This week I just wanted to take the time to share something that will hopefully bring some encouragement and new perspective for you in this time. I watched the live stream of this video on Sunday when I went to church (aka my kitchen table). This message brought a lot of conviction, perspective change, and hope in this time. The message starts by acknowledging a common phrase in this time, that I have caught myself saying multiple times, “I can’t wait to get back to normal”. I know right now it is a time filled with uncertainty and many of us are filled with a desire to get back to the way things used to be. Even though normal for many of us was life draining at times. Just before all of this happened, I would desire for things to slow down, to have more time to do what I wanted, to not be so busy, and the list goes on. Now, I would do most anything to have my long, crazy busy days back because they seemed so normal to me despite the stress, worry, and anxiety I would be in sometimes. In this message Pastor Steven Furtick challenges this notation of “getting back to normal”. What we think of as normal is really just something that is familiar, that in reality is not normal (i.e. compromising your mental health and well being for your GPA). I encourage anyone and everyone to watch this when you have the time (I know you’ve got it lol), and to just be open and listen to what is being said. The Word of God is something that is life giving and that’s something we always need. I encourage you after the message to process what is being said, what you understand, questions that may come up, and do so with a friend or family member. I also want to put the challenge before you to let this help you find a new normal during and after this time.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bones as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.” -Romans 12:1-2 NIV

This year Easter needless to say, like everything else, looked a little different for everyone. Easter as we have known was canceled. There were no giant Easter productions or plays, no long drawn out services, no ginormous Easter egg hunts, and I don’t think I’ve seen any crying children taking pictures with the Easter bunny on social media (thank God). So yeah, things have looked different this year for this holiday. Much like the rest of life Easter could not be celebrated with large gatherings of family and friends. In all honesty though I think its okay that Easter was canceled. I believe it gave many an opportunity to step back and examine if this holiday has any sort of meaning to them or is it just another event to stress about? For Christians this is supposed to be one of the biggest holidays of the year as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While Easter has not always been a Christian holiday, like most holidays we celebrate, at its roots it has always been a time for us to celebrate the new life that comes at this time of year. A time of rebirth that is marked by the Spring season. For Christians it is an opportunity to celebrate the opportunity for renewal in the resurrection of Jesus. As Jesus says during the Last Supper, it is a time to remember and reflect on what He did for us. From coming to the Earth as a man, living a perfect sinless life, and dying on the cross after a gruesome beating that should alone have killed him so that we could have the choice to live our lives in with a genuine, intimate relationship with God the father. That is something that can be done without all of the commercialism that usually surrounds Easter. It is something that can/should be done everyday that we decide to call ourselves Christians, but who am I to say something like that when even I have a hard time doing it. Thank God though He doesn’t ask for a perfect performance from us. Regardless of what Easter means to you or how you celebrated, I do hope that it was a great one spent with loved ones.

“And he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me”. In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Luke 22:19-20

The story of King David is one that showcases how God can take the most unlikely of people for extravagant feats. As long as they have an obedient and humble heart. David’s story doesn’t begin in a palace or even in a middle-class home. When we’re first introduced to David we find him as a lowly shepherd boy work his father’s sheep. As the story goes, David is anointed to be the next King of Israel because of his heart for God. After killing a giant, fighting a few battles, escaping several assassination attempts from his predecessor, and then fighting a couple more battles, David is finally able to take his place as King. Shortly after establishing his city in Jerusalem, King David brings the Ark of the Covenant (the physical representation of God’s presence for the Israelites) back to the city. One day David notices a drastic difference in living situation between him and the Lord. In 2 Samuel 7 speaks with the prophet Nathan about how he wants to build a temple (house) for God to stay in because it’s not right for God to remain in a tent while David is residing in a palace. Nathan tells David to go for it but that night in Nathan’s dream God tells him no. God explains to David through Nathan that He is okay with the tent, he was never asked or wanted to be confined to a building. God then goes onto make a David a promise; that He will establish a home for Israel through David’s kingdom. God makes a promise to David that one of his offspring one day will be used to establish God’s Kingdom on Earth, and will establish David’s throne forever.

The promise that God is making to David not only is intended to bless David and his line into eternity, but is allowing David to play a significant role in establishing God’s Kingdom on earth. This establishment is what ultimately reconnects us to God. Centuries later we finally see this promise fulfilled through a lowly carpenter named Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth is the one from the line of David that God promised to David He would use to establish His kingdom on earth. This is the fulfillment of the promised Messianic King that not only came to make a home for Israel, but for every single man, woman, and child on earth.

