This blog post is about we as Christians are supposed to live in the world but not be caught up in it. The main point by this saying is that we can't get caught up in the world's ways of living. The Holy Spirit wants us to conform to the image of Jesus Christ through Romans 8:28-29 daily.
This theme was discussed in some seminary classes I have taken and the book I just read A Christian Mind by Harry Blamires. It is also a prevalent topic for those of us going into Christian ministry. It is a call to focus on things that produce fruit in our lives such as truth and beauty in God's nature and to not focus on the way of the world that pull us in. Traits of the world that may pulls us in include: money, power, sex, any indulgence, possessions, or just anything that the secular world desires not of God.
Sometimes we just focus on what we need and want while not focusing on others needs. This could lead us into selfishness or greed. We become consumed by needing or wanting this or that in life. This effect pulls us away from loving and serving others needs. Therefore, we are not what Christ calls us to be anymore.
Therefore, we can't be caught up in world's way and ideals. If we don't think in a Christian mindset daily, then we will be walking aimlessly in life.
A Christian mindset focuses on eternity. It is a call to focus on the God's love and power in our lives. This mindset is also looks to our in our eternal future and not our present earthly state we are in right now.
The secular mindset only looks to itself and it's own needs and desires. It only has room for it's secular or flesh desires.
There is also a difference for how truth is formed in a secular world and a Christian way of thinking . In a Christian way of thinking truth is formed through divine revelation, while in a secular worldly way of thinking truth is formed intellectually.
Both of these forms of thinking in our world were discussed in detail in Harry Blamires book, The Christian Mind. He gives an accurate description of how to live Christianly in a secular world.
Let us if you know Christ to put on a Christian mindset in this secular world that we live in. We have to put on the character traits of Christ, and not fall into the world's traps that can easily ensnare us.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Road trips
Today I'm blogging about a favorite thing of mine road trips. They can be very fun at times and they can also be uneventful. They can be crazy and they can be wild.
The first road trip I will discuss was the Rose Bowl road trip of a lifetime. This was one of the best trips of my lifetime I will never forget. Some friends and I drove 22 or 23 hours to Pasadena, California from Fort Worth, Texas to watch the Frogs play in the Rose Bowl on January 1.
Some highlights on the trip are me rapping randomly in the car at night. Another highlight on the trip was when I fell asleep in the front seat while my friend EJ as driving. The last highlight I remember well was when we a few of us in the car hid while passing through the border patrol. It was so cold in El Paso when we were driving out of Texas. I was freezing while at the gas station while helping pay for gas.
We finally arrived in Pasadena at the family's house we were staying at around 10 in the morning. After we had arrived, we slept for three hours. After the nap was over, it felt as if we had slept all day since we were so tired from the long drive.
The day after winning the biggest win that we have seen in our lives at TCU we drove home. The drive was just as long but even more satisfying after the win.
I was able to go on a road trip to Branson, Missouri for a reunion weekend at Discipleship Focus. This trip was not as long as the trip to California. It was only an seven to eight hour drive compared to the 22-23 hours to California. This trip started out being a very cold and rainy one. It rained for most of the time we were in Texas during the trip to Branson.
I went on this trip to Branson with someone I had not seen in a long time and their sister. It was great I got to go with then on the trip and get to know them. We jammed out to some music on the trip and just caught up on life through the years. We arrived in Branson at around 9 and stopped at this piazza place for a bit after the long trip.
The weekend was filled with fellowship, D-focus worship, and being reminded of truths that are essential to living life in Christ. The first night we were there we shared how God makes messy things beautiful in our life. It was awesome to reflect on this fact in my life.
On Saturday night, we went to Silver Dollar City Christmas, which is a spectacle to see. They put Christmas lights all across the theme park where we working. The design is so intricate in how the people that work at the city put lights all around the buildings. I was able to go on the Barn Swing in the pouring rain that night. That was a cool experience.
