Captain Resurrection

A Blind friend of mine said it right...

Jesus has a lot of names but this one I had never heard "Captain Resurrection!" But it is so true. He is the Captain of Resurrection. He is Resurrection.

In this world there is much suffering, bitterness, anger, hatred, and death. But it is Jesus the Son of God who wipes all of that away. He is the Captain of Relief, the Captain of Sweetness, the Captain of Calm, the Captain of Love and the Captain of Life.

When Jesus was raised from the dead He was saying to the world... "Death is over! All things are now being made new and you have a chance to be made new too, it's up to you." So what will you do? Will you choose to live a life in this world pursuing all the things and heartbreaks that this world has to offer, or will you choose to live a life that is full of the Spirit and alive with Captain Resurrection himself at your side.
We all have a choice. Even Jesus had a choice, "Do I die and live or do I live and not really live?" That's the same question that we have to ask ourselves. The hard part has been done. Christ died so that we may have life and have it to the full now it is our decision to take on his life and become fully resurrected ourselves into a new life in Christ.

This life will have troubles and suffering and yes eventually even death but if we have already died once in Christ we have no fear. We will have joy in our sufferings and our trials because we know the one who has gone before and endured much worse than we could ever endure.

Take his hand and follow his steps. You won't be disappointed.

- Ky

What Can God Do?

Anything he wants!!

He never ceases to amaze me. I have just arrived in Nashville, TN to start working this summer at Otter Creek Church as a worship intern. I can't wait to see what God does here.

I love the people here. They are great lovers of God! I can't wait to get to know my family here at OC, my home away from home. One thing about being a Christian you're never far away from brothers and sisters. I can't wait till Sunday to see this family give their worship to their creator.

I'll post periodically throughout the summer. Hopefully more frequently than not (for the 2 of you that read this). And Dave notice I added you to the must read section.

-Ky

April 16th VT Lament

Here is a Lament that I wrote after I heard about the Virginia Tech Shooting. Sometimes the only way I can express what I feel is through lyrics. These are still rough but It's how I was feeling at the time. Be praying for the Virginia Tech families and for all those who were affected.

- Ky

April 16, 2007 VT LAMENT

V1
The other day I heard about
How one life took another
I cried about the sheer amount
Of hatred toward each other

I asked myself why God would
Allow this thing to happen
I asked him then if he could
Help all of us who have fallen

Bridge
Our tears have tumbled from our eyes
Our hearts have crumbled for our demise
Now we need you God to intervene
Lord come now and do something

Chorus
When will you come?
And save us from this pain
When will you come?
Do we pray in vain?
For we need you now
To help us all forgive
We need you now
Lord come and help us live

V2
Who then shall separate us
From the love of Christ
Will trouble, danger or nakedness?
Or any other vice?

For I am convinced that nothing will
Separate us from Christ’s love
Not death or life, not angels or demons
For everything he is above

Bridge
We ask you now to bring us life
We ask you come and heal our lives
We know that you are surely alive
For you are our God help us to forgive

Chorus second time through
Lord now come
And save us from this pain
Lord now come
Our prayers are not in vain
For we know you will
Help us all forgive
We need your help now
So lord come help us live

Nashvegas Here I Come!

I just wanted to give praise to God for the awesome things he is doing in my life right now!!! He is overwhelming me with blessing after blessing...

My sister just got married to a great guy.

My dad just had his 24th anniversary of getting a Kidney transplant. (normally supposed to last 10 years max). Praise God!!

My mom and dad just celebrated their 56th birthdays and are both healthy.

My friend Rick and I got selected to write the Miss Oklahoma theme song, "Heart of the Heartland."

Rick and I also wrote 3 praise and worship songs and a song for mother's day together with the help of a 3rd writer (God)!

I am going to Nashville this summer to work with Brandon Scott Thomas the worship leader at Otter Creek!!

I am really looking forward to spending this summer with the people at OC. I don't know exactly what God has planned but I know I can't wait to see what it is. Be praying that God would guide me this summer and teach me what he wants me to learn.

Here's some lyrics I wrote the night after I found out about OC.

