An Empty Seat

"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." 

- James 4:13-14

---------------------------------------------------

My Tuesday night class is pretty normal.

There are about 20 students enrolled. We meet once a week for about two hours. We get an assignment and talk about news writing. And then we go home. Repeat. 

But last Tuesday was different. A few hours before we met before class, I found out one of my classmates had passed away in a lethal car accident that involved the deaths of several others as well. She was 22. She was going to graduate from FIU next month just like me. 

I couldn't believe it. I had seen her just a couple weeks before. She sat right next to me in class. I wasn't particularly close to her, but we had spoken before. It was surreal.

Stepping into class that day, I looked over at her empty seat. Part of me still expected her to walk through the door as if nothing had happened. But, of course, she never did.

It was a reminder of how fragile life is. How quickly things can change and how tomorrow is never really guaranteed. It's something I routinely say from time to time, knowing it to be true but never really considering the sheer reality of it. At least not until now. That empty seat could have been yours. It could have been mine. What are we leaving behind? How will those around us remember us?

Glancing at that empty seat made me particularly uncomfortable. It got me thinking about my own life. About what I was doing with my time here. How I was treating those around me. My other classmates who occupy the other seats in the class. The people I work with and do life with. Have I been loving them? What do I know about them? Do I even know half their names?

Never waste an opportunity to drop an encouraging word to someone. Don't let a day go by without committing an unprovoked act of kindness. Strive for excellence every day. There's really no time for anything less than that.

Each and every moment of life is a gift from God and an opportunity to reflect his love in a world that is in desperate need for it. We are rubbing shoulders with people who are broken and thirsting for more. 

I think sometimes we fall for the lie that we are invincible and that nothing bad can really happen to us or those that we're close to. It leads us to fall into this place of complacency and we lose the urgency of what is really at stake. My hope and prayer for my life and yours is that we don't take this one and only life for granted.    

Never Take For Granted What's True

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." 

- Colossians 4:2-6

--------------------------------------------------------------

Spring Break is over.

Back to reality. The grind. The way things are...

I spent my week-long hiatus in Panama City Beach. Most people going to this beautiful place on this particular week are there for any number of reasons. Partying. Drinking. Sex.

Why was I there? To share my faith. To connect with God. To get away from Miami. Rid my mind of distractions that had been clouding my mind.

I honestly had no idea what to expect and I was fortunate to be surrounded by other FIU students and over 1,000 other college students from around the country here for maybe the exact same reason (and probably many others). Big Break 2012.

For four straight afternoons, we went out on the beach and dove into conversations with random strangers. Talked about life. God. Their answers. Their questions. Their beliefs. Or lack of beliefs. I'll confess: I was petrified. Part of me didn't want to do it. Part of me would have rather been doing nothing. Laying on the sand. Watching TV. Reading a book. I hate that part of me. I silenced that part of me. The Gospel is bigger than my own comfort.

You learn a lot talking to other people. People from so many different places. Different backgrounds. Different social status. Different everything. But what shocked me the most was the misunderstandings people have about God. Some who didn't even know who Jesus was or what He did or why He did it. And who He did it for.

For so long I took for granted what I know is true. I let lies and subtle agreements settle in my mind for so long. Lies like "People know about Jesus. They've already made their choice."

Never again. Never again am I falling for that lie.

As I told my story to this skeptical guy from George Washington University, I could see in his eyes that he needed something more than what he was doing. As I saw this kid from Indiana thank my friend and I for sharing our faith with him, I knew more needed to be done.

I started thinking of home. What about my friends? My classmates? My co-workers? My family?

Now that I'm home, things have changed. I have resolved to make sure they have. How am I looking at those I claim to love? Am I really loving them like I should? I've never met a person God does not love. And I never will.

I can't change lives. You can't change lives. Only Jesus can change lives. Only a relationship with Jesus can change lives.

All we have to do is set up an invitation.      

People are dying. I've been hearing that. Seeing that. But I haven't been living like it.

Enough is enough. I'm not going to leave things the way they are. I've done that enough times.

Friends, never take for granted what's true. Never take Christ, our Lord and Savior, for granted. Never take for the Gospel, the hope of the world, for granted.

You're a Manager, Not An Owner

stew·ard·ship: the conducting, supervising, or managing of something;especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

When you work for a pro soccer team, game days are what you live for.

I was an intern not long ago for Miami FC (now known as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers) and one of my responsibilities was to assist the Media Relations director (my boss) in running the press box. Getting stats to reporters. Tweeting/Facebooking goals and other in-game updates. Posting up pre-game photos. All that stuff. 

Usually, my boss was there. But at one game, he had to go down and take care of some stuff on the field and he left me in charge of running the press box for a little while. I'm not gonna lie. I was pretty nervous. But I was also encouraged that my boss would trust me enough with that responsibility. To hand it off to me.

God does the same with us. If we take an inventory of our lives, we will see that we have been entrusted with a lot of stuff. Maybe it's that job you recently landed. Or that education you are receiving. It could be a certain relationship you have been praying for. Maybe you have a certain skill, gift or ability. 

