Last Day

This will sadly be my last blog. I know it is sad, but I am leaving tomorrow morning at 8 AM. It has been a long 9 weeks, and now 64 blogs. Geez, just sitting here now reflecting on my time here, it has just gone by so fast. We spent the entire morning, from 9-5 moving out and cleaning the rooms. Let me tell you, each and every room is spotless. Afterwards we all just enjoyed each others company. Tonight was a short little finale, we all gathered and watched a slide show of the entire project through pictures. It reminded me how long we had been here, in a good way. Lots of laughs and smiles throughout the entire group. It is a strange feeling having it be this close to the end. Arriving you never think it is going to end, or end this fast. Now I'm about to crawl in bed for my last night here on project, in Panama City Beach. It's crazy! I have grown and learned so much about my relationship with Christ, and I can't wait to see what He is going to do with my life. I know one thing is for sure, I will trust Him. I could really write forever, but this will be short so that it is not all over the place. One thing is for sure, I don't regret coming at all, I feel so blessed to have this opportunity before I venture out into the real world. Thank you to ALL who supported me on this project, both financially and spiritually. Your support through generosity and prayer can't even begin to be expressed in words. All my growth is attributed to Him first and then you all. It has been a blessing writing these blogs and I am going to miss it. Maybe I will do it again some day, who knows. I keep reflecting on how much has changed since I have been here. I feel like scales have literally fallen from my eyes and heart. I see so much more clear and my heart is full, full of Christ. Don't let this be mistaken for a spiritual high by any means. I have been on those before, and I'm telling you that this is a transformation. I really don't know what else to write. Please pray for my continuing growth in Christ, not just mine but everyone here on project. Pray for safety as we all travel back home or wherever we are going. Thank you.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Make War

This morning was the last meeting and John Muller, the guy I spoke about yesterday gave it. He started off the talk explaining how this world has a battle going to daily. People are deprived by Satan, they are deprived of all the good that God provides. He's like a lion prowling on all of us, the Kingdom of God is under attack daily. Thankfully we have the truth, and we have to battle because Satan hates you. The reality of this world is there are the saved Christians and every one else who is hell bound and there is tension. It is our responsibility to share the Gospel to as many of these people as we can. John talked about how he likes stories, he gave examples of movies and books. A great story he shared from 1 Samuel 14:1-23 is one about the Philistines and how they had the Israelites oppressed. (You have got to read this story). They were in such control that they took all their blacksmiths and weapons. There were only 2 swords owned by the King, Samuel, and his son, Johnathon. Johnathon got sick of it one day and went up with one other and ended up defeating the Philistines, you really got to read this story. He led a huge revolt, and the Lord saved Israel that day because of it. This is so practical to us and our daily lives. In order for God to work, he had to leave camp and go to the enemy. He also had someone with him, they trusted God, and had room for God to make moves. He started a fight. This all should relate to our lives. We all must be willing to start spiritual fights for the Lord. The people in our daily lives are the people that we need to be saving, the devil doesn't want you to. We are the only ones with truth who can help save them. A good analogy would be the Philistines being evil and the Israelites living among them are just like the lost people living around us. The Israelites who hid are just like Christians who hide, daily. We should be the the 2 with the swords and were not, we make excuses. We should be the ones who want to fight. We would look different, just like Johnathon. The Lord used Him to change and save a nation, it literally shook the earth. Why are we not willing to do that. I know I don't. We need to put our selves in a position only God can help you. Only a praying man can do, its bold and we need to take a step of faith. People can tell the way you pray by the way you live your life. We need to identify our comfort zones and stay away from them, or you will never be used. Look for people to challenge and challenge them. Run with those who are fighting. In order to do this you have got to put your complete hope and trust in God, this takes faith. We either under challenge ourselves, don't challenge, and offer weak prayers to God. Set evangelistic goals, you are not going to make anyone if you don't set goals. Even if you don't hit your goals God won't love you less, and if you make them he won't love you more. If you think you are up to it ask God, "What do you want from me" and no matter what money, time, girlfriend, boyfriend, give it all to Him. Praise God anytime, anyplace, anything. Live with a purpose, say "My life is Yours, what do you want to do with it." We ask God this, but we never move out of our comfort zones. Please pray that I will make war against my enemy wherever I go. That I will be strong and stand up. That I will yield the sword and trust God with my ALL. That I will get out of my comfort zones, not make excuses and just trust in my Lord, have faith. Not just now, but for all the days of my life.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Effectively Relating to Others

Today was our first return training. I wasn’t really looking forward to it. After the talk was campus time, which was awesome, we all went out to lunch and spent some time reflecting on the summer. Then we went out to the fields and played some ultimate Frisbee, it was just a great day. An even better night, because one of the CO staff, John Muller and his wife Ashley, went on a double date with Natalie and I. It was just amazing. We went to Longhorn’s for dinner, then went to the talk, and after went to yogurt mountain for desert. Not only was it a great night, but I love John and Ashley and they love us. We were all sad that we we’re all not going to be in Charleston. The talk today was really good, and so practical for me. He started off with a good saying, that involved for when we leave project and go back to reality. Will we die, survive, or thrive. We learned 7 ways to help us be witnesses of Christ, and to continue to stay strong in Him. 1. Keep walking with God, 1 Timothy 4:15-16, James 1:22-25. I was told how important it is to not wait till your "fuel light" comes on. We are not like a car that can run on empty. We need to stay plugged in or we will get burned out, and fast. Here on project, we've been in a "Green House" environment. It has enabled our spiritual growth beyond imaginable. Once we leave, we will be back out in the regular world. No more meetings and singing and prayer time, and fellowship, and so on. It takes effort and we must remain in Him. 2. Seek Godly fellowship, Hebrews 10:24, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. In order to stay above water you have to have someone there to pull you up. If you think your are above, pride comes before the fall, and you will fall hard. Accountability is huge and enables you to stay focused on Him. 3. Flee from temptation at all cost, Genesis 39:2, 2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Peter 5:8-9. The story of Joseph demonstrates it the best, not hanging around thinking you can stand strong. Running from sin, stay as far away from it as you can. Leaving Panama City we will be entering war, we must know our enemy. He is smart, crafty, and good at it. We are leaving with targets on our backs, but God is greater, much greater. Being a Christian can be costly, but it is more costly not to be. 4. Remember that others had a summer too, James 1:19. This is for when I start sharing with others, not to overwhelm them with all this "Christian Stuff". People love to talk about themselves, listen first. When you do get the chance to talk, Glorify God, not SBP. Share just a little, don't overwhelm people, and wait for them to ask more questions. This one is definitely important to me, I can get on a tangent very quickly, and I must remember this. 5. Expect to be misunderstood, Mark 6:1-6. The people who are my friends weren't here this summer and will not be able to relate to me, they won't get some things. That's expected because they were not here. Plus Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior was not misunderstood by many, Please read Mark 6:1-6 it relates to this very well. 6. Speak louder with actions than words, 1Corinthians 4:20, 1 Peter 3:15. Doing this will really open up the ears of hearers. What does that mean? Anybody can talk, but to actually live this way is another. It is much harder and speaks louder than anything else you could possibly say. Lastly, 7. Pray, pray, pray. We are needy and need to be praying. Praying demonstrates our faith. We need to spend more time talking to God about men then talking to men about God. Praying scripture is very powerful, if you are interested in getting this long list of good praying scripture let me know. Please pray that I will apply all seven steps to my upcoming future, and that I will not just survive, but thrive for the Lord.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Spreading His Image

