“How Much is Enough?

The American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time?

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.” The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?” To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then, senor?”

The American laughed and said that’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.

“Millions, senor? Then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.””

I saw this story in a Jimmy John’s restaurant and I couldn’t help but notice how painfully true this story is in all our lives as Americans. We build our own kingdoms as if they actually mean something when in the end you end up right where you started. So what’s the point in living the American dream? So you can life a comfortable life? Have a wife, house, kids, and a car? So you can throw money at every problem you face in life? So many have tried it that way and all of them have failed. You know I hear so many people talking about the AIDS crisis in Africa or the sex slavery problem in Thailand or the extreme poverty of a place like Sri Lanka or Somalia. I bet your first reaction is to throw money at it… maybe not even your own direct money but you suggest the government throw money at those problems. But how many people actually give up everything and go help? Are any of you willing to actually go to a ground zero in this world and lend a hand to fix the problems? Our God is a God of Justice and He cares for those people… do you care for them or are you too busy building a castle in the sand?

A few years ago I wrote a poem, which eventually became a song with slightly altered lyrics. The poem is called “Faith” and simply challenges the reader to just step out and try something. When was the last time you really trusted God enough to even try something? Or are you the type of person that sits and waits for a light to shine from heaven and an audible voice to tell you what to do? (In moderation that can be alright) I was thinking about this poem/ song recently and I wanted to give it another chance to stir up people’s hearts. There’s a character in the Old Testament named Jonathan, who was King Saul’s son. In a battle Jonathan decides to step out in faith and try something knowing very well he could fail and die. In the end God helps Jonathan and through that rewards Jonathan for stepping out in faith because his father, the king of Israel, didn’t have the guts to do it (1 Samuel 14:6-15). Which character are you?

So I feel this message needed to go out to someone and I hope it helped. Here’s the original words to the poem and hopefully someday I can post the song on here as well:

“If we weren’t told we couldn’t fly

would we have tried?

Or would that haunting voice inside

tell us its impossible?

Would we let our dreams come to a halt

because we were afraid to fly?

Or could just this once we step out

and not listen to the lies?

Would we walk on water if a Voice told us it’s alright,

Or would we stay in a sinking boat just to feel safe?

What ever told us we couldn’t do it in the first place?

If the battle to end all wars is being fought,

then why are we afraid to take that stand?

What holds us back when defeat’s at hand?

The front line is calling, calling my name

will this time be any different

or will I react the same?

Had I not been told I couldn’t fly

would I have tried?”

Here comes a new school year… my final school year. Ever since I was a freshman I had a dream that someday I would see God become famous at OSU and that even Ohio Stadium could not fill the worshippers of Jesus in this city and on this campus. Every school year after that I have looked longingly at that stadium wondering if it could ever hold an event much more meaningful than a bunch of guys in armor throwing a hunk of leather and air down the field. Every year since my freshman year I have looked at high street on a Friday or Saturday night and wondered if God could ever even be on the minds of those heading towards a party. There have been many nights where I have laid awake at night wondering how to get 50,000 people to believe. The answer hasn’t come yet and who knows if it ever will in my lifetime.

But as I approach this new school year I know a few things… 1. that I have learned a lot from God this summer and 2. that I cannot waste this last year in the classroom. It’s possible (but not set in stone) that I will be leading a Bible study in Baker East this year and that task alone is very daunting. It is my responsibility to reach this dorm and give everyone in it the same chance I got as a freshman not having a clue what to do with all the freedom college gives you. In addition it is my responsibility to minister to my place of work and through my work (I’m going to be a bus driver for CABS) and it is my responsibility to minister to everyone in my classes, especially the professors.

With all of that said I will be honest: I am overwhelmed at the thought of all I am a part of and I am very nervous for all of this to start in 4 days! I know that if I remain faithful and do the work God has set out for me then He will become famous on this campus. Not by anything I do but by him working in me and in His church. I believe a movement of God is at hand and I pray that it happens this school year. May the glory go to God… not Ohio State, not the football team, not careers, and not ourselves. If you think of it pray for Ohio State, pray for Baker Hall East, and pray for me. Thanks so much for reading and hopefully God spoke to you through this somehow.

Every human wants to feel loved. They want to feel chosen by someone. A guy wants a girl to choose him and show that they are even worth something to someone and a girl longs for the same thing. At the end of the day the question everyone deals with is whether or not they feel loved. Did they feel like they were recognized during that day? Did someone go out of their way to show they cared about them? Did someone even bother to look them in the eye and acknowledge their presence?

