Hope For the Hopeless

This weekend our youth program had its annual in-town retreat called Ignite. Each year we have four sessions, each revolving around a central topic. Our annual Mission Conference Week happened to coincide with Ignite this time around, and therefore, the theme for this year's Ignite was "God's Invitation to an Adventure." We are called on an adventure for God. An adventure to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19). A call to be missionaries to everyone we meet, whether in our towns or in distant lands. One practical way we did this was through various service projects that occurred during Ignite.

The high school seniors were given the opportunity to visit Knox Area Rescue Ministries during Ignite weekend. For those who do not know, KARM is an organization dedicated to helping the homeless of Knoxville. They accomplish this through various activities, one of which is a recently constructed courtyard outside their main building. This courtyard gives the homeless a park atmosphere and a place to stay between meals. Setting up in the courtyard, we jumped right in serving cookies, handing out Bibles, and talking with the homeless.

Through the afternoon many conversations were had, but one that sticks out in my mind was a conversation my friend Abbie and I had with one man. As I wrapped up a dialogue with one man, I noticed Abbie conversing with a younger individual. Jumping into the conversation, we learned he was a twenty-five year old from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During our discussion, we learned he had once been a promising hockey player, making it all the way to the minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he became entangle in a drug addiction. He joined the Army, but the problem only progressed, leaving him in Knoxville. He was an open-minded individual, and was not afraid to tell us his struggle. He told us of his attempts at seeking help through numerous programs, such as detoxing and twelve-step programs. One twelve-step program he had visited claimed he needed a "higher power or religion" to get him through his addiction. Through this he decided to be a believer in most religions, taking an open-minded stance on every religion. As we listened to the man talk, one thing that struck me was his sound of hopelessness in his voice. He mentioned how he had heard from numerous doctors that addiction is not curable. It can only be suppressed, but will never go away. "If only I could stick with a program, then I could suppress my addiction" he told us. Continuing to explain his life story, we could hear the brokenness in his voice. Even though he openly admitted he did not believe in the Bible, Abbie and I told him of the love Jesus has for him, and that He died for everything, including addiction. As our time with the man ended, we left telling him we were praying that God would break his addiction and show him His love.

We claim a faith that brings hope. We claim a Gospel that brings freedom. However, to individuals such as this man their hope comes from what men say and do. This hope only leads to disappointment and regrets. The Gospel of Jesus, however, gives us hope. We are told in 2 Corinthians 3:17 that the Lord is our freedom. Through Jesus we have hope and freedom. Through Him our bondage and sin is broken, and we are given life anew. Jesus has the power to break every addiction, every struggle, every hurt. What this man sought for was hope that things would change. However, doctors, councilors, and accountability partners, cannot give him this hope. It is in Christ alone our hope is found. By accepting what Jesus did we are given a joy that is indescribable. We can defeat our sin, not by our doing, but by the One who lives in us.

As we left KARM and our new friends, I prayed that what Abbie and I had said would resound in this young man's mind. I pray we planted a seed that will start the wheels of his mind on a new path. A path of great hope, love, and joy. A path that begins and ends with Jesus Christ.

Giving Grace

Onesimus was a slave, but not just any slave. He was a run-away slave. Onesimus had fled from his master, Philemon, and ended up in the best place possible. Onesimus ended up in Rome at the same time Paul was being held in prison.  Through God ordained circumstances, Onesimus met Paul and accepted Christ. During his duration in Rome, Onesimus gave much of his time to helping the imprisoned Paul. However, Paul, knowing that Onesimus was indeed a run-away slave, knew that this issue must be resolved. Paul proceeded to write what we know as the book of Philemon.

In this short book, Paul writes an appeal to Philemon, asking for him to reconcile with the fugitive Onesimus. Paul encourages Philemon to not only forgive and accept his run-away slave, but also to see him not as a bond servant, but as a fellow believer in Christ. Paul even goes to the extent to say "If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account." (Philemon 1:12). In short, Paul is fervently writing for Philemon to show grace.