Today all the campus outreach staff got back today. It was great to have most of them back. My good friend and role model John Muller and his wife Ashley are back and I am so happy. Natalie and I will be going on a double date with them, and we are all so excited. Max, the project director is back and I am a huge fan of him. The first time we met at last semester we immediately clicked, then I find out that he is the project director, he is awesome. All the staff members are back and it was great catching up with all of them and sharing how much I have learned and grown. Tonight we talked about kingdom living and how the kingdom of God is in us, Luke 17:21. Some of this interestingly enough will cover some of what I have talked about the last couple of days. Our God is a God of purpose and a God of plans, Luke 17:24-25. What exactly does "His Kingdom" mean, it's made up of God's chosen people. Being apart of His kingdom comes many blessings, but also many responsibilities. Having a call to salvation does not just mean we are saved , but also that our lives mus be lived by believing the Gospel. The Gospel is God's power in us for our salvation from our calling to our final glory, Romans 1:16-17. It is key to remember that a call to salvation is a call to discipleship. It is a duty, not an option. We respond by committing to discipleship and obedience. Jesus called you to come and follow, Luke 9:23. We must believe and obey, Romans 16:26. Being obedient and spreading His image comes with a sacrifice. I need to be a doer of God's word, not just now when it is easy here on project, but continually doing it DAILY, forever. I need to take action now, and present my body as a living sacrifice for Him. Whatever he calls me to do, I need to submit and answer His call, Romans 12:1-2. Dedicating your total self is pleasing to God. I do this by not conforming to the patterns of this world, Romans 12:2. The world says it is ok, and it is not, this is where the sacrifice and pain comes in. It is hard, but we must renew our minds and God will transform you. This comes when we fix our minds on Christ and let our thinking be shaped by the Word of God. It is very very easy to say, but it only works if we truly walk as Jesus walked, 1 John 2:4-6. By doing this we can spread His image by imitating His walk, Philippians 3:17. Please pray that after project i can continue to live like this and walk as He walked. I know I will trip, stumble, and fall. But, God is good and shows grace. My goal and prayer is that I can imitate Him as well as I can and reflect His light through my life.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Last D-Group

Every Monday night starting at 7:30 we have D-group. Again this stands for discipleship group. Our room leader, Graham, and the rest of our remaining roommates, Mark, Sean, and myself. Just meet, talk, read some scripture, get and give advice, and pray. To some of you this may seem weird, funny thing is it is what the Bible calls us to do. I personally do not know about you, but I believe every word that is in the scriptures and I truly take to heart the guidelines and specifications that are in the Bible. I truly try to apply them to my life, and make them applicable to my daily walk with Christ. One of them that is huge is discipleship, and not a whole lot of Christians do this. Many of us like to stay in our little Christian nut shell, our perfect little life, we talk with other "Christians" at church on Sunday, and that is enough. If that is your attitude, you are wrong. Not only do you need to be meeting with other Christians daily, you need to be sharing the Gospel and adding members to the body of Christ. The verses of focus yesterday were Ephesians 4:11-13. This is not in them, but even Jesus had disciples. Now if we are called to be Christ like then in all aspects of our life should be like His. He had 12 disciples and asked them to go out and share when he was no longer with them. To disciple other men, and get them to disciple other men. If they just stored what they learned, like many of us do everyday, and didn't share God's Gospel then you would have never heard it. Not only you but basically everyone. You might be saying to yourself, "well it isn't my job, or I don't want to others will, or I don't feel comfortable", then you are clearly wrong. We are all called to do this. One thing is for sure, it is extremely awkward and you will be made fun of and persecuted. Most all the 12 disciples were slaughtered for sharing Gods word, and again it did not stop them from eventually reaching you. We all have the most blessed gift, the information of God's Holy word right here at our finger tips. Legally allowed to read it and with no true persecution, sure you will be made fun of, big deal. Yet we have this most precious possession and we still don't share it. I'm not just talking to you, but also to myself, how sad is that? We know and yet don't do. And don't make excuses, we are all called from the creator Himself to share. It is not just for the apostles, prophets, evangelists, preachers, and so on who do the work of ministry. It is the people they equip (ALL OF US). Effective teachers help each believer find their own specific way of benefiting the rest of the church. Not only that, but if you allow Him, God equips us for the work of ministry for building up the Body of Christ (Read Ephesians 4:12). Read 2 Timothy 4:5, Ephesians 4:16,29.... I could list many others. It is our responsibility to tell others. It doesn't just stop there. This is where discipleship comes in. Whoever you share with, should not just stop with you sharing to them and walking away. You should now, to the best of your ability, help them along in their walk with Christ. I find it extremely imperative to get yourself involved in a D-Group. Whether you feel called to lead one, or would rather have someone further along than you lead the small group. I suggest to be in one first and then eventually lead, read Hebrews 5:14, take baby steps. A few last suggestions would be to keep the groups the same sex, meaning guys with guys and girls with girls. It is just better and you can get more personal. Just a small group anywhere from 3-7. This is not only something I was involved with before and during SBP 2010, but after and the rest of my life. I will hopefully lead one in Montgomery and also be in one. I find it, for me, a good idea to not only lead but also find counsel from more equipped knowledgeable people. Please pray that this happens when I go to Montgomery, and that I can start and also be in a D-Group. This will allow me to start my leadership role serving God and enable my walk with Christ to grow ever stronger.

Serving Him,

Daniel

The God of my Future

First off for date day we went and saw Inception, and it was awesome, go see it. Anyways, tonight we talked about the future, and decisions that we will make. All biblical decision making begins with a willingness to submit your intentions to Gods perfect will and humbly follow His direction. The two most important decisions we will make in our lives are, who we marry and what career we pick. When you are picking your future spouse it must be with someone who you are going to run with for God the rest of your life. If they are not running just as hard or harder than you for the Lord, their holding you back. That is huge. Your career is next, because that is the mission field for the rest of your working life. Look to how Jesus made decisions, read Matthew 26:36-40,50-54. Notice that Jesus ultimately submitted to God. It is not bad to question Him, and it is ok to show anguish. Jesus di 3 times in the garden of Gethsemane. It all comes to trusting the Lord. We all need to just look hard times in the face and really know that God is enough. The purpose of our life is to know God and make Him known. Read Jeremiah 9:23-24, are we expanding our knowledge, reading the Bible, books, studying the scriptures, meditating and growing, knowing God and really growing on a daily basis. If not, why? Read 1 Peter 2:9, We need to make Him known, just like when you go see a good new movie. The first thing you do is call and tell your friends to go see the movie. Just like I did about Inception, we are excited to tell others. Thats how it should be when we are sharing God with others. 2 Corinthians 5, Summed up is about how we live by faith and not by sight. Our main goal in life is in all we do is to please Him, everything! Really think about that, in everything you do, do you do it for God? I don't. We need to remember daily that we were bought at a price, way to high of a price to do what we want. If it is not my life but Gods, then it must not be my choice but His. really think about that. 4 tips. Don't make decisions based off emotions alone, Jeremiah 17:9, you're going to be deceived by your feelings and you need to use wisdom. Don't make decisions without counsel, Proverbs 12:15, we're all good at finding excuses, and we need people to put us in check. Don't make decisions without the word, Psalm 119:105, without scripture you are in the dark and will stumble and fall, I promise. What else do you expect, God is the lamp unto your feet. Don't make decisions without prayer, 1 Kings 3:7-10, Romans 8:26-27, sometimes we find ourselves so confused that we don't even know what to ask for. He will give you the things to say and always answer your prayers. Try to wrap your brain around that. Lastly, watch out for the love of money and comfort. It will derail you from walking with God, believe me tough times are ahead, I know this even for my life. My man Tony says, "If we don't battle this in prayer it WILL FAIL!" The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy- Martin Luther King Jr. Their is a cost to following Jesus, Matthew 8:18-22, but it is totally worth it, Luke 18:28-30. Please pray that in all my decisions coming up not only these next few months but the rest of my life, that I will be willing to submit to God and that I will not make decisions off of emotions and that I will seek counsel, read the scripture, and pray.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Let's Do This

