Grace Lets Us Create

How boring would this world be if we couldn't create?

Seriously, all the things that I see around the world that I love are a product of creativity. "I'm Turnt" by Lecrae? Created. My mom's beautiful artwork? Created. Your favorite Disney movie that makes you feel like a kid again? Created. 

Creativity is a trait that we can only get from one place (or person); and that person is God. Genesis 1:27 wraps this blog post up in one powerfully worded verse, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." 
So, if God created us, and we are made in his image, doesn't that mean we can create as well?

Shoosh yeah it does!

The fact that we are made in God's image is sign that we can create. When I look around my high school, I see so much God-given creativity that inspires me to create differently and wonderfully pieces of creativity for myself. I see so many talented artists that use that gift beautifully to paint, take photos, and draw. I have a friend that writes her own songs; that's AMAZING. I have a friend that is a sick drummer. Great cheerleaders, gifted writers, wicked good baristas, and amazing athletes. There are a couple of dancers at school that can elegantly entice your attention. Creativity/gifts don't even have to be an art form. My best friend is becoming such a good role model to her peers and is really an excellent example to follow. There are strengths in places you might not even know. 

I don't have a ton of confidence when it comes to my perception of my own creativity. I often view my artwork as something that will never be perfect. I color outside the lines, and it often looks messy. When music starts moving these hips I find myself out of rhythm or I just look plain silly. I look at other photographers and see my photos as inferior. 

But you know what? I don't really like to listen to that voice of negativity. My imperfection is a trademark of originality in my work! It's like slapping a big "Aidan made this" sticker on my work. I'm not perfect, I'll probably never be famous for my work; but, using my God-given gifts to glorify my creator, in gratifying enough. And He is up there, delighted and rejoicing in what I do? 1 in 7.3 Billion and counting, and He is delighted in me? 

Zephaniah 3:17New Living Translation (NLT)

17 For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.[a]
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

He has the same feeling for you, your neighbor, your boss, your bully, your teacher, and everyone else on this world. A God that rejoices and desires intimacy with His creation is amazing and we definitely don't deserve it. The gift of grace inspires creativity, praise, and a eternal promise that is better than anything in this world.

Runaways

Hi! This post is start off kind of different from the rest, but before you delve into the words I am about to write below, take some time to read the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15:11-32. Don't worry, these words will be here when you get back. I'd love to hear your interpretation of the parable and how you feel about it!

....

As I read this story, I think of it as the world that I was so excited to grow up in. I couldn't wait to drive, I couldn't wait have my first girlfriend, and I couldn't wait to look like the cool kids on TV. I didn't ease into these stages, I dove in head first. I wanted to be popular, I wanted to date this hot piece of arm candy. I wanted to have the next best tech gadget before anyone else did, and be better than everyone else. So I started to drop all the things that were good for me and replaced them with lust, greed, and arrogance. I thought I knew what was best for me, and that's where it all went downhill. I tried to be friends with the crowd that everyone wanted to be apart of, no matter how I got there. I burned some bridges with old friends in an attempt to get closer to the prettier girls. I played football with the athletic ones at recess in middle school just to get my foot in the door for them to notice me. I went so hard that I ended up tearing a ligament in my leg, I came back to school later that week like a peg leg. As I progressed in this decaying lifestyle, the worse I started to feel. I was in the cool crowd, wasn't this supposed to make me happy? Pretty girls talked to me, shouldn't this feel more fulfilling?

It didn't, and doesn't 

The more weight I trusted these things with, the bigger a hit it was when it feel through. It got to the point where I would repeatedly think about taking my own life. I could stop feeling bad if I just stopped feeling everything.

This lifestyle was toxic, not like the bad Britney Spears song; like you're going to put yourself in the ground toxic. So as a last resort (more like a life raft), my old youth minister held this opportunity in front of me, but I had to take the chance. As I had explained in my first blog coming back I accepted Christ into my heart and started to regain the lifestyle I had ditched in the first years of being in Batesville. Today looking back on it, I wonder why God even considered taking me back into His kingdom. I had totally disrespected and disregarded him for years while my sin started piling up. However, every time I look back on the Parable of the Lost Son; the dad is like God. Even though we screw up so bad to the point of no return; we can come back to God. And He will have his arms wide open. He is our refuge, He is our comforter, and He is our Father.

I'd also like to take a look at the perspective of the older brother. He was by his father's side ever since the younger brother left. He was the perfect worker and a blessing of a son. Put yourself in his shoes: your younger brother comes home after making a mess of himself, living wildly and making your family's image turn rotten. Then he comes home and gets a party thrown for him? Where's your reward for staying? Where is the calf for your hard work? Why can't you throw a party for me?

