What Now?

Here is something I have been working on. Something I have been stewing over. Let me know what you think.

What Now?

See if you can relate to any of the following diary entries.

Dear Diary,

So I just graduated college. I am looking at a whole new world in front of me. A world with limitless possibilities and opportunities. I can do whatever I want, be whoever I want to be, and go wherever I want. I am excited about this chance to make something out of my life. I can not wait to get out there and take on the world. Nothing is going to hold be back. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. This is going to be great!

Sincerely,

“Optimistic College Graduate”

Dear Diary,

Well I did it. I graduated college. Glad that part of my life is over. I am cautiously optimistic about the future. I have been asked by hundreds of people the same question and it has been nagging me. I know you’ve heard it before, “So what are you gonna do?” That is the question isn’t it. What am I going to do with my life. I want it to count it, I want my life to make a difference. How can I make a difference in an office. I want to serve God with my gifts and my work but how can I do that and make money at the same time. God help me. Show me what it is I need to do to further your Kingdom and purpose.

Sincerely,

“Worried but Hopeful College Graduate”

Dear Diary,

I can’t believe I graduated college. Now what am i Going to do. I have no idea. People keep asking me what I’m going to do and I keep telling them, “I don’t KNOW!!” But I want to know. I am so frustrated. The job market is horrible right now, no one is hiring. I have a job but I am barely getting by. I wish I was back in college where I didn’t have all of these bills and payments. It’s killing me. I really don’t know why I got the degree I have it has nothing to do with what I’m doing. Was college all for nothing. I also don’t want to get a master’s because I don’t know what I really want to do so why would I waste even more money on more education if it is not what I want to do. I hate uncertainty. 

Regretfully, 

“Frustrated College Graduate”

We have all stood at the ravine of decision. Some are just now approaching one of the most frightening ravines of them all. The ravine of “what to do with your life”. I was once told that the two most important decisions I would make in my life I would make in my twenties. They are, what will I do with my life and who will I share my life with. As if trying to find a wife/husband was not hard enough the world throws in figuring out what to do occupationally as well. These two decisions create what I like to call the perfect storm. 

The three fictional diary entries that I wrote above are written from three different perspectives. I have felt all three at one time or another. The twenties are a difficult and trying time. Most of us go from having hardly any responsibility to having a whole bunch of responsibility. Fair or unfair that is just the way it is. We are no longer kids even though we act like one or wish we still were. Some of us still live with our parents after college while we transition and this gives us some relief on the responsibility side but all that is really doing is delaying the inevitable. Eventually all of us (well hopefully) will be leaving mom and dad’s and going out on our own. This time of life can be exciting but also extremely frustrating. 

If you are a follower of Christ you of course want to make a difference in the world. You do not want to sit in an office forty hours a week just to bring home a paycheck. I for one am frustrated with buying into the system. Here’s the scenario I want to avoid at all costs:

I worked hard and went through 17+ years of school making the best grades I could so that I could get a job. I started working for a tool company when I was 25. I worked hard everyday so that I could bring home a paycheck and pay all the bills. I started a family with my wife when I was 26 so I needed to make more money. I finally got a promotion and started to work my way up the ladder of success. I am now 65 and am about to retire. I am the boss now over all the jobs that I used to have. I am finally not going to have to work anymore. Now I can move to Florida and collect seashells with my wife. My work is done now I can play. Then in a few years I can die in peace knowing that for 83,200 hours (approx. 40 years of working 40 hours a week) of my life were well spent working to bring home the money so that I could pay the bills. That my purpose was to make money so that I could consume.

We all want to make our lives count the question is how. How can I support myself and my family and be content knowing that what I am doing matters? We all want to leave a legacy. We all want to make a difference for God’s Kingdom. But how? I am afraid I have more questions than answers to these questions. I will say that I think God wants to use you where you are gifted. Meaning if you are great at encouraging encourage people at your workplace, you never know when a kind word might make a huge impact in someone’s life. If you are great at writing music then make music that glorifies your maker. If you love serving then make a point to go out of your way to serve a friend, family member or just a stranger. These are not answers to the question of what to do occupationally but what to do “profess”ionally. We who profess to be followers of Christ must not only profess him with our lips but with our lives. He wants all of us. Not only our words and an hour on Sunday but every day of our lives. 