We don't know how this story ends. It is not mentioned whether or not Philemon reconciled with his run-away servant or not. I would assume he did, given that Paul himself wrote Philemon a letter, but that is not the point. The point is much more beautiful and wonderful. The point is grace. Paul was asking Philemon to give grace to his slave. Philemon had every right to throw Onesimus in prison--he broke the law--but that did not mean he should. See Paul knew that as Christians we should show grace because it was first shown to us through Jesus Christ. We see in this letter Paul pleading for Philemon to show that same grace and forgiveness to a fellow brother in Christ. He was asking him to give grace.

As we quickly approach this Christmas season, let this story resound in our minds. Is there someone you need to be reconciled with? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone you need to show grace? I can say yes to everyone of those questions. But we are called to be "imitators of Christ", and that means giving a gift we are called to give this holiday season--the gift of grace.

Inspecting Walls

Let's imagine something for a minute. Let's imagine that you and I were suddenly captured by a huge army and led as captives to a foreign land. We are held as captives in this land that we don't know, and we've never been to. Then one day we ask to go back to our homeland to inspect Washington D.C. to see how much work needs to be done to fix the destroyed capital. Our captors grant us permission and we begin the long journey back to Washington to see how to fix our capital city.

Politics aside (that's for those of you who think Washington being destroyed wouldn't be that bad), this would be a huge task. But this is exactly what Nehemiah had to go through. Nehemiah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians and led away from his native country of Judah to Babylon. However, while in Babylon God impressed on Nehemiah's heart that he should go to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall that was destroyed when the Babylonians invaded. Nehemiah, the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, found favor with the king and was granted permission to go and inspect the walls of Jerusalem. After a three day journey to Jerusalem, Nehemiah took the next night to inspect the walls of the city and see what needed to be done.

At first glance, this story doesn't seem too applicable to our lives. We don't face the threat of being invaded by a foreign country and sent off to their land. Or do we? You see, as believers we have a "wall" of God's protection around our hearts. This wall keeps our enemies out, in this case evil and sin. This wall provides protection and safety from trials and temptations. However, this wall around our heart needs to be inspected. Unlike most walls, this wall cannot be destroyed from the outside. Remember, God is protecting us, and nothing will change that. However, this wall can be destroyed from the inside. When we fall into temptations, we are slowly but surely breaking down that wall from the inside out. Over time, we eventually will break through this wall, and allow open access to whatever lurks outside in the darkness. This is why Nehemiah's story is so crucial. Nehemiah had to inspect the walls of Jerusalem for holes, cracks, and damage that would allow an enemy to attack. In the same way we need to constantly be inspecting the walls of our own hearts to make sure that we haven't damaged them. By constantly praying, reading our Bibles, seeking the fellowship of others, being around godly mentors, we can be inspecting the walls of our hearts.

Inspecting and keeping watch over the walls of our hearts is not easy. As we see in Nehemiah 4, there will be opposition to our work. Friends can make fun of you for not going to a certain party. Coworkers will think you are "too good for them" if you do not gossip as they do. Your boyfriend or girlfriend could push you to take your relationship farther than you know is right and make you feel guilty for not giving up your morals when you say no. Inspecting and guarding the wall around our heart will lead to persecution. But by keeping our walls well inspected and guarded, we will know when we are being tempted, and with Jesus' help, we will be able to withstand the attack. So just as Nehemiah faithfully executed the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, let us faithfully execute the task of inspecting and rebuilding the wall around our heart.