This is the beautiful thing about life: that there is always someone out there who chooses you. I’m not talking about your destined soulmate. I’m telling you about how madly in love God is with you and how much he wants you. He wants you so bad that no matter how wretched you have been he still wants you to turn to him and choose him… he accepts you despite your constant unfaithfulness. (At this point your jaw should be dropping to the ground). Wait you didn’t get that did you? You have always wanted to be loved and chosen right? Well, someone has chosen you!! He is so crazy about you that he will be jealous for you if you don’t turn to him. Do you get that? Can you imagine a guy/ girl being that crazy for you? Have you ever come close to experiencing that kind of love? Well, Jesus really does love you that much… he gave his life for you before you even had a chance to accept or decline him paying the debt… he just went ahead and did it regardless of whether you had actually accepted him at that point (considering you probably weren’t even born yet makes that notion even crazier). Jesus never fails and he wants you. I know there are a billion bumper stickers and cool T-shirts out there that tell you God loves you and they have really watered down this message but just know that this isn’t any ordinary love… this is crazy love!

So, life has been crazy for the past month. I know I haven’t really updated this blog since Seattle but I was, in a sense, touring the United States. It was a really encouraging month nonetheless. I visited a few churches around the country including Mars Hill and Southeast Christian. I also got to see what God is doing in individual lives and it is awesome to see the younger church being built upon a foundation of Truth and rejecting postmodernism. My church, NewLife, has been going through an apologetics course (being able to defend and share your faith with others). What’s been amazing with that is I’ve learned how to counter the lies and propaganda of the world with Scripture. I mentioned needing to “grow up” in my last post and I’ve already experienced a ton of growing up. There’s a lot more needed but it’s definitely a good start. I also have no updates on Seattle at this point. NewLife is still waiting on confirmation from God with the plant idea and I’m still waiting for a good reason not to go. With that said (and if you’re still reading after all that) I want to talk about something more specific I’ve learned:

I recently finished “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. I highly recommend this book especially if you aren’t sure you are in love with God or you feel your relationship with Him has gone lukewarm. In the book Chan talks about how living boldly for Christ isn’t so crazy after all. Jesus tells us to love God with everything we have and on top of that love our neighbors, enemies, coworkers, classmates, etc… We also can’t let things get in the way of God and us. Perhaps it’s the American Dream with the house, car, wife, and kids (and the high paying job to make that all possible)… what if God wanted you to drop everything you have right now and just start walking somewhere? Would you do it? What if God told you to get a one way plane ticket to the destination of His choosing… would you do it? What if God said I want you to get a smaller house… or I want you to give away more of your income so that you’re living at the median income range of your neighborhood? Would you do it? There will most definitely be people telling you that it’s not responsible to do that and that it is unwise and they might even tell you that God wouldn’t want you to give that stuff up… DO NOT LISTEN TO THE LIES! Show me somewhere in the New Testament where God gives His followers the easy, calm, rich life! Jesus’ followers either dropped everything to follow Him or they stayed behind. I’m not saying that all of you will have to give up every little thing but the real question is: could you even do it if God wanted you to?

I’m not sure if I even could but that’s where the growing up part comes in. We all have a choice: either submit to God’s will or live as rebels. Once you choose God’s will He calls the shots, not you. What do you choose? I hope this blog helped someone out there… if it did or if you have questions just comment on this and hopefully we can have a discussion. Thanks for reading!

I have been anxiously awaiting the day where I could type out what I experienced and learned from the trip to Seattle. I feel that it is a good time to process this and update my two readers on what I’m thinking . Let me start by saying the trip was amazing! I honestly did not have many expectations going into it and I really didn’t think I would get anything near to a clear answer from God. The minute we got there, however, everything changed. Every pre-conceived notion I had on Seattle… what it would look like, how the people would act, how the team would get along… all of it changed because I was wrong. God’s hand behind the entire trip was evident.

One amazing thing was that throughout all of the meetings and encounters we had with Seattle people (would you call them Seattlelites?) not one of them said we weren’t needed there. In fact, every single person said they wanted us there! They also said they would support us in any way possible and pray for us. Let me tell you, you NEVER see that in the midwest/ Bible belt. All the “churches” are about is competition and who has the bigger crowd because only their vision is the correct way of pursuing God. This response of the Seattle churches blew me away and really encouraged me.

God also did amazing things that only He can do throughout the trip. Our leader left most of the schedule open so God could lead us where He wanted. God absolutely did that. We ended up in places we never thought we’d be and talking to people we never thought we’d get to meet. The team got to experience the culture and see what a church would need to look like to teach the Gospel to the people of that city.