The only thing I don't like about Missouri is the hills. The hills of Missouri and my stomach don't cooperate too well. I threw up while we were going past one of the hills in Missouri on the way back. Other than the hills, the trip back was very relaxing.
I finally made it back from Missouri to Fort Worth around 10:30. The trip was so tiring I went to sleep I went to sleep soon after I had made it back from the trip.
In essence, road trips bring people together at times. They are a great time with friends and can also be very uneventful at times.
The first road trip I will discuss was the Rose Bowl road trip of a lifetime. This was one of the best trips of my lifetime I will never forget. Some friends and I drove 22 or 23 hours to Pasadena, California from Fort Worth, Texas to watch the Frogs play in the Rose Bowl on January 1.
Some highlights on the trip are me rapping randomly in the car at night. Another highlight on the trip was when I fell asleep in the front seat while my friend EJ as driving. The last highlight I remember well was when we a few of us in the car hid while passing through the border patrol. It was so cold in El Paso when we were driving out of Texas. I was freezing while at the gas station while helping pay for gas.
We finally arrived in Pasadena at the family's house we were staying at around 10 in the morning. After we had arrived, we slept for three hours. After the nap was over, it felt as if we had slept all day since we were so tired from the long drive.
The day after winning the biggest win that we have seen in our lives at TCU we drove home. The drive was just as long but even more satisfying after the win.
I was able to go on a road trip to Branson, Missouri for a reunion weekend at Discipleship Focus. This trip was not as long as the trip to California. It was only an seven to eight hour drive compared to the 22-23 hours to California. This trip started out being a very cold and rainy one. It rained for most of the time we were in Texas during the trip to Branson.
I went on this trip to Branson with someone I had not seen in a long time and their sister. It was great I got to go with then on the trip and get to know them. We jammed out to some music on the trip and just caught up on life through the years. We arrived in Branson at around 9 and stopped at this piazza place for a bit after the long trip.
The weekend was filled with fellowship, D-focus worship, and being reminded of truths that are essential to living life in Christ. The first night we were there we shared how God makes messy things beautiful in our life. It was awesome to reflect on this fact in my life.
On Saturday night, we went to Silver Dollar City Christmas, which is a spectacle to see. They put Christmas lights all across the theme park where we working. The design is so intricate in how the people that work at the city put lights all around the buildings. I was able to go on the Barn Swing in the pouring rain that night. That was a cool experience.
The only thing I don't like about Missouri is the hills. The hills of Missouri and my stomach don't cooperate too well. I threw up while we were going past one of the hills in Missouri on the way back. Other than the hills, the trip back was very relaxing.
I finally made it back from Missouri to Fort Worth around 10:30. The trip was so tiring I went to sleep I went to sleep soon after I had made it back from the trip.
In essence, road trips bring people together at times. They are a great time with friends and can also be very uneventful at times.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Snoop's life: Fall Fandango 2011
Snoop's life: Fall Fandango 2011: Today I am going to be blogging about the D-focus reunion aptly named Fall Fandango 2011. I hope this reunion weekend will become an annual...
Fall Fandango 2011
Today I am going to be blogging about the D-focus reunion aptly named Fall Fandango 2011. I hope this reunion weekend will become an annual event.
First, I will begin by discussing the truths I was reminded of during that weekend. These truths I was reminded of were the main basis for the study I went through that summer at D-focus. They are essential to our growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
The main truth that was discussed was the truth that we as Christ followers have to be desperately dependent on Jesus for everything in life. We can't do anything good in life on our life on our own. We have to depend on Jesus in everything that we do.
The other main truth that was reinforced during this weekend that goes along with being desperately dependent on Jesus was that of the ability to abide in Jesus Christ daily. We learned in the study in the summer of 2010 the we are to present our attitudes, thoughts,feelings, and emotions to Jesus throughout the day. This is how we can abide in Jesus Christ. This process must take place day by day, minute by minute, and hour by hour. This act of abiding in Jesus Christ is a very simple one.