” He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he will be my son… my love will never be taken away from him…” 2 Samuel 7:13-15 NIV

With all of the social distancing becoming more emphasized, it is so easy to begin to feel lonely and isolated. This is not the kind of life we were meant to live. We were designed for community and to be relational. This is one of the amazing things about our species, we’re meant to live and thrive with others. Last week some of my friends/co-workers and I got together to celebrate our boss’s birthday. It was a great time to just get together with others and just enjoy being with each other as we ate tacos (that I got to grill). In the middle of all the crazy, we got to come together, celebrate, eat, and fellowship with each other. In 1 John 1:1-10, John discusses this theme of fellowship. The greek word for fellowship is koinonia (Koy-noh-NEE-uh) which means to participate together or have close relations with others. In this passage of scripture it is proclaiming the kind of life that is available to us when we decided to 1. fellowship with God, 2. fellowship with other people, and it shows how the two are interrelated. There is so much more to be said from this small passage of scripture, but what I want to highlight is the importance of being with others, and that desire for it comes from being in close relation and participation with God in everyday life; based in truth and love. Then when we decide to allow others in our lives we can also have a similar relationship with them that is also founded in both the truth and love of Jesus. This is the kind of fellowship we were meant for. This is the kind of fellowship we were designed for.

Don’t take this as me making light on the situation we are in, or that I am saying, “Screw social distancing! Get out of your houses and infect everyone!”. What I am trying to communicate is this: fellowship with God in this new found time we have, and see how that will create even greater times of fellowship with those near you. Take advantage of the technology we have to do what it was meant for, bringing us closer together. FaceTime, call, text, Snap, and/or message those on your mind. We’re meant to do life together not separated.

“If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 CSB

This past weekend I went home for my mom’s birthday, and also to spend time with my family who I hadn’t seen in almost a month. It was good timing for a break with everything that is going on with COVID-19. With the confirmed cases in Arkansas and school closings, both of my jobs were put on hold for a little over two weeks as of Thursday. With all of this happening, classes being switched to online, and everything that I know/do being put on hold, it’s been stressful, crazy, and sent me into a state of worry. I’ve almost always known what’s the next step, and with all of this going on it feels almost impossible to even plan the next hour. After a two and a half hour car trip home to think and pray, and then walking into the house to be greeted by my little brother, brought me to a place of supernatural peace.

Walking into the house I was instantly greeted with a warm hug and smile from my three-year old brother. Watching him play, being able to continue with life despite all the crazy, and him simply trusting the people around him to take care of him, brought me to a place of serenity. God reminded me that this is how He wants all of us to interact with Him. God reminded me in of Luke 18:15-17, whenever Jesus takes in the little children who were trying to be blessed by Him. In verse 17 Jesus proclaims that if someone wishes to receive the kingdom of God then they must receive it like a child. For us to receive God and His kingdom then we must have a child like faith that surpasses all natural understanding and reasoning. God’s kingdom isn’t natrual, but is supernatural. It requires us to respond to situations like the one we’re facing a little foolishly; at least foolish in the eyes of mankind. God is a good father who wants us to have faith that He will take care of us and to trust Him to tell us where the next step is, even if the next step is nowhere to be seen.

“… Let the little children come to me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” -Luke 18:16-17

In Mark 10 verses 17 through 31, we find a popular story infamously titled, “The Rich Young Ruler”. Jesus is approached by a young man who, as the title explains, is also very wealthy and of some sort of royal heritage. In this portion of scripture we also find out that the young man is one who would considered a pretty good person. The young ruler, approaches Jesus to ask to join him on his journey. From the exterior, it would seem very dumb of Jesus not let this young man join along. Being of royal status in this time meant he had influence, power, money, and was also educated in scripture. The kind of person you’d want on your side to help change the world, but Jesus doesn’t look at the exterior alone.

Jesus informs the young man that the only thing he must do to follow Jesus is to let go of all of his earthly possessions, sell it to the poor, so that he can have treasure in Heaven. After hearing this, the young man turns around sadly and leaves. Jesus goes onto explain to his disciples that it is near impossible for a wealthy man to enter into Heaven. This is not to claim that if you want to become a Christian you have to be poor and have no earthly possessions. What is being said in this portion of scripture is that we only have so long on this earth to leave our mark. Money, possessions, and even kingdoms of this world pass on, but when we decide to invest into others lives, we invest into the eternal. When we decide to leave our trust for provision and seek life in Jesus then we begin to store our treasure in Heaven. God will honor the sacrifices we make. We must trust him to do so.

This weekend I went with Chi Alpha on our spring retreat called Come Together. The name references to the detail that all of the Chi Alpha campus ministries “come together” for a time of worship, listening to the word, and connecting as one big family. For me retreats like this are always fun to go to and impacting for my spiritual walk with Jesus.

On Friday night UCA’s campus pastor, Matt Carpenter or Carp for short, gave a sermon about the seeds we sow in our lives and how we can either choose to plant either life or death in our lives. Carp, then wen on to explain that for us to actually get rid of the death in our lives, we must uproot that sin in our lives. During the response time God was revealing to me how in my life I have a deep rooted fear of intimacy that is in found in a lack of trusting the Lord to direct me because of a fear that He will call me to do or be something I don’t want. Which I know is a lie because if God were to do that, it would become slavery, and he calls us to be a free people. Saturday night, several people prayed over me and spoke over me a call from God that was/is so much bigger and better than what I could ever imagine for myself. The only stipulation God put was that if I really wanted to walk in these things He spoke, then I would have to be in nearness with Him. I would have to learn to become one with Him so that He could sow life out of me.