I believe that when we think like the older brother, we get the mindset that God's gift for eternity is earned. But God's gift is just that, a gift. No matter how hard you try, you can't earn that blessing. And if you are a believer, you're working toward something that has already be bestowed upon you . God gives us this gift so that we can spread the Good News and bring more people to Jesus and his sacrifice for us.

Eat Our Own Fruit

Imagine yourself as a little kid again, maybe the age of 6. Your parents are in another room, and you and your 10 year old role model brother are in the kitchen. Now imagine this dessert; it could be cookies, it could be ice cream. However there is this note from your parents on the fridge that reads, "You can eat any food from the pantry, but do not eat the dessert on the table." As a 6-year old kid, you probably have enough experience from the past to listen to your parents. So you get hungry and take some food the pantry, until all of sudden you hear your brother say, "Man, does this dessert look yummy!" He beckons you over to gaze at the masterpiece your mother made a little while ago. "Why don't you take a little bite off the side?" your brother says, "Mom won't notice a thing." But you come back with, "But mom told me not to on this note, and I trust she knows best." Your brother answers, "Mom just doesn't want you to taste how delicious it is! Just take a little bite, then you'll know how she feels after a yummy dessert like this!" He keeps pressuring and seducing you to take a bite of this forbidden and delicious dinner-ruiner. 

All of a sudden, you feel the guilt of eating the dessert, and your brother is no where to be found. So you realize what you have done and try to cover it up. Then your mother comes in. It's too late, you're done, you're going to the big house, you had a nice run. She notices that you have tried to cover it up and asks, "Why did you try to cover it up? Why did you eat the dessert I told you not to?" as you explain how delicious you thought it was you couldn't resist. He was tempted. Afterwords you mother sends you to your room after disobeying and you repeatedly hide from her because you are afraid she is still mad at you.
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Notice a familiar set of events?

If you haven't caught on, this tale relates to the story of Adam and Eve; the very first humans to dwell with God. Now you see, like the story God tells them, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” (Genesis 2:16-17). One rule; don't eat from the tree of knowledge or else. Now, they obediently followed this rule until they stumbled across a serpent that seduced them into taking a bite. Instantly they knew they were naked and hid from God. They were ashamed.

All of a sudden, God enters the place where Adam and Eve were and asked where they were. Adam answers, (I'm paraphrasing) "I realized we were naked so I hid!" He asks who told him that; this has a deeper meaning that I've missed up until recently. He knows that they have eaten from the tree, he knows where they're hiding. It's a beckon to intimacy with God, the last thing He wants is for us to hide from Him. There is a short passage from Jefferson Bethke's book It's Not What You Think that rattles me down to the bone. God is asking us, "Who told you that you weren't good enough? Who told you I didn't love you? Who told you that you were a failure? Because I sure didn't" (Bethke 58-59) This is such a hard hitter because when we realize that we aren't good enough; when we are addicted to drugs or porn, when we lie, cheat, kill, and steal, we hide. The slime of shame covers us and we constantly think we are worthless. But what God thinks of us is the exact opposite; He wants a relationship, intimacy, and love with His creation. 

Back to the eating of the apple; beforehand Adam and Eve put their trust in God with the knowledge of right and wrong. However, when Satan enters the picture he twists the trust of right and wrong to Adam and Eve, or independence from God. Adam and Eve didn't truly didn't know the difference between right and wrong before the fall because they didn't need to. They trusted that God knows best for them--which he does. 

Sin = I Know  
When we have the false idea that we know the difference between right and wrong, or good and evil; we become our own masters or gods. We think "I know what's best for me", but that is so toxic. This behavior leads to death. Trust in God's plan for your can lead to an eternity that you don't want to miss. 

We have the choice to decide our fate here, choose an awesome eternity trusting in God, or make our own path and completely destroy ourselves.

God loves you, you are worth everything to Him; don't forget that.

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DEVOTIONAL PICK: "In His Steps" from 15 Minutes Alone with God for Men by Bob Barnes 

This devo comes from 1 Peter 2: 13-25, at a first glance it is a letter to slaves in various places in Asia Minor. Although, I come to this passage and think of a common message of perseverance. To respect authority even if they are cruel is a testament to your obedience to God. It also talked about how Jesus is the perfect example to follow in the midst of unjust conditions. 

But lets face it, we can't be exactly like Jesus, its impossible. There are a lot of things we can't change in this broken world, but we can introduce people to Jesus. We can develop a teachable spirit. It's the gift that keeps on giving. To share a unity in Jesus with others is truly a blessing. 

Challenge:
How teachable are you? What can you do to be more open to what God wants you to learn?

What will you do to follow in Jesus' steps today?

