There are 4 bibles here.

On the far left: the first bible I owned, purchased on Valentines day of 2005 by my mother when I said that I was beginning to think that God may be real and I was thinking that I wanted to read a bible. King James Version, Scofield Study Bible, very formal layout on the interior, an absolute family/coffee table worthy bible.

Second to the left: second bible I owned. Purchased myself in December of 2005 when I was preparing to go to Mexico on a mission trip and realized that I didn’t really want to take my nice pretty bible to Mexico and that it was kind of bulky for that anyways, so I went and purchased this one, a King James Study Bible (good study notes, I might add) and a case to put it in. This became my travel bible.

Third in the row is my New American Standard bible and the 5th bible I owned (I know, there are two missing. These have been subsequently given away at different points). I began teaching youth on a regular basis and realized that King James was not going to go over well, though I became adept at reading a few words ahead of myself and translating as I read. I did some research and everything point to the NASB being the most accurate translation. This one is a Thompson Chain Reference and one of the most incredible study tools on the planet because of that. Awesome for looking up and finding…well…anything. This one is my bible of choice and staple for all occasions at this point.

Last but not least, is the bible that made me start thinking. It’s a New King James Version Study Bible that was lying around and my grandmother said “we have no use for it, do you want it,” to which I said “sure. Even if I can’t use it I’ll donate it to someone who will and can.” So here I am, with another study bible with notes and things of intrigue hiding inside of its cover, and the same problem I had before: there is simply too much Word here.

Now I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “Chris, it’s impossible to have too much of God’s word.” I disagree…humbly. I just find myself thinking about all the people who don’t even have a bible, but would give anything to have a piece of God’s Word, and here I am sitting on 4 bible once again, and not really reading any of them. So where does that leave me?

It leaves me staring at the Thanksgiving dinner table, starving, refusing to eat, like a complete and utter lunatic.

I think of the series of parables where Jesus talks about the guy who found the buried treasure, or the guy who found the extremely rare pearl, and they sold everything they had to get a hold of that treasure. That treasure was the Kingdom of God, and that is exactly what is hidden in the depths of mysteries written within the Word of God, and yet…how am I treating it?

Not like the priceless pearl that it is.
What’s the Word of God worth to you?

Are you willing to give everything to cherish the Word of God?

Time to start over. Time to sell my fields and precious possessions.

God bless,
Christopher

So yes, I was inspired by the anime Yu-Gi-Oh. I have started watching the series thanks to Jorge (thanks buddy) and there’s a continual theme. They’re always talking about trusting in the heart of the cards and having faith in their deck. I kinda chuckled to myself this particular evening while watching about “having faith in your cards” and wouldn’t it be nice if it were that simple. Then it struck me…it is that simple.

You see, we’re not trusting in cards, but we are trusting in God. Every time they get into a tough duel and things start to look hairy (where did that phrase come from anyways?) they always start getting reminded by other characters or reminding themselves to have faith in their deck, and sure enough, in true cartoon/anime style, at the very last moment, their deck produces the exact card that they need.

It’s kind of like God. Let’s look at some scriptures here:

Psalm 55:22 - Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

1 Chronicles 5:20 - And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him.
Psalm 37:3-6 - Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Psalm 125:1-2 - Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.

Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

I don’t know about you guys, but I know that for me, God always comes through in the last moment. That moment where you want to despair, but you choose to trust in God anyways, that’s when he always comes through. When we choose NOT to become weary in well doing, but rather stay the course, that’s when we will always see God come through. God is a God of hope. When we lose hope, we lose all sight of God, but when we hold on to hope, that’s when we can rest assured that He will show up.

But we have to believe.

I know that God has a plan, and I know that I don’t understand that plan…well…99% of the time, but I do know that when I trust in Him and keep pushing through and I don’t give up, that’s when He always pulls through for me in ways that I can’t even imagine.

Don’t give up. Keep your faith in the heart of the…well…in God, because if we can endure, then we will reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).

Are you trusting in God?

Keep trusting, and watch as your miracle comes through, because through the blood of Christ, you have come into His presence in the holy of holies.

God bless,
Christopher

OK. So I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “man…that is one not so pretty looking creature there.” I agree with you. The fact that my uncle said that this looks like him painted pink therefore makes me disturbed beyond reason, but I digress.

Idols, false gods…what’s the point? If your answer to that question is “none of the above” then let me ask you this: sin, what’s the point?