Evangelism is key in being obedient to Christ. I should not just evangelize when I am down here, but for the rest of my life. I am told to go and make disciples. It is not easy, one of the cots of being a disciple is being persecuted. I will be made fun of, rejected, teased, maybe even picked on. Really I don't care. That is SO small compared to what happens to other Christians in different parts of the world, and what happened to Christians in the past. Plus my savior was crucified, so I can take a little persecution and rejection. The man verses of focus is Luke 9:23-25, Take up your cross and follow Christ. Is your life reflecting Jesus? Here are 4 quick things to help you. Luke 24:7, God calls us to come after Him, this means becoming one of His disciples. You can't do this without a heart change. Something has got to happen and your lifestyle must reflect it. This happened for me in January this past year. This is where clarifying your testimony is important. Luke 9:23, You must deny self, remember it is not about you. This is hard for me, I am man and sinful at heart. I sometimes try to make it about me. I must trust the sovereignty of God, and let that be enough. Matthew 10:38, Really take up your cross. What does that mean? Daily sacrificing for Him, if you do this, you will just about suffer daily. God first off says that whoever does not, is not worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven, so I see the relevance/ importance of doing it. It could mean getting up 30 min earlier to spend a quiet time with God, or going to bed 30 min later. Maybe not buying a certain CD or listening to certain music. Personally think about your own sacrifices, mine will be different from yours. Mark 8:35, Lose your life (not physically). Drop everything for Him, similar to what was written above. Whoever lives a self centered life will not find God, whoever gives it up will find everlasting life. This is a good chance to read these verses and reflect on your own life. Please pray that I can deny myself to further enter the kingdom, that I will take up my cross, and be willing to lose my life.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Mytie

Friday was a very productive day. I got a lot of things done that I needed to do, and just really made the most of my day. Friday nights are always our social nights. The theme was Mytie. Earlier that week the team girls came by and picked up a tie from each guy. They were then given randomly to the girls room. The girls room of 4-5 girls then got to choose which tie they wanted, that would best match with a dress, or which one they liked, or who's tie they thought it might belong to. Then when the girls come down on all the waiting boys wearing one of our ties. It was exciting because everyone wanted to know who their dates were. Of course mine was Natalie, all the couples here on project were strategically put together (my thanks goes out to Katie Bowman on this one). So our room of 4 guys escorted 5 beautiful ladies (one of our guys had 2 girls) to Bonefish Grill for dinner. This is Natalie's and my favorite chain restaurant. The food was great, and then we headed to the Sleep Inn for a dance. The hotel was nice enough to let us use one of their "ball rooms" for the dance. Let me tell you, the set up was sweet. They had tables and chairs in the back, a dj booth playing great music, and the back was full of food. A chocolate fondue fountain with grapes, strawberries, pineapple, and so on. They had two big double stacked cookie cakes that said "SBP 2010 Mytie", and a whole arrangement of other snack foods including spinach dip, which I love. We danced the night away, it was awesome. Earlier on project I learned how to shag, which is a kind of dance, and Natalie and I looked pretty good out there. There was some slow dancing and just good ol fun dancing like cotton eye Joe. All in all it was a great night. By the time we got back to the hotel, just before midnight, we all went straight to bed, and the internet was down because I was going to write this all last night. It was cool how some of this all played into some of the scripture that I had read earlier today. 1 Corinthians 12:12-30, I had a lot of time and spent a long time with God. I'll wrap it up into a small paragraph apposed to writing all I have or we will both be here all day. It explains how we are all one body, together, in Christ Jesus. How is is made up of many, and that no one is less than another. God arranged us, He chose each and everyone of us, and made us the way we are for a reason. If we were all a single member, their would be no body. Many parts, still one body. Just like the human body is made up of tons of parts, and together it makes one. Their needs to be diversity among us, or we would all be the same, it is according to God's plan and we should not question Him. We all have a need for one another, and none are weak, none are less honorable, and all should be modest. No one is more superior than another one of Gods children, don't devalue another, it is wrong. God composed the body to compliment one another, make us stronger. Their should not be division, but the opposite. When one suffers we all suffer, and visa versa. This is how I felt last night. Probably for the first time ever, in my entire life. This is the first time I have been in a room where I truly believe that everyone is my brother and sister in Christ and that I will be seeing all of them in heaven. That is what made the night so spectacular to me. You could dance like an idiot and no one made fun of you, it was really cool to some some very extreme introverts really come out of their shells. Why? because they felt comfortable, and apart of the entire body of Christ, not as an individual. I really understood and experienced the meaning of true fellowship. Let me tell you, it was awesome. Please pray that I will continue, in my near future, to have that body of Christ around me as much as possible. So that I can grow closer and stronger to Christ, in order to reflect Him.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Can We Trust The Bible

So many people say that the Bible isn't God's word. That is contradicts itself. That it is written by just man and that it has changed and adapted over the the many years. Others say that you can't believe everything in the Bible, only some. They pick out some words and not others, manipulate it to what they want it to say. People actually teach this, and it takes away from Gods truth, into what they want to hear. Read 2 Timothy 3:16, it basically shuts all the above up. You have to know how to defend the Bible, have knowledge, and really know what it says, if you don't you look ignorant. You have got to know why because others know why they believe why not, and they want to prove you wrong. There are three strong points why I believe that the Bible is true and God's Holy Word. 1. The New Testament is written too early to be legend. Biblical accounts of Jesus's life were circulating within the lifetimes of hundreds who witnessed the events of His ministry. Luke 1:1-4, is proven true by witnesses who attest to it. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-6, Jesus appeared to over 500 people after He was crucified. It would have been impossible for Christianity to spread if Jesus never said or did the things detailed in the gospel. 2. The New Testament is too counterproductive to be legend. Jesus appears to be weak and failing God. In the garden of Gethsemane he cried. On the cross He cries out, "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" First off crucification in general, it was for the worst of the worst, the people they KNEW committed crimes, awful crimes. What kind of religion would portray a savior like that, not a fake one, that would make him high, mighty, and strong. His followers, the apostles, the eventual leaders of th early church, are depicted as petty, jealous, slow-witted, and cowards. If this was man made and fake, why would they make the leaders of the future be so flawed. The only plausible reason that all these incidents would be included in these accounts is that they actually happened. 3. The New Testament is too detailed to be legend. Ancient fiction was nothing like modern fiction. It didn't include a plot and character development. There are countless details in the gospel that are not relevant to the plot or character development. "I have been reading poems, romances, vision literature, legends, and myths all my life. I know what they are like and like I know none of them are like this. Of this (Gospel) text there are only two possible views. Either this is reportage.... or else, some unknown (ancient) writer... without known predecessors or successors, suddenly anticipated the whole technique of modern novelistic, realistic narrative..."- C.S. Lewis. The way the Bible was written, no one before this time wrote detailed fiction or for a long time after. For me I believe the Gospel is the truly God Breathed scriptures. It was very encouraging to just hear all of this. I am also planning on reading "Reinventing Jesus". Please pray that my knowledge in this subject will grow.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Another Day

Tonights blog will probably be shorter than most. Not yesterday, but the day before we finally got in our new study Bibles. They were optional and $20, probably the best $20 I have spent here on project. I HIGHLY recommend getting one. They offer you so many cross references and other sorts of advice. it gives you other verses to look up and compare and explains things. The last two days I have spent over an hour each time in the word. Reading scripture and looking up other passages while taking down so many good notes to eventually reflect on. Wednesdays are set up for group dates, this is where our room asks out another girls room on project and we all go on a date, they are fun. Tonight we took out Angela's room which Natalie, my girlfriend, is in. We went to a place called the Pottery Barn where you pick out a piece of pottery to paint and they eventually bake it for you and you pick it up a few days later. All nine of us grabbed a piece and went to work. Natalie and I shared a coffee mug, and had a really fun time painting it. We agreed on several colors and put our names on it and a verses on the side. It was a great half of the date. Then we all went out to dinner at Carrabbas. It ended up being a really great night. I then got to read a good portion of this amazing book called "Lone Survivor." It is not a Christian book, but it is an amazing book. Mainly geared for guys, but I recommend reading it. I then had a great conversation with my little brother Aaron. We talked for 30 min just now and it was real encouraging. He told me how he has been reading my blogs and how good they have been and how different I seemed. Even though he is my little brother I still hold his opinion very high. He is the smart one of the family and is much smarter than I will ever be, but it is nice to hear him impressed with my writing. He told me something that made me smile, he said, "Man Daniel, you are a different person, it's like whole new Daniel." I thought that was pretty cool, it is also a good thing. He has seen me in my ups and downs, my highs and lows. I got to give him a lot of good advice. He is going to call me tomorrow to talk some more. He also said that he might be calling me more for accountability. I think this is awesome, I can be a big brother who gives good Godly advice. I am thankful for all the opportunities God has given me this summer, and the growth that I have developed in Him. Please pray that I can continue to grow and be a beacon of light, for God's glory alone.

