Recovery...

Well I'm back from GAP, and I have to say it was an amazing experience. Just to see all my friends, the mad craic, and the encounter God was something else...

My throat is almost gone...at least it happened while praising God...

My spiritual post will be tomorrow, seen as I'm going to see Quantum of Solace on Sunday. Looks great...The post will be on GAP and just what I've learned...

I still haven't forgot about my Metal Gear Solid post... it shall come...

For now, I'll leave you with a pic from GAP...

Happy Halloween!

A Review Of A Challenge...

To start off, this won't as long as the other spiritual posts. It will short, but to the point where it ends in the middle of this sentence....

I've been waiting for an opportune moment to write this. Seen as a few people have read the following book, I decided to write up my thoughts on it...

"Blue Like Jazz" is quite frankly a masterpiece of theological writings. But that statement there is in itself something. Donald Miller has done something quite extraordinary, taking many of the common aspects of the Christian faith, and writing on them as if they were...well...weren't aspects at all. The tag-line for the book is quite true;

"Non-religious thoughts, on Christian Spirituality..."

Books like this come very seldom, but whenever they do, I have great joy in reading them. Every night, before I would lay my head down to sleep, I would reach for my copy of the book, and read until the chapter head breathed its last. It is marvelous.

And what is more astounding, is that, unlike other books that I've read (aside from the Bible) this book challenged my faith in a huge way, forcing me to come face to face with many ideals and aspects of Christian faith that had simply sauntered on by. Those of you who have followed this blog will know just how challenging this book was. For those of you who haven't, check some of the previous posts.

And unlike "Velvet Elvis" where I found large portions that I would disagree on, "Blue Like Jazz" has managed to escape the same effect on the same scale. That is not to say that there aren't parts that I disagree on, but that many of these parts made sense, but that I would not succumb to them. Disagree is a very harsh word for this, and I would be more inclined to say that if I one day meet Donald Miller (and I hope I do), that I would be happy to discuss where our differences in opinions lie.

But one thing strikes me, and this is not just for "Blue Like Jazz." Many of these new-age Christian faith books all share something in common. Books from the hands such as Shane Claybourne, Rob Bell and Brian D. McLaren, lack Biblical context. OK, I haven't read much of "A New Kind of Christian" by McLaren, but books from Rob Bell and Shane Claybourne have a woeful amount of anything linking back to Scripture. Some people say that's the whole point, but in a world which solely focuses on itself, it is a great comfort to me to open my Bible and bring whatever is being talked about back to the Gospel. I think the Christian faith needs to take a new step. I admire what these writers are trying to achieve, but isn't there a way to present Christian Spirituality to the masses in a new and invigorating way, while leaving one of the foundations of our faith as a centre piece?

"Blue Like Jazz" is a book which must be read, not because it will give you advice, or because its a really good read, but because it is a challenge. Get a copy, and read it. Having been challenged while reading it, there is great satisfaction in saying that challenges come for a reason, and if you're looking for a challenge, this book is what you're looking for...







Next week, my account of GAP.






.....I think I'll do a Metal Gear Solid post sometime....


Yes, that's a good idea.

Quick Posty...

I'm not on long. In a teachers house, and if you don't know the story behind that, then ask me at some stage. Things are going grand, school is easing up a bit, family life is as it should be, and I've only got 1 more day of school till half term...nice!

Found out yesterday that Ferg will be speaking at GAP...This is gonna be one amazing camp!

Ciao!

A Lesson Hard-Learned...

NB-May contain traces of Revelation...

My English teacher has this weird thing about putting different sayings on her door. To be honest, most of them are quite thought-provoking, and I've had many a discussion about the meaning behind each of them. For about a week or so, probably one of the most thought-provoking sayings has been staring me in my face;

"Life is the hardest of teachers; It gives you the test first, and then the lesson..."

As many of you know, I have a terrible memory, but this Friday has to be the pinnacle of my forgetfulness. I've recently started to call City Gates church home. Its a fantastic church, and well worth a visit. One of the great things about the church is their dedicated focus to serving youth. And so with that, most Fridays, the youth group known as GAP is held in DEC. Now, I've only ever been to one GAP, and I have to give credit where credit is due; its amazing. Its a place where I can just relax with some of the greatest people I know. I made a promise after TeenStreet to get up to GAP more often, and so I decided that this past Friday would be a good opportunity to head up, seen as I had gone through quite a lot the past week (see past post)...

