Sloppy Knots

Gosh, life is hard.

Life requires a fight.

Let me rephrase that:

If you want to get anywhere in life, you have to fight.

Being lazy is easy

It is

At first

You see let me walk you through something here:

As some of you know lately I have been training on a volunteer Search and Rescue team here in Toccoa. Its a lot of fun. To do a typical rescue requires a lot of work. Let me lay down some basics.

You first have to carry all the equipment to the site and being that we are SAR its not an ideal location for lugging 60-80 lbs of rope, too many carabiners to count, a basket, and many other things that are really heavy.

Then, you have to pick the best spot to tie the ropes, then you have to tie the ropes, with the right knots, using the right type of rope and so on. You then have to attach the gear, in the right way, and the right order.

You then do the rescue.

Put the person in the basket, who is usually hurt, unconscious, not responding.

Pull the person up the rock face in the basket.

Carry the person back to safety in the basket. All the while the person is writhing in pain, vomiting over me.

There is NO room for error.

Sure, I could sloppily tie the knots to make it easy on me. It would be quicker. I could not rappel down and pick up a 180 lb. man and put him in the basket, I mean, thats heavy. I could just tie him to the rope right?

Ok

Enough, are you getting the point?

Being lazy is always harder than doing the hard work upfront. To not tie the rope right affects other people.

“The Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing…”

There is no room for lazy people in the Kingdom of God.

Period.

So, to you suffering in the midst of trial, in the midst of difficulty.

Welcome to the Kingdom.

Keep your head up, keep fighting.

“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” - 2^nd Corinthians 4:17

Do not give up.

I promise, He sees you.

There is a work going on inside of you that is unseen now,

but it will come to light,

and when it does,

the troubles you have faced will be worth it.

It doesn’t seem like it

The light at the end of the tunnel has been snuffed out, you are burned out.

I know what you're thinking

"I'm walking through hell,"

You are.

I tell you though, keep fighting.

There is a light.

Each new day brings you closer.

I promise

2^nd Corinthians 6:4-10

“We put no stumbling block in anyone's path,

so that our ministry will not be discredited.

Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:

in great endurance;

in troubles,

hardships and distresses;

in beatings, imprisonments and riots;

in hard work,

sleepless nights and hunger;

in purity, understanding,

patience and kindness;

in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;

in truthful speech and in the power of God;

with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;

through glory and dishonor,

bad report and good report;

genuine,

yet regarded as impostors;

known,

yet regarded as unknown;

dying, and yet we live on;

beaten,

and yet not killed;

sorrowful,

yet always rejoicing;

poor,

yet making many rich;

having nothing,

and yet possessing everything.”

Do not give up.

Don’t sloppily tie knots

Its not worth it.

Its worth it to fight.

So fight.

Forcefully advance the Kingdom.

So, tonight I went road biking. It was by far one of the hardest rides I have gone on. Maybe thats because I am not in the shape I used to be in. The point of this story is not how bad I am at road biking. But rather what happened afterwards. I went over to some friends house to hang out. Not everyone was there, but there were some good friends there and we were talking.

Life

Growing up

Friends

What were gonna do when we graduate (9 mos. and counting)

Illnesses

Family

Homeschooling or not homeschooling our future children. haha

Ministry

I was driving home and thinking. This is the way it was supposed to be. Im actually reminded of the show Friends where they just sat down in Central Perk, "their coffee shop" and just talked, laughed, and cried. It kinda felt like that.

You see life was never meant to be absent of friends. Life is supposed to have friends.

This next year is going to be one for the record books. It really will be. I can not wait to see what happens this year. Its gonna be good.

stay tuned.

God's Will or bust?

Yesterday, the beginning of one of my dreams since I was little started to come to life. Its not there yet, but it is in the process of it.

I started training for a volunteer Search and Rescue team in Habersham County.

Its not important how I got to do this, if you really want to know, then let me know and I can tell you. But, what the neat thing is, is the fact that this has always been kind of one of my dreams to do. I love being outside, climbing, and helping people and I have always thought to combine these would be so stinkin awesome.

And, I have come to find out that it is.

What's neat, is I am still able to be committed to all my ministry and school endeavors while doing this, which is primetime awesomeness.

When the opportunity presented itself, I was kinda hesitant, because I was not sure whether or not I should do it, because I am not that great of a climber, and I am not a very strong kind of person, so to be honest, I was bit intimidated and almost did not do it. I am so glad that I did. The moment came, I saw it, and I seized it, despite my nervousness or uncertainty of my ability to do it well.