Serving Him,

Daniel

The Church and the Word

God operates primarily through the church. You are called to be apart of the church body, not just going, but serving and giving back to the church. The Church of Jesus is the most important institution in the world. What happens in church and why do we need to be in church? Here are 6 marks of the church. The right preaching of Gods word. The right administration of baptism and the Lords supper. People must give evidence that they are believers. Regular assemble (of yourself and other members). Gather for worship of trinitarian God. Under the guidance of duly appointed leadership. We should not substitute church with small groups or other things than church. Structure is a must and it is one of the first things God calls us to do. 1 Peter 2:4-12, 21-25. So what does it mean to be apart of a church? In the bible, only once does it say that YOU are a temple, all the other times it is speaking about you all collectively. Like a wall, you are a brick, others are relying on you. How we act has a huge effect on those around us. Hebrews 10:24-25. It is not good to be alone, that is not the way God designed us. We are dependent on the Lord and to operate in the community. W should share our struggles with others, share everything! It is not good to just spend time in the Lord by yourself, you can get weird. Others can bring out things that would never be brought out with out them. Going it on your own can also be dangerous. Not in itself, but if that is all you do and have no fellowship than you are not doing what called has called us all to do. It is not just about you, if you are holding out on your community, you are being selfish. Honestly, you really can't see God in his fullness by yourself.. What does the Bible say the church is, or what it is suppose to look like. The Church is therefore internally communal community. How do we relate to those on the outside. Their is going to be tension, because it is hard to be in this world and not of it. We must try our hardest to be holy and set ourselves apart. There are 2 awful ways religion relates to the world. Sectarian- fundamentalists who separate themselves from society, they're exclusive, and have high walls. Or they are mainstream- in that they have no doctrine, they tell you to believe what you want, just to come join. We are to be neither. As strange as this sounds, we are aliens/strangers. We are called to never again to be able to relate to the world (in it's sinful manner). They will tear you down, I promise you this, but they will recognize you're different. How can we live in a verse 12 way ( of 1 Peter 2). Live by verse 4- rejected by men, chosen by God. It sounds easy, but it really is that simple. We all will be vilified by man. We must come to Him. By admitting that you have a cornerstone. Not in anything else but God. You will fail in every which way and fail miserably if God is not your corner stone. You might rely on your athletics, academics, social status, job, family... when they fail, and they will, you need something else to go to. Everything else can fall around you, but you will be ok, because you have God. It will hurt, oh boys will it hurt, but God is good. This right here is the kicker.... We must find Him precious, it will not be enough to just believe in Him. I hope I can explain this analogy well over typing it. Dr. Example- You are extremely ill and the doctor tells you that no matter what you are going to die in one week, one week exactly, unless you take this pill. This pill is ridiculously expensive. You will have to sell everything, your house, your care, all your clothes and materials. So take the pill and lose all, or enjoy your last week of life, ever. What good are all those possessions if you are dead? Suddenly you see that pill as precious and everything else is expendable. That is how we should view Christ. Jesus was the ultimate alien, the rejected one. He came down from heaven... Heaven! He didn't have to, chose to. Why did he suffer when he didn't have to, he could have called legions of angels down and destroyed everyone who stood in His way. But, because we are that precious, we were enough to give it all up for, everything, he was expendable for us. We must make Jesus our cornerstone, so that we reflect his glory. Our slate is clean and our living is now His living and since He is honoring we are honoring. We are eternally affirmed, so that we can love the church the way Jesus does. Without it, we are outside the will of the Lord. Please pray that when I move to Montgomery in August that I immediately get plugged into a church, and that I am not only an attendee, but a member who gives back. That I can grow and enable others to grow. I already have help from Jack and his wife Chastity, but please pray that I will be an acting member, full of life. Reflecting God.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Unity

Monday nights are D-group nights, but instead of our room of now 4 meeting, we decided to meet with all the team three guys. There where 12 of us, (I didn't think of this till just now but I find it ironic because D-group stands for Discipleship group and their was 12 of us) and we started off by having 3 big buckets of chicken and watching the home run derby. That is what it is all about, fellowship with other Christians. I know we're here on project but how many times on a Monday night could you find 12 guys get together have fun, and then spend time just talking about Jesus. That sadly should be a norm, and it is what we talked about last night. We talked about what the futures held in everyone going back to college. The importance of staying in the body of Christ with other believers. Not everyone here is going to be heading back to their campuses with a good solid group of Christian friends. This will be hard for many. When you spend time with other Christians it will help your walk, you were not designed to do it alone, others can help you stay accountable, and you will just get burned out. Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another, this is SO true. Acts 2:42-47 explain how important it is that Christians spend time together, John 12:20-23. I explained to the group how a good sports team gets good. For example; my junior and senior year football team went 21-1 with 21 wins in a row, in the regular season. We also did everything together, Thursday night wings, football Saturdays, football Sundays. We did everything together, and we got real close. This made us stronger as a team. Same goes in your walk with fellow Christians. The more you spend time together, the stronger yall will be. I also explained how much cooler Christians will look when in large groups. I know this sounds kind of weird, but if you have like 10 guys all hanging out laughing and having fun, people are going to look. If they are not cursing and getting drunk people will ask questions I promise you. We will be attractive (not in the physical sense) we will look appealing. They will want to be apart of us, and this opens up the door for ministry. Lastly I shared with the group how glad I was that I was not going back to Charleston or Hilton Head. Back in both of those places in SC, I don't have any close friends who are strong Christians who will keep me accountable. Most of them would just drag me down. I am thankful that I will be in Montgomery, AL the next 6 months and will get plugged into a D-Group of Christians guys. One of the Campus Outreach staff members runs CO at Huntington University which is in Montgomery. I am so excited. I also explained that it is not bad to hang out with those friends, but the majority of your time needs to be spent with Christian brothers who will support you. I am by no means cutting off any of my relationships with any of my boys back home, but if I were to be going back, I would probably not spend as much time with them. That would be hard, and I told the guys last night the importance of this decision. It is much easier to get pulled down, then pushed up. Please pray for all 11 guys on my team, that they will stay united with their Christian bothers, and that they will stay plugged in and Grow in Christ. Pray that I find a good solid group of Christian guys that I can grow with have fellowship with. I am praying now that I find that unity.