Of course I did remember to check make sure that it was on...

I was heart-broken. I had spent roughly 2 hours travelling through rush hour Dublin for empty red-bricked church, and a barren parking lot. I don't know how long I cried for after I got a text from one Adam Faulkner telling me it wasn't on. I has so been looking forward to it, and to see it wasn't on...well...you get the picture...


I'll never want to trade away that evening...


David had it pretty rough too. Think about it. One day, the prophet Samuel picked him, and told him that he would one day be king of Israel. If I was David, I'd be pretty stoked. And if I were David, I would also be devastated, being chased through the desert by Saul, watching his best friend, Johnathan, die, having to hide constantly in multitudes of caves, just to get enough sleep to carry him through the next day. Its hard to think that David would go through all that. But he did. He was crushed beyond belief, and at one stage, it almost looked like he had given up.

I too had almost given up that Friday. I began thinking why God would put me through all this, and I couldn't come with any reason. I started to turn away...

And yet through the pain, through the struggle, and through the misery, God was still there, both for David, and for me...

Psalm 71 is a Psalm that I had never read up until yesterday. I'm pretty sure that God has one of the biggest senses of humour, because the Psalm talks about something that I had just gone through...hardship, but more than that, praising God in those times;

"My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long....For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together...My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure."

-Psalm 71 v 8, 10, 13

One of the hardest lessons that we'll ever have to learn, is to praise God, no matter what the circumstance. I had heard this before, but there and then, God finally began to teach me what that truly means...and so when I eventually arrived home, I grabbed my mp3, put on some Hillsong, and gave my praise to God...

David kept going, but through his perseverance, he continued to seek the glory of God, praising Him in all circumstances. I'm often reminded of Romans 5, where Paul talks about how suffering brings about perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. We have a hope in God, because he poured out His live when He gave His one and only Son... Jesus...

But more than what is said in Romans, I believe something else comes from suffering...


...A title...


I've just finished reading Matthew, and one thing strikes me. Its hard to imagine Jesus, being born an infant, teaching on the banks of the Galilee, and riding in Jerusalem, being the same person hanging on the Cross that faithful day, when human history changed forever. And yet its true.

But here's the thing. Through His suffering, Christ became central to the whole of history. He was exalted and given the honour of sitting at Hid Father's right hand...He was given a title, so to speak.

David was also given a title, because sure enough, just as Samuel promised long ago, David became king...and it is through his suffering that God prepared him...He was also given a title...

We've also been promised a title;

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled...Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..."

-Matthew 5 v 6 and 10

God promises each of us a crown in the New Jerusalem. And through our suffering, God is preparing us so that we may enter His kingdom, and with Him, watch over the next world...See I told you Revelation would pop up!

But now the question is how do we get from here, to there? Simple; follow the conduct of David, and the word of Jesus... David could have given up at any stage, and yet he persevered. Why? Because he always put God first, making Him the Nexus of his life. And Jesus himself said that the greatest commandment of all was to "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." In other words, place Him as the Nexus of our lives.

Persevere. Hope is found when Christ is your Nexus...

Is It Just Me, Or Am I Really Forgetful...?

Well the name of the post isn't really anything to do with this post, but rather tomorrow's post.

For those of you who know me, and that would be nearly everyone who reads this, my life has been quite stressful as of late. School has been extremely stressful, what with all the work that my teachers suddenly decided to spring on us...

And some of you also know the situation with this girl in school, which has been a major stress, but not the biggest thing...

I've got a CU to run, and a teacher who's adamant that he's in charge. I've got friends at each others necks, and one who's stopped going to church and the like...

My cousin has got an e-coli infection in her C-section, so along with having to recuperate from losing her baby (died after taking one breath), she's got this to worry about now. And my gran and grandad are still trying to get over my uncle's death...

Not to mention my addiction...

But most important, my relationship with God has been...well...not as good as it has been...

And most of you reading this will probably think;

a) I complain too much
b) I stress about things too much
c) Why did he post a topic on toast?
d) All of the above

Well fret no more, because while heading up to Dublin yesterday to go to youth group (which I didn't check see if it was on, hence the title,) I had one of the most spiritual experiences that I've ever had, and now I'm feeling super great! And my relationship with God has entered rehab, and its going strong! The topic tomorrow will be about that experience, so please read tomorrow's post...