Whether those things in our possession are tangible or intangible, everything we own has been given to us by God. And in the end, we have to realize that we are not owners of anything, but simply managers of God's resources. And each one of us has a unique set of resources that God has given to us. Some more than others, some with different gifts and different abilities. But each is designed with the purpose of bringing glory to God.

When we adapt that perspective, that nothing is really ours to begin with, it demands that we approach everything differently. It demands that we be more responsible, that we treat everything we have with care and discernment. That's what stewardship is all about. And we will be held accountable for how we managed everything in our own lives.    

If a close friend left you the keys to their house to take care of for an extended period of time, are you going to trash the place? I would hope not. That friend trusted you enough to leave you responsible. When they return, they are going to see how trustworthy you really are.

Over the next few weeks, I want to take a closer look at some of the different aspects of stewardship. But first, we need to take an inventory of what God has entrusted us in our lives right now.

What has God trusted you with? How can you become a better steward and honor God with those things?

--------------------------------------

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: 1 Chronicles 29:12-14, Romans 14:12, Matthew 25:14-30, Galatians 6:4-5

Overcome Fear With Faith

Yesterday was probably the final "first day of school" for me.

It was a scary thought, thinking that in a few months everything that I considered routine will have to change. No more class schedules. No more textbooks. No more final exams. I'll be exchanging those responsibilities and assignments for new ones. I'm already getting a little taste of that and I felt a bit of a wave of panic and doubt rush over me.

Am I going the right way? What if I'm stuck and going nowhere 10 years down the line? Is this really the right path?

Sometimes it feels like life is just coming at you at 100 miles per hour and you feel powerless to stop. Things are starting to change so rapidly that you wonder whether or not you can make the proper adjustments.

I've been reading Steven Furtick's Sun Stand Still this month and it has definitely ignited something in my mind. One of the things that he talks about, something that is essential for any Christian, is to have audacious faith. "Biblical audacity is a mind-set that approaches God with confidence and believes him for the impossible," Furtick writes. He goes on to say that audacity is not an activity, but an approach. "It's all about how we do what we do." Audacious faith comes down to "trusting Jesus completely in every area of your life and setting out to devote your life wholly to revealing his glory in this world."

That's the key.

There is nothing that God has entrusted us with that we cannot handle. We just need to constantly

We are always going to be battling with doubts. With fears. With insecurities. We need to combat them with audacity. With a knowledge of who God is and what his promises are for our lives. With a faith that helps us push through those doubts and questions. If we only took action when we were 100% certain of something, I can guarantee you we would never accomplish anything in our lives.

So take that first step of faith with the knowledge that God will be there with every step if we just follow his lead.

The "In Between Time"

One of the pastors at my church, Pace Hartfield, delivered a message a little over a year ago that changed my life.

I didn't leave the worship center the same way I came in. I was forced to reevaluate my perspective on everything and how I looked at everything. And with the new year finally here, I began to think back on that message.

He talked about waiting. About how we are always waiting for something in our lives. About taking our waiting, our "In Between Time", and making it active instead of passive. (CLICK HERE to purchase the message if you are interested.)

Instead of just asking myself "What are the things I'm waiting for?", now I was thinking about "How was I waiting for those things?" I had to be honest with myself and begin evaluating how I was using my time. 

It's like King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes. There is a time and a season for everything. But in our culture today, we want everything now. I have been guilty of that method of thinking. Sometimes I find myself looking at others and wondering why they had those things and I didn't. Or why that person got that opportunity and I didn't. That's a downright foolish way to think. It is not productive and it's certainly not biblical. 

Instead of looking to the left or to the right, and in some cases looking back, I realized I needed to keep my eyes forward. God's timing is much greater than my own timing. Sometimes I forget that I'm just 21 years old. 

I realized that I have focus on what God is working on in my today in order to prepare me for what God has prepared for me tomorrow.  That I'm running a marathon and not a sprint.

With the New Year finally here, I'm sort of pivoting into a new direction and a new perspective on things. I feel like 2011 was a launchpad into 2012, where I am about to close one chapter of my life and open another. It is a critical time and I realize what I do here and now will have implications in the future.

The habits we develop now, the attitudes we foster now, and the actions and decisions we make now will determine where we stand six months from now. A year from now. Ten years from now. Don't wait a second longer. It starts with obedience; walking in step with God. A lot of times we want the payoff. The success. The end result. But if we are not going to put in the hard work and be obedient to God's plan and will, then all you're really doing is spinning the wheels and wasting time.

"In Between Time" is a lot like training camp. If a team expects to develop itself into a championship contender, it better be welling to put in those long hours in the offseason, often times months in advance, in order to win. That means physically getting in shape. Studying the opponents. Mentally preparing for the demands of the coming season. If a player decides to skip this part of the process, they are in for a rude awakening come gameday.

Let's start making the best of the time we have right now. Set up your goals. Make a plan. And execute.

What are you going to do to transform your "In Between Time"?