Overwhelmed
That’s what I am
Overwhelmed
At what you’ve done
Overwhelmed
You've saved this man
And Overwhelmed
I come

For you have
Overwhelmed my soul
And I am overcome
For the goodness that you’ve shown to me
I stand here now undone
My spirit stands here overflowing
For I am overcome

God you overwhelm me! - Ky

Resurrection Essential

I want to say something that may get under some peoples skin. I hope it does and I hope it sticks. Why do we “celebrate” Jesus’ death. I was talking to some of my friends the other day and we were talking about that terminology. We don’t say “Yeah Jesus died… Alright Woo hoo!!!” No but we do “Celebrate” his death… I think that it’s not the death that makes Jesus who he is… Anyone can die… It’s his Resurrection that we should celebrate. That is what makes him who he is. Without the resurrection of Jesus he would have been counted as just another good man who died unjustly and then in all likelihood forgotten. But not this man… This man was different. This gets me to my main point.

Resurrection Essential....

I want to talk about the power and the revolution that is Resurrection. In the world today people are less interested in "Does Christianity make sense?" and more focused on "Does Christianity make a difference?” I believe that if we want to make a difference we need to focus on one thing. The thing that makes Christianity what it is, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. If that didn’t happen then Jesus would have just been another good guy who taught good things, but he was so much more than that.

We need to quit trying to prove that Christianity makes sense and show people that it makes a difference by the way we live and by the way we see that there is more to this life than just living and dying.

Paul doesn’t focus so much on the Resurrection but what the Resurrection does to us. How it Changes us!! He believes our future hope is supposed to make a huge difference in our lives right now. Resurrection as a belief is revolutionary.

We really should actually look back in the Old Testament and see what people back then were driven by. They weren’t so much driven by the resurrection of life but by serving God with all that they were. People in the Old Testament were not living for God so that they could go to heaven that wasn’t there incentive. They just wanted to Serve God because He told them to.

This is evident with Shaderack, Meshack and Abednigo. They said that they would not bow down to the idol. They said that even if God didn’t save them they were still not bowing down to the false idol. Bowing down to the idol was worse than death. And dying for their God was better than life.

Why is resurrection such a revolutionary idea?

Resurrection takes away a tyrants power of death. If people aren’t afraid to die then there is no threat to people who believe in Christ. Resurrection is bad news for tyrants. People who believe in Jesus are a threat to tyrants and powers of darkness. Resurrected people are dangerous to people in authority.

Jesus was threatening to all the powers that be and the tyrants. He didn’t compromise and change what he did. So he died for it. And he was raised for it. God raised his faithful servant and son.

1 Cor. 15:21-22 For since death came through one man “Adam,” the resurrection of the dead comes through one man “Jesus” For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

“Christ has been raised from the dead. Just as death came into the world through one man, Adam, a new life has begun in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And all who believe shall be raised to new life in him. Resurrection has begun.

Jesus’ resurrection gave us a promise of what is to come.

The reason the Apostles were so excited and courageous in their faith was because they knew that Christ was raised from the dead.
The resurrection should put courage in us. Followers of Christ should have nothing to fear. Resurrection made a difference in the early church and it should be making a difference in our lives. Most in the early church never stopped preaching Christ. The more they were persecuted the more Christianity spread.

The blood of the Martyrs was the seed that spread the Gospel.

We have nothing to fear. Tyrants don’t get the last words. God is creating a new world and he is raising his people to be a part of it. Our God gets the last word. If the resurrection is true then we should be the most courageous people on the face of the planet. Resurrection power should give us the courage to stand up for what is right and stand against what is wrong.

If the resurrection is really true then why are so many churches and people who claim Christianity so slow to change and so timid about their faith? Why are we so slow as a church to go where he sends us? Honestly if the resurrection is true what do we have to be afraid of?

When you know what is to come it gives you courage for the present!!!!

The devil and the powers that be have no real power because the resurrection gives us faith and courage to overcome any doubt and fear that we have.

