by some great man in some great speech but yet they still resound with the same truth and impact. I find it quite beautiful actually, as though these little snippets of human wisdom and enlightenment came from every day people just sharing and expressing truth to one another. One friend shared an idea with another, it stirred their soul and they shared the wisdom with another. It continues to trickle forth from there- no one man taking credit for this wisdom yet encouraging and enlightening others.

Love is the soul’s drug. I can agree with that; I think of the times when I wore a younger man’s clothes (yes, I know I’m only 22 but you will soon discover that throughout my writings I insert lyrical quotations. I won’t point all of them out to you. Consider this a freebie; everybody gets one). Anyway, we all know that love makes us do crazy things; the “high” is like none other. But I love the second part of that quotation: “music is the soul’s remedy”. Music in and of itself is a perplexing realm of beauty & truth. Music is the universal language; it conveys thoughts, ideas, and emotions where language barriers fail to do. It unites mankind. Music is the soul’s remedy for when our souls are troubled. We find comfort in listening to a song that sooths our hearts and minds.

It has been just over a month since my father suffered his heart attack which eventually led to his death. The last month has seemed surreal and my mind continues to sift through thoughts and images over that time. I tell each and every one of you that the prayers you offered out of love for a fellow brother in Christ was of great comfort to my wounded heart. And I ask that you would continue to pray for my family, that we would continue to trust in Him and find our comfort in His arms. There was a day after the funeral in which I was cleaning my room, headphones on and heart aching. I sat in my room on the floor, crying. I miss him, his smile, his laughter, the warmth of his love. I was listening to all sorts of worship music. And at that time of heartache and sorrow God used music to bring some healing to my soul. The David Crowder Band delivered healing through “Oh The Glory Of It All”. The line in the song “after all falls apart, He repairs” spoke to me of God’s love and how He is in control. While listening to “Grace” by Phil Wickham, my soul was crying out grateful for the grace that God has given to us, praying that His grace would continue to abound, in my life, my family, and those I love. I know the same grace that I live by is the grace that saved my father’s soul, the grace that has put him in the presence of our Savior and our God. The last song that turned my tears of sorrow into tears of joy was Chris Tomlin’s song “Glory in the Highest”. As the music swelled and the line “glory in the highest” continued to ring out, a smile was upon my face as God blessed me with the image of my dad in heaven. He is singing and dancing with great joy, rejoicing, for he is in the presence of the King. And I hear his voice, telling me to be sad and troubled no more for he has seen the risen Lord and He has told him that we are in His hands.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”