Every time we sin, turn away from God, bow down to the flesh and our mortal lusts instead of following the commands of God, it’s like bowing down to this statue, because we make our sin an idol. We make the flesh an idol. Personally…I don’t want to bow down to this idol. Not just because its pink, has an elephant head, or now makes me think of my self-deprecating uncle, no. I don’t want to because this statue is as dead and useless as the materials from which it is made.

I want to worship my God, the I Am, Jehovah, the Christ messiah Jesus, because He is living, active, and involved and concerned about every area and aspect of my life.

The God of all creation, the mighty Creator, the Massively Awesome One as some have been known to call Him in lessons while trying to not name the obvious, is concerned about the everyday little details of our lives. If that’s not enough to make you pause and wonder about this God Yahweh…it should be.

Why is it that when you see people create household idols or worship false gods, there is always so much pleading, and sacrifice, or people switching from god to the next every time their prayers don’t get answered? Isn’t that in itself enough reason to think that maybe those gods aren’t worth following? I think of Elijah, when he came against the 400 prophets of Baal, and they couldn’t get their offering to light on fire, but Elijah soaked his offering in water, dug a moat around it and filled it with water, and with one request (not pleading) to his God, the God of the living sent down fire from heaven and it completely consumed this altar soaked and doused in water so that it wouldn’t light.

Why is it that we sin as being so attractive and appealing? Is it because we see it as the flesh cloak that it bears? Is it because Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light according to 2 Corinthians 11:14? This scripture does highlight for us the fact that the workers of iniquity will masquerade themselves as workers of righteousness, making it more important than ever that we be discerning and know the wolves hiding in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). It says in the following verse that we shall know them by their fruit, and here is our comfort: that God gives wisdom generously to those that will ask for it (James 1:5).

So here’s the deal, if sin looked like the heavyset elephant headed guy with too many arms and a kilt, would you give in to it? Would you bow down to the whims of sin if it looked like the picture you see here?

Let’s just make sure we’re all on the same page. There is no ranking of sin, so that some sins only look like a dude painted pink but the really bad ones add the elephant head and the kilt, they ALL look like this.

Every time you disobey God, or do something that you know is out of line with His will, you bow down to this thing. Every time He calls out to you and you ignore Him, you bow down to this idol, this asherah pole.

Will you continue to sin with such willingness?

Will you continue to give in to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life?

I am done. I don’t want it anymore.

I only want more of Jesus, that I may live, yet not I, but rather Christ in me, so that the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life up for me.

God bless,
Christopher

I’ll not soon forge this particular occasion. I was driving to work that morning, cloudy (obviously) one of the really cold days, when suddenly I see this truck drive past me and something caught my attention. So much so that I pulled my phone out and was glad to see him take my merge onto Bush so that I could try to get this picture, however none of them turned out clear enough to see what is in this photo.

You see, those white mud flaps, have words in red on them: Jesus Loves You.

Wow…I never saw it coming. I remember getting excited and giving out a whoo! There are several reasons for this, one of them just being that more often than not you always see something less family friendly on a truckers flaps, and certainly that’s not the general impression that you expect to get from a trucker. Yes, preconceptions are bad, and I definitely don’t recommend them, but hey, they happen.

That one little witness of the love of Jesus that morning shaped the rest of my day and I never stopped thinking about it. Obviously, here I am a year and a half later and I still remember it and think about it. Sometimes, it’s not the big things we do for Christ, or the ones that we plan and think through and work on, but the simple little things that are the most powerful witness for our Lord that we have. I don’t know, maybe I’m hokey for getting excited over “Jesus Loves You” mud flaps, but the simple truth is, maybe I was jealous.

What a simple and direct and unexpected witness this bold driver had. I wonder how many people might have condemned him or looked down on him for having mud flaps like that (not to mention I wonder where he found them). Yet there is power in being different, and while I never get excited over someone having a window sticker on their car or a decal on their truck that represents Christ, this simple mud flap of white with the red letters of “Jesus Loves You” impacted me greatly, and in all likelihood because I wasn’t expecting it. It’s always the unexpected that gets us.

So my simple question today is: what are you doing that is out of the ordinary to witness to somebody? What sets you apart?

Do something simple to express God’s love. Sometimes that’s the most impacting thing that you can do.

