Counter Cultural

Reflections from Fasting

2012-02-06T22:01:00.002-06:00

Inthe past month, I think I’ve fasted more than in any month in my life. Whetherit’s food, media, or anything else, I’ve consistently felt called to givecertain things up for a time to seek God. It’s pretty cool in the midst of thisthat God should teach me a lesson about fasting, and what it’s really allabout.

Ihope if you’re a Christian that you’ve fasted from something before. It’s notjust a good idea; it’s something that Jesus expects of us (Matt 6:16). But why?

Theissue comes down to satisfaction. What are we seeking to satisfy us, to fulfilla desire in our hearts? We know that food isn’t bad—1 Corinthians 6:13 says,“'Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food.’” Yet the second halfof that verse says, “God will destroy both one and the other.”

Sowe should ask a question: What’s our source of satisfaction? We’ll be sorelydisappointed if we base our satisfaction on a temporal substance that will bedestroyed (like food, video games, or people’s opinions of us).

Onthe other hand, if God is good, then the only One who can truly satisfy oursouls wants us to realize the emptiness of everything else. To fast doesn’t mean you stop eating or declare that Facebook is evil, it simply meansthat you surrender something temporal as a way to satisfy your heart with theEternal One.

Isaiah 55:1-3

Whydo you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.

Camden

When our Dreams Outweigh our Means

2012-01-17T23:07:00.002-06:00

I’ve always enjoyed that my family sponsors a child throughCompassion International. Yet recently I’ve had a burden to sponsor a childmyself. God’s put the burden on my heart, and that burden has grown over thepast months. While my family sponsors a child, I want my faith to be my own, mysacrifice to be personal.

But there’s a ~~slight~~ problem. See, I’m a college student—Iknow that God has called me to college, so I want to be faithful to pay forcollege (my last payment drained my account from a few thousand to $40). Italked with my mom about it, and she concurred—right now my obligation lies inpaying for college.

Whether sponsoring a child through Compassion, hosting acarwash for clean water, or pursing a life calling, what do you do when yourdreams outweigh your means?

First, trust. God has those desires in you for a reason, andHe’ll work out His purpose in His due time. Often, He simply asks us towait—not passively, but to be faithful with what we have so that He can entrustus with more (Luke 16:10).

Second, hope. Having the foundation of knowing God will workall things out for our good (Romans 8:28) allows us to hope in Him, an expectation of something not yet present. By itsvery nature we cannot hope for what we already see, so our result in hope ispatience (Romans 8:24-25). Hope drives us to prayer; dependance. "And hope will not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:5).

Whatever you’re waiting on God for, know two things: you areinsufficient, and He is sufficient. Trust, hope, and He will make a way for your good and Hisglory.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make straight your paths.

Camden

What If I Died Tonight?

2011-12-30T21:27:00.004-06:00

It’s a good question to ask, right? I’ve gone to church,missions trips, and a Bible college. I’ve led a fundraiser earning thousands ofdollars for building wells in Africa, and work for an evangelistic ministry.

Yet all of my effort, all my deeds, and all myaccomplishments are like dirt before God. According to His holy justice, I’mcondemned because of my sin—the only sentence that fits His perfection. Yetthis same God who will send sinners to hell in justice came in the form achild so He could take the punishment for our sin.

At the cross, thedark tsunami of God’s wrath swept straight into the bleedingman nailed to two pieces of wood. What did I receive? The righteousness ofChrist. Incredible.

If I died tonight, I would be carried home into the arms ofmy First Love, Jesus Christ. I have strived to live for Him. I have not wastedmy life. I have pursued the lifestyle of doing hard things. I have lived boldlyand listened to the daily pleadings of my King—not perfectly, but by His gracealways improving. With Him at the helm, I have won great battles against sin,shared the light with unbelievers, and encouraged many friends. And at the endof the day, I realize that it’s the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that has broughtme peace with God.

This year, the victory goes not to me, but to my King. Hiseternal love and wrath are overwhelming to me, and I love Him for them. All Ican do is fall before His feet, trembling at His Word in fear, awe, andthanksgiving.

Thank you, King Jesus, for 2011.

One Minute in the Life of the World

2011-12-21T08:05:00.001-06:00

Sometimes we move through life without thinking. We becomeroutine. We’re only snapped out of our schedule when something throws offour personal lives. I’m reminded about how self-centered my life is when Ijudge the day as good or bad depending on my circumstances. Meanwhile, over 950are reported dead today after a typhoon hit Mindanao in the Philippines. Over250 are reported dead in a Syrian massacre. Tens of thousands of refugees areshort of food and supplies in South Sudan. The Eastern Bedawi Bedouins of Egypthave a 0.00% evangelical rate.

Here’s the scary thing: I found all these facts in a minute.We’re so bombarded with news that we reach the point of numbness for anythingbeyond ourselves. Please, don’t feel guilt—feel conviction. Even in America, Ithink about how many people sincerely believe that today marks one year untilthe end of the world. If they’re not looking for answers about life now, they will beshortly. Who will give them the answers?

¹⁴ "You are the light of theworld. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor dopeople light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it giveslight to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let yourlight shine before others, so that they may see your good works and giveglory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Start with prayer. Pray for the Philippines, for Syria, forSouth Sudan, for the Eastern Bedawi. And pray for Christians like you and me,that God would awaken us to action. The dawn is almost here—don’t let yourlight go out now.

Ephesians 5:13-16

Camden

Surrender Again

2011-12-19T22:48:00.004-06:00

You’ve probably heard it said that the Christian life islike a journey. If you think about it, that’s a pretty bold statement. Anentire life compared to one journey?

About six years ago, I went on a camping trip to theCumberland Mountains in Tennessee. It was one of those experiences that I hadnever approached before, and it pushed me to new boundaries in many areasphysically—not the least of which was hiking. To a twelve year old, a 4.5-miletrip through winding mountains with a thirty-pound backpack is a big deal.

If that relatively short journey through the mountains wasso hard for me as a twelve year old, why should I expect my Christian life tobe easier? In fact, how can I even expect to make it through this life with allthe ups, downs, and burdens I can pick up and carry?

We can’t do this journey alone. Period. You need to realize thatwhether you’re at a resting point, an easy walk, or a hard struggle thisChristmas, Jesus wants to be your strength. It’s not about doing things ourway, but daily looking to Him to see how He would have us live. The same Godwho said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take uphis cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23)also says, “My yoke iseasy, and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:30).

It’s about surrendering to God—not that one-time dealeo yousaid with a prayer (though that’s important), but daily surrender. ThisChristmas, surrender again to the God who surrendered all so that He could beyour strength—everyday.

Camden

John 1:9-14

2011-12-14T10:30:00.001-06:00

He comes now softly, hidden in the night,

The Lord, the King, the only true Light.

He comes to rescue his people enslaved,

To deliver them now from the hold of the grave.

Though he beckons with haste for his people to come,

They stand there aloof, paralyzed, numb.

He shines forth his light to invite them in,

Yet the people he made still hold to their sin.

The people, the blind, do not recognize,

The voice of their King in a new baby’s cries.

Yet not lost completely in the shadows of death,

A few are awakened by the life in his breath.

Shepherds, wise men, those humble in heart,

Hearing Good News, his fame they impart.

For those who came, for those who he called

He gave them the right to be children of God.

The word became flesh, it’s more than a story,

In this life we beheld, wells of infinite glory,

Look to him now, look this child in the face,

For so came our King, full of truth, full of grace.

Finals: A Reality Check

2011-12-11T22:36:00.001-06:00

It’s almost here. The freedom is almost tangible, therelaxation almost palpable. In a few short days, I’ll proclaim “I’m done!” andprobably blare loud Relient K Christmas music in my dorm — all well and good.

Soon finals will be over and Christmas break will ensue(sorry for those of you who have more to go!). But what happens when breakhits? Suddenly allthepressures of school are gone and we’re left with boatloadsof free time. Like it or not, that time will be filled with something. In myown life, I know that often I want space so that I can do what I want to dowith my free time. ~~I earned it, right?~~

Maybe this Christmas season, we should look to the One whogave up everything for us so that we could give up everything for Him, even on Christmas break. That doesn’t mean that you can’t relax. Yet often I feel mostrelaxed when I know I’m using my time as my heavenly Father would want me. Insteadof trying 101 ways to satisfy and fill our time, let’s get to the heart of theissue and be truly fulfilled this Christmas break.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God andkeep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Camden

Mighty to Save: Perspectives from the Stage

2011-11-08T23:21:00.000-06:00

Traveling this past weekend to Winona, MN and Milwaukee, WI, I thought I had a good idea of what I'd be doing. Pulse, the ministry I work for, was on the road in Winona, MN and Milwaukee, WI. However, through a long series of conversations, I eventually discovered (mind you, about half an hour before the first concert started) that my role was no longer required. Unsure of what to do, I stood awkwardly backstage, looking for something--anything--to occupy my time.

"Do you want to be my cable-guy?" I turned to see the man next to me, the lead shoulder-camera operator for the night. Unsure, I asked him the protruding question in my mind: What's a cable guy? "You just feed me the cable for my camera when I run across the stage, and you pull it back when I return so I or the band don't trip on it."

I accepted my role with uneasy confidence. As the show started, I mounted the five-foot stage behind a large amplifier, hidden outside the spotlights. The concert ensued, bands playing heavy rock beats and my arms waving wires wildly as I allowed the cords to keep pace with the camera-operator.

Sitting quietly on the edge of a stage looking out on two thousand faces can make an interesting impression. I know that they've come for a rock concert, but I realize that they're about to get so much more. Two thousand souls filling the school gym at Winona State University. Two thousand souls filled the Milwaukee Theatre the next night. I knelt, this night in front of the amplifier, as rock and rap artists brought their loudest beats to the excited crowd. There I was, ears nearly numb with the waves of sound in the amps, hearing the audience sing, shout, and laugh as a unit at the entertainment in front of them.

Before the headliner bands for our shows took the stage, a man takes the stage with his Bible in hand. His name is Nick, and he's about to share the greatest news in the world with four thousand people. As he begins talking, the room quiets. This is what we are here for. This is why we would spend months planning a huge event. We can't always see the miracle happen, but it's there.

Sometimes I wonder if all the effort I give to pursue God is really worth it in my life. Can I do anything to really leave a lasting change in the world? The answer is fully, assuredly, unequivocally yes. The doorway for a friendship can start with a simple conversation. Even a huge outreach requires roles down to the guy who reels in the camera-man's cords. So I can rejoice. I can rejoice for the friend who I reconnect with after six years with a simple phone call. I can rejoice with the one thousand souls who responded to the Gospel at the Pulse Events in Winona and Milwaukee. I can rejoice, because I know that God was able to use even my small efforts to work in the big picture of His rescue mission.

Make no mistake, my God is mighty to save.

Keep Running

2011-10-23T23:05:00.000-05:00

As my business teacher likes to say, it's when we're placed under pressure that we figure out who we really are inside. I've seen this principle tied directly to my priorities. For example, if I'm swamped by midterms, work projects, and ministry activities, what am I going to move in order to accomplish these tasks? Unfortunately, my answer has often been to remove God's Word from my schedule. I'll skip a morning reading or (worse) I'll skim through the chapter without thinking about it.

Sometimes the pressure keeps pushing. Soon our attention has been taken from Jesus and fixed to our problems, burdens, or responsibilities in front of us. Even a good thing can crowd out our daily refocus on Jesus. So what do we do about it?

Hebrews 12:1 has been one of those verses that has consistently applied to my life. The words in this verse show an unwavering hope in God and a call to persist. Nothing that I write can compare to the Word of God, so here it is:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us

Interesting, isn't it? This passage doesn't just say to rid ourselves of sin. It says, "lay aside every weight, AND sin". As I said, even things that are good in themselves shouldn't hold us back from running after God. We have a race, and the spectators are all those who have finished successfully. They're calling for us to run. When school assignments stack up, we're called to run. When work or even ministry gets stressful, we're called to run. As C.S. Lewis put it in the Chronicles of Narnia, we're called "further up, further in." That call to pursue God in our lives is for now and for all of eternity, where we will know God unhindered in the perfect country. Lewis put it pretty nicely himself:

"I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this...Come further up, further in!"

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Keep running.

Camden

God's Calling, Now

2011-08-19T08:02:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of important questions that we begin to ask ourselves in high school and college. For nearly everyone the question arrises, "What do I want to do with my life?" If you're a Christian, I hope you're asking, "What is God calling me to?" Most of you are in the high school or college age range, so I'll assume here that you can relate.

And you might just be able to relate to the problem as well. See, it's not wrong to ask, "What does God want from my life?" As a college student, I've been asking myself what God is calling me to over and over again. The issue is that I look too often at my future, not at my present situation. I hear students talking about wanting to "get on with life," to move beyond homework assignments to find "God's call." What they don't realize is that God doesn't wait to call us, He's calling us now.

How is God calling us? If you're a student, the answer is quite simple. God entrusts us at different stages of our lives with different tasks, and with students, one of those trusts is with school. I don't see enough students who feel like education is God's calling on their lives. God has given us the privilege of twelve years in school to prepare us for what He has for us next.

If you really counted the next nine months as the call of God on your life, how might that change your perspective on life?

Not only with school, but how else might God be using what you count as "everyday life" as a calling to be faithful to Him NOW?

Camden

Life: Temporary. Eternal.

2011-08-12T21:07:00.001-05:00

Being away from blogging for over a month gives you a lot of thinking time. Work has pressed hard, school is looming only a few weeks away, and I'm helping my sister move to grad school while prepping myself for the college transition in fourteen days. Yet in the midst of summer business, God remains.

And life remains. I remember reading a book when I was twelve years old called "One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven" by Mark Cahill. In it, Mr. Cahill explained the vital importance of sharing our faith with others, not only because their eternity rested on it, but because this was the mission God has called us to. As I was convicted by this book, I've also been convicted recently with other realizations. See, there are actually a lot of things "You Can't Do In Heaven." You can't give water to the thirsty. You can't care for the broken. You can't love your enemies.

This summer has given me more opportunity for ministry than any summer past, mostly because of my job with an evangelistic organization. In the midst of ministry (even through computer work!), I've been praying for God to keep my eyes fixed on eternity. I think he's answering my prayers.

