Account of Creation

So I decided to randomly read through the first two chapters of Genesis and I am thinking how cool it is that the Creator of the everything provided a written account of how He created everything. He provides details (exs. creating man from dust, taking a rib from man to create woman) and talks about the order of creation. I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, heck I'm not even enough of a tool to be in the shed period, but I take delight in this portion of scripture. I do not comprehend everything about it. God provides details here in the first two chapters, yet He does not give everything away. For instance, was each day an actual day in the sense of the day we have now, or was a day representative of millions of years? Genesis names the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers which are still in the middle east today. There is an element of mystery here, but at the same time there is an element of tangible fact. Praise God for His word!

Momma Said There'd Be Nights Like This

Okay as most of you know, I am the Pepsi drink machine filler upper at Pace High School. I usually have to fill the machines up late at night at the school because school doesn't get out until 4 and I have some other responsibilities to do before I do the job. Wednesdays are big shipment days, so I usually work past midnight on Wednesday nights after church. My mom has begged me for years telling me that it is creepy up at the school late at night and that weird things happen. From my experience, I would have to agree with her. The janitors are creepy (but nice once you get to know them) and there are many ghostly sounds when you are the only one at the school. By now, I have pretty much gone numb to all of the terror that goes on in an abandoned school at midnight. Or so I thought.....Tonight, a new level of creepiness was achieved.

It had been a long day of school, church, and work and I was making my last round of checkups when I noticed a white car in the back of the school near the 700 building. I'm no Shawn Spencer, but my detective skills starting flickering in my head. Sure enough, the light I had left on in building 700 was no longer on. I was starting to wonder, but I figured I was almost done and that I would fill this last machine up. As I began to unlock the door to building 700, I noticed a black blob hunched over near the boys bathroom. At first, I didn't pay any attention to it (cuz I'm numb to creepiness?No! cuz I was stupid!) but then the black blob stood up and said "oh s@!$" as loud as I have ever heard those two words said before. For some reason, I continued to unlock the door and go inside. It was like those horror movies when the person is about to walk right into the hands of the killer and die and you think to yourself, Don't go there idiot! That's where the killer is!

I don't even turn the lights on, it is just me and this psycho. It turns out the black blob has a pair of car charger cables and a crowbar and he had been trying to bust open the Pepsi machine (and he would have been successful if it wasn't for those kids and their dog, aka ME!) to get change. The dude said "My car just broke down man and I need some change because I don't think I can get back to Pensacola." At this point, I just want to get out of there. I should be thinking, What if this guy has a gun? or Am I going to die? but instead I'm thinking, I can't let this guy ruin the Pepsi machine!

Luckily, my instincts kick in and I say "They emptied the change from this machine today, so there isn't any change in there and I don't have any change on me man, I wish I could help ya." The guy replies," This isn't me man, you know what I mean..." No, I don't know what you mean. It's midnight and you broke into a school to break into a drink machine to get change for who knows what. I said," Yeah I know what ya mean, I wish I could help you, but I don't have my cellphone." The stranger said some expletives and and then started towards the door. He then turned around and went back to the machine and yanked out his tools out of the side of the machine. I slowly unplugged my ipod (Coldplay, how fitting for the occasion ha!) and stood there watching him in disbelief and surveying the damage he had done to the machine. We said our goodbyes and as he left into the dead frigid night, I said, "Best of luck to you man, I'm sorry."

This guy was probably addicted to drugs or alcohol. The stench of his clothes told me as much and it looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks. This man was willing to do a lot to get a few quarters, but what this man really needed was Jesus. How can we get to such a low point and so enslaved to something that we are willing to go this low? I know this man can be delivered, because I have witnessed the power of God in my own life and I know He can transform lives. I was once enslaved to sin, but God made me alive to Himself and now I walk in freedom! I'll probably never see this man again. Will he ever know the hope that is Jesus Christ? Only God knows.

After the man left, I filled the machine up and locked everything up and went home. Tonight was kind of scary, but it was a testimony of God's grace in my life. He showed me mercy in the guy not hurting me. I'm a very blessed man! As it turns out, my mom was right about the school late at night and she is wiser than I ever believed.

Self Denial

"Don't be fooled by the psychobabble that teaches we must first learn to love ourselves in order to become whole. Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to love ourselves. We love ourselves too much as it is. In fact, we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt in almost every possible instance. We blame conflicts on others while flattering ourselves for having noble intentions. If we only extended to others the same grace we grant ourselves...what a wonderful world it would be."

Discernment

Went to the discernment retreat for all the sovereign grace churches in north florida this weekend. It was awesome. There was great fellowship with the Redeemer guys. I felt very freed up in worship too. Aron Osborne spoke on the topic of discernment for three sessions. It was a lot to take in. He used the first couple of chapters of Daniel and 1st John as texts. I have a lot of room to grow in this area. I need God's help when it comes to making wise decisions. I don't really feel the weight of the decisions that I make sometimes! #YIKES I want to be a man of God and I want to honor God in my thoughts and actions. Sometimes my life doesn't match up to that and I miss an opportunity to make much of God.

This verse was stuck in my head this weekend:

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." 2 Corinthians 4:17

I'm not going through anything like Daniel went through, but it brings a smile on my face to think of the glory that I will see when I see God.

The Saving One by Starfield

What mercy was revealed
What selflessness and peace
My fate was surely sealed
Until He rescued me
His pardon for my sin
His bounty for my need
From slavery and shame
I am redeemed

And Heaven can't contain
The glory of the Son
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One
His love has made a way
The grave is overcome
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One

No fear can hold me down
Nor darkness steal my joy
For blood has been poured out
The enemy destroyed
Death could not hold Him down
The cross was not enough
To steal away His throne
For He is God

And Heaven can't contain
The glory of the Son
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One
His love has made a way
The grave is overcome
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One

Anyone who calls upon His name
They will be saved
They will be saved
Anyone who calls upon His name
They will be saved
They will be saved

And Heaven can't contain
The glory of the Son
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One
His love has made a way
The grave is overcome
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One [x2]

Anyone who calls upon His name
They will be saved
They will be saved
Anyone who calls upon His name
They will be saved
They will be saved