God bless,
Christopher

Up until a few hours ago this desk was an absolute mess; it has been for weeks if not over a month. It was covered in all sorts of stuff: papers, glasses, books, Ziploc bag with glasses repair kit, notes, a dead laptop (parting has been sweet sorrow), another keyboard for said laptop, and stuff I can’t even remember. It was an absolute mess, all scattered about, and the only clear space was the space right in front of the keyboard that I was using.

So, I removed everything from the desk, cleaned and dusted everything, and completely reorganized it. In fact, I think this may be the first time in history that my monitor has ever been directly in front of the chair instead of off to the side. I’ll let you in on a secret, which is why this whole story matters and why it caused the thought process that it did. With me, the status of my desk’s organization is usually a reflection of my head and how things are going. If my desk is a mess, then so is my head. If my desk is in good condition, then so is my head.

Here’s the key: God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Corinthians 14:33).

You see, when we let our lives get unmanageable and out of control, we are no longer functioning in a Christ like manner, because God is full of purpose. Every move that God makes and every step that Christ took is and was with purpose.

Here’s another secret: If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? (Matthew 12:26)

Satan himself has a kingdom with order and rules. There has to be, or his kingdom couldn’t stand. So even Satan keeps order and keep things in a certain way, but he knows that if he can get us to slip up and let our lives fall into chaos, then he can win. When we are in chaos in our thoughts, then we can’t focus on God’s Kingdom or living out its principles. In one sense, when we become disorderly and chaotic, then we become even worse than the enemy and his minions. There’s a scary thought.

We can also see in James 4:5 that the scriptures speak with purpose and intent. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? (bolding mine).

Even the Holy Scriptures in ever word speak of a purpose and intent and with a purpose and intent. How can we as reflections do any less? I can say that certainly I know that when I see people do things just for “giggles” without any intent or purpose is most often when things go wrong and end up becoming ungodly. If the scriptures speak with intent and purpose, who are we to do less? If we speak something, shouldn’t it have purpose, and if we don’t speak something, shouldn’t that have purpose as well? James says in James 3:2 “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” Being able to control our tongue makes us a perfect man, and makes us able to control the whole body.

Are you doing things with a purpose, or not doing something with a purpose?

Are you speaking or not speaking with a purpose?

What is the intent in your steps, actions, words, thoughts? Or do you just drift aimlessly, a man/woman tossed by the sea and every wind of doctrine?

Let’s live with purpose. Let’s live organized and ready to do what we are called to.

God bless,
Christopher

God’s wisdom is an incredible thing beyond comparison and has no equal in its ability to confound any and all living beings. Even still, there are traits about it that we know and can infer from scripture. James 3:17 describes it as “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”

I like that word unwavering. The true wisdom of God is unwavering no matter what stands before it. God’s wisdom uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). When we have God’s wisdom, and we rest in it and have peace in it that comes through trusting God, then we can stand unwavering before anything that the enemy throws at us. We can stand with courage and fortitude, testing the depths of God’s richness in mercy and love.

This courage as we stand in God’s wisdom though does not produce arrogance, but gives peace, is gentle towards others, even those who stand against us. It even gives out mercy, and produces all the good fruits of Galatians 5: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.”

The craziest part about all this is that God’s wisdom is without hypocrisy, and when we stand in it, we cannot be hypocritical. God’s wisdom always reveals the truth in our own hearts before it ever reaches those we try to use it on. Yes, it is possible to use head knowledge of scriptures and God to do evil, but when we are using true revelation knowledge on something, it will never produce that type of fruit, because revelation can only come through the Holy Spirit, the one who is ever showing us the truth of what lies inside of ourselves.

James 1:5-8 says “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

When we ask God for wisdom, He will give it to us, but there are regulations on this. We have to ask not doubting in our hearts, and we cannot be double-minded about what we’re asking either. As always, God looks at the heart.

What does this mean?

It means, if you’re asking God for wisdom on something, are you asking with the intent of listening and obeying? If you ask God for wisdom and do not intend to obey, He will not give to you that which you seek. If you ask God for wisdom on something, or for instructions in an area, and then you do not go, you’re being double-minded, asking God for something without the intent to do what God calls you to. It doesn’t work that way.

Are you asking God for wisdom in something, but being unable to accept the answer that He is giving you?

Are you asking God for wisdom, but planning on using it for selfish gain, and not for His purpose or to grow closer to Him?