This life is so short. Too short. We have a few short years to shine God's glory from these fragile clay pots called bodies, and then we hit eternity. If the word "ministry" intimidates you, scratch it. You have the opportunity to impact the world in practical ways. Whether it's caring for orphans or unloading your kitchen dishwasher, you have an open door before you to "count others more significant than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3), and it's not open for long.

I've heard too many people say that ministry isn't "their thing." The problem is that no one is born with the desire for ministry. Nine times out of ten, we have to take the step of getting involved in serving others before we have any inkling of a desire for it. Yet serving others in humility (seeking nothing in return) is one of the greatest and most fulfilling acts you'll ever experience in this life.

This life is temporary. This life is eternal. Live it for Christ. You won't be disappointed.

Camden

Memorization

2011-07-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

Here's a topic that's been close to my heart for the last few years. Memorization. Specifically, memorizing the Bible. Maybe I'm not the right guy to write on this. There's a lot of people, my age and younger, who have memorized more Scripture than me. But this post isn't about them -- it's about everyone else.

About two years ago, I listened to a sermon about memorizing scripture that shook me up. In a word, I was inspired to memorize scripture. For all you who I'm writing to, I'm assuming that you count the Bible as pretty important, and I'm assuming you think memorization is a "good" thing, whether or not you do it. I want you (and ME) to do it more.

So here's a secret that I've learned -- we pursue that which we count essential for life.

That's right. If you think memorization of the Bible is good, you might memorize it. If you think memorization of the Bible is ~~good~~ essential, you will memorize it. Here's three reasons I heard that convinced me that memorization is so important:

1. Memorizing Scripture gives us meditation and strength against temptations when we don't have a Bible in our hand.

2. We take the one weapon God gives us with His armor (see Ephesians 6:10-20) and we make it "wireless."

3. In this world of media, we're bombarded a hundred times every day with world-views that disagree with Christianity and the Bible. A mind of discerning is a lot easier if you don't have to search for what the Bible says every time you're crossed with world-views.

Okay, one more point. The first disciples of Jesus treasured His words, and Bibles were chained to the wall in early century churches. Today, Christians in persecuted nations treasure God's Word and will memorize whatever they can get their hands on. What is it they've figured out that we haven't? God's Word is life-changing. Life-giving. Life-protecting. Life. Period.

As my Sunday school teacher told me around this time, "If you didn't memorize Scripture as a child in AWANA, you probably never will." I've spent the last two years trying to disprove that sad fact, and I hope you'll join me in choosing to be counter cultural.

Camden

Do: Living Water -- NEW!

2011-06-28T07:22:00.001-05:00

Between work, VBS, and other activities, I'm amazed that I'm actually getting this posted. Yet I had to post on here to give a very important update on Do: Living Water. I won't waste too much of your time but to say that the new website is up! Go to the web address and see the site for yourself -- Do: Living Water**. I'm keeping this post short and sweet so I can get any level of feedback from you on the new site in terms of layout, design, or any other aspect of the site. Much thanks!

**And lest any of you think I'm THAT artistically talented -- credit for the design and creation of the website goes to Hannah Nicole Designs (who some of you might know better as Hannah at Aspire).

Camden

Sovereign

2011-06-18T08:24:00.002-05:00

There I was, driving down the interstate. I was in the middle of three lanes, trying to keep at 70mph with the rest of traffic. Off to the right, a car sped along as it merged into the flow of traffic. Not wanting to get caught behind a large and rather stout truck in the right lane, it cut behind the truck, immediately merging into the center lane -- where I was.

Honking my horn, I did the first thing that came to mind. I swerved my car into the left lane to avoid getting hit. *Thankfully* there wasn't a car in the left lane, and this true story has a happy ending. But as instances like that have the tendency to do, you start thinking about life a little harder.

Maybe you've had a "near-death" experience before. I want to argue the opposite. "Near-death" is what happens when you're the victim of your circumstances. "Near-death" occurs in a universe ruled by chance. "Near-death" exists in a world without a sovereign God.

Yet our God is sovereign. Not only does He know every hair on your head (Matthew 10:30), but He is the giver of every breath we take (Job 12:10). He didn't watch me swerve the car out the way and wipe his brow, sighing, "That was close!" He is so totally in control of my life -- maybe that's why Jesus tells us to not worry.

Sovereign. That's who my God is.

Camden

The Cure

2011-06-09T08:09:00.000-05:00

Though I never officially announced the series, these "Sinful Symptoms" posts have really helped me to see areas in my life at a deeper level. Why do I really do what I do? Whether an activity is blatantly good, bad, or at any site in between, why is it I act the way I do? What's the motive? Yet as of now my posts in this series have been negative, like reading a diagnostic book of deadly diseases. Today, as I wrap up the series, I want to show you the good news. The Cure.

In the book of Romans, Paul talks about this challenge we all face. As humans and even as Christians, we're subject to these Sinful Symptoms. At the very simplest, these symptoms are the desire for satisfaction outside of God. But then, if we really understand the sin as that, then isn't the answer right there? I'll let Paul give the news:

Romans 7:24-25a

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

The answer is Jesus! Part of me wants to jump back at this and declare, "That's just too simple!" Part of me thinks about that answer as some theologically shallow answer, like a five-year-old would hear in Sunday school. Then again, maybe those little-kid Sunday school classes are onto something. Maybe, when Jesus says we must have faith like a child, he means it.

We can try method A-Z, but if Christ isn't in the equation, you can be sure the answer won't work. Here in America we have oodles of self-help books, volumes of psychological advice, and an endless plethora of good sermons given through the ages on how to overcome these sinful symptoms. But they're just that -- symptoms. At the heart of it, at the very DNA of sin itself, these symptoms erupt because we take our eyes, our attention, our desire off of Jesus.

There's too many people run to Jesus and say, "Lord, help me to overcome my Sinful Symptoms." But when God doesn't instantly zap them with power to beat up sin, they figure that they did something wrong, that God's not strong enough, or that He's maybe just too busy. Perhaps it's because God doesn't want to be merely a cure for us, but a Father. Perhaps God wants to test our faith -- perhaps He wants to see how much we're willing to desire Him (think about that for a moment).

The people who overcome Sinful Symptoms in their lives aren't those who start with intimate fellowship with God. Like a human relationship, if you only talk to one another in passing, of course you're not really going to get to know each other. The overcomers and the conquerors are those who have come to understand God's incredible love for them and have decided to run after it with all they are. Too many people give up before the race even begins.

But He is the cure. His grace is enough. His desire is for your life to be only satisfied by Him, by understanding His love. It's time we man up enough to take a spoonful of reality. It's time we kick Sinful Symptoms with a dose of Christ. He is the cure.

Camden

Cowardice

2011-06-04T16:14:00.002-05:00

I want to start off by saying that there was some great feedback on my last post covering gluttony. The major consensus was that it's not just with food, but really that with anything (even good things), too much is bad. The issue of gluttony really was a blind spot for me until pretty recently. However, an even greater blind spot in my life has been this Sinful Symptom, cowardice.

On the wide swing of the spectrum, I fall somewhere near the middle of the introvert / extrovert personality, yet I'll admit that I tend towards the introverted side. Because of that, I figured that our biology was really what determined how extroverted, outgoing, bold, and even courageous we lived. Then I read this verse:

Revelation 21:8

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

Did you miss it? Let me abbreviate.

But the cowardly...will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

Now I realize that this isn't the positive encouragement that most Christian radio stations and trending Christian bloggers post on, but sometimes the most loving action is opening our eyes to reality. God doesn't just call the extrovert to be bold, He calls everyone to be bold and courageous. That step of faith might very well look different between a home-shooled introvert from Minnesota and the extrovert from a big city. Yet both are called.

What I find cool is that God works with us to do these amazing feats of courage. He equips us to do what He's already called us to do. He'll give you the boldness you need -- and when the situation seems impossible, too nerve-wracking, or you just feel too cowardly, that's when your action allows Christ's light to shine brightest.

For being one of the most popular scriptures from the OT in Christians circles, I think it's time we start living by the words of Joshua 1:9--

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Camden

Gluttony

2011-06-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

Today I get to write on something I've never written on before. I suppose I could try and build the suspense, but you already see the topic in the title, so there's not much point to that. Today I'm writing on gluttony.

To tell you the truth, this topic hasn't really stirred in my heart until the last couple weeks. I've been thinking on this list I've compiled of various sins that both Christians and non-Christians are subject to face. Even more than that, I've come to realize that there's too much in our society that culture has come to look on as "normal." If everyone's going 10 over the speed limit, it must be okay, right? If everyone else is immature, why is it such a big deal that I be mature? If Americans currently rate as the most consumer-driven nation in the world, is it really a problem for me to join in? Yet we see in Proverbs that God condemns gluttony, and the early Church had gluttony on the list of 'seven deadly sins.'

Now I want to be careful of two things. First, not all obese people are gluttons. Although there's a significant link there, biology plays an important part in metabolism. The second point is just the opposite: even those that are biologically in shape can be gluttons. In fact, I would wager that it's a lot harder for these people to come to grips with this Sinful Symptom.

I think Paul points it out well in Philippians 3:19, where he says, "Their (people of this world) end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." Some translations change "belly" to "appetite." Now, that refers to a larger context, but why not plug in this literal context into the larger meaning. That is to say, Paul is talking here about people indulging in whatever they believe will satisfy them. Yet if we seek to find our satisfaction outside of Christ (i.e. in food), we're sinning. Let's face it -- more than once I've eaten a snack because I was bored and wanted something to satisfy me. It's not culturally aligned, but by what I can see in the Bible, that's sin.

Truly, I understand that this issue doesn't seem quite as black and white as some of my previous posts, so I want to open it up for discussion. What do you think of this issue? All opinions welcomed.

Camden

Immaturity

2011-05-29T21:11:00.000-05:00

Lord, let my thoughts be honoring to you and my words aligned with Your Word.

I think for a lot of Christians, maturity is defined by culture. Hey, I'm more mature than 99% of my friends, so I must be doing good. We see our own behavior over other's behavior, not over God's command. We compare. If I may quip, I think that this is one cause of immaturity. Let's face it. We'll probably only act as mature as those around us. Bad company corrupts good morals, and the companion of fools becomes foolish himself (1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 13:20).

Here's the issue. Once we've acknowledged Jesus as Lord of our lives, He's in the business of working to make us more and more like Himself. More holy. More righteous. It's not anything we can do, but it's His working that results in changes in our lives. The bigger word for it is sanctification -- God taking our broken and twiSted image of Himself and working us into His image.

In my own life, I've seen a pattern of activities that have lost their flair. Video games, many movies, and even games with friends. I believe there are appropriate uses of all of these, but too often I miss out on the Christian fellowship that would truly build me up in the name of fun, pleasure, and entertainment. Don't get me wrong -- we glorify God by enjoying the gifts and company He's given us. But I think an excess of even "Christian fun" results in an unproductive lifestyle, less than we've been called to be. <-- Immaturity

I don't want to sound self-righteous, but let's realize what precious time God has given us. Time to be used to learn more about our God.

Luke 8:14
And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

1 Timothy 4:12
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Camden

Selfitis

2011-05-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

Now for the kicker. For every sin you have the ability to trace a path back to this Sinful Symptom. According to medical terminology, adding "-itis" at the end of a term suggests that it's swollen. If you have tonsillitis, that probably means your tonsils are swollen. Appendicitis = swollen appendix. So, follow the course of reasoning and you'll come to see that "Selfitis" is a swollen sense of self.

I heard it said by my pastor that selfishness can actually be a good thing. As he went on to explain, there's no real reason we would try to seek out God but for our desire to satisfy ourselves. It's no sin to seek satisfaction, it's only sin when we seek that satisfaction outside of God. Yet, like the book of Judges mentioned in the last post, we have a horrible tendancy to look for satisfaction in other ways. This can be idolitary, it can lead to the idea of insanity, but ultimately it's all traced back to a selfish desire to be satisfied outside of God.

There is no man or woman and no youth or child that doesn't seek satisfaction out of life. But as to where we look for satisfaction, that's what really counts. Looking to the world for satisfaction? That's a lot easier, but always ends in failure. Trusting in God for satisfaction-- that's hard, yet it always pays off.

James 3:16
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

Psalm 24:3-6
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Camden

Insanity

2011-05-21T22:37:00.000-05:00

I want to give a picture of how we often view, or rather, fail to view our dependence on God. See, you can call it self-reliance, or you can call it blindness, or you can call it insanity. Whatever way, it seems human nature to fall into cycles of failure and shame. We see this in the book of Judges, when the people of Israel would turn from God, sin, suffer the consequences, and then cry out to Him. God would answer and send a judge to restore peace. The problem was, every time a Judge of Israel died, the people would fall back into sin. They would turn back to idols and forget all about God. Or perhaps they simply decided it was easier to rely on themselves. Or perhaps it was a sort of spiritual blindness. Or perhaps it was this Sinful Symptom, insanity.

I've heard it defined this way: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results." The people of Israel had experienced God's saving power in their lifetimes, yet fell again into the insanity of turning away from God. Perhaps we aren't too far off from the people of Israel.

Remember going to Bible camp, or a conference where you engaged with God and felt closer to Him than ever before. Suddenly, God is the most important aspect of your life, and you pursue Him alone. Yet once the worship music is over, once the preacher has given the alter call, once you're back home sitting in your bedroom, God doesn't feel so close. In fact, you're inclined to return to the empty cisterns you once went to.

You know what's insane? Going about a Devil-ruled land without a sword. Do you know what is absolutely nonsensical? Having access to a powerful, intimate, true, free relationship with the One who said, "Let there be light" and instead turning to a dark corner and saying, "I think I found something better."

Wake up! Don't you get it? We have life and freedom in Christ. Pick up your sword, the Word of God, and fight the enemy that is constantly fighting for your soul. We don't have to be like the people of Israel, who chose to follow chunks of wood. We have the freedom to say "Christ alone!" Even more than that, we have the power to stand through the old way of falling into a rut. We can overcome by the same power that allowed Jesus to overcome the grave. We can break any cycle of insanity in our lives, not by ourselves, but by the Potter's guiding hands.

Romans 7:24-25

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Camden

HereSighted

2011-05-14T17:30:00.000-05:00

For as long as I can remember, I've worn glasses. I think it was about at five or six years old that my parents realized I had bad eyesight because of how close I had to sit to the television to watch it. I received my first pair of glasses, and have been thankful ever since to my parents for taking me to get my eyes checked. But here's the issue.