Practice Makes Perfect

"Practice makes perfect." Heard by millions through the years, this phrase rings true in many areas of life. Whether an instrument, sport, job, or relationship, the more practice the better the results will be. I have experienced this in many areas of my life, especially in my job and instrument playing. I love playing the piano. However, it took time. I didn't wake up and suddenly become a good pianist. I had to practice. Every day I practice different chord patterns, key strokes, and songs; and all this allows me more ease and experience the next time I play those sounds. By practicing every day, I build up confidence in myself and in my ability. I also needed to practice at my job. I work at a golf course, and while it is not the most tedious job in the world, I had to practice to get better. By doing such things as picking the driving range or cleaning carts, I now know the most effective way to complete those tasks well, and this allows me to save time. I can do this because I practiced. Practice takes diligence and patience, but if one is willing to stick with what he is practicing, he will be almost perfect with his outcome.

Time of Change

Life is busy. Of course, I don't need to tell you that because you already know. A busy life has a tendency to push certain things to the forefront of our attention and other things to the back burners. Some things become more of a priority than other things. For me, blogging went on the back burners. It's not that I didn't want to blog (I have had so many ideas and inspirations), it's that I've simply not had the time. As evidence by my last post (June for those who don't go look), it's been a while. But I have decided to make a determined effort to start blogging again. I can't promise I'll be successful, but I can say I will try.

The name "Inseparable" stems from Romans 8:38-39. This has always been one of my favorite verses because it shows how powerful God is, and yet how loving and merciful he is. As Christians, nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, can separate from the love of God. Wow. That shows the awesomeness of our God. That He is that powerful and loving all in one. When we are born again, we are His and His alone. I find that absolutely incredible.

Over the past year my life has become enveloped in "busy." I am now a senior in high school, and have to deal with colleges, ACT, and academics. I also got a job, which takes up a good bit of time. I've had ups and downs, good moments and bad, but through it all God has remained the same. This verse has stuck with me increasingly this past year because no matter how busy I get, God is still there and still loves me. That is why I've renamed the blog. Not only because of the truth that is obviously stated in these verses, but also because of the comfort and joy it brings me.

I have also been "re-inspired" into blogging by my youth pastor (check out his blog http://derekgriz.com/). I'm not big into following bloggers, but he is one man that I definitely look up to for advice in the non-blog sphere. However, his blog has inspired me quite a bit, to the point of making a rededicated effort to blog more.

It's time for a change in my life. It's time for me to slow down from the business of life. It's time for me to try this again. With that said, I invite you to join me on this adventure and see what God has for all of us.

A Voice in the Chaos

God exists. Everywhere, anywhere, all the time. But sometimes it is hard to hear God. Sometimes the noise is too loud, sometimes our situation too discouraging, our lives too chaotic. God is always present, but our situations make Him seem non-existent. With our lives in such constant disarray, how can we hear God?


In 1 Kings 19:9-18 we are offered a unique scene in the Bible. While you may not know this reference off the top of your head, you have no doubt heard the story. In this paragraph, Elijah is hiding in a cave for his life. God appears to Elijah and tells him to stand before the Lord. Suddenly, a great and mighty wind blows, followed by a powerful earthquake, and lastly a fire. But God was not in any of these events. Instead, a low whisper is heard in the middle of the madness. A still, small, quiet voice amidst the chaos.

That still small voice Elijah heard still speaks to us today. Our circumstances have changed, but God has not. While we aren't distracted by wind, earthquakes, or fire, we are distracted by this life we live. I don't need to begin listing our distractions because you know them all too well. They seem to scream at us from all directions, begging to take our attention off God. Sometimes it's just too much, and we cry out to God, but the noise seems to drown out the sound of His voice. However, God is always there. The problem is that we have focused on our chaotic, hectic situation and lost focus of God. Just like Elijah, we must not focus on the chaos but focus on the Calm in the middle of the storm. Instead of looking everywhere for our answer, we must stop, pray, and listen for God's voice. He is always there willing to lead us and direct us. To hold us and encourage. To help us through our chaos. But we need to be willing to focus on Him, and listen to the still, small voice amidst the chaos.

My Top 5 Favorite Worship Songs

I decided to wait until Easter to post the final video. So here is number one on the countdown! Happy Easter everyone! Christ is risen! "Revelation Song" by Kari Jobe.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgX_oqdib4