Serving Him,

Daniel

The God of my Money

Sunday's are not only Natalie and my date day, but normally our laundry day and then at 7 stewardship training. All of this after going to church in the morning, of course. Well we learned about being stewards of our money. This is some convicting information and might bother some of you. NOTHING shows who we out our trust in more than our money does. "Show me your checkbook and your schedule and I'll show you who your God is." That is a quote from the pastor of ECBC, Buster Brown, in Charleston where I was attending church at the end of my senior year. Did you know that there are more verses in the Bible on money than heaven and hell combined? I didn't. So it sounds pretty important to me. Before we can talk about God's desire for the money we have, we must get perspective right regarding prosperity. Really read 1 Timothy 6:6-10. It is a great passage. Money is not evil, the love of money is... We all know that. Also a desire to be rich is wrong. If that is you, you immediately need to check your motives. This is contrary to everything we have been told by the world. Am I perusing God or my desires... I need to put my full trust in Him and that begins with my money. Mark 10:17-31. Despite what the world screams at us, prosperity is not the answer.** Psalm 73:12** read this. I was thinking my self, why, why does God not want me to be rich, why can't I be wealthy and comfortable. Read the rest of Psalm 73 especially verse 17, thats why! This does not mean 2 things. 1. This doesn't mean that you won't be wealthy, some of you will be, and that is ok. 2. No, being rich or anything like that doesn't make you not a Christian. But this knew prosperity gospel is a load of crap. I didn't know what it was so I will assume that you don't either. It basically says that if you trust God that He will make you prosperous and wealthy, but if you're not then their is something wrong. This is just awful, and it makes me mad. WATCH THIS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s. (click the link or copy and past it into your internet. 3 simple things to remember when giving money back to God. God gave me the money, God could physically take the money away from me, and God doesn't need my money. How ridiculous is it we don't tithe. So, what does God want me to do with His money? First and foremost, tithe, write it off immediately. The Bible calls for 10%, that is not your, it is God's. He not only calls you to give, but to be a cheerful giver. Don't give because you have to and just do it. If that is your attitude, keep the money for yourself. Give cheerfully and quietly. Don't boast and try to show how good you are or how much you give. That is not the purpose and it is not how God calls you to give. The next few are simple guidelines for newer people like me coming into the world. After tithing I need to save, then love (it is ok to live) It is the blessings that God gives you and you must enjoy life. Their is also a difference in saving, and hording you money for yourself. Next we should help others. If the good Samaritan didn't have money then that story would have not existed. If their is a fellow Christian in need and you don't help, that is sinful. It is sinful not to help out your brothers in need, that is the point of the church. If you are a good steward of your money, you will have it to tithe, save, live, and help. Anything left over can then go towards your ridiculous spending, whatever that may be. Lastly and most importantly learn to tithe with your first few checks or you won't learn at all. I don't care who you are, this is true. You play how you practice. So many people say they don't have enough money now but when they do start they will tithe. That is a lie. It will be even harder when the checks get bigger and you have to give $600 away to the church, and you won't. Malachi 3:10, Gos says Test me on this. That is the only place in the Bible where God asks you to test Him. This is something that I have started to do since January, please pray that I continue this and that it won't be a chore. Please pray that I give willingly and cheerfully and that I will continue to do so when I start making the bigger bucks and/or when times are tough.

Serving Him,

Daniel

We're All in This Together

In Acts 2:42-47 we are called to be together in fellowship, prayer, eating, church, praising God... We should be surrounding ourselves with other Christians. John 17:21 says that followers should be one. What does this mean? This means that you should be surrounding yourselves with other Christians. It keeps you on the right path. It helps you with accountability. It is what God calls you to do. If someone is really in a relationship with God, you should be able to tell. They should shine, portray Jesus. I don't know what it is, but you can just tell by looking at someone, they glow, you know that they have something special. (Matthew 5:16). If that is you, you shouldn't be doing this for man, not all all, but in order to glorify God. The Christian life is about following Jesus not the world, and it is hard to do. So many times I get caught up in worldly things, I lose focus on what is really important. I am glad I have others here to help me keep my eyes on what is really important. We should all love one another, as brothers and sisters in Christ. John 15:13. Love is a characteristic of a follower of Christ. It is not always easy, and I fail daily, but it is what we are called to do, we should strive to be like Jesus. To love as He loved His disciples. This comes into play for you and your group of friends to evangelize to others. It is really easy. Mainly for us younger folks, all by our actions. We really stand out by the things we do and don't do. It is just like a sports team, the team who really cares about each other, and loves one another, and spends time together is the best team. They stand out and everybody wants to have what they have. That is what your Christian walk should look like to others. It is easy right now, being in this shell at project. You better believe the first thing I do when I move to Montgomery, Alabama I am going to get plugged into campus outreach. One of the leaders here, Jack and his wife Chastity, live there and run Campus Outreach at a college there. I will immediately get plugged into a group of Christian men, and a good church. The interactions that the group that I spend time with must be in accordance to the Gospel. Honestly, alone you are kind of weird and your witness isn't nearly as strong. If you are the loner Christian who doesn't have other believers to spend time with and go out with, you will stand out in a negative way. When people see you out in large Christian group they see the bigger picture. It seems cool and appealing, they see Jesus and they want it. I promise you this, they see your joy, the fun, the connection, and they want it. They want it bad because they don't have it. Lastly it is just much easier to share the Gospel when you are with others. You motivate and feed off of each others passion. It makes it easy to get in conversation, by how yall are acting or what you are saying and doing. Test me on this, people will ask, because if you are living this way others will notice and give you a chance to share the Gospel with them. Just like God has called us ALL to do. Please pray for my future, that no matter where I go, I will be able to plug into Christian groups and surround my self with others who love the Lord. Others who will keep me accountable in my walk with Christ. Who will help me grow and share the Gospel.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Thorn In My Side

After a long day, I decided to go with a small group to go kayaking on shell island. It was a whole lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoy kayaking and I truly enjoyed finding some pretty neat shells. Then we had a redneck family reunion theme for the social tonight. We all dressed up like hillbilly's and drank water, lemonade, and sweet tea out of mason jars. Many made some fun deserts. We played a few games like wheel barrel, 3 legged race, egg toss, and water melon eating contest. It was a whole lot of fun. I partook in volleyball and a group of us guys played a game of makeshift soccer. By the end of the night I was exhausted. Poor Natalie didn't get to enjoy any of the above mentioned. She was feeling a little under the weather last night before bed and had chills and sweats all day at work. Including a nasty head cold and a stuffed up nose and swollen throat and they wouldn't let her off work. So as soon as she got off she headed to bed for rest and relaxation. I decided that she should not come to the social tonight and partake in the fun, but rest up for the weekend, because we don't get much breaks here on project. I brought her back, her favorite, home made banana bread pudding. I arrived, made her a bowl, and drove back to the hotel to give it to her. It really made her night, but keep her in your prayers and hopefully she'll have a speedy recovery. Todays quiet time for me was on 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, a really great passage. It is speaking of Paul's thorn in his side. Many speculate on what it was, but no one knows for sure. Either way it was something awful that God would not take from him. God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." This is hard to swallow, it got me thinking of my problems. We all have them, but what is my thorn? Sadly I know what it is and I pray for it daily that God will take it from me. It is my running. I know that might seem strange to you, that either that is something so small and insignificant or that I am not good at running. Here is where it is a problem for me. As I have said previously, I have yet to miss one workout or run this summer on project, and before project. My running schedule is the same as The Citadel cross country teams, and I have a "coach" I check in with. My diet is superb and I don't go off it. I train harder than anyone I know, and I still am awful at running. I am not being hard on myself either, my times are not to standard. Why is this important? I branched infantry in the Army, and in the infantry you have to be able to run, and run fast. I am also going to be a platoon leader, key word leader. This means I have to be the fastest, you must lead from the front and I truly believe that. Right now, with my times I am not. Also for ranger school you must pass the first phase by running a 5 mile run in under 40 minutes. I am not there and I need to be. I do not merely rely on my own strength, but I pray for it multiple times a day. This is important to me and I trust God. I actually talked to me Dad about this yesterday and here I am now today reading these verses. The scripture said that if you struggle, remember God's grace is enough. His power is shown in our weakness. I must boast in my weakness to show Christ's power. I need to delight in my weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. (This is not beyond just my running, but all aspects of my life). When I am weak, then I am strong. That is the verse that put me at peace. I am human, and a poor weak creature on my own, but in my weaknesses I can rely on Him to make me strong. I really don't know how non-Christians do it. I can't imagine a life without hope, and comfort, unconditional love, and strength from my Father/God. I may be weak at running but my strength is in my savior, and this makes me strong. This is what I want, but His will be done. It is easy to say, but no matter what my thorn is, I will never be mad at God in any circumstance. He is my rock, my provider, everything I have is from and for Him. It is all a blessing, the good and the bad. Again, much easier said, but I meditated on this and I am at peace. I will keep training, and praying and God will provide for me as He sees fit. What he thinks is necessary for me in my life. Please first off pray for my running, that it will improve and that I will continue to stay motivated and not be discouraged. God is teaching me discipline and instilling in me perseverance. Also pray that I can keep this positive attitude, it is easy today, but it could be hard tomorrow. I trust in the Lord my God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. I pray you do to.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Meditation and Journaling