Until I put on my glasses, I didn't think I had a problem. Didn't everyone see things the way I did? How do you even conceptualize "clearer vision" when all you know is what you see? I'll admit, the change was pretty amazing once I put on those two round disks of glass in front of my eyes.

I've often heard the terminology, "The lens of Scripture." Recently, this notion has really impacted my mind. The whole idea is that the Bible is a way to see the world differently, the way God intended for us to see the world. Yet I feel that so often ~~in the world~~ in Christian culture we look at too little through these 'holy eyeglasses.'

To get a step more specific, my notion of eternity has been formed by the lens of God's Word. The way that we see our lives on this earth is too often the "Here-and-Now" notion, not an eternal perspective. Too many Americans, too many Christians, live as if they plan on living comfortable lives on earth forever. It's just as hard for me to hear as you, but we need to hear it. We need to see it as it is.

Our lives are here, and then they're gone. We have a few short years to make an impact for the Kingdom of God, and then we'll realize we were watched by God the entire time. I think it's time for us to realize that we're far too 'HereSighted,' and see the need to filter our lives through the Bible. It's the only Counter Cultural way to live.

2 Peter 3:11-12a (NIV)

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.

Camden

The Distance Syndrome

2011-05-10T16:17:00.001-05:00

I was going to title this post “How NOT to Blog,” with guidelines such as ‘Never wait over a month between when you introduce a post and when your write your first actual series post.’ However, I also decided to postpone the HEROES Series (another error I would suggest NOT following for good blogging). I decided to postpone this series as I search for more heroes that have inspired me through their lives now past. So what am I writing on today? I'm calling it the "Distance Syndrome."

Unless you're a really, really dedicated blogger, relate with me for a moment. I was working on a normal 1-to-2-post-per-week schedule when I was suddenly capsized by a barrage of large-scale assignments from my college classes. Suddenly it's 'goodbye blogging' and time to hunker down over assignments. As the time went on, I forgot about blogging. That's not to say I forgot about my blog or my love for writing, yet somehow the gut-desire to write out thoughts of my life slowly faded--until now it's been over a month since I last posted. It's this "Distance Syndrome" that I'm talking about: The farther we get from doing the work, the less desire we have to do it.

My mission for this blog is to encourage and challenge you, and sometimes that comes through a warning. In this case, I've noticed how the Distance Syndrome can affect not just my blogging life, but my spiritual life as well. As I was putting in all of my energies into school, I was missing out on taking care of my spiritual life. I was forgetting the need to confess before God, the need to really meditate on His Word, and the need for conversation through prayer. Sadly, one of the harshest symptoms of Distance Syndrome is forgetfulness.

More than that, we're all prone to the Distance Syndrome. That's why I want to encourage you to be diligent with Bible reading and prayer. We naturally turn our efforts away from God, even if we still go through the motions (more on that coming up). For me, I realized that I haven't felt God's presence in the real way I've known it before. I want to know God's love, not just the painful d i s t a n c e that makes me less desiring of God's presence.

How do we change?

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated a the right hand of the the throne of God.

Camden

A New Series -- HEROES: Introduction

2011-04-06T13:41:00.000-05:00

Have you ever looked back on your life and seen how one person served to mold your walk with Christ? Do you see even now those around you who spur you on to live wholly for Christ. Alive and dead, I believe all of us have influences that drive us forward.

Planned on my computer, I was going to post today on the marks and virtue of a Christian hero, and the importance of having people like this in our lives. While typing, I suddenly realized that what I was trying to type was way to much to fit into one post! Along with the nagging desire to start a new series, I’ve been compelled to create new writing starting today. For this new series, I’ll be writing on a number of Christians that have personally influenced my life for the Kingdom of God in powerful ways.Stay tuned as I more consistently feature a number of people who have influenced me to be who I am today.

Camden

Why I Praise God for 5AM Wake Up Calls

2011-02-27T16:30:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of this semester, you could really say I was dreading my schedule. Not only does my Spring semester at North Central University require me to go to classes Monday through Friday, but it also involves waking up at 5. Yes, five AM. Sleep is a rare commodity in my life, one that I treasure right now more than ever. Yet for all of my dislike of 5AM wake up calls, I can now say that every time I wake up, it's worth it.

God has a plan for my life, I know that (though I'm sometimes more trusting of that than other times). If God has a plan for my life, then He has a plan for my today. For some reason, God was working 5AM wake up calls into His plan for my life, and I now know why. Prayer.

About a week into the second semester, I encoutered a friend at NCU who asked if I knew about the "Morning Watch." Puzzled, I told him that I hadn't ever heard of it. He explained to me that it was simply a time for NCU students to go to the sanctuary and pray between seven and eight in the morning. As it turns out, this is a time when I'm at NCU, yet don't have any morning classes. So I started going. Any time I didn't have school that needed to get done in the morning, I would head over to the sanctuary and pray.

If you know prayer, there's just something divine to starting your day off with prayer. I'm usually rushed when I get ready at five from my house, but a quiet time for an hour in the morning at my college has turned out to be the most enjoyable part of my weekdays.

What do I want you to take from this? Simple -- pray consistantly. It doesn't have to be an hour long. It doesn't have to be at seven in the morning. But if I know the standard schedule, prayer isn't going to happen unless we make it happen. By choosing a time to consistantly pray (it doesn't have to be the same every day, but it should be every day!), we choose to set aside parts of our days to focus on God. And that -- bringing myself before God every morning -- has been the most relaxing and refreshing part of my five O'clock wake up calls.

Camden

Psalm 88:13

But I, O LORD, cry to You; in the morning my prayer comes before you.

He Who Began a Good Work in You

2011-02-15T20:46:00.001-06:00

I realize it's been a long time since my last post (in fact, almost a month). I'm still here, but school has kicked into full gear, leaving me precious free time that I rarely get the chance to use on blogging (or any other social media, for that matter). Yet instead of doing the writing today, I'll let someone else speak for me. Thanks to Jennifer Kvamme, an article has been published on the youth-centered site of the EFCA. It traces some of the things God has done in my life from the Challenge conference back in July to a piece of my life few of you know about involving a ministry called PULSE. Take a read:

http://www.reachstudents.org/feature-story

It really is incredible to look back on the last couple months and see where God has taken me. While there are pieces I can see God is leading me towards, I'm holding on tight for whatever new piece of this journey God reveals to me next. There are a lot of uncertainties in this life, but one thing I know for certain:

Philippians 1:6

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Camden

The Price is Paid

2011-01-17T21:02:00.000-06:00

My mind is a blended mess right now. Though I didn't have much homework today, I feel burned out. I read my Bible, prayed, and even wrote in my journal, but the motivation is running low. Nothing terrible happened today, and by the same token, nothing fantastic did either. Stress over school and other projects is setting in, and I just don't feel the usual compelling energy to get things done with excellency. I'm rambling, but if I don't throw down the whole tangled mess, I might just get caught in the web.

____________________________________________________

I stopped my post there for what became almost an hour. I shut my laptop, cleaned my room, and got down on my knees. See, I think in that one moment, the path to the answer became clear. I've heard that writing down your problems can help you get through them, and I've seen plenty of teenage bloggers rant about their problems and how they'll never be able to overcome them. Yet in the middle of my rambling, I saw my error. It's not just about writing my problems away. It's about coming before my King and Father and asking Him to help me work them out.

As I was down on my knees, my nose started to bleed. As I ran to the bathroom, a stray few drops of blood hit my palm. It was as I was plugging up my bleeding nostril with toilet paper as I looked at my bloody palm and realized the full blunt of my error. Even while I was down on my knees, I was holding on to a mindset of "Boo hoo, poor me. Look at my miserable estate." I felt hopelessly lethargic, and I was asking God from my knees to give me a solution. He gave me a bloody nose. He gave me an analogy. He gave me an answer.

He gave me His son.

The Holy Son of God had given Himself to be slaughtered, His own palms to be bloody and driven through with nails for my forgiveness. He took the full weight of God's wrath so that I could be free. How dare I tell God that I'm still not satisfied? He didn't stop with His son, but gave His Spirit to fill me, that I might radiate the love of Christ to a dying world. So what if I feel lazy? I have no reason to feel guilty, or lazy, or lethargic. The blood of Christ has cleansed me from all unrighteousness!

I understand, I'm not going to be perfect. That's for eternity. But as Christ continues to sanctify me, He's showing me more of Himself, even in the lethargic days. The price has been paid, the blood given, the curse lifted. Even if it took me until nine at night to finally see it, the only emotion I should have in my day is an exuberant joy in Christ Jesus. He is the reason I have yet another breath, another keystroke. I give my life to Jesus because He gave His life for me. Praise God. The price has been paid. I am forgiven.

Camden

The Problem with Ketchup Part Two

2011-01-10T17:45:00.001-06:00

To be honest, I really switched the name change on the last post at the last minute. I wasn't even sure when I wrote it what I wanted to cover in "part 2," I just knew I wanted to say more. See, I believe that it's important to see our problems. Note: Our problems. It's so easy to point out greed in someone else's life while ignoring it in our own. It's easy to point to needless luxuries of the multi-millionaires, but how often do we look instead on our own lives?

I also don't like keeping my eye on the problem. In fact, when you're preoccupied with the problem, it usually means you aren't taking measures to fix it. You're just worrying. You're just starting to wonder why some Minnesota kid chose to point out our greed and make you feel horrible about yourself, but you don't do anything about it (the greed, that is). You might feel far more inclined to click that red "X" button on the top right of the screen than to read the rest of this plainly juvenile post, but I ask you to read on.

Because I don't have the answers.

I don't know what being selfless means in your life. I don't know what it means for you to attack the greed that's either secretly or actively rearing it's head in your life circumstances. I know it means different things for different people, and that's why I can't make a specific prognosis and prescription for your life.

I just get a twist in my gut when I hear about churches that build multi-million dollar buildings to house thousands of comfortable believers when there's a struggling homeless shelter down the block. Don't get me wrong, my family went to one of those multi-million dollar churches when we lived in Michigan, and it brought many to Christ and challenged us to live more for Christ (even me, as a ten year-old). Yet I have to ask where the basis of our satisfaction comes from, God or ourselves.

Really, it's that simple. Our ultimate satisfaction is either based off how it serves us, or how it serves God. Even "Christian" activities can be greedy if we're only doing them to point the attention to ourselves. Though it seems all but indoctrinated in today's churches, we shouldn't love God because He'll love us in return (for He already supremely does). Instead, our love for God and a selfless heart should come from the wellspring of being supremely satisfied in Christ (can anyone tell I've been listening to John Piper?).

I can't tell you how to not be greedy (or rather, selfless) in your life, but I can tell you this: If you persistantly seek to have satisfaction in Christ alone, everything else either becomes a gracious gift from Him, or just needless fluff in your life (that may potentially serve others).

Psalm 87:7

As they make music they will sing,

“All my fountains are in you.”

Camden

The Problem with Ketchup Part One

2011-01-06T16:46:00.001-06:00

Please, hear my conundrum. Last week, my family went to one of my favorite restaurants, Culver's. Whether you know it or not, we sat in padded foam booths while we waited for our food. When our food finally arrived ten long minutes later and my cheeseburger was eventually meandered to me, I checked to make sure the chefs had matched my order precisely. Now, while I can't deny that all the ingredients I had requested were present on the burger, there was a problem. There simply wasn't enough ketchup.

Don't get me wrong. I think Culver's maintains an excellent establishment in my hometown, I simply have to rant on this "condimental" error (pardon my creation of this word; it seemed fitting in context). Because of this error, I was inclined to get up and labor in order to aquire own ketchup (a meticulous process that required me to apply great force on a large knob in order to squeeze the ketchup out of a machine). What else could I do? I had to take drastic action, lest I suffer under the oppression of an unsatisfactory cheeseburger. Now here's where the conundrum peaks to a climax. As I returned to my seat, I settled down to eat the burger, completely ignoring the ketchup! ...oh the ills of my life.

Alright, reality check. I tell you this completely ridiculous (though true) story to illustrate a far more serious problem with people in our consumer-driven world. Let's face it; we're blessed. More than we care to notice, we're surrounded by the comforts of suburban America, and ~~distracted~~ consumed by pleasures that, honestly, we'd be fine without. We always want more, and we're never satisfied. Some experts call this syndrome "Buyer's Remorse," when a consumer buys an item they believe will meet some need yet are disappointed in the end. Call it "Buyer's Remorse," "American consumerism," or even "The Problem with Ketchup." The Bible calls it greed.

I'm not trying to stop you from buying food or investing in something you've thought over. Yet when it comes to trying to satisfy our appetites outside of God, I'm forewarning you that everything else falls far short. Too often we focus on the product while ignoring the provider. God wants you to enjoy the good gifts He's given, but look to the Giver for thanks, not the gift. More on this to come...

Camden

The Mask Principle

2011-01-03T17:04:00.000-06:00

How's 2011 going? For me, I finished C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, an amazing book that both supported and refined things I believed. I've also been reading Radical by David Platt, a great book on God's mission to the world (more on that later). For now, I wanted to share one particularly striking lesson I learned from Lewis that I call the mask principle.

Up until I read this, I figured that all masks used in our lives were very bad things. I'm not talking about costumes or drama, but I mean like pretending you're innocent when if fact you did take a cookie sneakily without your mother's permission. I saw this type of mask in my own life, and knew it was wrong. What I didn't realize is that there is another type of mask, and it's one that God commands us to put on: the mask of Christ.

An example used by Lewis cleared this up greatly for me, an example I've seen in my own life. Pretend people are coming over to your house for a party. You've been a grouch for most of the day, and you know you'll have to put on a kind face once people come. The guests start coming in, and you keep a kind face to please people. By the end of the party, however, a strange thing has happended. You may not realize it, but you're no longer grouchy, and are actually enjoying the party because of the kind demeanor you chose to put on.

This good kind of "mask principle" is seen when little kids pretend to be parents, an exercise that actually sharpens their insights to what being a parent is like. So let's just imagine that you decide to pretend to be like Christ. As you pretend, you realize there are certain things that aren't very Christ-like in your pretending. So get rid of them. This doesn't mean kneeling in prayer for five hours a day, but might mean helping prepare dinner or doing some other chore that needs doing.