It is extremely difficult trying to figure out what to do with your life. But while you are waiting and searching for that job or that offer be using your gifts, talents, and passions to further the Kingdom of God. You do not need to have a full time job as a paid minister in the church in order to make a difference in the Kingdom of God. In fact some of the most influential ministers are everyday people encouraging, serving and loving their fellow workers in the workplace. When Jesus commanded us to go into all the world I do not think he meant just the literal world. I think he meant the business world, the music world, the medical world, the mental health world, the sports world, the acting world and the list goes on and on. God can and will use you wherever you are working. Just make sure that your main goal and priority in life is to make more so you can spend more. Keep the focus on God. God does not mind if you are successful as long as you are using your success to bless others.

I have asked many people for advice on what to do with my life. I have received various opinions from go back to school and get a masters to just start applying everywhere till you get a job. One of the best pieces of advice I received was, “get as much experience as you can during your twenties. Do as many jobs, go see as many places, get to know as many people as you can. Learn yourself. The more you do, the more you experience, the better you will become acquainted with yourself. Then you will have the information needed to better decide what you should do with your life.” I call this gaining life experience. During my twenties I intend to do as many different things as I can so that by the time I am thirty I will have a better understanding of who I am and a broader worldview. God is bigger than any of us and has plans for all of us. It is up to us to be patient but to also take the initiative. He wants us to take the first step toward him. Be faithful to him and he will help you make your life count. 

Telling the Gospel

We as Christians are called to tell others about the gospel or “good news” of Jesus Christ. Yet we rarely tell people with our words. Are there other possible ways to tell people the gospel without actually telling them since most don’t? How is it possible to spread the good news…?

Maybe the best way we can tell people the gospel is by living it out in our everyday lives. Tonight at OC, Lee Camp talked about how we as Christian rarely live the gospel out. We hear it, read it, yearn for it, and yet hardly ever live it out. We are called not to merely listen to the words of Christ but to follow what he said in action and in speech. I hope that one day people will not be oblivious to Christ and his good news but be accepting it and living it out in mass numbers because a few decided to stop just hearing about His good news, keeping it to themselves and start shouting that news with their lives.

What Holds Us Together

Louie Giglio is a wonderful leader and speaker who is currently on tour with Chris Tomlin. Not long ago I attended their "How Great is our God" tour and I recommend that everyone to. Tomlin is an amazing artist & Giglio will leave you amazed.



One of the things that he spoke about was Laminin. It is an amazing molecular structure that pretty much holds our skin on. It is cell adhesion. Laminin holds our body parts together. It is the "glue" of our bodies. You can read more about it here LAMININ



That in itself is kinda interesting - so what does it have to do with Christianity?



1 Colossians 16 &17 says, "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."



So, Laminin holds us together - and now we see by this verse that the Bible says that Christ also holds us together - now here's where it gets good...




WANNA SEE WHAT LAMININ LOOKS LIKE?

Going All The Way

There is a new book out by Craig Groeschel. It's called "Going All The Way." I know the title sounds a little questionable but it's not talking about what you think he's talking about. He speaks about how to create a Godly focused relationship with your husband or wife.

Craig talks first and formost about finding the "One." He states that the "One" is Christ and Christ alone. Until we find that "One" we cannot find our "Two" which is our spouse. I haven't yet been able to read the entire book since I don't yet own it but that is what I have gathered from reading the first two chapters. I look forward to reading the entire book.

If you are interested in looking at new and innovative ways to look at church go to www.lifechurch.tv. They seem to know what they are doing. Also if you'd like a copy of the book for free if you write about his new book on your blog he'll mail you one. Go to http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/.

