The blog has moved to wordpress! I’ve finally decided to move my blog to http://stilleazy.wordpress.com. My old stuff will remain here, but all new posts will be there. Even though I know it's some really good stuff on my Xanga, I’m not going to copy and paste anything because…yea, that’s just too much work.
I’m starting this new blog at the same time I’m participating in a Lent fast, so this should be an interesting period of time…we’ll see where this blog ultimately goes.
See me there!
I've been replaying this song a lot today, thanks to this morning's 6am prayer. All in all, the song is kinda scary because of how accurate I think it is. It's so easy to get caught up in the whimsical nature of the song and how it makes me feel without catching the weight of the thing...exactly like sin. Check it out.
The enemy is slick man...
I’ve been meaning to write this for a few days now, but I just haven’t been able to push it out. A little over a month ago, I watched a one-day, online conference called The Nines. And quietly, it wrecked my life. It’s over 30 days later, and one quote has been eating me UP since then. (Really, there are two quotes, but that’s a-whole-nother topic.) This quote from Patrick Kelly has really challenged me in everything I’m doing…
“Someone told me – find a hill you’re willing to die on, and charge the hill.”
Whoa. This quote hit me really hard in the face. Picture Wile E. Coyote, with an acme anvil falling square on his head…yea, just like that. From what I remember, Kelly was talking about pursuing the God-given desires of our hearts with all that we have. Even though charging that hill may be the roughest thing ever…if it’s the right hill, there will be no regrets.
That concept flows with the Servolution concept. When talking about how much the cause would cost, Dino Rizzo said "I would say it is all worth it. All the sweat, resources, battles, opposition, & fatigue – they’re all worth it!”
The fact is we’re all going to die. Another fact, we’re probably already on several hills. And as someone who really wants to make an impact for God, my hope is that I'm going to die on a hill. So the question I’ve been asking myself (about each hill) is… Is THIS hill the one I’m willing to die on?
Not a lot of words to add to this. Amazing song. Definitely bringing the waterworks up in my eyes.
Lord take me away, You save me from myself and all I do...
I saw this video a little while ago, and it blew me away. It comes from The Skit Guys, two guys that use a dope blend of comedy, drama, and improv-esque performances to teach God's Word. (Shoutout to estinlove.blogspot.com for putting me on to this!)
There are a thousand things I can say about this video. But to avoid re-being in tears, I'll just say one thing that it made me think about. Toward the end, Skit-God tells Skit-Tommy to read the letter in his back pocket, which turns out to be a prayer of his from years ago. It really got me thinking...
What prayers have I prayed that God is fulfilling through the rough times in my life?
What characteristics have I asked God for that will require some suffering to make it a reality in me?
What have I verbally given to God without knowing what it would take to fully let it go?
Just considering those questions makes me view challenging days much differently. It doesn't make it less painful, but it does make the chiseling feel worth it. "You change your perspective, you change the game." - Scott Williams
One of my brothers recently said something to me that really made me think. He said this…
“You don’t need motivation to do this stuff.”
I know that short sentence doesn’t give much (or any lol) context. From the conversation, I think he was implying that because I’m (slightly) older (not old) and I’ve been running in ministry for a while, it’s easier for me to keep at the work for the Kingdom.
That is so far from the truth.
This is not at all a knock on my brother (because I know he reads this blog lol). Actually, I think this mentality is pretty common among Christians. I’ve been guilty of it too. The assumption is that leaders don’t need regular inspiration.
Personally, I KNOW that I need it pretty regularly...especially as I do more and as life requires more. I need to be encouraged by other leaders to keep pushing. I need that old fashioned rally-up-the-troops speech from leaders to give me that umph.
See...
...even the most feared, well trained, championship-holding boxer has a cut man in his corner giving him a pep talk after every round.
I guarantee ministry is tougher than a boxing match. It hurts more. It lasts longer. The prize is greater...but it doesn't always come right at the end of the 12th round...it may not come until the end of the 12th year.