Today was a great day. Natalie had the day off, so we did a kind of date day. First we started off the day right by getting in the word with God together. That was awesome because not only was it nice to spend time with God but with Natalie also.Then we did a nice beach walk and walked down to the Holiday Inn (the one where I worked at the bamboo grill), and I got her a free lunch. Then we went to the library and read some books. It was a nice day. Then the whole project when to this really good barbecue place called Sonny's. All in all, a good day. Thursday night training is on Bible study, and tonight was my favorite. We learned about meditation and journaling, what it means and its important. The practice of meditation and journaling aids in allowing God's word to saturate your heart with truth. It is a learned skill and practice that requires self-discipline and patience. The process of meditation is clear in the scriptures, Joshua 1:8, take it literally. I rarely ever have a silent moment with God, and I need to. Our foundation is the word, and I need to get better about memorizing scripture. Psalm 1. Not to memorize it like a homework assignment but all day to think about scripture, dwell on it, when I am alone meditate on it. I need to apply it to my life. The word meditation can really throw some people off. Biblical meditation is not the kind practiced by many Eastern religions. It is not about going blank and letting yourself be free. It is also not the kind that is practiced by "Christians Mystics" which focuses all on you and not God. Biblical meditation is thinking deeply on some truth revealed in the Bible. This is not done at first glance, you must really sit down and think about what you are reading. Focus our thoughts on what the Bible says about God and the Gospel. We need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Romans 12:1-2. When doing this you need to be still, quiet, and process what the Bible is revealing to you. This isn't something you would do in the grocery store, or when out and about. It should be time set aside in your day where you can just be in the presence of the Lord. Practically, we should spend time daily meditating on what you are seeing in the Bible. This is something I need to work on, what do I think about after my quiet time, how do I apply it to my life. I need to be thinking abut is over and over.Spend time periodically in extended meditation and journaling. Meditate on the scripture you are memorizing. Scripture memory is not suppose to be shot off like a sports fact of trivia question. But something that you spend so much time thinking about that it becomes engraved in you. Lastly, spend time thinking on the qualities of God, and the Holy Spirit, knowing God more. After the talk they gave us 15 minutes of quiet time to reflect on the word. It was nice for me to go over my journal, and the scripture that Natalie and I had gone over earlier that day. Because it is important for me and her to get in the word together, it is even more important for me to spend time alone with Him. Something I have started here on project, actually since May 31, is i journal every time that I spend time in the word. I can write down thoughts, observations, interpretations, principles, and applications. This has really enabled my spiritual walk with Christ to grow even more. Last night was the first time I spent quietly reflecting on what I had written down. It was peaceful, and i really enjoyed it. Please pray that I will continue to do this, that I will continue to journal and meditate on His word, and grow in the Lord after project is over.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Work Day

Normally when I don't write my blog the night before it is because the internet is down, otherwise I write my blog. Last night was not the case, I was just too tired and I went to bed. My roommate and best friend here on project is guy by the name of Josh Painter. He is leaving this morning, so yesterday was his last day. What better way to spend it then playing 18 holes. I called the day before and set up a T time for 8 o'clock. After playing a great round of 18 holes, we came back and had lunch. His girlfriend got off of work early so that they could hang out. So I wasn't going to miss a workout, and I went to the gym. Normally I go in the morning, but like I said, we had golf. Anyways I had a great workout and was just exhausted by the time I got back to my room. Natalie had been back from work for about an hour, so she was laying down for a quick nap. I had earlier spent some good quality time in the Word with God, after lunch and before I went to the gym. I had some questions on some things, so naturally I went to my dad. He had a lot of good insight and he was able to answer some of my questions. He is a very wise person when it comes to the scripture and knowledge of Christ. Once Natalie got up from her nap me and her sat outside of her room. We were talking about the Bible and we got on the discussion of predestination and free will. Her room leader Angela come out and next door neighbor Erica. We did not all agree on things, but it was such a great talk. No one got heated or in an argument. It was just a really good discussion, not a debate. No ones feelings got hurt, and we were able to get one another's perspective. Natalie and I really enjoyed this. After we all were done I had to hurry and scarf down some dinner, because we had work to do tonight. Usually Wednesdays are set aside for free nights to go out on group dates, enjoy your roommates and friends here on project. They had set up time from 6:30 on to help out one of the churches who had been gracious enough to let us use their facility. I wasn't happy about it, but I had a servants heart and was ready to do some work. Before we got there I was saying how there is over 80 of us and that they are not going to have enough work for us all to do. How most of the guys will be working and the girls will be standing around. Boy was I wrong! We moved about 100 rooms and carried thousands of objects up, down, and around the entire facility. It had a school attached to it and we worked till 9:30. And I mean worked, hard labor, I was soaked to the bone with sweat. After we got back Josh and his girlfriend Shelby and Natalie and I took a very quick beach walk for Josh's last night. We had all gotten close because no females and males can hang out alone past 7 pm. So we enjoyed each others company these past 5 weeks or so. After that it was to the room for bed, or so I thought. Since it was Josh's last night, all of us guys thought that we had to have one last card game. So we stayed up for about an hour and played cards. It was fun, but I was exhausted. So I went to bed. As I am writing this blog Josh is packing up now and I will soon help him carry his stuff to his car and send him on his way. I thank God for putting Josh in my life these past few weeks, and we are definitely going to stay in touch. Please pray for safety on the road today for Josh. Please pray for me and the room who are going to miss Josh, and his girlfriend too.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Grace

What comes to mind when we think of the word grace. Elegance or beauty of form, manner, or action. Maybe to favor or honor; to grace an occasion with ones presence. Or maybe a short prayer before a meal. That is mainly what we think of when we hear the word grace. What grace really is, is the freely given, unmerited favor of God, Read Ephesians 1:7. We need grace because all of us are sinful, Romans 3:10-11, Romans 3:23. Please read those, They are good convicting verses. God is a God of justice and love. Romans 3:24, explains God's justice, we are justified through His grace, because of Christ. Romans 8:23, explains God's love, God shows His love for us, in that when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is so encouraging to me. Think about it, before we even thought about choosing Him and were just in the world, in sin, He still died for us, even if we never choose Him. How do we view grace? Typically we abuse grace. There are really 2 ways in which we abuse it. 1. We allow grace to be an excuse to sin. Freedom in Christ does not allow us freedom to sin, but freedom from sin. Two verses taken out of context are Galatians 5:1 and John 10:10. Living life to the full does not mean living a life full of sin. We should be living our lives to the full for God. Galatians 5:13, Not to do what we want and sin, but to live in and of the Gospel. When we do sin, it hurts God and the Spirit grieves, 1 Corinthians 3:17. This should not be our attitude. To many times I catch myself knowing that I am going to sin, and yet I still do it. Why? I know I will be forgiven? That is wrong, that is the complete opposite attitude I should have. I should use every inch of me, and the Spirit in me not to sin, to flee from it, to stay as far away from it as I possible can. Thankfully no matter how much we do sin, grace will keep growing and over power it. This again, does not give anyone the right or permission to sin. 2. We believe God's blessing is dependent on our performance. We believe we can work for God's favor. For example; I pray this long, had a quiet time for this long, Iv'e read the Bible this many times. Really read Luke 18:9-14. Do you really think God is impressed with the things that you are suppose to be doing? It's almost comical, and I find myself doing it daily. Our good works are like filthy rags unto the Lord. We have the mindset of good day/ bad day attitude. Other times we believe our sin is to great to be forgiven, Read Romans 8:31-33. Why do we think God could't forgive us or believe God couldn't love us. Are we that arrogant to think God's grace isn't good enough for you, that it is too great? Our attitudes should not be on the religion, but the relationship that you have with Jesus. To many times I catch myself not making it about Jesus. We should ultimately view grace as a way to rejoice in the Lord, Romans 5:1-2. As a way to draw us into a deeper, more personal relationship with God, Titus 2:11-12. Remember this; "Your days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." Every look you take at sin, take 25 looks at the cross. Not literally 25, there is nothing special with that number, but overwhelm yourself with grace. Personally think about your life. Do you use grace as an excuse, are you performance based on good and bad. Are you really experiencing God, and if so are you finding joy. I need to be rejoicing that I have a savior, every day. While I was a sinner, and still am, Christ died for me. I am a great sinner, Christ is an even greater savior. Please pray that I will not take grace for granted. That I will not base it off my works and good/bad days. Pray that I will continue to rejoice in my relationship with Him. This is a hard one for me, but I am so thankful that God gives me grace.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Encouraging