ZOE Group Worship Project "Overflow"

Let me just say that this summer has been awesome! I have loved working with Brandon Thomas here at Otter Creek. The people at the church are awesome. On of the cool experiences this summer was the opportunity to work on the new Zoe Group record. It was a lot of fun being able to help pick out songs and help pick the theme of the record "Overflow." The theme of the CD is actually has different layers. Our hope is that this year's conference will help people to overflow in worship to God, overflow into other believer's lives and overflow into people who don't know God. I think this CD is going to encourage many people. I know it's encouraged me.

I just want you all to be praying. Right now we are in the studio editing the final mixes. We need to be done by next Wednesday so it can be sent off to be mastered and then get it shipped off to be printed and packaged and on the shelves by September 1st. God is so good and I hope and pray that he will be glorified with this experience in worship. If you want to you can go to Brandon's blog at http://www.brandonscottthomas.blogspot.com to listen to some clips and see the whole song list.

Don't take for Granted God's Creation

Yesterday I took a walk in the park. It was very relaxing and beautiful. It really opened up my eyes to the wonder and beauty of God’s creation. I think so many times I take for granted the creation of God all around me. For example last night I set out walking around 7:30. The sun was setting and the beams were shining through the trees. It was picturesque. As I kept walking I started to see little green lights start flashing all over in the woods and the fields. There had to be thousands of little fireflies. They were doing their side to side dance in the air flashing their lights periodically to their own rhythm. It was awesome. It amazes me how a bug or anything can emit light from them, like some of the fish in the deep ocean or the simple firefly. As I got to the end of the path I sat and listened all around me to the sounds, there were birds singing beautiful songs, crickets chirping, and squirrels chasing each other in the trees. When I opened my eyes I saw a Cardinal and his lover. They were chirping at each other as if they were fighting. They must have been because in a second the female flew off and the male quickly followed as if to go apologize for making her upset by probably saying the wrong thing. I started my walk back to the house when out of the corner of my eye I saw a deer. She was walking out of the woods into a great meadow. She locked eyes with me and just stared for a few seconds. She then turned to go back into the woods. It was an amazing sight.

The walk was full of things I didn’t expect to see. As I was walking I closed my eyes and tried to stay on the path. It was hard to keep my orientation. I thanked God for my sight and my hearing and as I smelled the honey suckles I thanked him for my sense of smell. All of these things I take for granted.

I write all of this to say we shouldn’t take for granted God’s creation and our bodies. It is all a gift from God. God created you the way you are and yes we all have problems and things in our lives we wish weren’t the way they are but God is good and mighty and incredible. His creation sings his praises. His creation finds wonder in their Father and Creator because of how unexplainable and complex his creation is.

Take some time this week to take a walk and enjoy God’s creation. Don’t take for granted one second of your life for every one is a gift. Take a deep breath and thank God for the air. Close your eyes then open them and thank him for your sight. Take a walk and thank him for your feet. Don’t take for granted his creation. Take it in and thank him for his beauty and creative nature and take a tip from the creator and create something yourself. We were created to create. We were created to love and we were created to worship the creator. I hope this has encouraged you as much as it has encouraged me writing it. Have a great week!

Kyler

Evan Almighty

So Last night I saw an exclusive screening of Evan Almighty. (Spoilers Ahead) It was really good I thought. There were some parts that were very cheesy and other parts that were trying to relive some of the great moments in Bruce Almighty but over all I thought they did a really good job.

It's pretty neat that Hollywood is realizing the potential for good, solid family movies that don't have cussing, sex and violence. This movie also has a great message. God is shown as a loving and caring God who doesn't want people to perish. He keeps telling Evan that he is doing this "Because I love you." There is a great part that has Evan looking at a book called "Ark Building for Dummies" and in the front cover you see a caption that says 'About the Author' "God - The creator of the world who has over 6, 717, 504, 143 children."

Just little things like that are pretty cool. Over all the movie does a good job of picking up where Bruce left off. Although Evan doesn't get the powers of God he does get to know God better and realizes that with great power comes great responsibility and that the best way to change the world is one Act of Random Kindness at a time. Good stuff.