Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

Another summer vacation has flown by and in less than two weeks we will find ourselves back in school. For me it will be the end of a long journey. A journey that has taken me through a little sheltered life at Northside Methodist Academy to the life of Dothan High. My personality causes me to be loud and probably obnoxious when I am around people I know but when I find myself out of my comfort zone I am quite "uncomfortable".

Everyone has their own comfort zone, a place where they feel accepted and they are able to function in their lives without any strain on themselves. At NMA I found myself so laid back that I rarely listened in classes, I made good grades, and I cut up all the time. Looking back now there are some things that I wouldn't have said or done but I had a good time. Then after my sophomore year my mother proposed a change to DHS. Dothan High School is the largest public school and is notorious for gangs and drugs. The year before I began attending the school was nearly burned to the ground, and I heard that there were more fights during that year than any other. So naturally I thought that going to this type of school was not for me. But the more and more that my mother went up there and checked out the classes I found myself in danger of a school change. With a better academic program DHS won out over NMA, and with that I found myself in public high school.

I wish that I could say that I adapted to it perfectly but I did not. I found myself standing by myself watching as other kids would do what I use to be so good at. By the middle of the year I found myself eating lunch with a group of good kids, but lunch was the only contact I had with them. There were times in the school year that I felt alone and wished someone would come up and start a conversation. There were several other kids that were nice to me but I wanted to be my old self.

I'm not saying all this so you will feel sorry for me. I was in a comfort zone, living every day and never thinking about it twice. As I was in a comfort zone in my physical life we also can find ourselves in a spiritual comfort zone. There could be things that God has planned for our lives but we are too comfortable living in our safe little bubble. I am not going to lie to you, getting out of your comfort zone hurts. There will be times that you feel lonely and times that you just want to fall in the floor crying. But as my educational journey, at this level at least, ends I have found that this was the best thing for me. From an educational standpoint I am being challenged in classes and I am able to take more classes. I know this wasn't a story of radical spiritual change. But spiritual change is the same. It will hurt but in the end you will find yourself on a higher level. So don't be afraid to go deeper than you ever have before. There will be people who say that you can't do it. Some kids in my private school told me that I would get shot for saying something stupid. But you can't listen to them, because if you do you are living the life they have planned for you. Others may not understand that you have to because it is God's will, but in time they will see you living a better life. Then you could find yourself being a trendsetter. So don't become complacent in your life. Step out and do what God has planned for you.

food for thought: Philippians 3:21
book recommendation: The Last of the Breed by Lious L'amour
quote of the post: Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.
King Whitney Jr.

Here I am to Worship

Sorry that it has been a little bit, but work and late night reading have kept me from posting like I want to. I have really started noticing that our "worship" is becoming more of a show than adoration poured out to God.Churches nowadays are relying more on talent, and cool effects than God's spirit to guide us in worship. Without God's spirit we will have accomplished nothing.

Our worship to God is one of the most powerful tools in outreach. It is a form of prayer because we are connecting with God. The power of music is immeasurable. I know of many people who have been kept on the path of righteousness through the power of music, and I also know some who have fell off because of their choice of music. So when I select music I want the music to glorify God and be conducive to a rich spiritual atmosphere. I fully understand that the spiritual life of those leading in worship has alot to do with the atmosphere of the service. If I don't put forth an effort to be closer to God then how can I help others, through my worship to become closer to God? I want our music to be "cool" but at the same time if it does not draw our church together in worship we have accomplished absolutely nothing.

food for thought: Praise is the exaltation of a deity. Worship is the reverent love accorded to a deity.
quote of the post: "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." Victor Hugo
book recommendation: The Citadel by A.J. Cronin

Prayer: Communication with God

Just recently an excellent sermon was preached in our local church on prayer. Many of those who heard the sermon were forced to search themselves on their own lack of prayer. It does seem quite often that we are buried with things to do in our daily life and we forget about someone who died for us. I know that in my own life that after the day is done I find myself so exhausted and prayer is the last thing on my mind. How sad it is that a talk with the creator of the universe can be the last thing on our mind. Then when we are burdened under the pressures of life we call on God and expect him to run to our rescue.Prayer is something that has to be cultivated like the crops that are watered every day by a farmer. He is constantly at work pulling weeds and making sure that harmful insects stay away from his source of revenue. Why do we not guard our own prayer life as if it is the thing that keeps us alive? In fact prayer is the thing that keeps us alive. At the end of the sermon the preacher asked us to look at ourselves as God does. I looked at my own life, and its' lack of prayer, and saw a man with tattered rags who could barely walk. I had no one to blame but myself. I was the one who let my prayer life die. But friends there is still hope. There is hope until the sounding of the trumpet. I know of many who heard the sermon and have let it change them. When we are praying we find ourselves protected from the temptations of satan. Not only are we safe from the devil's fiery darts we are also building our spirit so that when we go back out into the world we are prepared for the tricks and lies of the devil. I know that sometime it is a fight to find things to say in prayer but it is almost like practicing at something. I know people who have kept their prayer lives going for many years, and their prayers sound so eloquent. Yet sometimes when I pray I find myself searching for the words to say. Could it be that I do not know God as a friend like those who can pray for hours. That is why it is necessary to maintain a prayer life, so that way you get to know God in a new way. So do not think that you will be able to pray for hours and hours at first. Just build upon small amounts at first and eventually you will have a prayer life that will cause the devil to fear you. The Bible speaks of the prayer of a righteous man is very powerful and a force to be reckoned with (James 5:16 the Message). We need to always live a life that is clean and pure before the Lord and always yearn for a deeper and greater prayer life.

food for thought: James 5:15
tunes for the soul: Hillsong-United We Stand - clips available here
quote of the post: A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just Getting on my Feet

A few weeks ago my father proposed a challenge to my youth group; I was at work and didn't find out about this until later. The challenge was to go global and get on the internet through blogspot. Many of my friends began this and before long it became a big thing at church. So I decided to get in on the action... My name is Justin and I'm a 17 year old from Dothan AL. My interests are- gettin some Jesus, reading, sports, saxophone/guitar, Christian music, and hanging with the guys working on music for our Friday night youth service, or just goofing off. With only one year left in high school I plan to go into the medical field (possibly pharmaceuticals) and then pursue a life-long dream by attending Bible College. My ultimate goal in life is to please God and follow his plan for me. It is my desire to have posts that encourage you but my obsession of sports will probably cause me to also write on things that aren't uplifting, but hopefully interesting. I know that life isn't always a fresh field of roses but encouragement can help the downtrodden to begin to think that there is a way out. I hope that everything runs smoothly in this blog and that you are blessed by the things I have to say. This is hopefully the beginning of something that could radically change my life and maybe even yours as well.

food for thought: II Timothy 4:18
book recommendations: (another one of my father's challenges) In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
quote of the post: If you have ever made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.
-Mary Pickford