No Place For A Hero...

So... been a while since I've posted. Been busy - broken hand,  yard work for myself and my aunt, work, karate (brown belt - missed my last test due to the broken hand. Kinda set me back. Still around 1/2 way to black belt though), small group, programming project on the side, etc. Needless to say, my plate is full. Anyways, I'm back, and I'll try to post on a more consistent basis in the future.

Now... On with the show! To explain the topic of this thread... So I was listening to a song last night by The Heavy called 'Short Change Hero'. The lyrics in the chorus are "This ain't no place for no hero... this ain't no place for no better man. This ain't no place for no hero to call home."

It got me thinking about something our small group covered recently. The topic of 'Resident-Strangers' - For Christians, this isn't our home. We are aliens in a foreign land. Our home is in Heaven with our glorious savior, Jesus. We should be ecstatic that he has prepared a place for us as he promised. This world - this isn't a place to call home. But some of us, myself included sometimes, strive so desperately to call this our home. We try our best to fit in when we should be standing apart from the world so that they can see their is a difference in our lives. Imagine the impact we would have if this was the case!

This world may not be our home, but we are here for a purpose. We don't have to be 'heroes' or 'better men' - we only need to live so that our actions glorify Christ. Show others that there is hope, and explain to them what gives us that hope. But this doesn't mean that they should be looking to us - we are sinners too, and will ultimately let people down, no matter how hard we may try. While nothing we have done makes us the 'better man', we have been redeemed. That is the difference. Nothing but Christ seperates us from Hell. Christians themselves are not the 'better man' - we only try our best to point towards the ultimate hero.

I hope everyone has a great week. Let me know if there is anything I can pray for you about.

Love in Christ,
Chip

Every Little Thing

So while stumbling around on Youtube the other night, killing time, I came across a song called 'Every Little Thing' by Dishwalla. Great song, and I think it can describe a lot of people I know, including myself.

In the song, there's a line that says "I wish I could be every little thing you wanted, all the time". I think this can take several different forms: Trying to be perfect at work. Conforming yourself to what you think your boyfriend or girlfriend wants, or even changing things about yourself to try and get in a relationship. Striving for approval from your parents. Trying to act cool in front of your friends. Or even trying to earn favor from God by being a good person and checking off every box you can think of - you try to be every little thing to those people. Even worse if you try to do it for everyone, and not just one group. It leaves you feeling exhausted.

But God has given us freedom to be ourselves. He chose to save us when we were at our worst. There was nothing that was desirable in us - he certainly doesn't need our devotion, but he chose to bring us to Him anyways. I can't even describe what a joy that is, but I'll try anyways. The Creator of the universe, the one who knew us before we were born, created us as unique beings, all with our own quirks and faults and traits. Even more than that, he sent his son to die as an atonement for our sins so that we can spend eternity in Heaven with Him. He loves and cares for us enough to do that, but yet we have such a desire to try to please others by changing ourselves and what makes us who we are!

Galatians 1:10 says "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." - It's a challenge to myself. Stop worrying  about what others think about me. If God loves me enough to send his son for me, then I don't need to worry about trying to please everyone else. Don't stress about "being every little thing" to everyone. Serve God, and serve others when I am able. Show Christ's love to those that I come across. Continue growing closer to God, and enjoy the ride.

Have a great week everyone. Let me know if there's anything I can pray for.

Love in Christ,
Chip

The Times... They Are A Changin'

So it's been awhile since the last post. Figured I should give everyone an update on the happenings in my life lately.


Lots of good news!

- I'm now a Green Senior Belt in my martial arts class (Tang Soo Doo), which means I'm roughly 1/2 way to Black Belt. It's definitely getting more intense.

- One of my best friends, Stephen, is getting married this weekend in Mobile. Excited for him and the new life he is about to embark upon with his soon-to-be wife, Clara.

- New Job! I accepted a position at Warren Averett in Feb and have been enjoying it. Still getting my feet under me, but it's been good so far and I think I'm going to like it.

- Taking a class at Brook Hills to be a disciple-maker/able to lead a mission trip. It's been good so far, and definitely making me step out of my comfort zone.



Staying busy between martials arts, the bible study I'm co-leading, studying for that class at Brook Hills, and trying to fit in time to hang with friends and visit family. It's hard to find time for myself sometimes, and I need to unwind and have nights to myself just to have a breather, but all-in-all, life's not too bad. Maybe it's a good thing I don't have a girlfriend right now - don't know how I'd fit her in right now :) - but who knows... maybe that'll be one of the changes that I talk about next time I post... lol.