I have got quite a bit of training ahead of me, but I am so stoked about that future training. I can not wait for it.

This summer has been one of reaping fruit from seized moments. Some fun and awesome, others not so fun and awesome, but rather difficult and tough.

Sometimes seizing a moment isn't always what you want it to be but rather, something you know is right. That you know is for the good. Ya know? You see it is so easy to seize a moment when it is good for you and of course its God's will. But the moment that you need to seize a moment and its not so fun, it makes you uncomfortable, and you question it, it can't be God's will. Right? I mean I think that all the time. Basically what I am saying is this:

It is easy to pray for God's will when you want his will, but when you dont want his will for that time in your life, its not so easy to pray for it.

Its a tough thing to live out.

God's will or bust.

Its so easy to pray for God's will, but when it comes time to live out His will for my life, its sooo stinking hard. Sometimes, so hard that I convince myself that it is not God's will.

Difficulty does not equal an absence of God.

But, there is sweet times ahead. For instance, I am trying to get a college ministry going up in Toccoa, GA at this awesome church Foothills Community Church. Its so weird to be away from 12Stone but I know that I am growing SO much as a result. I really miss home, but being away from home has a way of teaching me that I can not describe. I am learning through the hard, fun, and sad.

This college ministry excites me so much. God has his hand over it, some of the things that are happening already are just indicators of God's favor of this. He is putting together a team of people that are just incredible.

No one is doing this well in Toccoa.

No one.

We hope to change that.

Again, ministry has always been my number one dream in life, and whether I am just here for the summer to get this thing launched or what, I do not regret this summer one bit. Hopefully God will do something through this, and I alread know he has done a ton in my own life as a result of it.

So, in the midst of seizing moments we find God's heart for our lives.

Keep Trekking

Little Boy Running

I was running again today. Something really neat happened.
I was running at a park where there is a 2.2 mile loop and I was just starting on the second loop. I had run past this dad and his son fishing on the first loop and as I was on the second loop I was passing them because I was running, and the son had to be no older than four. As I ran past them, I heard these little footsteps quicken and I realized that this little boy was running behind me, trying to keep up. He was so cute.
I am not gonna lie. It was an awesome moment.
I slowed down and let him run with me for a bit.
All I could do was just smile.
He eventually slowed down
smiled
and went back to his dad.
I am not going to try to come up with some spiritual metaphor for this.
I could try though.
All I want to say. Is this:
Don’t forget to enjoy life every once in a while.
Don’t be afraid to run after something even if you can not keep up.
Thats all.

Run

I have forgotten lately how much I love running in my life. Running is the one avenue that I think God speaks to me the most. Some very key moments of clarity have come to my attention in the midst of a run whether it was 3, 6, or 13 miles long. God has used running in my life to show me very important things about myself in a way nothing else has.
All that to say, I was running today at Little Mulberry park, and a lot of thoughts just started streaming into my head about life and about where I have been these past months spiritually on this trek through the desert and what God has been teaching me. Like usual, my ideas are rather random, and jumbled together in the midst of ramblings. So here are a couple thoughts that have been in my head.
Being an avid runner, I am convinced that God gave us legs to run, so that through running we may have metaphors for our walk/run with Him.
If you run, you know the terms of “hitting a wall” “runner’s high” and so on. Just like in Christianity there are those cliches as well. 
 We all know what its like to “hit a wall” spiritually.
Where it seems like prayers are hitting the ceiling and then bouncing right back down to hit you in the face. That is not an unknown feeling to most.
Then on the flip-side we know what its like to have a “spiritual high”
There are those times where everything is going right, where you just wake up and things are just right.
The reason behind this is because as Christians, at our core, is a runner. (maybe not physically for some…)
God has created us to run.
God has created us to endure.
Now I say all of that to come right back to my run today. I was running and was on the other side of the lake and I heard rain coming and then it just started moving across the lake ever so swiftly right to where I was running. Now I was at mile 1.2 on a 4.4 mile run.
And it was a hard rain for about 5 minutes. Not quite pouring, but hard enough to where it was not that much fun.
The easy thing to do was turn around and finish my run with 2.4 miles. But I came for 4.4 and I was not going to give up. To a runner, what matters is not the conditions in which he runs in but rather that he continues. The runner knows the results that are necesarry for training and refuses to cut short the training despite the temptation of an easy run.
Again, this can all be translated to Christianity, to following Jesus. Christianity is never a guarantee of rain free runs. Our God is a wild God, and with a wild God comes wild weather, in which there is sunshine and rain. What matters is not the condition but the ability to continue.
Well as many of you know and some of you don’t. My life these past two months have been an all out sprint in the rain.
Sideways rain.
I have not given up. In fact, I have never felt so strongly about where I am and what I am doing. I am for once in the past two months or so, incredibly happy.
Now, there was a time where I stopped to think about whether I should continue or not.
I Wanted to give up. In fact, I came VERY close to giving up.
I am not going to lie.
If it weren’t for key people in my life I would have.
But, instead I saw the goal, I saw where God was leading me. I stood up, put my head down, and continued the run.
Again, its not the conditions that matter, but rather the ability to continue.
I am certainly not saying this to say how awesome and spiritual I am.
I am so far from that.
I can be so immature, and so unwise, but God has made me to run,
And so I do.
And, I am still running you know.
I can’t give up.
I am not going to give up.
Because at my core is a runner.
My heart beats to the steps that I take in accordance to God’s will for my life.
So, friend, may you run. Rejoice in the sunny runs, and continue in the rainy runs.
God is with you.
No matter what, continue.