And apology to Nicole, your idea shall have to wait till next week!

I finished Matthew, and what an experience! And something that I had never experienced happened when I decided to look back on the book. Maybe will include tomorrow.

Just over a week to GAP camp! Its gonna be awesome! If anyone can give me a lift down, I would be major thankful! Let me know!

Praise God! Ciao!

Updaterino...

I've recently rediscovered the Simpsons, so please forgive the above title...

Not much has happened in the past week. Mum and dad were on holidays so I had the house to myself. Good experience, watched movies and play games. Went up to Dublin for a meet up on Saturday, which was great craic! Sunday I spent study for two tests that I had on Monday.

First came the Business, which was a cinch! 95%!! Boo-Yaa!!

Second came the Irish test, which was actually pretty easy. Still waiting on a result.

But now to one of the main updates...

CU is finally off the ground! Yes after about a month of planning, we had our first discussion on "The Bible; Fact or Fiction" led by Mr. Elliot. We had a total of 5 students, including myself, so I was extremely happy...that was until I found out that those other 4 now want to come regularly! I am delighted! Thanks must go to God, cause He's the one who helped us. I plan on leading the talks after mid-term, so prayers for that would be great. Thanks so much for all the support guys!

Maths week this week, so I headed up to Dundalk for a lecture. Twas really good, and the KFC afterwards was divine!

Next blog post up on Sunday! Be sure to check it out!

Ciao! 

A Common Place Of Disgust...

I love Dr. Cox. But not in the way you think. Let me explain. While I do enjoy the ferocious rantings of Johnny C McGinely in the hit show Scrubs, I'm talking about a different Dr. Cox. Some reading this will instantly know who this is. Others won't have a clue.



Ted Cox is one of the greatest speakers that I've heard in a long time. One of many doctors in the physics department of UCD, he also happens to be a speaker in City Gates, the church that I now call home. Beneath the rugged exterior is a man who has spoken many truths into my life. While it may only be church that I have heard him speak, he has a great ability to converse the many and wondrous ideas in God's word.



I'm going to go off on a bit of a tangent for this paragraph. I was glancing around the internet, and on the TV, when I came across this pole; "Is it OK to have sex before marriage?" Obviously my answer to this question is no, but that is a story for another day. But that's not why I went off on this tangent. The station (I think it was GMTV) released the result. Nearly 3 quarters of the British public thought it was OK to have pre-marital sex...I was shocked. That may have not been the exact figure, but it was definitely above 60%. I couldn't believe it. For a country who has strong Christian roots, I found this shocking. And I'm sure if you pose that question to any other country, you'll get a similar figure...


I went to church not long ago, and I was delighted to see Ted was going to speak. I was also delighted to see the worship team comprised of all youth. But back to the point, Ted was speaking on "Living In Uncertain Times" a topic which intrigued me immensely. He was going to be speaking from Psalm 1, a psalm that I had never read before. But perhaps what I drew most out of the talk was not the solution to living in uncertain times, that solution being Jesus, but something which is incredible.

Psalm 1 describes the evolution of man accepting wickedness. Before I go on, let me show the actual verse;

"Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers."

Psalm 1 v 1

The creation of sin was almost instantaneous, but through the creation of society, Satan had to adapt his plan. The progression is this; 1st we begin walking with the wickedness, just going along with it. 2nd, we stand with, now standing for it in defence of it. Finally, 3rd, we sit with it, immersing ourselves in it, conversing with it.

The human race has reached a common place of sin. But while major sins such as murder is still not respected by the common people, a lot of which upsets God has become uniform in today's society; debauchery, drunkenness, jealousy, ruthlessness, pre-marital sex, envy, lust, hatred, all have been accepted in some way or another by the world today. Everything which has been mentioned above, and much more, disgusts God. We have reached a common place of disgust, and seen as we are designed to adore God, and love Him, this is completely the wrong direction.

They say the greatest trick the Devil ever played was making the world believe that he never existed. But by far the greatest ploy of his is making the human race grow ever distant from Our Savior.

The world has fallen. It has been in this state since the fall of man. And God couldn't stand being disgusted with His own children. And so, he Himself sat down with us and the world, in the place we have become engrossed in, and snatched us from the brink of destruction. He gave His Son, Jesus, to take our place in the coming death. He took His Father's disgust, and poured it on himself.

