Warm Fuzzies?

Chruch.
What comes to mind?
I am sure the usual- hypocrites, judgement, condemnation. sermons, preachers, hymns for some.
But does it excite you?
Are you excited to gather with believers to praise the one who we live for?

Well, I can tell you that the past two Sundays i have not been excited. Being in Athens, Georgia and a student at the University of Georgia comes with its steriotypes. And I have found them to be alive and well in most on-campus ministries, as well as in the local church. What steriotype is that? The one of the shallow Christian looking for a place to feel all warm and fuzzy on Sunday morning so that they can go on with their lives. The one of the church that is here to make you feel warm and fuzzy. This is the church that accepts anything and everything you choose to do, as long as you agree to come in their doors once a week. The church that has no expectation, because afterall you are just a bunch of college students. I mean it's a miracle you are even at church.

But what about the church that God intended?

What has happened to the body of believers that desire to know God and one another on a level of true intimacy complete with accountability- not judgement? Complete with truth that God has so graciously provided? You know the truth that doesn't just take a verse here and there, but the truth within the context and the time period and then relates to you today and now? What happened to allowing God to control our churches? What happened to allowing God to be the source of our intimacy? Why does a modern church assume they must provide the warm fuzzies in order to attract believers?

God provides all that we need, all we need to do is let him and go where he ask, do what he ask, and be who he has made us to be. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have a chance in heaven otherwise.

dang

Note to self: Do NOT put left over pasta (even in sealed container) in book bag. Even if you carefully place it right-side up, it will end up sideways, and drip all over your jacket and Donald Miller book. Then you'll just have to throw away the delicious pasta, bought so graciously for you by your cousin, because the container will be covered in sauce. So, you will have wasted a free meal & ruined your book - & all you can blame it on is your own stupidity.

Intoxicating

Thunder becons
Answering the call,
I make my way outside
Standing at the edge of the porch
Watching intently for all it has to offer
The mist provides only a taste of its beauty
My body can resist the temptation no longer.
I commit fully, allowing the rain to caress my skin
It is simply: Intoxicating.

Holy cow!

We officially live together now!

The end.

-Joy

300

300 Warriors vs. a butt load of weird, magic, knealing Persians . . .
You have warriors that live and breathe to fight for a man and a country they believe in. They were bread to fight. They are proud to fight. Their women are proud for them to fight. They were made for this. And their leader fight with them, and is proud to do so. They live to be free and fight to stay that way.
Then you have Persians that worship and kneal before a giant, guady man that would not lift a finger to help them. They elicit the use of magic, kung fu, and sneaky tactics. They fight dirty because they only care about gaining followers (slaves) and gaining land.
Our World . . .
You have the United States of America fighting a war on terrorism to prove to the world that freedom is worth fighting for. They defend our country and our beliefs so that the world may see that the use of sneaky tactics and blatant hatred is not what life is about.
This is not to say that we do not make mistakes. This does not excuse our racism and our hatred. But we are fighting. Our men are standing up for what they believe in, what I believe in. They fight for the men to their left and right and those back home. They fight for their families, their country, and their freedom.
Our World . . .
You have a select few who can truly call themselves followers of Christ. A few that truly desire to stand on the front-line and fight for freedom. We are at war with an enemy who has numbers far greater than our own. An enemy that will not descend his thrown or risk himself for his followers, yet they accompany him still. There are a few that live and breathe the Word; they are dressed in the Armor of God and They are ready to fight for a man who has already given us everything. He is the only leader worthy of a following, for He is the only leader that provides true freedom.
I am no longer a slave for a slave does not know his master's business. I am a warrior; I have been given a "spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." I am fighting.