Are you asking God for wisdom in what actions to take, but not taking those actions?

Are you truly ready to hear from God and receive His wisdom?

God bless,
Christopher

Right before I read these words on the page (from Sons of Encouragement by Francine Rivers), I began to ponder the truth that every time we sin, no matter how small, what we are in fact doing is saying “no” to Jesus. We are saying no to the freedom He has already given us. We are saying no to the chains lying at our feet and the door to the jail cell sitting wide open.

Though you may laugh at the reference (and hey, I already have) it reminds me of Kung Fu Panda 2. When Po goes to the distant city and finds two of his heroes locked up, he frees them, and they themselves shut the cell door right back shut, unwilling to accept the freedom. Why? They were scared. Fear was still their master.

We are all afraid of freedom in our own way. Some of us are scared of the fight that being a Christian comes with. You see, we are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and if we are sharing in the inheritance that comes from our Father, then we are inheriting His fight against sin as well.

Let’s be honest, it’s easier to live with sin than to fight against it when it so incessantly rages against our doors and hearts.

I suppose that’s why Paul tells us in clear terms to fight the good fight of faith in 1 Timothy 6:12, because it is a fight. The funny thing is, is that it’s all about perception. Paul also says in word we have all heard a hundred times that we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Our fight isn’t against the people that may cause us to sin, or against the flesh parts of our sin, but against the spiritual forces behind that sin.

You see, the scriptures say in John 4:24 that God is Spirit, and we know from Genesis that we are created in His image. If God is spirit, then we are spiritual beings first, and that the spiritual realm is the true reality, and the flesh world that we see around us is actually just the imaginary world, not the other way around. Our battles happen first and foremost in the spiritual world, not in the physical one.

Something I learned at my church several years ago when I first joined it, was that often times, we have received the answer to prayer in the spiritual, but we have to push through to the physical. Think of Daniel, who prayed for 21 days before the angel appeared and said that he had been sent from God with the answer to Daniel’s prayer the moment he had prayed, but that the angel had been stopped by the prince of the kingdom of Persia until Michael came and was able to allow him to pass (Daniel 10:10-13). We have to keep pressing on.

But we have to remember, we are not undone by every sin, because we have forgiveness through Christ.

Peter denied Christ 3 times in his time of greatest need, and yet when Jesus returned resurrected, He sought our Peter and restored Him, asking Peter to feed His sheep 3 times, canceling out the three denials that Peter had given, and seeing the truth of Peter’s heart. In the end though, it’s much as that moment when we first accept Christ…we have to accept the forgiveness of Christ when we sin, and we have to be willing to repent.

Are you willing to repent?

Are you willing to be forgiven?

Are you ready to be restored?

Jesus knows you better than you do. Trust in Him. Follow Him.

God bless
Christopher

Remember when you were a kid?

Remember when you heard that familiar tune of the ice cream truck, and suddenly it didn’t matter what was going on, it could get put on hold to grab that 50 cents and chase down that truck?

I had that moment recently.

I was working on a project with a friend and cohort, when all of a sudden I could hear the music ever so faintly through the window from a couple streets over. So we ran to the front door, listened, spotted it through the houses, ran back inside, grabbed shoes and cash, and bolted out that door as though the house were on fire. We ran for 3 minutes to chase down that ice cream truck, and even though the ice cream melted before we ever got back, and we were done eating a street away from the house, it was amazing…partially because running through the Texas summer heat makes anything cool taste good.

I was thinking about Paul, and his many comments on running.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says 1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Man, when you were a kid, you would drop everything and run, and it didn’t matter how far you had to run, you would get to that ice cream truck by golly. Not only that, your eyes would never leave the back of that truck, or if you lost sight, your eyes were wandering to and fro waiting for that crucial glimpse of your destination, your prize. You knew the voice of the one calling out to you, that sweet melody that caressed your ears with soothing lullaby’s of incredibly delicious and sugary treats.

Even when we can’t see God…shouldn’t we be hearing His voice?

Philippians 3:12-14 says 12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

When you would chase down that ice cream truck it didn’t matter if you ended up 2 city blocks away, you did a victory dance and it was all worth it when you handed the guy inside your 50 cents and you watched him open that big ole freezer and pull out the savory treat that you craved. Half the time, you weren’t even conscious of how far you had run, you just knew you hadn’t gotten to where you wanted to go yet, and you pressed on towards that goal, so that you could lay hold of that cold frozen deliciousness.