Have a blessed day,

Ky

Accounting

I'm sitting in Accounting right now bored out of my mind. I could never be an accountant. I don't think like an accountant. I feel overwhelmed by numbers and thousands of ways to organize them with Debits, Credits, Ledgers, Adjusted entries and so many other things. I think I'll stick with the Bible. It's hard to understand too but at least I have a helper in the Holy Spirt.

Truth's Not True

There once was a time
When truth was true
But now everyone
Has their own truth
Truth is personal

In a world full of
“What do you thinks” and “Maybes”
The absolutes are gone
Even if there is a god
His name is up to you

You can stare a lie
Right in the face
And tell it’s not the truth
But it’s hard to know
When truth is truth
When everyone has their own
Truth’s not true

Coping with Death

Here's a video that I made with a friend. It was part of his broadcasting class. He had to make a silent dramatized short film. It was hard to get into this character but I'm pleased with how it turned out. Hope you like it even though it's heavy material.

You can see it here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrxIPCXsvFE

Son of the King

Today I choose to live out who I really am. Who I really am is a son of the King. If I am to live like a son of the King I am to model him in everything I do. I am to love even the lowest of the low to the highest of the high. I am called to live life in surrender to his rule. I must submit like a son does to his father. He is my mentor, father and friend. He wants the best for me. I want to give my best to him.

Frustrations of a Ministry Student pt. 1

Why is it that people get all upset in the Church of Christ about whether instrumental music is wrong or right while there are people all around us dying spiritually and physically while we sit around and do nothing about it? It extremely frustrates me that people can't get past petty issues and get to the doing of the word of God instead of debating about it.

You might ask what has prompted this post. Well Richland Hills Church of Christ (the largest and most influential Church of Christ) is now adding an instrumental service on Saturday night and it is causing great division and animosity towards that church and to anyone who disagrees with people who don't want instruments incorporated into worship. I for one think that Richland has prayerfully decided and studied this subject and have decided that it is a great opportunity for outreach and ministry.

Mike Cope (a prominent minister in the COfC) recently posted about this issue. And within a matter of a day there were 124 comments on his post. More than the previous post on what if Texas were a town and the dire poverty situation that Texas is in (8 comments).

This is deeply troubling to me. People are more concerned with the debate over instrumental music than that people are living in poverty, sickness and without Christ. This is a MAJOR problem.

If we are to truly be the hands and feet of Christ I don't think we should be debating over whether to use a piano or to use a praise team. These things are irrelevant to a world in need of Christ. People need to hear the good news, but instead people are hearing us bicker and fight with one another. I'm sure God is just beaming every time we win arguments with each other over issues.

People it's time to get over ourselves and our traditions and our preferences and start living out the Gospel message. Let's start living like Christ, and spread his message instead of spreading a message of division, hate and issues.

Lament # 1

Constant sin
The trap I’m in
Un-forgiven in my mind
The way is dark
I feel no remorse
My sin is moving in
The way out seems barred
Barred by my own self serving heart

I feel as if God isn’t there
Like he is as distant as the sun
The sun is setting in my life
The warmth of love from God is gone
I feel only shame
My sin has bound me
I feel locked in

Constant sin
This web I’m in
I am stuck within this maze
My soul can’t seem to find its way out

I look up
Through the haze
I search for someone there to help
Cause I cannot help myself

But no one’s there
I’ve searched in vain
For some help to guide me out
And lead me from this shroud of doubt

I look down
And walk ahead
And find the bodies of the dead
Who never made it out again

I cry out
For God to save
My wretched soul that wallows in
This mud and dirt that is my sin

Will help come
Will God save me
From this maze of sin I’ve made
The only way out
Is through the gates my heart has made
I must break through
I realize now that only through
The Son can my sinful bonds be broken
God give me strength to rely on you
Only by you and your grace will
My soul be saved

God save me
I am yours!