If you haven't noticed by now, I usually take most of my talks back to Jesus. That's because I believe in letting Him be the centre in our lives, or in my words, the nexus. But there's more to this. Because while Jesus' death is significant, His resurrection holds something amazing...


His display of His perfect love...


He gave us the second chance, a chance to stand up and walk away from the wickedness of the world. He has given this, and while what he offers is so great, much of the world has become engrossed in the lies of the world. But the next verse in Psalm 1 shows us how to respond to His call of a second chance;

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night."

Psalm 1 v 2

If we engross ourselves, not in the lies of the world, but in His perfect word, and His perfect love and grace, we begin to live the life He has designed for us. Later in the psalm, it talks about being anchored by the streams of water, or in our case, God's love, and that the fruit we will bear will not wither, unlike those who follow the ways of the wicked, who the psalmist describes as being like chaff, who will simply be blown in the day of judgement.

But we have the choice to make. We must choose to be anchored in God's love, walking away from the council of the world, and engrossing ourselves in His truth, the ultimate truth, that He loves each of us so much, that He would bear the punishment of all humankind, and take our place, just so that we can walk with Him in the new Eden...

Anchor yourself in Him; May you forever hold Him as your Nexus...

A Day Off For Me...

Yes, today I have had one of my few days of school. Mum and Dad have gone on holiday, and so I'm in charge of the house for the weekend...PARTY TIME!!:P

2 weeks of school left before half-term. It'll be good to get a break.

Be sure to check this Sunday's post, entitled "A Common Place of Disgust."

Check ya later!

Mondays Make Me Blue...

OK, that's not true...especially not literally. Its just what my Garfield teddy has on his shirt...Yes, Garfield is the shizzle...



Mondays are actually quite good for me. Applied Maths class, and double PE.



Start of a four day week for me:P Mum and Dad are going on holiday on Friday, so I have the house to myself...nice!



I never realised how good the gospels are...OK truth be told, I've never read anyone of them fully. But I recently started reading Mathew, and I'm hooked! Seriously, they're a great read...and I've only finished chapter 8 of Mathew! New target; read all gospels by end of November.

A Different Kind Of Free...

Quick post,

I just turned my music onto shuffle, and a song that I love came on, which kinda sums up the last post to a certain degree.

Its called "Different Kind Of Free" by ZOEgirl

Enjoy!

A Life Of Choices...

Advanced apology; I haven't gone to great depths to prepare for this post. Future posts will be more thought out.

We all have to make choices. We have to choose whether to order a Crunchie Mc Flurry, or a Wispa Mc Flurry (for most of you the choice will be the latter, I never did get what was so good about the wispa...) We have to choose whether we want toast, or cereal for breakfast (for some, maybe even both...) We have a lot of choices. But not just everyday ones at that. We've had to decide where we go to school, to church, what we do at the weekend, what we do in our spare time, when we study...You get the picture.



I recently read a blog post by Nicole, talking about life choices. She has been considering what she wants to do for a career. A message for her first;



Nicole, if you decide to go into nursing, be prepared. My mum did nursing, and she says that the work is double that of the Leaving Cert...Just thought I'd let you know. After all that's what friends are for...:P


Back to the point. It was interesting, I had done a careers project last year in Trans Year. I think everyone's experience of doing a career's project is different. While some my find the prospect of having to do a project based on what you will more than likely pursue as your career daunting, I found relatively un-daunting (if there is such a word.) By now, if you know me, you'll know that I plan on doing Mechanical Engineering in UCD...but that's not my career. God has called me to become a part of youth ministry/ministry in some form. This is a story for another time.

What's amazing is the fact the seriousness of the decision. This is more than likely going to decide what job you get. Of course there is always the prospect of doing another course in a totally different career, but who wants to go through another minimum of 4 years education?

Choices like this can be hard. And this isn't the only hard one. Choices of whether or not you budget your finances, who you date, are you ready to marry this person...Hard choices crop up everywhere...

God has had some tough decisions to make as well. But without those decisions, we wouldn't be where we are today.

Quite recently, I was asked by a friend in school, "Why did God create the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil if he knew that we as humans would take advantage and eat the fruit anyway, despite the fact that God told them not to?" For a minute I was stunned. Let me explain. Alot of the people in my school are...well...lets just say that they aren't as in tune with theology as some of us. So the fact that this guy was asking this question in the first place was quite something.