In fact, I think it's a lot like the old question, "What Would Jesus Do?" In that very instance, you're pretending that Christ is in your position, and you're imagining how He would react. The difference with the mask principle is that instead of pretending Christ is there, you're pretending you are Christ. The Bible makes it clear that Christians aren't just another religious group, but are the very children of God by His adoption.

One last illustration, and that'll be it. If you're an older sibling, you ~~probably~~ know how you're younger siblings will try and imitate you. Younger siblings, like it or not, you imitate habits of your older siblings. Usually older siblings dislike it when copied by their younger siblings. Christ loves it. God commands it. Wear the mask of Christ, and you just might find yourself becoming more like Him, too.

Camden

Resolved

2010-12-29T11:02:00.000-06:00

Christmas is over, and the new year is appoaching. 2011. One year closer to the return of Christ. It's custom in the culture to make resolutions at this time, a term loosely defined in America as decisions that we'll keep, at least until we forget, get tired, or fail. Yet when I look in the dictionary at what the word "resolve" really means, it's quite a different picture. I see definitions like, "to come to a definite or earnest decision about," or "to convert or transform by any process."

One dude who comes to mind when I think about the real meaning of resolutions is Jonathan Edwards. This 18th century preacher compiled a list of 70 resolutions that he wrote as goals for his own life. You can see the list Here. As I look through this list and see Edwards' heart written out, I can't help but wish the same for my own life. For Edwards, these weren't just a list of feel-good ideas to come back to once a year so he could feel good about himself. Edwards knew that his life wasn't where it should be, and he strove with all he was to pursue these goals. Today, we don't look back on Jonathan Edwards and see a man that tried and then decided it was too hard to live for Christ. No, instead we see one of the greatest preachers of all time, because he strove to keep what he had resolved to do.

See, simply because America has twisted and watered-down the use of resolutions doesn't mean we should give up on them. It also means that we shouldn't take them lightly. My resolutions usually come in the form of a prayer that I try and stick to for the year. This last year, I resolved to fear God (instead of just respecting Him). Again and again, I reminded myself of my resolution this year, and prayed that God would give me a fear of Him. Fast-forward one year, and I can clearly say that I fear God more than I did last year. It's become a foundation for my belief, and while I know there's far more I can learn about fearing God, I'm thankful for where I've come thus far.

So what's it going to be? It doesn't take New Year's to make a resoultion, but then again, it's our chance as Christians to resolve for Christ. Maybe it is a life-style change that brings glory to God. Maybe it's a single, simple prayer that you bring to God because you simply want more of Him. Maybe, like Edwards, you're resolutions aren't just year-long, but life-long, striving to become the child of God that you were saved to be. Bottom line: Though our culture is largely known for giving up when our decisions encounter hardship, Christians have a chance to live the counter-cultural life and shine for Christ.

"17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die." -- Jonathan Edwards

Camden

Leadership

2010-12-23T12:17:00.000-06:00

God brought a message to my life today that I wasn't fully expecting but am very grateful for. As I've been seeing areas in my life where I have been placed as a leader, I've been crying out to God to show me how to lead effectively. Today I got an answer in the form of an analogy. I've never heard one better.

Leaders are to be like conductors. No, not the stuff that lets electricity travel through it or the person that leads a train (though I'm sure you could pull some analogy from those as well), but like the person that leads an orchestra. If you've ever seen an orchestra CD, the conductor was probably on the front. At performances, the conductor is the one that stands on the side and bows to the crowd, recieving great applause. Yet I was struck by this simple fact: As you listen to beautiful orchestra pieces, not once do you hear the conductor. In fact, you usually get so caught up in a performance that you don't pay much attention to the conductor.

A conductor's job isn't to draw attention to himself. In fact, it's just the opposite. The conductor is the person who directs his time, energy, and effort to make others great. Although he is recognized as the leader of the orchestra, he would be nothing without the individual players. His job is to lift others up while humbling himself. I needed to remind myself that the positions of authority God has given to me are not for my own praise, but for lifting up others and ultimately lifting up God. As a leader, although I recognize that the attention may often land on me, I must be the least even then for the sake of those I lead.

Men, this is specifically for you. If you are a man who will one day lead a family, you are by divine calling a leader. I used to think that only certain people could be leaders, but I now see that God often calls us to lead in one way or another throughout our lives. True, we're often in the orchestra pit, playing our part on a single instrument in the masses. But for those times when God ordains us for leadership, we should embrace it with a humble heart, seeking to set others above ourselves. That is the quality of a true leader.

Matthew 23:11-12

The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Camden

Don't Waste Your Christmas Break

2010-12-20T13:56:00.000-06:00

It's understandable that I haven't been posting on here due to the hard press of final projects and tests due for school. It's understandable that I had to take a break from things that are otherwise considered "good" to focus my mind and attention on my school subjects. And now it's understandable that since I'm done with the pressures of writing research papers and studying for tests, I should take a long and well deserved break to simply "chilax" over the holidays.

Or is it?

I've been wrestling with the question recently of how to use this grand time between semesters. Not just how to use it, but how to use it for God's glory. And as I've hit the beginning of this break, I've come to the discovery that living out free-time for God isn't always the easiest thing. In fact, it's hard. Using our time in a way that brings God glory in and through our lives is a challenge that each and every one of us has to face each and every day. It's so easy to spend hours wasting our time, but how do we really use our time in a way that glorifies God?

For me, the answer to that question today was writing out 100 verses on 100 notecards that I want to memorize over Christmas break (verses taken from Memverse's top 100 verses). Another piece of this is finalizing and submitting my research paper and essay for my online class. Part of my day in glorifying God is even in writing this post. Please note: God gives all of us different ways to glorify Him, whether it's memorizing verses, writing, or spending time with family and friends. The key is that God doesn't want us to waste our lives, or our Christmas Break.

One last thing. If you are a child of God, then God has given purpose to your life. If He's given purpose to your life, then that means that each day is meant as a piece of that purpose fulfillment. If each day is a piece of God's purpose for your life, then that means that He has a plan for you to use your life today for His purposes. You're alive today for a reason. Strive to use it for Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Camden

God's Burden for the World

2010-12-03T19:18:00.001-06:00

In the last couple of days, I've been rapid-fired, harder than I've ever been hit before. While this may apply to my school, that's not what I'm talking about here. I've been overwhelmed, but not by my problems. Or rather, what wasn't my problem. God has laid a burden on me in the last few days. His burden. He's calling for my heart to beat with His very heart-beat. God's been burdening me with missions.

I guess it's only been two days, but it seems like the reminders just keep coming, whether in reading, watching, or listening. I've been burdened to the breaking point, and I pray that God would break me. I want to die to myself and live for the mission of Christ. I feel a deeper burden for the world than I have in a long time, maybe even in my entire life, and I don't want it to go away.

You might really be wondering what's going on in my head. Isn't my burden already satisfied? I've been part of a project I'm now leading that's raised nearly $12,000 for building wells for the people of the Congo. I led my youth group to give a monthly offerings so we as a group could sponsor a child. I volunteer regularly at an evangelism ministry that reaches out and shares the Gospel to over 100,000 people a year. How can I still have a burden?

I pray my motives are pure, and as I feel this burden, I know God is purging me of the pride, selfishness, and the indifference. This isn't my burden. It's God's. He gets rid of my pride, selfishness, and indifference to make me feel what He feels. See, we can hear about problems as much as we want and still do nothing about it. Or we can choose to act. If you're a Christian, that means that Jesus moved on your behalf to save you. If Jesus had heard about the problems on earth and shrugged it off, every one of us would be Hellward bound. Yet Jesus was moved to the level that He shed His blood for this earth so that we might be saved. Now He calls us to do the same.

Here are links to two videos, both of which I saw today, that both struck my heart. I pray they will move your hearts also to reach out to the lost, to the broken, and to the heavly laden of this world.

Eric Ludy -- Depraved Indifference

John Piper -- Tears of the Saints (Leeland)

Camden

David, when confronting the armies of Israel as they ignored the blasphemy of the Philistines, asks the King in 1 Samuel 17:29 -- "Is there not a cause?"

A Magic Eye Testimony

2010-11-24T11:22:00.002-06:00

(Click to enlarge)

Can you see it? Some people can, some people can't. For the first twelve or so years of my life, it always frustrated me that I couldn't see Magic Eye. Here people were, gathered around a book, all talking about how increadible the 3D image was, while I, naive little Camden, saw only random patterns. I thought I had been duped. I figured I was part of some grand joke. How could they see and experience something I couldn't?

I remember the day I first saw Magic Eye for real. Sure, I could do the whole cross-my-eyes thing and see that something was there, but it wasn't real. Instead, I got a paper-cutout version of Magic Eye that really didn't mean much of anything. However, when I first saw an image flash before my eyes in 3D, I was shocked by how clear it was. Suddenly, I found joy in Magic Eye, and now love to find any Magic Eye book, calendar, or online image and discover the hidden image.

Now, compare.

For the first twelve or so years of my life, it always frustrated me that I couldn't see the Gospel the way others did. Here people were, gathered around a Book, all talking about how increadible the message was, while I, naive little Camden, saw only written words. I thought I had been duped. I figured I was part of some grand joke. How could they see and experience something I couldn't?

I remember the day I first saw the Gospel for real. Sure, I could do the whole go-to-church thing and see that something was there, but it wasn't real. Instead, I got a paper-cutout version of the Gospel that really didn't mean much of anything. However, when I first saw the glory of Christ flash before my eyes, I was shocked by how clear it was. Suddenly, I found joy in the Gospel, and now love to find any Gospel book, message, or online teaching and discover the hidden meaning.

Camden

Prayer

2010-11-15T12:28:00.001-06:00

Simple, right? Or perhaps not so much. Growing up, prayer was always a scheduled ordeal. Breakfast wasn't much of a prayer time, because most people in my family had breakfast independently. Lunch was the first appointment on the list, and after all the kids had their peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches ready, we would go through the ceremony and bless the food. This same ritual was repeated at dinner, except then my father joined us in our tradition. As a child, the bedtime prayer usually took the form of a little song my Mom would sing over us kids.

I count a lot of my childhood prayer times as a positive, but at the same time, is that really all that prayer is? You as well as I know that mechanical prayer is lifeless. Like the Lord's Prayer or other passages such as John 3:16, we say them so much that they lose all meaning. I can assure you, this isn't what prayer was meant to be.

The disciples (the dudes that followed Jesus around) seemed to get this. You never hear of the disciples going up to Jesus and saying, "Hey JC, could you show us that walking-on-water trick?" Instead, these men came to Jesus and said, "Teach us how to pray" (Luke 11:1). Jesus got prayer. Though I don't usually write in the format of lists, I've heard four things that prayer brings to our lives, and I want to share them with you.
First, prayer brings freedom. Although Jesus never sinned, He prayed, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:12-13). Without prayer, I find it impossible that we'll ever overcome struggles with sin. We need help from a higher source.

Second, prayer brings surrender. Similar to freedom, our surrender helps to loose us from sin. Without prayer, we'll do things our own way by default. With prayer, God brings us to a place where we can see ourselves, broken and sinful, void and lifeless, and bring us to a surrender to the only one who can save us. Prayer aligns our live to God's will: even as Christ prayed, "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

"Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:13). Third, prayer is power. It's not just talking to the sky, it's an appeal to the One who made every one of the estimated 70 sextillion stars in the universe (a number I don't care to type out, thank-you-very-much). Our prayer changes things. As we pray to God, He is faithful to take those prayers and answer them for our good. (Check also James 5:16-18)

Alright, I admit, looking over this list, prayer can still seem like a pretty impersonal thing. It can seem more like a system that we do to get what we want and feel good about ourselves. But that's not it at all. See, the forth aspect of prayer is that prayer brings intimacy with God. As we pray, we draw closer to God, even to a point where His desires become our desires. If you feel distant from God, you might check your prayer life.

Prayer affects every area of our lives. Period. Yet so often when we have to choose between an extra half-hour of sleep at night or thirty minutes with the King of the universe, we choose to doze off. The only time prayer will ever seem like a boring ordeal is when we don't get it. It's when we understand the significance that every prayer holds that it can transform us. So, if you're like me and you need a little more freedom, surrender, power, and intimacy in your life with the King of kings and the Lord of Lords, I have some advice for you.

Pray.

Camden

Of Servants and Sons Part Two

2010-11-11T08:35:00.002-06:00

Today I have just three passages to share, but the weight of these words should be far more than enough for what I hope to convey through this post. Like last time, I'll let these words speak for themselves. As the last passage shares so well from the very words of Jesus, it's when we come before our heavenly father admitting that we are nothing that He gives us everything.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:13-15).

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him (Romans 8:14-17).

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate (Luke 15:17-24).

Camden

Of Servants and Sons Part One

2010-10-30T20:56:00.003-05:00

I had my entire post nearly complete when... I deleted it. It was no accident or malfunction, but I chose to do things a little different. Regardless of how much writing skills I have, my words are nothing compared to the Word of God. Instead of writing out a clever post myself, I'm going to let God do the work.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see -- to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen (1 Timothy 6:15b-16). And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). [Jesus,] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in the human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them (John 13:14-17).

"Will any one of you who has a servant plowing of keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'come at once and recline at the table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what he was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty (Luke 17:7-10).'"

For who is the greater, one who reclines at the table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves (Luke 22:27). If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him (John 12:26).

Camden

He's Got the Whole World...

2010-10-22T07:56:00.001-05:00

If you grew up in Church, the chances that you know the rest of this kid's church song is about 95%. In fact, I would be shocked if you didn't. The point is, I think a lot of kid's church songs have an awesome message, but we rarely pay attention past the melody to the words themselves. A good comparison is with John 3:16 -- The words themselves are absolutely incredible, but we've said it so much that it's all but lost it's meaning entirely. So what is the message of this song?

Actually, it's not a trick question. The answer is, "He's got the whole world in His hands!" The reason this is such a huge message is because it's easy to say, but so hard to live. I think you know what I'm talking about, but let me elaborate anyways. In the midst of the star-breathing, galaxy forming, world holding God, it's sometimes hard to trust that God really does have your life in mind. In these times, worry, anxiety, or even fear come upon us. We wonder if God really knows what He's doing.