Most of all I learned just how much I need to grow up. I am, by no means, ready to be a part of a church plant… and I probably will never feel ready. There are definitely things God showed me that I need to grow in before I can be an effective ambassador of Christ. I mainly learned that I need to grow up and be a man of God already. (Check out the sermon “Marriage and Men” by Mark Driscoll at marshillchurch.org) Seattle certainly has a huge demonic influence at work there and the father of lies is present but it is nothing we as a team couldn’t face and the city will change with the hands of God working in the hearts alive in that city. I think there is definitely enough time for me to grow and God will certainly equip me to follow His will. The question remains does God want me there?

Thank you guys so much for the prayers while the team was in Seattle! I would love to have your continued prayers as I seek God’s will in this. Please pray that the entire team gains wisdom to make a decision on whether or not to go there. Pray for open doors to Seattle or closed doors so that we know where God wants us. Greater things have yet to come and greater things have still to be done in Seattle!

Oh America how you have been deceived! You think you are a free nation because of man’s doing. You think that your soldiers alone guarantee your freedom. Your churches, your memorials, your people give glory to you… a country. Our freedom has nothing to do with what man does. Our freedom comes from God alone. It is Christ Jesus that has set us free. Do not forget that… for He gives and takes away. Give glory to God for your freedom.

I know a lot of you will not agree with that. Some of you may be troops, you may be a parent or relative of a soldier. I am not bashing you… the Bible says “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) The thing is that our freedom does not come from anything man can do. God is the ruler of our rulers. Remember that as you celebrate the birthday of this nation. Do not leave God out of this celebration because the founding fathers certainly did not leave Him out of the very foundation of this country.

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations.” – Patrick Henry

“We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” – John Adams and John Hancock

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams

“I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man.” – Alexander Hamilton

The list goes on. Not all of these men fully believed in Christ but they gave Him the credit for this nation regardless. “It is for freedom that Christ has set you FREE!”

So a quick update on Seattle. (I have been typing all of these blogs from my phone so that is why they are short). Day two was amazing!! It was a beautiful sunny day and the team had an amazing meeting with a man named Gary from the SBC up here. It was so encouraging to hear what this man had to say about Seattle. It was also great just to ask him questions about church planting and to hopefully gain some of his wisdom. I will admit I fell in love with this city and the people after this meeting. The rest of the day we hung out in downtown and Pike’s market (where the first Starbucks is!) We also rode the ferry to Bainbridge island and started our westcoast advance out there.

Day three was an even more beautiful summer day with zero clouds to be seen. We hung out on campus that day and even took an official campus tour. They have some really sweet dorms here… Perfect for a Bible study! We got to see some great views of Mt Ranier on campus as well. God made a really gorgeous city up here and absolutely no pictures will do it justice. At the end of this day something really cool happened: me and Emily were practicing worship outside when three guys approached us. We told them we were practicing worship music and one of them immediately started telling us: “that’s some crazy [blank] you believe in! How do you know it is real?” It all happened so fast but after stating a few more things and cussing us out some more the guys left. All I can say is that I’m glad that happened and that I got a real taste of Seattle in that moment.

Readers, continue to pray for this city and the people and students who live here and live without God. Gary told us that 96% of the people do not believe in Jesus… that statistic makes this area unreached. Also pray for the members of the team so that we find God’s will for us and if he wants us in this city. Thanks for your prayers!

So I survived the plane flight and the team has landed in Seattle. This place is pretty cool and, more specifically, the people are cool. In general all of the people are nicer than I would have expected. They really put the Midwest to shame.

The coolest part of the first day was the church we visited. It was a little church called Generations and it was located in a neighborhood where kids aren’t always cared for by their parents… and that’s in addition to the fact that it’s in Seattle, the most unchurched city in America (and they call it that too). These people were just stinkin loving and the preached truth like crazy. They were very supportive on our idea to plant a church here and believed it is needed. They prayed for us many times before the night was over.

Things have been good so far and God is showing Himself so please keep praying for the team and that God gives us wisdom and discernment throughout this week here. Pray for this dark city as well and that the church can be a shining light here.

If you didn’t know I am headed to Seattle this next 5 days. The purpose of this trip is to seek God and his will for a possible church plant. I am headed out there with 4 other really cool people, all of us quite unique from each other.

So what is a church plant? Simply it is a church created by another church. It is a long term and sometimes permanent mission trip. In Seattle we are specifically focussing on the university of Washington. This campus of 40,000 students could be the site of a future movement of God… We shall just have to wait and see. I will try to keep you posted on what I learn and experience as well as prayer updates. But now I must prepare to be at the airport in 4 hours. God is good!