Nothing to say (or maybe Something)

You know how sometimes you want to say something so badly to someone but you just can't say it. Or the times when you know what you need to say but you can't bring yourself to say it. Or the times when you get told something you don't want to hear even though you knew that at one point someone was going to talk to you about the thing you didn't want to hear about. Or how about the times when you just don't know what to say. Or the times when sometimes saying something just won't cut it. Or the times when you just can't shut up even though you are the only one who is listening to what you are saying. Or what about the times when all you say is nothing and that is good enough. Or the times in your life when nothing is too much to listen to so all you listen to is simply something.

Life is too simple to listen all the time to nothing and to short to listen to something. So if in all this nothing you have gotten something then I am glad and if in all this nothing you got nothing then I am also glad for it is not what we get out of nothing it's what we get out of something.

(There's one to rival Paul's Sin Talk.)

Have a blessed day of somethings and nothings.

Ky

Revolutionary Beliefs (And Some Not So Revolutionary)

1. There is only one God creator of the entire universe.
2. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world who died was buried and raised to life again on behalf of all men and women.
3. The Holy Spirit is alive, living, and active in all Christ Followers today.
4. God is the triune God one in three. (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
5. The Word of God is truth and there is no other word inspired by God.
6. Jesus Christ was and still is in the life changing, soul saving business.
7. Jesus Christ was a Revolutionary. One that would not let anything stand in the way of God’s perfect will. He would even die for what he knew was right.
8. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit carrying the same passion for Revolution that Jesus himself carried on this earth and therefore all who are possessed by the Holy Spirit are called to be Revolutionaries.
9. Revolutionaries carry on what their leader (Jesus Christ) started. A faith (Christianity) where the poor were made rich, where the humble were exalted, where the needy were filled and where the sad and lonely were accepted and loved. Revolutionaries are not afraid to do the unpopular thing. Being a Revolutionary is not always popular (as you might recall Jesus wasn’t very popular and was even killed because public opinion turned against him.)
10. Being a Revolutionary means fighting, fighting for what you know scripturally is right.
11. We believe in the Restoration creed “We speak where scripture speaks and is silent where scripture is silent.”
12. We believe that all who call on the name of Jesus Christ will be saved. (Romans 10:13). We also believe that one must believe, repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). We believe we are not to read the bible as a menu picking and choosing which verses to obey and which ones not to obey but obeying the entirety of the bible for Jesus said “If you love me obey what I command.” (John 14:15).
13. We believe that Presbyterians, Lutherans, Independent Christians, Charismatic’s, Non-denominationls, Catholics, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and Free Will Baptists, Churches of Christ, Pentecostals, and anyone else who believes in God as the creator of all the Universe and inspirer of the Holy Bible, who believe that Jesus Christ is His only Son who died on behalf of all of the world so that our sins may be forgiven so that we may be once again reunited with God and that the only way to become united with Him is by believing in Him, being baptized into Him and living for Him and that the Holy Spirit becomes a part of us once this happens are our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord who unites us all.
14. We believe and rejoice in the Mercy (Phew!) and Grace (WOW!) of our wonderful, mighty, awesome and righteous God.
15. We believe strongly that Jesus’ prayer in the Garden the night before his death is still for believers today “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21).
16. We believe that we (all who profess Christ) should look past our petty differences and unite under our belief that Jesus is the Son of the true God.
17. We denounce our unscriptural denominations and look to Christ as our leader and look to the scriptures as our guide.
18. We do not think it wise to leave our denominations though, for to do so would be utter chaos. But we do think it wise to look past our denominational barriers and reach across the aisle and reach for our neighbors hand to work together to further the Kingdom of God.
19. We believe that a Christian cannot be on his or her own but must be part of a church unit. For one cannot grow without being a part of the body of Christ or a part of the branches that Christ is the vine of. There is no such thing as a lone Christian. A lone Christian is a dead Christian.
20. There is no leader of this revolution but Christ Jesus himself.
21. We believe in and will follow the teachings of Christ Jesus and his disciples in the New Testament and they will be our inspiration for charging the harvest fields of this world. We will follow only the pillar of light that is Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.
22. We are not ashamed to proclaim boldly the good news of the Gospel for it is the good news that saved us and will also save the world.

Only when we're One will all be Won!

First Post

This is my first post. I have nothing to say but... This is my first post.

Ky