Or maybe we're just impatient. Maybe we get it -- He's got the whole world in His hands. But truthfully, if we were honest with ourselves, we think life would be a whole lot easier if we had the whole world in our hands. We could make life simple. Easy-going. We'd laugh at any problem that came our way because we could instantly fix it. So why doesn't God allow this? Why does He subject us to hardship and turmoil in our lives?

I think it has to do with faith (a close synonym for trust). See, God could give you everything you ever wanted right now, instantly. But at the end of the day, what has changed in you? You'd have everything you wanted, but you'd be exactly the same on the inside (except for maybe greedier). Your faith would be just as dormant as before. It's not faith if God instantly give us what we want (see Hebrews 11:1 and Romans 8:24-25 for more on this). We don't like to admit it, but our faith grows when we're pressed, stressed, and forced out of that all too-familiar bubble called our comfort zone.

So, the question remains. How do you want to live your life? Of course, I can't answer this question for you. When we try to orchestrate our lives, things usually don't work out so great. When we give control to God, yes, it can be hard and require patience, but it always works out better in the end. He's got the whole world in His hands. So why not give Him your life, too?

Psalm 34:4-5

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Camden

Day of Praise

2010-10-11T08:59:00.000-05:00

Remember the times when you would feel bad because you weren't the first person to say, "Thanks" when someone did something nice for you? I remember times when a friend's parent would take a group of my friends out for a treat. As we finish licking up our ice cream or other choice delicacy, one of my friends would pipe up, "Thanks for the ice cream!" At that moment, you realize a terrible truth -- you've been beaten to the ceremonial thanks. You express your thanks along with any other friends with you at that time, but it doesn't feel as sincere. While you enjoyed the gift, you forgot to express thanks and are instead left with a half-hearted acknowledgment of thanks.

Perhaps I'm not the only person to think this, but I think we do the same with God. We'll often experience God's amazing blessing on our lives. He'll answer a prayer, open a door, give us an oppritunity, or shower us with His grace and mercy. Yet how often do we express a gratitude for God and what He does? If you want a test, count the number of requests you offer to God in a day, and then compare that with the number of thanks. There's nothing wrong with asking God in prayer, but I think we're missing a major piece of prayer in our general lack of thanks.

Maybe it's in our lives, a friend's life, or just the world in general, but I think that we could all work on an attitude that praises God throughout our lives. I can't even count the number of times in Psalms where David and other authors call for praise and thanks to God. What would happen if we took on this same attitude of praise?

Today, the widespread and hit Christian radio station "K-Love" is promoting a Day of Praise. If you remember about six months ago, my friend Dakota and I promoted something similar between our two blogs, and we think that this is something on God's heart. Besides, He deserves all of our praise. People, serriously. He created matter, and gives you every breath you breathe -- that's something, isn't it? There's nothing special about today (that is, we should be giving praise to God every day!). But I think it's pretty sweet that we can join with thousands across America today in offering prayers of thanks to God!

Psalm 141:2

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Camden

Witnessing (response)

2010-10-04T19:44:00.004-05:00

From my last post on witnessing, I got a great question asked me from Amber. I got ready a nice and long comment and then realized, "this would probably be more helpful for others as a post!" Amber says, "I have such a hard time with this too, seeing as I am natuarlly quiet. I just wonder how a person can get over that, or "follow His voice". Is it as simple as praying about it?"
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First of all, I just want to let Amber and everyone else know that I myself tend to be that "quiet type" personality. Honestly Amber, I wish I could give you three simple steps to getting out of your comfort zone, but I can't. Like I said, though I can be bold at times, I'm not when it comes to talking deep with my unbelieving friends. I can, however, encourage you (and all the other readers!) with what God has blessed me with.
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See, you're right when you ask about prayer. Prayer is so hugely involved in anything we do for God that I can't emphasize it enough. Pray for the salvation of friends, and pray that God would use you to bring that about. Also realize that He just might answer your prayer!
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That last sentance was actually something that discouraged me at first, because I didn't want God to s t r e t c h me or "force me" out of my comfort zone. But there's really no need to be paniced. Check these two verses:
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Ephesians 2:10
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For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
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2 Peter 1:3
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His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.
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Essentially, God has prepared us for everything He prompts us to do with the Holy Spirit, and He has enabled us to accomplish what He has called us to do. As I'm typing this, Britt Nicole's song "The Lost Get Found" is playing. The truth is, we've been given the power to change someone's eternity. That's powerful stuff -- but sometimes we forget. So what do we do?
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In the midst of our fear, we pray. We read God's perfect Word. We meditate on His promises. And then we act, knowing that God is working an incredible story in and through our lives if we're just willing to follow Him. If it was hard for Jesus, it'll be hard for us. When discouragement or fear comes, we keep our eyes fixated on Christ. It's hard -- but it's so worth it.
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Hebrews 12:1-2

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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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Camden

Witnessing

2010-10-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

In most of my blogging, the topics that I blog about are topics that I've personally had a lot of experience handling. Today isn't so much that case. No, instead of talking on my strong points of culture and theology like usual, I'm going to go where few Christian bloggers go -- directly to one of my greatest struggles -- witnessing.

I think in general I'm not alone when I say sharing the Gospel with anyone besides close Christian friends is nerve-wracking, aWkwArD, and just overall difficult. For me, I know the Gospel through and through, and could even give you the "six points" of the Gospel message with matching verses. But none of that really matters if I don't do anything with it. If you're like me, you would much prefer to spend devotional time with a group of close Christian friends than actually get out into the world and share the Gospel. I understand completely -- but that doesn't mean it's right.

Francis Chan, one of my favorite pastors, put it this way: Jesus telling us in the Great Commission to share the Gospel with all nations is like a parent telling a child to clean their room. As the parent checks back a little bit later, the child responds, "Hey Dad, guess what? I've memorized what you told me to do!" (If they were really "devout," they might even memorize it in the original Greek!) The child adds, "I'm even going to start a Bible study with my friends to discuss and pray over what 'cleaning my room' looks like in our lives!"

This is in no way supposed to bash scripture memorization or Bible studies, but I use this comical illustration to get across a serious point. So often God (through the Holy Spirit) prompts our hearts to what He wants us to do, but we simply shrug off His calling. I've found this in my own heart, particularly in the area of sharing the Gospel with my unbelieving friends. As I said before, I wish I could tell you all the great things I've learned about practical witnessing, but this is an area where I still struggle. All I know is that God never intended His children to keep the living water to themselves. As I heard a speaker put it this last week, this only results in, "spiritual obesity."

I'm not saying that you have to get up right now and share the Gospel with someone or else you're sinning. Then again, we have to stop ignoring James 4:17 -- "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

I'm asking you to give more of yourself to Jesus tomorrow than you did today. I'm asking you to factor all the fear, uncertainty, and even persecution that may come with the promise that Jesus is eternally better -- that He will never leave you nor forsake you. I'm asking you to start making your life counter cultural.

Camden

Fixation

2010-09-25T18:22:00.039-05:00

If I'm going to blog an honest journey though my life, I have to honestly admit that I'm not perfect. Recently I've just felt a pull away from God -- not by anything big and striking, but in the small mundane things of life. My affections are directed to things of much less worth than God. When I'm not focused on God, I can almost feel it. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but it seems that a physical feeling, like a headache or an uneasiness.

It's frustrating, because it's not where I want to be. I want to say that my passion and love for Jesus grows every day, but some days I don't feel any closer. I want to fix everything in my life on Christ, but some days I just don't.

Perhaps this isn't the perfect example, but I think of a relationship with Jesus like looking at the sun. The longer you look at the sun, the more it's imprint will stick in your mind, even when you look elsewhere. If you take your gaze from the sun (or Son, if you will), eventually it will fade from your view. If we hide in the dark of our sin, the sun (like righteousness) seems invading and piercing, and we try to hide from the flares of the sun. It's when we keep our gaze focused on the sun that we most feel it's light.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we all go stare at the sun. I am suggesting that we fixate our minds on Jesus. I told you that I'm not feeling as focused on Christ right now as I'd like. But how can I fix this? "Fix your eyes on Jesus," is great (Hebrews 12:2), but what can we practically do to make Jesus our greatest fixation?

I suggest that we make tangible changes. In the past I've noticed that computer video-games tend to be a draw-point to keep me from God. Instead of merely trying to avoid these games or only play them only at certain times, I get to my computer control panel and uninstall the game. Computer games aren't wrong, but it's when we are consumed with them beyond the point of Christ that we fall into sin.

If anything, this post is more for me than for you. Whether your stumbling block is electronics or not, I pray that you would consider your life, what takes your time, and who deserves to take your time. Changes aren't always simple or easy to make, but they're always worth it in the end. Jesus is the greatest fixation we can have, so why give our primary focus to anything else?

Camden

Pulling Us Through

2010-09-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know where you're at in your life. I can't look into your life and see everything that you face in a day-to-day basis. However, I can say that I've met very few people who aren't going through some challenge in life. The truth is, as Christians, we should always be stretching ourselves, which means going outside of our comfort zones. For many, it might just be the struggles of school pressing in around us. If you happen to be one of those few who aren't going through tough times right now, pay extra attention, because it's not a question of if, but when.

Alright, so we get that hard times are going to come (or are already here). The question is, how do we handle these situations? In my own life, I've felt the challenge recently by school and a calling of God outside of my comfort zone. Let's just say that on a day when I was presented with a challenge far outside my comfort zone, a Christian brother surprised me with fitting encouragement. I was merely talking about school, but he blessed me with an awesome truth.

Whatever you're going through, if it's part of God's plan, He'll pull you through it.

See, so often we can get consumed with trying to work out our own problems by our own means. I'm not saying that we shouldn't work and put the effort in for school and other hard things, but we shouldn't worry about it. If that's where God wants us to be, He'll pull us through. If it's not where God wants us to be, He'll bring us into His will. Our number one priority in all of this should be to focus on Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of our faith. Seek Him first and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. If we seek Him first, He will pull us through.

Camden

God Doesn't Get "Spiritual Highs"

2010-09-09T21:18:00.001-05:00

I had one of those memory days again. Meeting someone who was at Challenge at a college ministry fair today, I was reminded of that awesome week. While I know that this may not be applicable for all you, I pray that it will be -- think of the time where you were closest to God. The depth and nearness to God I'm talking about isn't easy to forget. Maybe it was at a youth conference, maybe it was kneeling at your bedside, but whenever that moment was, keep it in your mind.

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I was actually at the Challenge conference four years ago when it came to Purdue University in Indiana. That week opened my twelve-year-old eyes to who God was and what He wanted to do in my life. However, while I felt connected to God in an amazing way that week, it was strange coming back to my normal church again. Suddenly everyone wasn't raising their hands in worship, and I felt weird if I raised mine. Life got back to the normal swing, and I had one of those "spiritual drops" you get often after a "spiritual high."

Coming back to the conference this year, I gave serious thought to how I could prevent myself from falling into another "spiritual low." Before mentioning my point, let me say that honestly, reading God's Word and prayer are the two best ways to maintain a fire for God. But amidst the situation, it was a single fact that really struck a chord with me. God is unchanging. As much as He was yesterday, He is today.

In other words, there's no difference between the God that I worship in a pulsating crowd of 5,000 passionate youth and the once a week church service I attend. God doesn't change, only my perception of God changes. As artist and speaker Eric Samuel Timm said, "What we call a 'spiritual high,' God calls 'normal.'" God always wants our hearts fully set on Him. It's both an invigorating and a highly challenging call. God is unchanging -- so should be our devotion to Him.

Camden

We Pray, God Moves

2010-09-01T15:31:00.000-05:00

The title of this post is actually a quote by Nick Hall, an evangelist I look up to very much. But even more than that, it's a truth that I've seen played out in my life more and more this summer. Here's the story.

Do any of you remember back in February when I redesigned my blog layout for the book "Start Here" (Alex and Brett Harris)? Anywho, it turns out that I was awarded for being the top promoter of that book, and received three free tickets to any Rebelution conference (if you don't know about the Rebelution by now, check it out)! This was exciting for many reasons, one of them because my family was going to be able to go down to Nashville, TN for one of the conferences, and we'd see some friends that we hadn't seen for three years!

Fast forward a jump to June, when a certain thread on the Rebelution forums caught my eye. It was a request by my good blogging friend Dakota requesting prayer warriors for the Rebelution conference in St. Louis, MO. Now, I wasn't going to the St. Louis conference, but I gladly accepted a request to pray! I think a lot of times after prayer, we can kind of feel like, "Now what, God?" It's that time between asking and receiving that we have to be faithful for getting the answer from our Father in heaven. If we're faithful to pray and honor God in our lives, He'll often surprise us in unexpected ways.

It's mid-July, and my Mom calls me into the living room. As it turned out, it wasn't going to work with our friends in Nashville to get together. Right before I was about to get bummed out about missing our friends, my Mom tells me that they had an alternative suggestion -- meeting them at the St. Louis conference! Because of this exciting news, I started praying more for the conference, praying that God would show up. I think it might be good for me to put in here that I was asking that, if it were God's will, that this would be the biggest Rebelution conference ever, and that a revival would start because of this conference.

Alright, conference time. In addition to meeting Dakota, I saw God answer prayers form the beginning of the conference to the end in many amazing ways. The greatest prayer was answered when the Gospel was preached by Brett Harris to the 1,905 people in attendance (largest conference that year). As Brett asked people to stand and proclaim "Jesus Christ is Lord," I saw dozens of people stand to their feet. The event can only be called surreal when you see the fruit of your prayers unveil before your eyes. Nearly 200 people (a tenth of the entire audience) made a confession to Christ!

Myself and Dakota

When James says in James 5:16, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working," he means it. I don't know of a single more powerful way we can change the world than through prayer. Prayer is the answer for so many challenges that we face. After all, when we pray, God moves.

Camden

Neonatal Isoimmune Thrombocytopenia

2010-08-25T21:37:00.001-05:00

Before I dive into things, I just want to make a special request. I have a friend who I've been ministering to for a while, and recently he's wanted to spread the word about kids facing issues like depression and special needs today. He and I recently posted the first post on the blog lightly touching on depression. It would mean a lot to both him and me if you could share your thoughts on the blog (with a Christian theme would be even better!). You can check out the blog here. Thanks guys.

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Caught you with the title, didn't I? I didn't plan for this, but this is my 200th post, and I can't think of a better 200th post. For a while I've known what I wanted to do for my 200th post, but I didn't know how to present it. Now I see that the best way to present today's post is with the story of my birth. That day has served as a testimony of God's grace, and paints an even bigger picture of our Saving God.