Father God thank You so much for speaking through me today. I pray that we can come out of hiding and  find a relationship that will truly last forever. Help me and the people reading this live like Jesus and spread the love today and the rest of our days on earth. Thank You for the ability, the time, and the resources to do this today. In Your son's name I pray,

Amen

John 16:33New Living Translation (NLT)

33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

God Bless!

Aidan

The Day After

I hope you guys had a good Christmas! I hope it was filled with loving family and everything you thought it would be!

   Christmas is one of my favorite nostalgic events of the year. Every year I reflect on the past ones, the embarrassing moments, the ones that made me want to smile and the ones that weren't so great. I remember this one Christmas where I acted like I got what I really wanted, and then went upstairs and pouted. Mature, right? I pretty sure it was only a couple years ago.

  When it comes to gifts, which of these scenarios sounds better: To get exactly what you wanted, or to be completely surprised? Personally I love to be surprised by what my mom gets me. The feeling just isn't same if I expect to get what I want. It's boring. This year I got socks and I couldn't be happier! They are these argyle long socks in about every color you could imagine because, you know me I love color!

Do you think the Israelites got what they were expecting when Jesus came?

Lets be honest, when they were thinking of their Savior, they wanted a courageous warrior to overthrow the roman empire. I would personally think of a Dwayne-The-Rock-As-Hercules type deal; bashing heads and taking names. But they would truly not get what they were expecting.

So now, picture yourself on a late night, in a little town called Bethlehem. You see a young couple; Joseph and Mary, frantically trying to find a place to bear a child. This child would be known as the Son of God! Honestly if I was Mary I would be totally freaking out right now. She's about to birth the Savior of her people and she can't even find a place to do it. I mean there wasn't even room for them in the inn. I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty bummed if my baby couldn't be born in a Marriott.

But most of you know where this story goes, the very last place they found was a stable full of nasty animals and germs. Not the most sanitary place to give birth to the Son of God. However, this will truly become the most beautiful scene ever.

This leader that the Israelites were expecting;  the overthrower, the hero, their savior came as a vulnerable little baby. As He grew, He did not act in violence nor in angst, but in love. He was a teacher, a father to the fatherless, a friend, a Savior. Did the people who He came to save love him in that aspect? No, because He wasn't what they wanted they hated Him. Like a little kid rejecting socks for Christmas, they wanted what they expected. Instead of a royal throne, they gave Him a throne of a cross, a crown of thorns, hatred. This Savior that came to dwell with the people He came to save threw him away. He was gone.

How demoralizing do you think it was to see your way of hope, your Savior; dead on a cross? I would just curl up in a fetal position forever. All hope was gone.

For three days.....

Then He came back. The hope, the joy, Jesus came back. He met with His followers for one last time and then ascended into heaven. To one day return to take His world back, and to fulfill His promise.

Where is He now?

To His people, He lives inside us. THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE LIVES INSIDE US. His spirit fills our hearts to serve the least of these, to love others, and to serve his purpose. As I sit in this coffee shop on this rainy morning, I smile to the point where I am pretty sure I scared a little kid. It also reminds me that every stupid think I've did He has seen. And I've done some pretty stupid things. But lets get back to the point, you have the person--who can do anything--living inside you. When you feel useless, depressed, broken; remember that. You can do anything through Christ Jesus.

Now it's the day after Christmas; what are you going to do with the power inside you?

Father God, thank You for remind us the gift of Your love. I pray that this love is spread through Me and through my friends who read this. Thank You for the ability to write this and the ability to celebrate the birth of Your Son. 

John 3:16New Living Translation (NLT) 

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

God Bless and a Happy New Year!

Aidan

You've Got a Friend in Me.

"Who gives a S*** about a 'ship?"

That question seems trivial, but at this point in our society its a pretty big deal. Relationships now are either "hit-it-n-quit-it" or casual. Friendship isn't great either; its one person using another and calling each other "friends". 

My history with all of this crap with 'ship's isn't too "choir boy" or perfect. I had one and done relationships that went nowhere, and when I did develop feelings it fell through. This left me battered, bruised and untrusting. Up until a couple months ago I've just been focusing on the wrong aspects of a girl; "what can I get from her? and how can I use her to my advantage?". Not, "How can I serve God with this woman?" or "Will dating this person further my relationship with God or make me drift away and stumble?". Like I said, up until a few months ago I was stumbling, hard.

My friendships were also for the wrong reasons a while back. "Oh, this person has a nice house." or "Oh, You have money, what can I get from you?" I constantly let people down and built no friendships that could last. 

Up until now

I came to grips with what I was becoming, I prayed and prayed asking why I was like this. Why was nothing lasting? 

A couple days after this prayer I just felt the urge to buckle down and get a devotion book and a journal. Honestly, it has really helped me focus on the aspects of loving people despite their sin and learning to serve God as a man of God, not a man of this world. 