“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
-Philippians 3:12-14

The Heart of Paul a Desert Trekker

So, I dont know why, but I have been stuck on this desert theme of Spirituality and God has really been showing me a whole lot about it lately. Essentially, all the big Bible characters I guess you could say learned how to walk through the desert. Just think about it.

David
Paul
Abraham
Moses (literally)
Joseph
Etc...

I was reading in Romans and 2nd Corinthians this morning and I was just blown away by the fact, that God puts us through the desert so that we may be stronger.
So that we may trust him more. Here is what I read this morning in Romans 5:

" Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
-Romans 5:3-5

Do you see that trend of development within the person there? Check it.

Ok so as we walk through the desert/suffering whatever you wanna call it. There is a point where what we believe and what we have trusted in for sustenance fails. Through this failure we learn how to persevere in order to get to a point where we can eat and drink (metaphorically of course). It is through this perseverance that we develop our key character traits. Like, are you one to give up easy when things get tough? Or are you the one who takes charge and doesnt let the desert own you, but rather you owning the desert. And once a person starts to get tough in the desert, there is a hope that develops, a hope that the person knows that a desert does not go on forever, there is a horizon, and there is an oasis on the horizon.

If anyone, Paul is the one that can speak the most truth to this. Check out 2nd Corinthians:

"We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way; in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine yet regarded as impostors; known yet regarded as unknown; dying and yet we live on; beaten and not yet killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor yet making many rich; aving nothing and yet possessing everything."
-2nd Corinthians 6:3-10

This is a description of his ministry as a missionary. Its crazy. He knew what it was to be in the desert. He knew what it was to have hope in the midst of uncertainty. In the midst of the desert. And yet he had hope in Christ.

So, may you, the desert trekker keep on trekking. Know that there is an oasis on the horizon. Do not give up. God is doing big things in you. Embrace it.

The Heart of Jonathan A Desert Trekker

So, This past month or so I have done the most writing I have ever done in my entire life. I have always enjoyed writing, but never really enjoyed sharing as you can tell by the 9 or so posts in the past two years... Ha.

This past month, has just been a doozie. I have never felt so close to God, yet so far away. If you understand, you have been where I have been before, but if not, just wait. Your time will come.

This is something I wrote. kind of like a poem thing, I dont know, I am no english major. Its from 1st Samuel 14, if you have had a conversation with me about spiritual things I am sure this passage has come up before... I would read it, and if you have not read it, I would HIGHLY encourage it before you read what I wrote, it will be much more rewarding. I think. So, here it is. I hope you enjoy it.


I find the weight of a looming risk
Weighing down on me
A stampeding stomach
Makes me think
"Should I really do this?"
A heavy heart
Tells me
"This is crazy"
What if this doesn't work?
This could ruin everything
What if it does work though?
This could fix everything
Bozez and Seneh
Stand before me
Beckoning me
To climb
An army on top awaits me
Like I said before
"This is crazy"
But, I will never know if I don't go
I'll be in stuck in the land of
What if?
Where dreams
Aspirations
And hope
Die.
I must do this
This
A necesarry risk.

So, continue trekking, you desert trekker. Do not give up. But yet continue. For in the heart of continue you find God.