Monday's are probably my favorite days of the week. I always start off Monday going to the gym and then work. Then I basically have the night free till 7:30. Tonight me and Natalie shared dinner and just had some good time together. Then we had D group which is one of my favorite things on project. Tonight we all went around the circle and said what everyone has been doing well, or things that have impressed you, just true honest encouragement. As I have said before, what is said about the other guys is confidential, but I will tell you some of the things that were said about me. I was told that I am a good steward of my body, time, and money. I have yet to miss a work out or run, I stay on my diet, I make time for God, and I really don't spend my money on anything but groceries. I was told next that I am ready to enter the world as a Christian man. I needed to hear that, it's easy to get down on yourself and to hear something like that definitely encourages you. Graham who is my room leader told me, how exciting it has been watching me grow over these past weeks. He said he just loves to hear and see how excited I get about spending time with God. My best friend here, Josh, said when he first met me he thought I was a jerk. We all busted out laughing. Now me and him are the two closest guys in the room. He said that he appreciates how I have kind of taken him under my wing and given him lots of good relationship advice for him and his girlfriend. The last thing Josh said, which really meant a lot to me was, "You are a man." He didn't mean it in the worldly sense of a manly man, but a man, a man of God. All four roommates told me how my relationship with Natalie is a great example for all of them to follow. This is the encouragement that meant the most. They all said how encouraging it is in how I treat her. How I make her first priority, and if she calls I always drop what I am doing and answer to her. How I make her first and treat her not only as my girlfriend, but my sister in Christ, how it should be. The last thing they said was how our relationship has set the bar for further projects. Because having a girlfriend at project in not recommended and can be extremely difficult. All four of my roommates said how encouraging our relationship was to them, and that was encouraging to me. I encouraged all my roommates and I didn't shoot them BS, or lies. I told them the truth, and it felt nice encouraging them. Lastly we talked about hoe great our room cohesion is. All five of us are leaders or chiefs. Graham is the room leader, I am an extreme alpha male, Mark is the president of his fraternity, Josh wants to be a football coach. We are all leaders, and yet we all leave it at the door and submit to one another. We all act like Indians and let Graham lead the room, and he doesn't Over step his role. It is just awesome! The Holy Spirit is not only blessing this room, but He is in here, even right now. I know for sure! I'll go out on a limb and say that our room is probably the closest room and with the least amount of problems, Thank God. It is really helping us grow, and me grow. Praise God. Just to let you know, I did not let all that encouragement go to my head like I usually do. I took it and used it to thank and glorify God. Please pray that our room continues to grow, and not only encourage one another, but glorify God in all we do.

Serving Him,

Daniel

The God of my Sabbath

Sabbath- The first day of the week, Sunday, observed as the day of rest, and worship by most Christians. This is something that I don't do very often. I don't really have a day of rest, I'm always full throttle Kronz. In Genesis 2:1-3, even God rested. He set the example for us, He did not need to rest, but He showed us how to. After it was good, after all the work was done. He set this example for us to follow. In Exodus 20:8-11, He commands us to. This is seriously important, important enough that even the Almighty God rested after He created everything, this speaks loudly. I doesn't necessarily need to be on Sunday, take my Dad for example, Sundays are not really a day of rest for him. The purpose of the Sabbath is to rest, reflect, and refuel. Rest, why sleep? Psalm 127:1-2, Psalm 121:3-4 shows us why. It really shows our dependence on God and how we can't do it alone, without Him. Even the greatest man in the world, whoever that is, needs sleep. Sleep is a gift from God. Think about how great it feels to crawl into a nice soft bed, turn the air down and snuggle right up under the covers, it feels amazing. We should all sleep well knowing that God has us and we shouldn't worry. I need to remember that. Even late nights studying or trying to meet deadlines. God is not nearly as impressed by your late nights and early mornings as He is with a peaceful trust that casts all anxieties on Him and sleep. Hebrews 4:1-11, don't skip this one, it's huge. Because of Jesus we can rest, it is final and we have eternal life. Jesus death in fact gave us eternal rest. We have a blood bought sabbath, we need to trust God and really honor this day of rest. What comes next? Reflect, the Sabbath is a time corporate and personal worship. It is a holy day ordained by God. Lastly, Refuel, the Sabbath is a time to refresh us for His work. A couple no no's when taking a Sabbath. Don't allow yourself to work in a way that would dishonor the Lord, and or prevent you from getting refueled to do His work. Also getting to wrapped up in secular things. Have your Sabbath honor God. Spend time with Him, but also do things that are enjoyable for you. Weather it is exercise, reading, writing, whatever. Rest in Christ, I like to do physical things, like run or golf. Make sure you refuel so that you can work hard the upcoming week. Make your Sabbath special for the Lord and your personal relationship with Him. You have to plan it out and make some sacrifices. Learn to say no, and for most of us it will be Sunday, go to church. Spend time alone with God before and after church to prepare and reflect. Find things that refuel and refresh you. Everyone is different, and we all have different ways, what works for some may not work for others. The Sabbath should remind us to rest for one day, and to work the other six. This is something I need a lot of help in. Please pray that I can establish a solid Sabbath and keep it Holy to the Lord.

Serving Him,

Daniel

War, Lifestyle, and Intentionality Living

Yesterday morning I went on a run and listened to a great piece of a sermon, by John Piper. This will probably ruffle some feathers, he said, "I hear so many Christians murmuring about their imperfections, and their failures, and their addictions, and their short comings, and I see so little war..... murmur, murmur, murmur..... Why am I this way? MAKE WAR!" This is so true. I hear these excuses all the time, and no one ever makes a true effort to fight back. We have so many tools; scripture, church, friends, family, most importantly the Holy Spirit. This same morning I came back and read Romans 8. I really dug into it and pulled so much useful information out of it. How their is no condemnation because of Christ and that we are all set free, God only condemns sin. Everyone basically knows that. But your lifestyle is what really reflects what is in your heart. If you are constantly sinning, then your mind is set on sin, and it is not set on the Holy Spirit. If you are living in sin you cannot please God, Romans 8:8. Yes, we have a sinful nature, but we can be helped by God if we ask the Spirit to help us. We can't do this alone. We cannot battle and fight evil and sin without help. The Spirit will give you life on earth and help counsel you when you are weak and need His help. This once again does not mean that you will not suffer, but it does mean that you can conquer over evil. God subjected us to frustration so that He could liberate us from bondage and decay. If you have all of this, then their should be no excuses, you will not need to murmur. Your lifestyle will look more and more like Christs. This then all rolled over into last nights talk (conveniently). They talked about how we should be living. In that, our one goal and purpose is to shine the light of Jesus before others to give God the Glory. If you are not doing this, you need to think good and hard why not. If you are not shining his light, why is that? God really doesn't need us, He chooses us, and we need to bring God Glory. 3 ways to live intentionally. 1. To bring Glory to God, we do this by living intentionally, with a purpose. 2. Live as who you are. God created you to be you, in His image. To be real and authentic, not fake or as the world calls you to be. 3. Take risks and really trust God. In doing this, it shows where your relationship with Him really is. Please pray that I can live this way. With no excuses, that I will make war, and that Gods light will shine through me.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Opportunities