About 24 hours after I was born, the doctors noticed something wasn't right with little baby Camden. Instead of having a nice skin-color after I was born, my body and face were covered with bruises. After trying to figure it out, a specialist finally diagnosed my condition at Neonatal Isoimmune Thrombocytopenia (don't worry about the pronunciation, it's not worth typing out). Essentially, instead of having the 150,000 blood platelets I was supposed to have, I only had about 10,000. In addition to being very rare, this condition had a high mortality rate.

I had a disease, and it was destroying my body. I don't get everything about what was injected into my body, but it killed what was killing me, allowing to live the full life that I now live.

The story that I shared is pretty rare in one sense, but in another, it applies to all of us. See, we're all born with a disease. Sin. This disease penetrates deeper than just our blood, right into our soul. Instead of being the beautiful reflection of God that we were meant to be, we're fallen and rebellious against God. Because this sin is in us, it will eventually kill us, and we will stand condemned by a holy God. But I've got Good News.

In our time of peril, God sent down His own son, Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't have the disease like you and I have it, but He chose to take all the punishment of our sin onto Himself so that we could be free. By Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, He now serves as the cure for the human problem of sin. There's no way we can save ourselves, but if we subject ourselves to the Cure, Jesus Christ, he can set us free and kill the sin in our lives. Without Jesus, there is death. With Jesus, we can live the wholesome and beautiful lives God designed us to live.

Have you put your trust in what Jesus did?

Camden

Transitional Moments

2010-08-20T20:46:00.001-05:00

Sorry it's been a week without postings, but you can check out a guest post I did on Joshua's blog (A Warrior's Heart).
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I got to help a friend of mine move into college today. I don't know if you've ever had a close friend go away to college, but it's kind of a bitter-sweet time. It's bitter because you know that it'll now be long intervals between when you see your friend again. It's sweet because you know that's where God wants them at that time in life. It's in these transitional moments that we learn to trust God outside of our circumstances.

For me, the biggest "transitional moment" wasn't a friend going away, but rather me. My family. Moving. If you've ever been in the same boat, you already know what I'm taking about. As an eight year old (almost nine), it was heartbreaking for my family to move from Iowa to Michigan. It was the hardest thing I ever did to say goodbye to the friends and places that I had known for ~~a long time~~ my entire life.

I can't say I was real tight with God when I was eight, so that certainly didn't help the situation. Whatever the case, God pulled me through. I can't say that I had an abundance of friends for the year and a half my family lived in Michigan, but God supplied friends where needed. Looking back on it, I think the experiences that I faced through that difficult time resulted in far better in the end than it would have had I never left.

I know it's a different feel than most of my posts, but I thought God wanted me to give this more personal piece of myself to you all today. There are quite a few transitional moments in our lives -- times where the normal routine gets thrown out and changes start taking place. I know those times are sometimes bitter-sweet, sometimes painful, and sometimes just exhausting. Whatever the case, trust in God, and I assure you, it'll work out for you in the end.

More than that, God assures you.

Philippians 1:6

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Camden

Black Bear part 2 -- Fear Not

2010-08-13T07:06:00.000-05:00

Last time I posted, I looked at the "fear of the Lord." I talked about how fearing God isn't a choice, but a natural response to understanding who God is. If you need any more convincing, just read Revelation 4. Sadly however, many people on earth don't fear God. For these people, they'll be utterly shocked when they stand in the presence of God.

So you remember that bear? The one that freaked me out outside my tent? Well, I have a confession. See, I don't actually know if it was a bear. Honestly, it could have been a raccoon. Those footsteps? My friend in the tent on the other side of the site pumping up his air mattress. The clattering pot? They had a pot in their tent, and he accidentally bumped it. Sorry, kind of an anti-climactic ending, but that's what happened.

The "fear of the Lord" has been a big issue on my mind since the beginning of this year, but the result of fearing the Lord is something that just recently came to my attention. See, something happens when you read accounts of people who encountered God (I gave the examples of Isaiah 6:1-5 and Revelation 1:12-17). However, I stopped at the point where they feared God. If we read a little further, we find something amazing.

Alright, new example. Check out Luke 2:8-10 (probably pretty familiar to you). So a couple of shepherds are sitting in a field watching their sheep when-- BAM! An exploding light comes out of nowhere and a magnificent angel is hovering in front of them! They drop down to their faces, covering their head with their hands. Question: What's the first thing the angel says? (Note: This is the same in Revelation 1:17)

"Fear not."

Isaiah sees God and says, "Woe is me!" He realized his sin before a holy God. But then something happened. An angel flies over to him with tongs holding a piece of coal. The coal touches his lips, and his sins are forgiven. He suddenly has no more reason to fear. See, God deserves to be feared. However, it's when we fear Him that He turns it right back to us and says, "fear not."

I shared this last time, but I think that Exodus 20:20 summarizes this the best I've yet seen.

Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin."

Camden

Black Bear part 1 -- Fear God

2010-08-09T10:43:00.000-05:00

This past week I had a chance to go up to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. While up there, I can happily report that I did not get eaten by a bear. =) However, I did have a bear experience that I wanted to share with you all. Let me paint the scene for you.

On the third night up there, I was in that half-asleep, half-awake state at about three in the morning in my sleeping bag when I heard a noise. It was a consistent rustling noise -- footsteps. Then I heard a pot in our campsite clatter. I had heard from my friends that I was up there with that the lake we were staying at had high black bear activity. Waking up my friend across from me, I nervously whispered that I thought there was a bear outside our tent.

I wasn't sure how often bears attacked people, but I didn't want to come across a bear and find out. I was shaking, my heart raced, and my breaths were shallow. The feeling I felt that night can only be described as one word. Fear.

Switch gears with me if you will. I grew up with the idea that I needed to respect God. I thank the people who taught me this, but I think it was an incomplete teaching. See, the Bible passages that they would teach from were the passages that talked about the "fear of the Lord." I learned from a young age that "fear" didn't actually mean fear, but rather a healthy respect and honor. However, as I look into the Word of God, I see a different picture.

If you want two passages that specifically stick out to me on this topic, you can check out Isaiah 6:1-5 and Revelation 1:12-17a. I don't know about you, but when I read the accounts of Isaiah and John seeing Jesus, I don't really think they were thinking, "I need to respect God." We choose to give respect to people, but fear is an instictive reaction. Something about the words, "Woe is me!" (literally, "I am about to die") and "I fell at his feet as though dead," seem to describe something more than a healthy respect.

My mind jumps to Proverbs 1:7, which says plainly, "The fear of the LORD is the begninning of knowledge." One prayer that my mind has come back to again and again this year has been, "Lord, help me to fear You." We can deny who God is, but only in this life. Whoever you are, the moment you see God, you will fear Him. Just like the black bear, I didn't have to be argued into feeling afraid of it, I simply realized my position of weakness under it, and fear resulted.

Exodus 20:18-20

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin."

Camden

Camping!

2010-08-03T21:28:00.002-05:00

Just a quick informational note saying that I'm going to be camping for the next four days (until Sunday night), so don't expect a blog post at least until Monday. I'll be heading up with some friends to the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota! Perhaps while I'm up there I'll figure out what my next series will be! =)

Camden

Letters from God -- Laodicea

2010-07-30T11:16:00.005-05:00

I'm going to ask you not to read the passage just yet. Let me explain. Six letters later, we're ready for the final letter from Jesus, also the letter that has most personally impacted me.
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You guys, you've got to understand, there's some passages of the Bible that I really wish weren't true, and this is one of them. The truth is, you can believe whatever you want or whatever anyone else tell you, but that doesn't make it true. Forget my opinion. I could spin a thousand lying words going over this passage and make it sound good. What can't lie is the Bible.
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So instead of going through the passage myself, I decided that it's your turn. I dare you -- right now -- to get away from the computer or laptop where you're reading this and get alone with God's Word. Open up your Bible to Revelation 3:14-22, and see what God's saying to you.
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Read through it. Pray through it. Apply it.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Camden

Letters from God -- Philadelphia

2010-07-27T12:51:00.004-05:00

Sometimes -- scratch that -- a lot of times, it's easy to get discouraged. Maybe you're someone with indomitable spirit, and you're never discouraged. I'm going to strongly doubt that. Discouragement is hard. It's like a ninety-five degree day with high humidity (really, Minnesota?), it just sucks the life right out of you. What's the natural opposite of discouragement? No, it's not a trick question. The answer is encouragement, exactly what Jesus showers the church of Philadelphia with in this sixth letter.

Unlike many of the other churches, the church at Philadelphia had it together. They were nothing special, and they knew it. All they knew was what Jesus had done for them, and they trusted in Him in the midst of harsh opposition and discouragement. Instead of reprimanding and correcting them, Jesus gives them only one commandment. Hold on. Everything else is encouragement towards that goal.

Hold on. That's an interesting command now that I think about it. When we think of holding on, we think of hanging in one place, not doing anything. But I don't think that's what Jesus was getting at. I think the idea that Jesus was trying to get across to them was more of, "keep doing what you're doing." See, I don't think "hold on" is supposed to be a passive command, but an active one. When we go away to conferences where we get fired up for Jesus (like many of you have experienced), that's when Jesus' command to us is "Hold on." Keep that momentum going. Keep that fire burning.

Jesus is coming soon, He said so Himself. Because He's coming so much sooner than 2,000 years ago, shouldn't we be pursuing Him that much more? Jesus is coming. You can get discouraged by the voices of the world that tell you not to follow Jesus. Or, you can be encouraged by the Savior's words to keep serving Him, to hold on.

Camden

Letters from God -- Sardis

2010-07-21T16:37:00.005-05:00

Alright, it's been a while. A LONG while. Anyways, I'm back, and I want to jump back into this series -- and with no easy message. In fact, I think this is one of the most powerful messages that could come to me at this time in my life. Click the pic to read the message I'm talking about.

Three weeks ago, I was in the middle of one of the most powerful weeks of my life. I was in Columbus, Ohio, and I was joining nearly 5,000 students in an amazing week of worship, learning and service at the Challenge conference. More than that, I was part of the drama team with ten other students that took the stage every rally (morning and night gatherings with all 5,000 students).

After our first performance on Tuesday night, I started getting recognized by students as one of the "Drama Guys." By the end of the week, 4,700 students knew me -- on the outside. Yet even with all these teens knowing me on the outside, it was different than the tight friendships I had with my friends from my youth group (and even the drama team). Nearly 5,000 people knew my reputation, but only a few could really tell you my character.

This situation is the same for the church at Sardis. Whatever you want to call this message -- outside versus inside, perception versus reality, reputation versus character -- it strikes near the heart of many "Christians" today. The problem with Sardis was that they looked great on the outside, but it all came from a dead heart. Jesus urges them to "Wake up" before their outside reputation became just as dead as their motivations. Jesus goes on to give both a warning and admonishment to Sardis.

So then, the question persists. In the midst of our communities, neighborhoods, and even churches, what's our reputation, and what's our character? How do our friends see us, and how does God see us? The only acceptable way is when they match for the glory of God. We can all do "Sunday Morning Christianity," but the question is whether or not the rest of our week matches what we say and do during that time of worship. Let God transform you.

Camden

Conference Break!

2010-06-23T15:24:00.003-05:00

I was debating whether or not to get the first part of Revelation three up, but my schedule decided against it. =P Instead, I'll be taking a week long break for the Challenge Conference, a week long Christian growth conference held once every two years. This year it's in Columbus, Ohio, and the group I'm going with leaves on Saturday to join 4,700 other students for an epic week. On the schedule includes the rally time with worship and speakers, as well as training times for a large variaty of God-honoring ministries (from street evangelism to helping the poor in the community). We'll come away, not just with a great experience, but with a ministry that we can continue in our communities.

That's all surface stuff. There's a lot more that I'm exited about. First, Do: Living Water will have brochures availible for all the youth groups there! This is an awesome chance to get the word out, and I'm praying that God does awesome things with it! Yet another reason I'm excited (understatement) for this conference is what I'll be doing. Instead of normal afternoon training times, I'll be spending my time with nine other teens and Theater for the Thirsty (an amazing husband-wife drama team) rehersing dramas for the rally times!

Needless to say, along with my summer New Testament midterm this week and my job every day from 12:30-3:30, my schedule's been packed. Along with this, there just might be a blog coming up to document our trip (videos may be included!). I'll update here when I find out more.

Until then, I would appreciate prayer for both Do: Living Water and my drama experience (memorization, not losing my voice, etc. =D).

Camden

Letters from God -- Thyatira

2010-06-15T15:54:00.005-05:00

I'm going to tell you something amazing. I'm going to tell you that everyone who reads this post loves country music, loves vegetarian pizza, and loves the movie Toy Story above all others. Not only that, but all my friends agree with me too. In fact, you told me yourself all these things.

Chances are, I'm wrong. See, I could say that you like or dislike whatever I want, and I could even have other people agree with me. Hey, I could even claim that you told me yourself, but that doesn't matter because you know who you are and I don't. Two posts ago I talked about God knowing our lives. One post ago, I talked about the hypocrisy that we can live. But what happens when we bring others into our hypocrisy?

That's the problem that the church at Thyatira (THAHEE-ah-TIE-ruh) had. There was a woman there who claimed she was a prophetess, and she taught some things that-- well, weren't Biblical. The problem was, she claimed her knowledge was from God, and people believed her. God gave her time to repent, but she refused. For this, God promised great punishment on her and any of her followers.

Application? Like my failed assessment above, you can say whatever you want to about God. You can get all of our friends to believe it, and you can even say that God told you! But if it doesn't line up with what He says in His words (aka, the Bible!), then it's a lie. Note about this false teacher: God gave her time to repent. God is amazing in his grace towards us, but don't turn a cold shoulder every time the answer is offered to you, or you might feel the hand of God moving against you.

If you see hypocrisy public in a church, move away from it. But more than that, warn others about it. If you don't, those very people might find themselves before the One "who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze" (v. 18).

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Camden

Letters from God -- Pergamum

2010-06-11T11:05:00.003-05:00

Have you ever noticed the power of a bad report? Think about a restaurant. It might get a lot of good reviews for having great food, but those good reports are nothing against a bad report. To put it a little more Biblically, "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough" (Galatians 5:9). Explaining it a little more, Jesus tells us that this "yeast" is hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).