In all of this, I was reminded of Jesus’s parable of the vine and the branches in John 15. I highly recommend giving it a read. In this passage Jesus compares himself as being the vine that we all get to be a branch of. He goes on to teach that none of the branches can bear fruit on their own if they are not a part of the vine. In our own lives, if we want to bear fruit (meaning if we want to be more Jesus like) then we have to near to Him. As the branches are one with the vine then we must become one with Jesus. This can be easier said than done at times, but God is patient and graceful towards us as we learn. I would encourage you that if you want to see yourself become more like Jesus, then become closer to Him and allow Him to shape who you are. I’ve been a Christian for most of my life and its still something Im learning to do more consistently. I am telling you though, that when it happens, it is something that not only changes your life, but the lives of those around you.

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 NIV

This weekend I did something a little out of my comfort zone, I ran a 5K. It was only my second 5K but it was my first trail run ever. Naturally, I don’t have the runner body, but I do enjoy a good run every now and then. I just enjoy exercise in general because it’s a great way for me to connect with the Lord and stay health both mentally and physically.

All the proceeds for the race went to help fund the new Chi Alpha Missions Training Center being built on UCA’s campus. Running the race quickly became a metaphor; I wasn’t just running for me, but also for the lives that would be touched by this new Training Center. Needless to say, God used this race to learn me a thing or two. The biggest thing I got was this: finish strong. At the end of the race I sprinted across the finish line because I was reminded of a part of scripture in 2 Timothy. In Chapter 4 of 2 Timothy Paul is writing to his disciple, Timothy, to help encourage the young man, as he pursues after the Lord and ministry. Chapter 4 begins with a warning/encouragement: to push through and prepare for the inevitable hard times. In verses 6-8 Paul writes about how his end is near but how he is happy with how is ending. This became so real to me as I was running my race. Sometimes to trail would get steep, have streams to jump or walk through, necessary pauses, and just plain hard. In the middle of the race I could hear God reminding about how the race of life is just like this. How it’s not always easy, there are times we want to give up, times we feel sick to our stomach, times we need to slowdown and breath, and times were things are just plain hard. What matters most though is not how great of a start we get, how good we look while doing it, but instead making sure we finish strong. Yes, the race ahead of you will be hard, you will want to give up, things will look ugly. Thankfully, we have a God who cares enough about us to run the race with us. A God we can depend on to be our motivation and strength to keep running and finish strong and not give up in the middle. We have a crown waiting for us at the end if we simply continue to fight the good fight, and finish our race. How we run the race is up to us. Will we choose to run a race that made a difference into eternity for others or walk a race that only benefited us?

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:7-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Life is never truly easy. There is always some sort drama going on. School gets tough and there never seems to be enough time for all of the things. It can all be overwhelming. It can be so easy to forget in these times that God is near. It is hard in all of the craziness of life to make time to stop and talk to God to let Him know what’s going on. It can be hard to remember that God actually cares about what’s going on, and it’s honestly not hard to begin to question, “if God really does care and if He is all knowing, then why is my life so hard right now?” I understand, I’ve been there many times. What prayer and making time for God does in our lives is, allows room for Him to begin to do what He does best; take care of His children. He is a good father who wants to hear what is going on in your life. He does see you in your struggle, but prayer gives God permission to move in our lives; remember He’s a gentlemen who won’t force Himself on you. In Psalms 34, King David writes about how God is near those who are broken hearted, and he hears their cry for help. The beauty of the Psalms is that David often writes from his deepest emotions. In his greatest joys and his extraordinary sorrows. In Psalms 51 David (after one of his, if not his greatest sin) writes from a broken heart about the only thing that matters to him at this point is to be near to the Lord again. David acknowledges that, if all of the religious practices and sacrifices were to truly please God he would’ve done it by now, but what the Lord really wants is for us to come to him in humility and in our brokenness. God wants us to give Him our broken hearts so that He can mend them and bring us near to Him once more. He wants to hear your greatest joys and your extraordinary sorrows. Go ahead and tell Him.

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them for all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.” Psalms 34:17-18 CSB

“The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.” Psalms 51:17 CSB

One of the many reasons why I love majoring in psychology is the way it shows the intentionally that God took in designing us. An intentionality that goes beyond just the physical science but also the science of the mind that influences and is influence by so much in our lives. Something that has stuck out to me here recently in my social psychology class is this thing called the self-fulfilled prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy is whenever the expectation we have about a person or situation greatly influences the way we behave so much so that the expectation (AKA the prophecy) comes true. This reminds me of a portion of scripture in James 3. Here James is writing about the power and influence our tongue has over how we behave. Specifically in verse four James compares the tongue to the rudder of a ship. Despite how small the rudder maybe, it has the ability to steer the whole ship into one direction or the other. Our words have that same sort of influence in our own lives. The way we talk about people, the words we form about others in our mind, and our expectations greatly affect the direction our behavior will go when we’re around these people. In the NIV Bible it titles this portion of scripture as the “Taming of the Tongue”. It is important that we are careful of the words we use to speak about and to others, so that we can love and respect them well.

“Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.”
‭‭James‬ ‭3:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