Today was another good day here in Panama City Beach, Florida. I've really been enjoying the fellowship with others who are not only enabling my walk with Christ, but strengthening it also. Tonight, Friday night social, we did a coffee shop theme and we had previously all signed up to preform talents and such on stage. Myself and Will opened up the night singing a rock version of a rap song "umbrella", it was a fun and funny night. There is so much talent here on project, so many gifted singers and performers. I really enjoyed the night. When we got back to the hotel I helped Trey unload equipment out of the truck. This was the time when 3 young guys walked up and started to ask us questions. They identified themselves as army guys and I preceded to tell them that I was a newly commissioned Lt. They were all not only Lt, but finishing IOBC which I don't even start until February. This gave me a great opportunity to talk to them about IOBC and my future. I talked to them for at least 20 minutes. They were some wild party guys that were just up my alley in my BC (before Christ) days. This is when I was insured even more about my possible future calling. I told my Dad that I felt a slight call to ministry in my future. I explained that not like his type of ministry though, my type. I don't think I could really ever see myself as a pastor or minister, but who knows where God will call me. I explained to him that in order to move in my career in the army that I will have to go back to school and that I am interested in doing maybe a religious studies major and get ordained. So not only could I be a soldier but an ordained minister as well. This would give me an opportunity to minister and share the gospel to the rough tough guys in the army that many of us can't reach. Even if we could they probably wouldn't listen to us about Jesus. Being a fellow arm man and an officer, I can not only be a witness, but someone that they could talk to about God. it really hit me tonight when I got back and was talking with my roommate Josh. We talked about how I was talking with these 3 guys for about a half hour and how there really isn't anyone else here on project that could or would do that with those guys. They had been drinking and were using some rough language, but I talked to them didn't use language, they offered me alcohol and I told them I don't drink. They didn't care and they respected me, and we all just kept on talking. They are going to be here for the next week and I am going to share the Gospel with them. This might be the start to my new called ministry. I'm extremely excited about this opportunity and I'm truly relying on the Holy Spirit to help guide me and use wisdom in the choice of words I use with these guys. When opportunity calls, you have to answer it, and come prepared. Please pray for me, that God will not only give me the courage, but wisdom and insight to share the Gospel with these 3 guys.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Application

Last night the internet was down, nothing new, but every Thursday night is Bible study training. If you haven't been following my blog Bible study training has consisted of observation, interpretation, principles, and now application. Application is how you apply it to your life, really and truly apply it. Most of us stop at interpretation. We observe what is said, then we interpret the scripture, some of us may take a principle out of it like don't lie or something of that nature but many of us don't apply it to our lives. For some the Scripture is just text, like any other book, for others it is just head knowledge and really worthless. We must be transformed, our goal is to be transformed into the image of Christ. Romans 12:2, James 1:22-25. Observation and interpretation without application is failure to do what the scriptures are intended to do. So basically it is pointless. Applications simply answer the question of, how does it work? Applications need to be measurable, attainable, and clear. This is just like any other goal. Like new years resolution, how many times do we set a broad goal that isn't measurable and clearly not attainable. Like I'm going to work out more this year.... how do you measure that? Or something super unrealistic. What is in the Bible are guidelines to our lives that we must apply and live by. Joshua 1:8. Four steps that I learned to help me apply scripture to my life. First is that I must know the text, the only way to do that, is by spending time in the Word. Not half heartedly either. I must really spend some quality time, just like I would with any other relationship. Next, I need to relate it to my life. Once I know the Word of God, I must relate it to my own experience. Thirdly, really meditate on it, if I just rush through it to just get it done with and out of the way, then once again it is pointless. Really reflect on what I am seeing. There is no need to try and fly by and do it just to do it, God knows where your heart is, and you can't fool Him. Lastly, practice is an application of worship. You can do all the previous and it still won't really matter unless you practice and truly apply it to your life. It is much easier said than done, but the more you practice it, the more it will become part of your life. Remember that it is impossible to do this on your own. Rely on the Holy Spirit, it's what He is here for. When doing this use the application method today, like, how can I apply this today? All of this applies not to just me and us here at project, but everyone who claims the Lord or calls them self a Christian. Here are some simple examples from the same verses that I have used in the past Bible study training blogs. 2 Corinthians 3:18, I need to reflect Christ in my life, remember not to self deprecate because that is not honoring God, the Lord wants to life you up, not tear you down, reflect God's glory. 1 John 1:8-10, Just confess my sins, and don't make excuses, really receive God's forgiveness, and move on. Joshua 1:8, If you're not in the word then you will not follow His ways, you will forget what it says. That verse makes me wonder how non Christians do it, how do they live with hope and are not terrified. Lastly, Philippians 2:3-4, don't react from others, but be humble and put others first. All of these I need to do on a daily basis. Just writing these down and saying them once will not accomplish anything. I must look at His word multiple times a day and really reflect on it, practice it and apply it to my life. Also make it personal, don't say we or all of us, say me or I. Think about it? Please pray that I will actually do this, that I will daily apply this to my life and practice so that it will be real to me. So that I can reflect the Lord, and that I can glorify Him by my witness, because that is what it is all about. For the Glory of God.

Serving Him,

Daniel

Trust

Wednesdays are our free nights to go out and have some fun, normally for group dates. Last night about 20 of us went to go see the Eclipse movie. Yes I am a Twilight fan and was extremely excited to go. Natalie and I both really enjoyed the movie. It is nice to have a night off and do things like this. Especially when there are 20 of us scattered around the theater screaming each others names before the previews start. It was a good night. Yesterday I spent a very long time in the Word reading more about the Holy Spirit. I read John 15:26-27, and did some cross referencing. The Holy Spirit is referred to as a counselor. He was sent from the Father to help counsel us and help guide us to the truth, and we are suppose to testify to this truth. This is where faith and trust come into play. I am a newly practicing Christian. This is the first time in my life I have really spent time in the word, made a true effort to build my relationship with Him, and put my full trust in Christ Jesus. So, I am like a child compared to many others here who have been doing this much longer than I have. I want to feel the Holy Spirit all the time, I want to hear Gods call clear in my life, I want it to be extremely real to me. It is, but I need a lot of growth first. It is just like any other relationship we have here on earth. I talked to my room leader Graham about this and I told Him how I know for a fact that this is real and I have seen God work in my life and change my heart, but I don't feel as connected to the Holy Spirit as others or as much as I want to be. This is where he counseled me through the Holy Spirit. He explained to me that I am a new creation in Christ and the longer I spend longing for Him and His help and counsel He will reveal himself to me. He used Natalie as an example. He said when yall first started dating things were new and you guys weren't as close. You both didn't have the same bond and relationship that you do now. It is the same with the Lord. I don't know why I didn't think this, but I needed him to reveal this to me. In time my relationship will grow stronger and stronger in Him. He will develop me and in me and our relationship will grow. In verses 1-2 is says how God is our Gardner, and he knows what is best. He knows what to cut off in order to help me grow. It may hurt, and I will suffer, but it is so that I will grow more fruitful. Verse 4 says that I can't do it alone and I must remain in Him. Once you become a Christian and you start to develop your relationship, like I am, you cannot expect God to use huge flashing neon lights to tell you what to do and influence your daily life, at least not all the time. Verse 5, you must stay in Him and get extremely fruitful because apart you can do nothing. Verse 6, If you don't you will be cast down into the fire, HELL. This isn't threatening or scary for me at all, actually more encouraging. I love how much encouragement is in the scriptures. All of this is for the Fathers Glory. He explains in verse 9 that we must remain in love and obey His commands in order to be more Christ like. This should not be for pain, but for JOY. Verse 16, God chose us, how lucky are we? To be able to bear everlasting fruit. It will not be an easy walk, at all, we will be hated by the world and persecuted. We now have no excuse for our sin, but what we do have is grace, Thank God! This is where the trust comes into play. The chapter before John 15, chapter 14, explains again how the Spirit sent down from the Father is here to have us build this relationship for an eternal relationship. This takes a whole lot of faith. John 14:16-17 says the Holy Spirit is here to counsel us forever, and that the world does not see because they don't believe, we do because he lives with you and is in you. I explained to Graham that I really really trust and believe that the Holy Spirit is in me, but that I don't always feel His presence. In time Daniel, he said. I need to have faith and let the relationship build. John 14:26, The Holy Spirit is here to teach and remind you. He definitely is. I need to be patient and let God do work in me. My faith and trust is stronger than ever, I just needed the encouragement from my brother and Gods word. I am thankful for what God is doing in my life and I have given Him the keys to my life. It will be painful and I will suffer. This is all necessary in order for me to grow stronger in Him and be more fruitful. Keep praying because it is working and God is working in my life.

Serving Him,

Daniel