This act of abiding in Jesus Christ was perfected by the man named Brother Lawrence. Lawrence was a monk who spent most of his monastic life working in the kitchen. He truly was able to master the ability to abide in Christ or as he put it practice the presence of God.
He was dependent on God for anything and everything in his life. Lawrence was able to give up everything not of God in his thought life, mind, emotion, or feelings in this abiding relationship with God.
We have to remind ourselves daily of our dependence on God. If we fall out of our this abiding relationship with Jesus, then we quench the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Ephesians 4:30 says this, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for in the day of redemption."
Second, it was a great time of fellowship with former D-focus friends and new friends that have gone through the program before. It was almost as if we were back at at Notch for the summer that weekend. Living at the Notch the first weekend in December and sleeping in the cabins again reminded me of that summer at Notch Pines that I will never forget.
During that weekend I also hung out with the Pettigrew family. Ray Pettigrew was my small group leader that summer at D-focus. I loved hanging out with his family especially the his kids Benjamin and Brody. I played the role of Big Chin,which is a character that their kids loved. I would put on this mask as a way of becoming the character of Big Chin.
Lastly, I hope the people reading this blog remember how much we need Jesus daily. We have to desperately depend on him for everything. Presenting and abiding in Jesus Christ is a simple task to master as Christ followers.
I challenge you readers to depend on Christ for any struggles you may have and present whatever circumstances you are going through in life. If, we do these things we will be in an abiding relationship with Jesus.
First, I will begin by discussing the truths I was reminded of during that weekend. These truths I was reminded of were the main basis for the study I went through that summer at D-focus. They are essential to our growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
The main truth that was discussed was the truth that we as Christ followers have to be desperately dependent on Jesus for everything in life. We can't do anything good in life on our life on our own. We have to depend on Jesus in everything that we do.
The other main truth that was reinforced during this weekend that goes along with being desperately dependent on Jesus was that of the ability to abide in Jesus Christ daily. We learned in the study in the summer of 2010 the we are to present our attitudes, thoughts,feelings, and emotions to Jesus throughout the day. This is how we can abide in Jesus Christ. This process must take place day by day, minute by minute, and hour by hour. This act of abiding in Jesus Christ is a very simple one.
This act of abiding in Jesus Christ was perfected by the man named Brother Lawrence. Lawrence was a monk who spent most of his monastic life working in the kitchen. He truly was able to master the ability to abide in Christ or as he put it practice the presence of God.
He was dependent on God for anything and everything in his life. Lawrence was able to give up everything not of God in his thought life, mind, emotion, or feelings in this abiding relationship with God.
We have to remind ourselves daily of our dependence on God. If we fall out of our this abiding relationship with Jesus, then we quench the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Ephesians 4:30 says this, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for in the day of redemption."
Second, it was a great time of fellowship with former D-focus friends and new friends that have gone through the program before. It was almost as if we were back at at Notch for the summer that weekend. Living at the Notch the first weekend in December and sleeping in the cabins again reminded me of that summer at Notch Pines that I will never forget.
During that weekend I also hung out with the Pettigrew family. Ray Pettigrew was my small group leader that summer at D-focus. I loved hanging out with his family especially the his kids Benjamin and Brody. I played the role of Big Chin,which is a character that their kids loved. I would put on this mask as a way of becoming the character of Big Chin.
Lastly, I hope the people reading this blog remember how much we need Jesus daily. We have to desperately depend on him for everything. Presenting and abiding in Jesus Christ is a simple task to master as Christ followers.
I challenge you readers to depend on Christ for any struggles you may have and present whatever circumstances you are going through in life. If, we do these things we will be in an abiding relationship with Jesus.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Boone's: Good Morning! (From a month ago)
The Boone's: Good Morning! (From a month ago): So I'm terrible at this blogging thing... which means I have a ton of room for improvement. Here are some shots I took about a month ago (be...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)