The third letter that Jesus gives to the church at Pergamum is a stern warning against hypocrisy. I think you know how I work by now as far as reading today's passage works (Hint: click the envelope!). =D

The other letters had a portion of seriousness, but this church starts out with a heavy caution: "The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword." *Gulp* Jesus even says later in the letter that if the church doesn't repent, He would come and war against the church! I think Jesus wanted this church (aka wants all churches) to take this letter seriously. Like almost all Christian churches, these churches were virtuous by most accounts, but had a problem. In this church, it was hypocrisy -- people saying they live one way while really living another.

Here's a little practical application: Whatever you do affects your church. I know we don't really think of it that way (all we do is GO to church instead of BEING the church). The truth is, our individual actions can either hurt or build our local church (Check out Romans 12:4-5). Examine your heart before God and ask Him to cleanse you of hypocrisy. A little yeast permeates the whole batch.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Camden

Letters from God -- Smyrna

2010-06-07T16:38:00.008-05:00

Alright, time for the second letter. This second letter is the shortest of the seven, and is written to the church in Smyrna (pronounced si-MER-na). There are really two things that stick out to me that I want to share.

Jesus starts by introducing Himself (imagine opening a letter and reading, "The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life!"). Jesus then gives a reassurance that can be both joyful and fearful. This one phrase, in one form or another, starts the body of every letter to the seven churches.

"I know...."

Just think about that. Sixty years after He said, "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20), He's still with them! If this was true for those seven churches, it's just as true for us today. Jesus knows our works, and we'll either be rewarded or punished for them.

The other thing that caught my attention was Jesus' comforting tone as He told the Christians in Smyrna what was about to happen to them. Yes, they were going to face persecution and suffering, but Jesus says plainly that it's so that, "you may be tested" (v. 10). And then the promise.

"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."

My question to you is: What do you have to fear? Rejection? Death? With Jesus, a reward is promised to those who are faithful that far outweighs the cost. I'm saying this just as much to you guys as myself. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but Jesus has shown me that all I need is faith to accept His grace -- faith to take action. Just know that whatever path you choose to follow, He knows.

Camden

Oh yes, I also wanted to get any of my readers' imput on the new heading for the Do: Living Water Blog (not the official site, but the official Blog for updates). There's a poll up now that you can vote on; I might even make the header the offical one! You can check it out here.

Letters from God -- Ephesus

2010-06-04T10:36:00.002-05:00

The first letter Jesus told John to write is also one of my favorites. I would encourage you to read the first letter Jesus (through John) sends to the people of Ephesus (just click the envelope!).

Can you remember the time of your life when you were most in love with Jesus? For me, it would be during a Christian youth conference, where Jesus seriously felt like He was in front of me. For a few of you, that might be right now. However, for most of us, we suffer the same problem that the church in Ephesus struggled with. They were doing all the good "Christian" things, and by the words of verses two and three, this church would be pretty great compared to many churches today. However, in the midst of all their hard toil and work, they had forgotten one thing.

Loving Jesus.

These people did all the great things that Christians are supposed to do, but in doing them, they forgot why they were doing them, and for whom.

Jesus calls us to do three things through this letter. He first says to remember from where we have fallen -- that's why I asked that question at the beginning. Sometimes we forget how good it is to love Jesus, and we need to remind ourselves of those times when we were closer to Him than ever before. After that, Jesus calls us to repent. Ouch. According to Jesus, not loving Him with everything is a sin. We can do "good Christian" things and still sin if our hearts are wrong. Finally, He calls us to do those things we did when we were passionately in love with Him.

The message of this letter was a message that started a transformation of my life. If you feel like there was any other time in your life where you loved Jesus more, then I urge you to remember, repent, and repeat for a deeper love of Christ in your life.

Camden

Letters from God -- Introduction

2010-06-01T14:21:00.001-05:00

You're walking out the door to your mailbox. You open your mailbox and pull out the small stack of papers. Walking back to the house, you briefly skim over what you just pulled out. As you're looking through your mail, you find a letter in the midst of the stack -- from God. Believe it or not, this is exactly what seven churches experienced near the end of the first century A.D.

John, the disciple that Jesus called "beloved," wrote five books in the NT, including Revelation. Although we usually think of Revelation as the "Apocalypse" book (as it well is), we often forget about chapters two and three. These two chapters are direct letters from Jesus to seven churches.

It's mind-bending to think about, but I try to imagine the reactions if my pastor were to come up on stage on a Sunday and tell the whole congregation, "I have a letter from God." Besides the disbelief I may feel, my heart would immediately jump to the content of the letter. What does God have to say to us? To me?

You won't want to miss this new seven part series I'm launching, I'm going to explore the seven letters that John sent to seven churches in Asia minor. This isn't some imaginative idea I'm exploring, no, these are letters from God.

Camden

A BIG Goal and a BIGGER God (Please Read!)

2010-05-28T14:15:00.000-05:00

Some of my long-time readers know about Do: Living Water, a carwash project that was run by two of my friends last year to raise money to build wells in the Congo, Africa. From the carwash last year, we raised over $1,500 from our local carwash, and over $10,000 from everything total (including a huge conference of 3,000 teens that raised $8,500). Because one of the leaders has a busy schedule this summer, I’ve been given co-leadership of the project with my friend Elyssa. We’ve been praying about our ultimate goal for the wash, and in finality, it’s not about money – it’s about glorifying God in everything we say and do. However, we also feel God is prompting us to take a huge leap of faith with our monetary goal this year. That’s why for this year, we’re hoping to raise a total of $25,000.

Crazy? Impossible? That’s kind of what I felt when that number crashed into my mind. But then I remembered the God we serve. Proverbs 16:3 says “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” Ephesians 3:20-21 proclaims, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Along with our desire to see the Living Water come to the people of Africa, we also have a desire for young people to heed God’s call for missions on their lives (“throughout all generations”). It’s just like Paul put it in 1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

James 5:16-17

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

We may not know how we're going to raise the money (yet!), but we have one certain idea, and it seems to be consistant with the rest of scripture. Prayer. "Elijah was just a man with a nature like ours," but what set him aside? "He prayed fervently." With the prayer requests below, please don't think of it just as a nice list we put together because that's what you're supposed to do for a missions project. No, this is HOW this project is going to happen. God will open doors, but we want to ask Him, trust Him, with this goal and with this project. Here are a few requests Elyssa and I would be honored if you would pray for:

1. That we (and everyone else who helps with the project) would continue to be humble before God, and would continue to strive to do great things for His glory alone.

2. Praise for what God has already done (raising over $10,000 dollars for wells in the Congo!). God is awesome, and we want to remember the great things He’s done!

3. That other churches (specifically youth groups) would jump aboard this project, so that they too can have an impact on international missions while still in the States.

4. That by whatever means God sees fit, we would raise $25,000 dollars. To the God who created matter, money is no object. We want to pray in faith for God to do great things. We’ve seen Him do it before, so we know He can create a new experience to answer our prayers.

5. For organization and opportunities as Elyssa and I look for ways to spread this message.

6. Most importantly, that God will prepare the hearts of those people whose lives will be touched as a result of these wells to hear the Gospel.

If you wish to share any of this information, feel free to. Thank you so much for your prayers -- they are the catalyst of this project!

Camden

A few things related to Do: Living Water:

Our main site (more solid information), our secondary site -- we'd love for you to follow! (for updates and more info), our Twitter account.

Being a Christian Is... An Invitation

2010-05-24T19:21:00.002-05:00

For this last part of the “Being a Christian Is…” series, I just want to talk about the invitation of Christianity. Chances are you know about Christians, but do you realize that God cares for you just as much as He cares for me? He wants you to accept the invitation he’s given to you!
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See, God is the loving ruler of the world. He made the world, and He made us to rule over the world. This was what He designed as the perfect relationship. It’s like the last book in the Bible, Revelation, says in chapter four verse eleven:
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"Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."
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However, chances are that you look at our society and that’s not what you see. Instead of obeying God, humankind rejected God, and decided to rule over themselves aside from God. Romans (another book in the Bible) 3(chapter):10-11(verses) says:
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“as it is written:
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‘None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.’”
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The thing we have to realize is that God is a just God, and can’t let our rebellion go unpunished. Because we have rebelled (sinned) against a perfect God, the punishment He gives to us matches the degree of the offense – eternal punishment and separation from God. Hebrews 9:27 says – “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
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If you’ve just been scanning over the page and haven’t really taken any of this to heart yet, you’ve got to get this next part, because it’s the heart of what I’m writing about. In the greatest rescue mission of all time, God sent His son Jesus Christ to save the very people who were rebelling against Him by providing them a way to avoid God’s judgment -- paying for it Himself. See, no one had ever lived a perfect life under God’s rules while on earth, but Jesus did. He lived a perfect life, free of rebellion. Because a just sentence had to be made for our crimes, Jesus took God's full wrath in our place and paid for our punishment by crucifixion, the worst type of death in the ancient known world. Because of that, Jesus took our crimes and paid for them Himself. 1 (first) Peter 3:18 says -- For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.
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But the story doesn’t stop there. Buried in a tomb, Jesus Christ was raised to life three days after His death. Because of His resurrection, Jesus provided a means for us to have hope after our lives as well, through trusting in Him and the work He did on the cross. At His resurrection, Jesus was given the power over sin and death, and was made the judge over all mankind. As He went up into heaven forty days later, He promised He would return. When He does, He will judge both the living and the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 -- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
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Where does this leave us? The heart of the matter is that by Jesus' death and resurrection, He provided us another way to live. We can either continue to live free and independent of God, which is rebellion to His ways, or we can follow the life that Jesus called us to live, a life just like His. Living our own way results in God’s punishment on mankind. Living a life that trusts with faith in Jesus results in a complete and whole relationship with God as it was meant to be lived, and we will live forever with Him in perfect joy. John 3:36 -- Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
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At the end of the day, God made the pathway open for us to follow, but it’s our choice to follow.
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Camden

Being a Christian Is... So Cool

2010-05-19T16:08:00.003-05:00

Time enough for my second to last "Being a Christian Is..." post. So far in this series, I've focused on some pretty hard things, like the humility and hardship that comes with Christianity. But that's not all. If Christianity were just a bunch of rules to rack up brownie points, then it would be hard labor with no pleasure. Contrary to that belief,
Christianity is just. plain. cool.

I don't know if you've ever thought of it quite that bluntly before, but being a Christian is soooooo cool. It's the definition of awesomeness. It's the epitome of sweet. It's the personification of amazing. It's the essence of radical. It's the centerpiece of gnarly. It's the quintessence of incredible. ...Alright, I'm out of synonyms for now. =)
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Let's face it, if you're a Christian, you're blessed beyond measure.

In ancient societies, people would go to temples and pay to hear a word from the gods, even if it were only one sentence. Today, Christians don't have to pay to hear a word from God, all we have to do is pick up one of ten Bibles laying around our house! And one sentence? Try 1000+ pages of God inspired text!

In ancient Israel, people would plead for God's mercy or ask for his favor through the priest. Now, the curtain that separated God from men has been torn, and God chooses to hear and answer personally to every one of us!

In every religion in the world besides Christianity, the question is asked, "What can I do to please God?" In Christianity, the question is rephrased, "What has God already done for me to appease Himself?" We can do nothing to earn favor from God, yet He takes joy and gives blessing when we choose to serve Him. His mercies are always new, His grace flows freely to the repentant heart.

The God who made the universe loves YOU. We say that way too often, but think about it! What would your reaction be if the King of England invited you to live with him -- as his adopted child? How much more when you get that invitation from the God of the universe!

Being a Christian is sooooooooo cool. Face it. Embrace it.

Share your thoughts here

Camden

Another Giveaway

2010-05-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

Alright, I know I said I would post the last part of my "Being a Christian Is..." series, but there's one more giveaway I want to post about before I get to that, and that's a blog design giveaway from Hannah at Aspire. It's an awesome givaway (something that would be great for the Do: Living Water blog. If you have a chance, sign up (you can check out the link down my sidebar)!

Camden

Adoration or Fear?

2010-05-04T22:36:00.001-05:00

There was a very interesting discussion going on over on the forums at The Rebelution, and it was all about the advantages of calling God "Abba," or "Daddy." This is the same response I shared on there, but I thought I would share it with all of you who can't get to the forum:

You know, this is a really interesting topic, and I may have a view slightly different than some people, but bear with me, because I believe it to be very Biblical.

First, I don't think anything is wrong with calling God "Abba" or "Daddy." We just need to be careful of how we use this. Often when we call God our "Daddy," characteristics of our earthly fathers will be imposed on Him. We have to realize that God is different than all our earthly fathers, no matter how perfect (or imperfect) they are.

Secondly, I want to say that it's amazing that the God of the universe desires to have a personal relationship with me, and I should strive to know Him deeper and deeper. To know Him deeper means understanding His characteristics, and to understand His characteristics means understanding that He's holy. To understand His holiness means having a fear of Him.

As a personal story, I have a great relationship with my earthly father, and I believe that helped my relationship with my heavenly father. However, I didn't really fear my father. Like, I was fine with calling God "Daddy," but I didn't have a reverence for Him until about a year and a half ago when I started understanding who God is. He's a holy God, and I need to have a fear for Him. I'm not talking about a respect, I'm talking about f-e-a-r. In the Old Testament, any time the people of Israel (or even a prophet like Isaiah in Isaiah 6!) encountered God, they were overcome by fear. Take a New Testament example like John in Revelation 1, who "fell as though dead" (a.k.a. he fainted!) when he saw Jesus in all His glory.

"But wait!" Some of you might protest, "I thought God wanted a lovingly intimate relationship with us, not a shrinking back in fear!"

Believe me, He does. But here's a story Francis Chan spoke of that really hit me (and it's a true story!): "There was a man who was in a business meeting with other executives of a Christian company. He was the new guy in the office, but the others were generous enough to run their ideas by him. When they asked him what he thought of so-and-so, he responded, 'one second, let me ask my dad.' The group was extremely confused, and the man replied like this to everything they ran by him, until they discovered that the man was talking about God."

What's wrong in the story above is that the young man certainly felt like he knew God as his Daddy, but he didn't have a clue about the fear of the Lord. I've noticed that this is sort of like a road with two ditches. On one side of the road, you have a ditch filled with fear and trembling, and on the other side of the road is a ditch filled with affection and love. Which one do you choose? I propose that you don't choose either and take the road in-between the ditches, where you can see both sides of God, and truly come to know Him deeper.