Why did God create that tree? If he is all knowing, then surely he could have seen it coming. For a long period of my life, I struggled to answer this question. Then while reading a book by Max Lucado, it all became clear.

Lets say that the fall of man never occurred, because the tree was never created. Never. Everything is fine and dandy between us and God...except for the fact that we're now no longer a race that God can love...because we have no free-will. God doesn't want us to love him because he says so. He wants us to love him because we want to. Without free will, we'd be no longer human...we'd just be a shell of the people that God had destined to be.

That's why he created the tree...to give us a choice; either to love him, or reject him. Unfortunately, Adam get mixed up between right and wrong, and because of that, we would be forever trapped in sin. Everything wrong in the world, from the Old Testament, right to the modern day, is because of sin. Alot of people say that because God created the tree, he created sin. But in fact, because God created the tree, he created free-will. We're the ones who created sin.

Jealousy, envy, anger, hatred, lust, greed, worry, pain, sorrow...all of these were created because of sin. We had dug ourselves into a rut, and it looked like no one was coming to save us.

God on the other hand had another idea.

The ultimate rescue plan. The redemption that would span millenia, but would last for eternity.





The man called Christ.

Jesus. The greatest person in the whole of human history. The very point on which all human life changed. God loved us so much, that just after the fall of man, he devised the greatest plot in all of time...to save all of mankind.

He loved us so much that he chose to send his only Son, so that He would take the place of us. The wrath of God poured out on Him, for the sin of all man.


Through His grace, we are free. Through God's choice, we are now called not only His children, but His friends.



We have a choice to make as well, just as Adam had. We are given the choice to love and follow God;

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.""

-Mathew 16 v 24

A lot of people say what you choose to do in college is the most important decision you will ever make. Others say who you marry is the biggest. But all of the worldly decisions are meaningless, compared to choosing to walk with our Savior. The biggest decision we will ever have to make, is whether or not we love God, but not only that, but that through loving Him, that we trust in Him, and obey His very word.

The road of Christ is not easy. Rather it is the single hardest thing that anyone will ever do. What awaits you in this world is ridicule, pain, sorrow, jealousy, despair...

But the happiness, the joy, the comfort, the peace that you will also feel will be enough to sustain you. And what awaits us at the end of our lives is something that no one can even comprehend...




Paradise...


Choose. Will you let Him be the Nexus in your life?





""...For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.""

-Jeremiah 29 v 11

I Love The Weekends...

They're great! I mean, I got all of my work that I needed to get done within an hour, and for the rest of the day, I've just been relaxing!

I still plan on posting a blog of spiritual sorts tomorrow...Not sure on what though, but I have an idea...Possibly inspired by one of your blogs...

I love being mysterious... Its so much fun...

Church tomorrow, can't wait.

Ohh...some sort of idea just popped into my head, I might start posting a series that me and Bernard filmed while we were in Budapest...Possibly!

"You took my brokenness,

And filled me with your joy!"

-Amazing lyrics from Saving Grace.

I've now decided to post a random picture every now and then.

Here's today's;

End Of Another Week...

Good news! I'm feeling a bit better tonight as I write this. Still not even half way there, but definitely a great deal better.

Spiritual post will still be up on Sunday...after I get back from church...

Yes, I do go to church...

No not in Navan...they're all too old fashioned...Dublin is the "hip" place for church...

I'm in love with PlanetShakers! In particular the song "Saving Grace." Definitely worth getting on iTunes, or what ever other method you choose...wink wink...

Ciao for now!

Stress And A Scholarship...

So I'm still stressed...go figure...

Its not actually funny anymore...come to think of it, it never was funny. Its not that I have massive amount of work, but the fact that I he work, combined with a 40 min commute, each way to school. I really need a break...and prayers guys. My relationship with God is kinda on the rocks at the moment. I won't go into much depth, but it has something to do with the post "A Simple Reminder."

On the plus side, I've now got a €400 scholarship for two years from the school, for my Junior Cert, and for my input into Trans Year. And it was decided by the teachers, not some old snooty board members. I'm quite pleased.






I've nothing else to write....
















I like cheese....


OK, so maybe I did....now I don't don't....















I like toast...