Sometimes, I forget that. We forget that.
Soooooo {(c) Kevin Hart's daughter} these are the questions I’m wrestling with now.
1. As a leader, how can I better inspire/motivate the crew that I lead?
2. As a follower, how can I better inspire/motivate those that I follow?
How would you answer?
Mental snapshots like these are making it difficult to focus at work today...
...be right back atcha! (Remember that from Chuck Woolry? Or...am I just random?)
I haven't really had much time to blog lately. Long days, late evenings. No complaints tho! To keep things current I figured I'd share two songs that have been on repeat lately and two books I'm currently reading.
Song 1 - "Beautiful Things" by Gungor
You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of us
Song 2 - "I'm Crazy" by Critical Revelation Band (CRB)
I was headed for destruction then He saved me,
dead with sin but then He raised me,
now they lookin at me like I’m crazy,
nah man that’s just how He made me...
Book 1 - "Servolution" by Dinno Rizzo
I'm only two chapters in, but it's already amazing and inspiring. Serving God through meeting the needs of the people that we see daily. One message I'm getting: it doesn't always have to be a deep program, but a simple act of relevant kindness can change someone's world.
Book #2 - "College Impact" by Damian L. Boyd
No, I'm not in college anymore (lol AND \o/). But as long as I'm working in Alpha Nu Omega, college ministry will be a major part of my life. So far, Damian stresses the fact that college is a place full of future leaders and world changers; if you can reach the campus, you can reach the world. Excellence in Godly living, in ministry, AND in academics...they all work together.
Anybody like these songs or read these books? What are you listening to or reading?
This is a little different from what I usually post, but I couldn't resist. I was reading John 12:20-50 this morning. That WHOLE set of scriptures is bananas. Like, chock full of verses that challenge everything I am thought I was. I figured I would share one of the millions...and millions of things I saw while reading.
If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.
John 12:24 (MSG)
I know I've read that before, but today I was really challenged on being a follower. You know, I say I'm a follower of Christ, the same way I'm a Believer, or a Christian, etc. But today, the vision of a follower was this:
They FOLLOWED that tornado. I know the video is awesome (it is!), but some of their commentary is just as crucial.
0:46 - "Just take photos then, don't worry about deleting them."
1:36 - "The rain is coming, we gotta get in position for this one!"
6:05 - "You gotta get pictures of this...just delete every picture on there."
When they felt like something was going to happen, they were there. Watching. Waiting to move. Everything else stopped being important, and being in/capturing THIS moment was all that mattered.
Now, does my following Christ look like that? When there's a God-tornado going on, am I that excited to be close? Hmm...do I even know when God is about to blow through the area?
Note: I am in NO way endorsing tornado-chasing. I, in fact, think they're crazy. Yes, even skydiving me. Did you see the movie "Twister?" Yea, no.
On Friday afternoon during #ANQinATL, some brothers and I decided to go to Lenox Square, a shopping mall down in the A. We figured we had a little time to kill, so why not chill, soak up some A/C, and maybe even ball out...on a budget.
Yea right… Instead, two dope things happened.
First - When we got to the mall, we came across a family in need. Their house was punished by a fire recently, and they were struggling for food and shelter. We put our funds together and bought them a decent meal, talked with them, and prayed for them (before top flight security asked us to stop making a scene lol).
Second – It never fails. You get a bunch of us together in public, wearing paraphernalia, stepping WILL ensue. March of Dimes was holding a Broadcasters4Babies event in the middle of the mall, and as soon as they saw a group of fraternity guys coming…yup.
Three things I got from this day:
1) Gots to be ready to take advantage of doors being opened for ministry. All doors aren’t necessarily great to walk through, but we should be prepared.
2) Gots to be aware of the presence of God that we carry. I would have loved more time to clearly express the Gospel and why we do what we do…but God’s Spirit can do a lot with us just being there.
3) Gots to be unashamed. We’re forced to hear what other folks feel like THEY have to say, so why are WE so cautious?
Chatboard (0)