So... we finally made it to Malawi. After 36 hours of travel we're here! We've only been here for a few hours and God has already started something in our hearts. The second we walked into the football stadium and saw everyone dancing and singing we started crying. There's just something about the joy that these people have. Their thankfulness and praise ushers in the presence of God in such a powerful way.
We sang "Save Your People" tonight and they went crazy! Everyone was jumping up and down and singing as loud as they could. We're playing again Saturday night and Sunday. Thanks for all your prayers and comments... we appreciate it so much.
I'll post some pictures tomorrow. Love love love!
-jack
Friday, August 8, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Colossians 3:15
Me and Whit are trying to memorize Colossians chapter three. Scripture memorization has never come very easy for me, but Whit brought up the challenge and it's going pretty well. Any ways, I was reading through and I got to the fifteenth verse:
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."
The second I read that scripture I just started to meditate on peace. What a beautiful thing to think upon... the peace of God reigning in our hearts. But then I started to hear gun fire, bombs, and crashing debris. I visualized the most bloody, violent, and vehement battle scene one could imagine. And I felt God whisper to me... "This is your heart."
We're so hard on ourselves. We make Satan's job so easy. He probably just sits back and watches us wage war against ourselves. We hurl accusations at ourselves and inflict injury and punishment all within the confines of our heart. And we usually don't sop there but start firing at others. Pretty soon we're in a state of lovelessness. Not loving ourselves near as much as God loves us, and not loving others near as much as we love ourselves.
The cross, the grave, and the resurrection was the ultimate peace treaty. God crushed violence, accusation, and sin; freeing us to be at peace with Him and ourselves. We have to understand that we are loved beyond our understanding. The perfect love of Jesus, and that alone, will bring peace to our hearts.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
The New Me
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Am I the only one that wakes up and feels like the "old" me sometimes? I think that's the epic struggle in the daily walk of most followers of Jesus. I think I'm just now realizing that I'm a new person. When I received Jesus I was molded and changed by the Spirit. When I say new; I mean that I was made new in all the ways I needed to be. Now I can just be myself; because "myself" now has the nature, the likeness, and power of God. I don't have to generate any more righteousness... He's my righteousness. I don't have to be impressive... because God's already impressed with Jesus, and Jesus is in me. Lord, help me to live this today. Help me to live like the new me... the real me.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Am I the only one that wakes up and feels like the "old" me sometimes? I think that's the epic struggle in the daily walk of most followers of Jesus. I think I'm just now realizing that I'm a new person. When I received Jesus I was molded and changed by the Spirit. When I say new; I mean that I was made new in all the ways I needed to be. Now I can just be myself; because "myself" now has the nature, the likeness, and power of God. I don't have to generate any more righteousness... He's my righteousness. I don't have to be impressive... because God's already impressed with Jesus, and Jesus is in me. Lord, help me to live this today. Help me to live like the new me... the real me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