In your race of faith, are you pressing on?

Is your focus on the journey, or on what waits for you at the end, the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus?

Are you kicking off your entanglements and sin and running the race with perseverance?

God bless,
Christopher

On June 1st 2008, I finished the second greatest achievement of my life (second only to beginning a lifetime commitment to Jesus Christ) thus far. I trained for 6 months, raised $4200 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society to fight cancer, traveled to Southlake, Nevada, and then proceeded to bike 100 miles around Lake Tahoe, spending half my time in Nevada, and half in California. I would climb some incredible hills, climbing as much as 800 feet in 1 mile, and conquering an 8 mile uphill climb in the thin air at 7000 feet. I have never had a moment of pride as I did the moment I crossed the finish line.

As the crew I was riding with pulled up the last little bump onto the parking lot that we rode through to finish the ride off, I sped up as fast as I could in that narrow lane and crossed the line with my hands in the air in victory. 10 and a half hours, 8 of which were spent “in the saddle,” and I can’t imagine forgetting any of it. This bike is not the bike I rode across the line. This is the bike that I bought 6 months before I bought my official road bike; the one that would determine if I were truly willing and game to do the training and go the distance.

2 weeks after Tahoe, I would ride 55 miles in the Collin Classic, a local ride in Collin County that is a wonderful family event, ranging from parents and their little ones on a short little ride, up to professionals getting their 55 miles in (and a t-shirt, of course). Since that day, I have not touched my bike. Two days ago, I felt something unusual and powerful stirring within me, and I found myself going out to the garage to put my hybrid tires back on this bike, my original one, so I could ride the rough terrain in the area that I live in, where the roads aren’t all that great. The next morning, I got up, rode to church, rode home, and then rode to the track and back later that night to get my jogging in.

I have also recently found myself going back to my weapons training, pulling out my weapons and practicing with them. What’s the point of all this you ask? I’ve been wondering that as well, but I knew that I wanted to blog about it. You see, on a regular basis it seems like I go through phases of going back to things of my past that used to be a part of my life. When I do, I always seem to immerse myself completely in it. I have grown over time to somewhat resent these little lapses back, since they do tend to take over me, and I start t misplace a lot of what I’m up to these days. Today, I finally understood what God was saying.

Christopher, I want all of you. Not just your future, but your past as well, and I will redeem every area of your life.

God doesn’t want us to just give Him the things of today, and the things of the future. He wants our past, and all that it contains, because our past has helped to shape us, and often shrouded in sin and in old hobbies are hidden the secrets to things that God has shaped us for and planted in us for His use before we twisted them and used them for wrongful purposes. So what am I saying? I’m saying, do not ignore your past, or toss aside all that once was what brought you true internal joy or was an expression of who you were. There are secrets and truths buried there that may just be necessary for what God has for your future. The reason you have always been so passionate about that thing may not just be habit, but it may in fact be a bit of hardwiring from the Father above, and the Creator of your soul.

What gifts or hobbies or talents have you been ignoring?

What pieces of your past should you maybe revive, in order to see if God has a part in them for you?

Are you willing to pray and find out?

Join me in reviving all that once was part of your life, and part of your passion, and let’s find out together if God doesn’t have a greater plan for all of those things.

God bless

Christopher

I Pledge…

I pledge to give my all and my everything, and to be all that God has for me.

I pledge to look: to look for the truth of who I am and the insight, understanding and knowledge of God.

I pledge to see: giving my attention to the things that matter to God.

I pledge to love: to love and to reflect God’s love.

I pledge to serve: giving of myself, my time, energy, and talents for the glory of God.

The pledge: I pledge to look and see the Godly in each person, loving them as God does, and serving them because of who He is in them.

My pledge: I pledge to stand up in my calling, to live every day true faced with a true purpose, becoming a nighttime warrior, fighting for the fulfillment of the truth that lies within everyone and becoming the king that I am called to be.

Will you pledge?

When we pledge to something, it is a serious matter. We are giving our word, not just as an individual, but as a representative of the most Holy Creator of all matter, as His son or daughter, as His ambassador on earth, as His mouth, hands, feet. This year, we as a youth group made a pledge, together, and individually. Keep your pledge, and recognize who you made it as.

God bless,

Christopher