How can this all be summed up? We should pray like Jesus taught us to pray, both with a loving affection and a deep rooted fear.

Matthew 6:9

"Pray then like this:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

Camden

Planting Chums Week Four -- Four Fun Facts

2010-05-01T21:47:00.005-05:00

Already the end of Planting Chums! I realize that it's already May, but I figure that late is better than never! This week is Four Fun Facts that I have to share about myself. I guess here is as good a spot as any to start:

1). I play both the violin and the guitar. Somewhat. I got to Suzuki volume three in violin before I had to stop for a hectic school schedule, and I can play a good amount of worship songs on the guitar, I'm just not amazing.

2). I love drama. In fact, I was just in one. No, literally, like 7:15 pm May 1, 2010, I was on stage performing. I was the pastor in Nazi Germany, and the whole story-line centers around my rebellious son, and the journey of his life. It's not long (only about 40 minutes), but it's really powerful, and was a lot of work to put on! I'm praying that God will use the impact from that play to change people's lives.

3). I'm thinking about writing a book. For a long while I worked on a sci-fi novel (that is currently near 60,000 words), and I may continue to work on it, but I think God is calling me to write something else. Specifically, to write a Christian theology book -- for teens. I think theology books scare a lot of teens, but I don't think they should. More info on that as God works this idea in me (it can't happen without Him!).

4). I'm the Co-Director of Do: Living Water (You should totally look at the new page I have for it!). I'm praying that God will use 2010 even more powerfully than last year!

I realize that most of the four facts above were pretty huge and serious, and the truth is that I have a few other quirks as well. I know almost all things related to Francis Chan, I love talking with a English accent, I have an electric drum set in my room I never use, I spent over 12 hours total at the church I go to today (helping with a garage sale and preforming a drama). I also love Culver's, take taekwondo (I just got my blue belt!), love working sound equipment, wish I was a better artist, and have a green screen hanging from my wall (awesome for video special FX).

Camden

Being a Christian Is... Hard

2010-04-27T15:47:00.004-05:00

Every Sunday morning, our church bulletin has a prayer request for the persecuted church. Being transparent here, I rarely look at it, and if I do, it's a brief skim over it. The most I ever seem to do is join the congregation in praying for that persecution. The question I want to pose is: Why is it that I only pray for the persecuted Church once a week an then forget about it? Can't I do so much more, even if that just means praying once a day for the one topic brought up in the bulletin? What's the problem? I don't think I'm the only one who struggles with this. So where's the disconnect?

I think it's because of our lives. More specifically, I think it's because of the comfort in our lives. Let's be honest, we don't have to fear the secret police raiding our houses every week. We don't have to endure filthy concrete prisons because we shared the Gospel. The farthest thing we have to fear in America is dying for our faith, yet it's a constant danger for many.

What are my fears, my concerns, my "persecutions?" What if people reject me for sharing my faith? What if I lose my friends? What if I don't know what to say?

Our problems (whatever stress you're facing in your life, whatever problems that you just can't seem to overcome) seem to suddenly disappear when we compare our lives to the lives of many believers across the world. Jesus said, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27). I think it's a disconnect for us to talk about the "persecuted church." The Church is a body, so when Believers in India are killed for their faith, we should feel the pain. When Christians across the world cry out to God, we should cry out to God. Find out more about the persecution in the church. Pray.

Yes, there is a persecuted Church. I just don't think we often realize that we're living in it.

Camden

Planting Chums Week Three -- Family Fotos

2010-04-24T16:08:00.001-05:00

Besides being a little late (my Friday was taken up ALL day!), I'm now ready to post for week three of Planting Chums. The topic this week? Family Fotos!

Some of my favorite family memories... I suppose there are many memories, but a few trump the rest. I had another family topic in mind I was going to share about, but when I found the picutre below, I just couldn't ignore the story that goes with it! =)

My sister and I in 2006 at the Sonshine Music Festival

Here's the story. My sister and I were at the Sonshine Music Festival, one of the largest Christian music gatherings -- in the world. Thousands of people set up tarps and chairs outside of many different stages where bands would play for an entire weekend.

Fast forward to around 7:00 the night of the first day. We're standing outside the main stage, just enjoying the music and what-not. I look behind me and see a dark line in the sky. Confused at first, I suddenly realized that they were rain clouds. "Hey Dad," I prodded to my father, "will we get rained on?"

"Nah," was the response I got, so I settled down and resumed watching bands. A little while later I looked behind me again, and again that ominous cloud front approached, now a deep black, coming closer and closer.

"Hey Dad, I think those rain clouds are getting closer. Are you sure we won't get rained on?"

"Maybe just a little sprinkle."

Just a little sprinkle!?!?!?My sister and I decided to go into the main sheltered area once it started a steady drip. Ten minutes after we got inside the main shelter, the ~~sprinkle~~ ~~rain~~ ~~dowpour~~ DELUGE started coming. To put it simply, a wall of rain and wind made for zero visibility and sideways trees. My Dad came in just before it really started coming, soaked like a puppy dropped reluctantly into a bathtub.

A bad experience? Maybe, with the loss of many tarps and tents, plus the cancelling of a Newsboys concert that night. A memorable experience? Without a doubt. Somewhere between the heavy metal hall we took shelter in afterwards (bad choice for our eardrums!) and the world's greatest Slip & Slide (I didn't do it myself, but really, what else are lines of soaked tarps good for?), memories were created. =D

Camden

Being a Christian Is... Thankful

2010-04-20T12:52:00.004-05:00

I've got two parts to my post today, but both are intertwined. They're intertwined because I want to talk about the idea of thankfulness. Don't lie, you have more to be thankful for than you can imagine, and you know it. Have you ever tried to imagine all the things you could thank God for? That's what this second part is for. My Blogging-Buddy Dakota is holding a Day of Praise, a day focused on Praising God intentionally all throughout the day.

But why is this important?

So often we just ask God for stuff. It's not wrong to ask God for help in our lives (in fact, the Bible tells us to!), but I think too many people take it without thanking God for all He's done. If we can give God a heart of true thanks, that really builds our relationship with God. We learn, not only to say "I need," but to say "thank you" in all circumstances!

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Two things really stuck out to me about this: 1) It's given in the imperative, meaning it's a command. 2) It's the only commandment repeated in the Bible. For instance, where in the Bible do you read, "Do not murder, again I will say, do not murder?" God puts a ~~big~~ huge stress on giving Him the praise He deserves, so we should be intentional about giving Him that praise.

What's one thing you're thankful for? You can give one, two, or even a hundred things you're thankful for (though that might be a long comment!).

Share your thoughts Here

Camden

Planting Chums Week Two -- Fun Games

2010-04-16T21:05:00.000-05:00

Alright, time for week two of Planting Chums. This week's topic? Fun Games. I'll admit, there's many I could put that I've enjoyed a lot, such as Settlers of Catan (great game to play with friends), LotR Risk (my friend and I have epic battles =D), or even a game like Signs (sort of hard to explain on the spot). However, the game that I love more than any of these incorporates all the greatest aspects of a game -- like Large Prune Danishes, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Covered Anti-Matter Raisins, and many, many eclectic hare!

That's right, I'm talking about the one and only -- Killer Bunnies!

If you know about this game, then you know the craziness that accompanies every game! If you don't know about it, there's really no easy way for me to explain it, and the easiest way to learn it is by experience of someone who already knows how to play and can demonstrate. However, I guess I'll explain the gist of the game.

The goal of this awesomely random game is to collect carrots with the final dream of getting the "magic carrot" (a carrot that is selected randomly at the end of the game). However, during all the time leading up to the end of the game, you'll be distracted by bunnies, weapons, cabbage & water, pawns, and all manner of other cards to work your way to the top. The fact of the matter is, you often get so lost in what's going on around the board that you forget the carrots as the goal (I guess that has something to do with the addictiveness of this card game!). =D

It's fun, just to be able to share some of my favorite things with you all, such as crazy games! My life verse for this week of Planting Chums is definitely 1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV)

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Camden

Being a Christian Is... Dependant

2010-04-12T21:22:00.009-05:00

I heard an illustration from my blogging friend Dakota who said that being a Christian was like a plane ride. When we accept Christ, we get on the plane. God takes off. When we were on the ground, we could do whatever we wanted. As a Christian, we conform to the life of Jesus. The problem is, we often think we can do things our own way. Even if we think we're strong enough to "walk on our own," that really won't help us if we step off the plane. =)

I believe at it's heart, being a Christian is dependant. In fact, a Christian that isn't dependant on God isn't a Christian at all. We depend on Him for so much! Think about salvation. Can we save ourselves? No, we have to depend upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. To be dependant means to rely on something that we can't accomplish ourselves. Faith isn't a feeling of belief that we can conjure up ourselves, it's a gift that we depend upon from God. Grace -- by definition -- isn't something that we earn, yet God showers it on us. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We can't boast in our salvation, because we depend upon the grace of God.

The peace, the love, and the grace we show others only depends upon our dependence in these same attributes from God.

Don't worry, we all fail at dependence. But the question that we need to ask ourselves when we fail is who to turn to. If we fail and then try to get back up ourselves, we'll just sink deeper into the quick-sand. But if we depend upon God for our salvation and our rescue, we won't be disappointed.

Psalm 62:7

My salvation and my honor depend upon God;

He is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Camden

Planting Chums Week One -- Food Loves

2010-04-09T16:36:00.011-05:00

In general, my posts are centered on Biblical Christianity, and what that means for our lives. However, that doesn't mean that I'm devoid of all personality. =P God has make all of us unique, with likes and dislikes, talents and... not talents. =)

This series comes from Hannah over at Aspire, a great blog that I've been following for a long time but have recently become more acquainted with. You can read about it yourself by clicking the picture, but the first week's topic is Food Loves. So, in other words, I have to explain my favorite food. Out of all of them. Not the easiest task.

Still, since the first topic is technically called Food LoveS, I'll share two. First, I love Chipotle burritos. Like, I adore them. My life wouldn't be the same without them. Now, I know that sounds a little corny, but they truly are one of my favorite foods in the world. If you haven't had a Chipotle chicken burrito before, my heart goes out to you.

It's official, they're epic.

My second would be Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. I know nouns shouldn't be capitalized, but they deserve it. I could live off of PBJ sandwiches. I could probably live off Chipotle burritos, but I KNOW I could live of PBJ sandwiches. They're simply amazing.

My ingredients for making a PBJ sandwich this morning. I asked my Mom to put the cup of coffee in there for style.

The topic that arouses my interest, however, is all the ways that people make and eat PBJ sandwiches. What bread do use? (Non)Organic Peanut Butter? What flavor of Jelly is best? Do you have a set way to cut or eat them? Just a couple of questions to start an invigorating discussion. =)

Join the discussion HERE

Camden

Being a Christian Is... Humbling

2010-04-07T13:55:00.008-05:00

Christianity. How do you describe it? In this series, I want to talk about a few aspects of my faith that really stick out to me. I titled this series, "Being a Christian is..." because I believe there's a TON of answers to that question, and I want to highlight just a few for you.

To start with, I want to talk about how being a Christian is humbling. Let's face it, you don't have to look far in this world to find someone who's proud. In all of this fallen world, there are few things that more poison the world than man's own pride. We all like to think that we're something special, or that we deserve attention because of our accomplishments. Christians aren't (or shouldn't be) that way. Why? Being prideful says, "Look how great I am!" but being a Christian says, "Look how great my God is!"

The fact of the matter is, you can't understand who God is and remain proud. A proper understanding of who God is results in humilty. One of the key doctrines of Christianity is that when we recieve God's saving redemption, we must repent of our sin. That means saying, "I was wrong" (a.k.a. Humility). I like how Matthew 23:12 says it:

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Camden

Make Every Effort: 2 Peter -- Part Five

2010-04-04T07:21:00.006-05:00

I didn't plan this, but it seems that my final post on 2 Peter comes on Easter! A brief word on this final piece: It really was the inspiration for the series, so I hope it's an impactful post. Yes, you know the drill. Click the pic and read the chapter (Now you will have read all of 2 Peter)!

For me, verse 11 is the hinging verse in this entire chapter, this entire book, and one of my favorite verses in all of the Bible.

2 Peter 3:11

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness[?]

Rephrase of the question in light of Easter -- Since Christ has been risen from the dead, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness? Just to be honest here, there's a whole lot of people on the earth who are living as if life will go on forever. There's a whole lot of people who are more concerned with this radar blip we call "life" than with eternity. But if our hope is in Christ, who's been raised from the dead and promised to bring His followers back with Him soon, shouldn't that be our primary concern?

Please don't take this message and go live like a hermit. Don't stop caring about your life, because God's given you everything he has for a reason. Recently however, as I've heard of the death of many people (not people I know personally, but people that friends knew), I've been struck with both the fragility and abruptness of human life. And as Peter asked, since you know that anything you could ever store up on this earth is going to perish, what sort of lives ought you to live -- not in storing up stuff, but in holiness and godliness.

There's a reason Christ hasn't come back yet, and we see the answer in verse 9. Flip over and read it again (the Bible says it better than I ever could!). In the Easter season, if I were to proclaim, "He is risen!" your responce would be, "He is risen indeed!" Instead of just saying this beautiful truth, let's also live like it's the truth.

Camden

Easter -- The Twitter Edition!

2010-04-01T22:14:00.004-05:00

I encourage you to read my last 2 Peter post if you haven't already (and feel free to comment on it). The reason I'm posting this is because it's all about Easter, and it's happening right now!

Essentially, a bunch of Twitter users have connected and formed a group where they're re-telling the Easter story, as the characters that really experienced it -- via Twitter. Also totally sweet about it -- it's in real time. That means that whatever time the Biblical events took place at, that's when these events are tweeted by these characters. It's pretty epic, and I would encourage you to read in on the characters' Tweets.

Me? I get the oh-so-epic part of the old geyzer Annas, the former High Priest who handed his position down to his son-in-law Caiaphas, and (apart from being a little grumpy in his old age) he merely wants to protect the Jewish priesthood by eliminating fanatical threats... like Jesus.

As I said, it's pretty awesome to read in real time, and it's even cooler to see God's plan in the people on earth during the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Camden