Let me tell you a little story about a heart-to-heart I recently had with one of my friends:

     This friend of mine is almost always happy-go-lucky, this person can bring you from a bad day to dancing and singing in your car like no other. Lets call this person K. After K and I were done hanging out, I went to drop her off at her house. As we drove along the road, her happy-go-lucky shell started to melt and I started to see the pain she was going through. I told her there was no judgement in my car and she let it all out. My heart broke at the sound of her telling me about self-harm and attempted suicide. Those stories almost brought me to the point of tears but I knew that I had finally seen the real K. Not the shiny outer coating that everybody else sees. 

  I felt that this experience showed me how all relationships between friends in Christ should be. The ability to be vulnerable before another person and before God shows the real you, the RAW you. Bottling everything up and pretend it's okay isn't healthy, true community and caring is shown in the ability to break down in front of one another. That's what makes relationships so valuable; the ability to be yourselves, broken or unbroken. 

When it comes to the other type of relationship, nothing is more important than defining what you intend to do with this relationship; How long to you plan it to last? Is marriage an end game? Will this person build me up or drag me down? 

Red flags for a dude in high school like me are: "My life could totally change" or "I'm gonna meet new people in college" tell me to not invest so much into a girl that could leave in the blink of an eye or tear my heart out of my chest. My ultimate goal for a relationship is to serve Christ together with a woman and that she loves God more than she loves me. I want her to be able to be vulnerable and to be the raw wifey that I will love. 

A New Beginning

   Well, its been a minute since the last time I wrote on this, I pray the words I write have a positive impact on your day today! 

Since the last time I wrote this, I definitely feel like I have changed. Its been a whirlwind of things happening, people changing, and soul searching. Lets play a little catch-up.

I think the most recent time I wrote, I was a junior. Man, that feels like yesterday but decades ago. This past year, I thought I was in a good place. I had a job at McDonalds that was paying pretty well, I started to get involved in Younglife, and my grades were good. MY LIFE WAS "PERFECT". I had one thing that always continued to kind of hinder my happiness. I was 250 pounds. I felt like my whole high school career just revolved around my appearance. No one wants to hangout or been seen with the fat kid at school. So the self esteem dropped pretty heavily. I was also a people pleaser, like my whole reputation revolved around if I made the right people happy. I felt like God was only there if something bad happened, I thought of him as a judge and nothing more. It was starting to feel nothing like the first months after I accepted him as my Lord and Savior.  The end of the school year was becoming a struggle, and everything was starting to change. I felt like I was losing my grip on my situation. I felt like my life was slowly spinning out of control.

My health was also getting worse. My blood pressure was spiking into 140/80 and the weight was still going up. Honestly other than before I accepted Christ this was rock bottom. I put so much weight on all these worldly things: girls, money, acceptance, and material things. I learned my lesson when those bottomed out on me and left me exposed, or raw, unprotected.

Okay, maybe that wasn't the most happy-go-lucky thing you were looking for today, but trust me it gets better.

After all these health problems, my mom insisted that I get a personal trainer. So we went to Cook Performance to meet my new trainer. I felt ashamed going in there, I felt like he was pitying me, but that wasn't the case. I started to train with him and it really showed me how far off I was from the right track. I could barely do pushups, I mean come on that's sad. I started with my trainer in May, and it's been a long journey. After several weeks of hard work. I lost a total of 15 pounds before heading off to my latest adventure. Younglife camp at Rockbridge! It was an awesome week, its definitely one of the best things about being a high schooler. I met some really awesome people. God made His presence there too. These moments that I had with these people truly showed the work that was going on inside these guys and gals. I also turned 18 in a West Virginia McDonald's! That was a weird experience, but I wouldn't wanna have it any other way. I went back to the grind of working out afterwords for a couple weeks and got to the 20lb weight loss mark. These I headed to my favorite place on Earth, Mahoning Valley Christian Service Camp. If I didn't state in one of my previous blog posts, this is where I fully accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior as a freshman. The place itself is surreal, its a place away from the world with people who all have the same mission as you. My last year is this year so it makes me sad but I'm gonna make the most of it! It was a great week and I was headed home optimistic and refreshed. I then wanted to start taking my faith seriously, so I got a journal, a new bible, and a devotion book. Then I didn't even touch them for about a month. I've started to do my daily devotions though and it's making a huge difference in my life so far. I feel as if though I've matured in my faith and have become an example. Which I hope I don't screw up. Anyway, to end my the last parts of my story up to here, I have a job at Goody's and Amack's Well (come get a good cup of coffee will ya?). I have been becoming renewed in my faith and I'VE LOST 50 POUNDS. I doesn't even feel like it, but I'm happy its happened.