--------------------------------------

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Ecclesiastes 3:1-12, Hebrews 10:36, Psalm 84:5-7, James 1:2-4

When A Storm Hits

Usually there are signs that are recognizable when a storm is about to hit. Dark clouds begin to roll overhead. The wind begins to blow a bit harder. Everything begins to dim. And there's that chill that runs up your spine in anticipation of that storm. We think Get inside. Things are about to get really dicey. 


Sometimes, though, we don't see those signs. We become oblivious to those signs. We get so caught up in other things or we simply refuse to acknowledge those signs that we only realize the storm is looming when we feel those first drops of rain. When we hear that crash of thunder.

In this case, I'm not really talking about the kind of storm that you can monitor on the Weather Channel. I'm talking about the storms that rise in our hearts. In our minds. Usually they start with one thought. One feeling. One emotion. And then, just like brewing storm, that thought grows or leads to more thoughts. Then, suddenly, we are swept up in anxiety. Swept up in anger. Swept up in doubt and hopelessness. It can happen so suddenly and so violently that it is all we see. We don't think about how that storm is really just a blip on the radar. That in the scheme of everything, it is actually pretty small.

In Matthew 8:24, Jesus and His disciples were on a boat and then "Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping." Sometimes we feel that way. That God is sometimes far away. Distant. In the following verses, the disciples in their panic ran to Jesus and asked Him to save them.

His response? "Why are you fearful, you of little faith?" (Matt 8:26). He then rebuked the storm and there was great calm.

When we are in the middle of a storm, no matter what it might be for you, we need to run to Him immediately, knowing that He can calm our hearts and minds. That he can give us peace in the chaos. Rest when we need it most.

This morning, I was feeling the waves crashing inside my heart. My mind was swelling up with thoughts that were driving me away from the peace that God grants me daily. And then, in the midst of that chaos, "Be still, and know that I am God" made its way to the forefront of my mind and I remembered how powerful He is to deliver us from any situation. I went into the Word and then there was peace and calm. I was reminded that no matter what the turnout of my situation or predicament would be, God is still God and He was in control over this situation and every situation.   

Storms do two things very well: they distract us from God's power and love and distort the way things actually are. We have to remember who He is, because He will be our anchor when we feel like we are drifting away, He will protect us and be a refuge in the strongest of storms, and He is mightier than any doubt or challenge that presents itself in our lives.

--------------------------------------

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Matthew 8:24-26, Psalm 107:28-30, Psalm 9:9, Psalm 46:1, Proverbs 30:5  

The Value of Weakness

People are obsessed with weakness.

We can't stand weakness. We hate it in ourselves and we look for it in other people. Many times we try and ignore it, or mask it, or stuff it away somewhere where it can't be seen. We love trying to find weakness in other people so that we can feel better about ourselves. We try and minimize our own weakness by measuring it up with someone else's.

But what if we are looking at weakness the wrong way? Could it be that it's through weakness that we truly realize who we are, what we need and what we could be? But more importantly, our weaknesses reveal that we are all in need of a savior. That we, in fact, need God in our lives every second of every day? 

All of us have weaknesses. It's an inescapable, irrefutable, indisputable fact. And the sooner we can admit that to ourselves, and to each other, the sooner we can move forward in our walk with God. 

Weaknesses, or "thorn(s) in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7), come in many shapes and forms: emotional, physical, psychological, spiritual, and relational to name a few.

But let me be perfectly clear: Our weaknesses should never define us. There are a lot of people who tend to link their identity with their weakness, and that will lead to a life lived in a position of weakness. Friends, that is no way to live.

In his second letter to the Corinthian Christians, Paul writes about his own thorn in the flesh. His weakness. He had pleaded with the Lord repeatedly to take away the thorn. To pull it away from him. But He answered him curiously:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9 

In the end, Christ is about transforming lives. He wants to use our weaknesses, our suffering, our trials, to shape us and mold us and refine us. God always used people throughout the Bible who had major flaws and weaknesses. Moses had a speech impediment and serious anger issues; David was a serious height disadvantage when facing Goliath and also succumbed to adultery; Peter showed his weakness when he denied Christ three times. There are countless examples of weaknesses that in end were used for good, if we allow Christ to transform our hearts and minds.

Like Paul, we can boast in our weaknesses, knowing that Christ is not leaving us the way we were. He works in and through our weaknesses to reveal His awesome power and glory, and because of that we do not have to walk timidly or in shame or guilt. That's how we can be strong when we are weak: By trusting Him with our weaknesses and allowing the Holy Spirit to take control over those areas of our lives, taking that critical step of faith. Not through our own strength and ability, but thorough Christ's. His grace is enough to guide us through our weaknesses. He equips us to face weaknesses and trials so that the world could see that we are not dominated by our weakness, but through Christ, we can overcome those weaknesses.

Let our weaknesses serve as reminders that we need to lean on Christ, our rock and source of strength, every second of every day and that we need Him more than the next breath we take.

--------------------------------------

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 12, Hebrews 11:32-34, Romans 8:26