Hope everyone is having a good week. Let me know if I can pray about anything for you - I promise I'll fit it into my schedule :)


Love in Christ,
Chip

He is with us always, even to the end of the age

Sorry for the lack of posts - been a little busy the past few weeks and even months. It has, for the most part, been a good time though.

Work is stressful, but there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully it is not an oncoming train :)

My martial arts class, Tang Soo Doo, is still going well. I just got my new belt, green belt, which means that I am, assuming I pass all of my classes between now and then, one-third of the way to black belt. I am out of the beginner belts and on to the intermediate level and there is already a big difference. I'm still enjoying it though and looking forward to the challenge.

Our bible study has been going well and I can definitely see God's hand over it. We have about 10 guys meeting regularly. We are definitely getting closer to eachother and bonding and it's great to know that our brothers in Christ have our back in prayer. It's also good to see some of them stepping up and teaching as it alleviates some of the burden put on us. I'm looking forward to seeing how God will use us to further his name in the coming months.

Other than that, not much going on. I turned 27 yesterday, and no, I don't feel any older or different. My friends took me to Dreamland BBQ and to a UAB basketball game. It was a great time. I don't get to spend as much time with them as I used to, which does leave me a little sad. A lot of them have moved away, or have their own changes they are going through such as marriage. I don't begrudge them any - they are my friends and I am happy for them - but it does leave me sad to see the end of an era coming faster and faster. But maybe God is using that to bring new people into my life, which is itself a very exciting thought.

As I start wrapping this post up, I guess I should bring it back around to the title and explain why I chose it. At church, we have been intentional with what our goal is when we close our service - to spread his name to the end of the Earth. We end with reciting the verse which says the Great Commission. I find it interesting that God gives us a command to go out and then tags that line on the end as a way to reassure us that he will always be with us. Even with all of the changes going on in my life, be it family, friends, job, whatever - I have a God who loves me and has promised to be with me always. He never changes. How we respond to him might, but he is constant. And that is very reassuring. He will be with us whatever comes our way. On this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful that even if everything radically changes between this Thanksgiving and the next, or even between today and tomorrow, that I can rest secure in the arms of my loving Father.

Love in Christ,
Chip

The beauty of who He is...

So I'm sitting here listening to Marc Broussard's "The beauty of who you are" and with lots of different thoughts running through my head. I try to keep God first and foremost in my thoughts and actions, but that's not always easy - as I'm sure you all know. I'll get into the hows and why below.

Our bible study that we started has been going really well. We dove into Galatians at first - going over how we no longer need the Law to try and work out our salvation, which is lucky for us because we cannot measure up to the Law's demand. Thankfully we have a Savior who has given us a way out of this and we don't need to try and follow both - Christ is everything we need. The Gospel does not need any addition on our part. We've dived into James now, and have started going through how trials are a way we can either grow closer to God and use them as a way to show his glory to those around us, or use it as an excuse to pull away from and fall into sin. Considering I led the study of James 1, you'd think I would really know this stuff, but of course it takes longer to sink into my thick head. I was driving to church tonight when it hit me.

James 1:2-3 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." - It hit me that all of the things I had been saying were really applicable with the things going on in my life right now. Whether it's family problems, work stress, uncertainty about the Lord's desires for my future and my willingness to obey - whatever the issues going on with my life, Christ is my joy and the center of my heart's desires. If I look to him, I can get through everything that Satan throws my way (which seems to be more and more nowadays). God is using these times to draw me closer to him, and for me to show his love to others. As I was driving, that hit me and put a really big smile on my face - I knew that no matter the outcome, me and my God were going to be closer due to all of the things I am struggling with now, which is an awesome statement to make.

So as this song finishes playing, it reminds me that as I learn more and more about Him - as I grow closer to Him - I will never really even get close to all that there is to know about Him. His beauty is astounding. His power is undeniable. His love is matchless. His righteousness is unquestionable. And that's the beauty of who He is...

The Rundown

So... long time no post. I'll give a quick run down of my life lately...


- Been a bit busy since I got back from Peru. Been working 12+ hrs/day. I think there's an end in sight for it though. Definitely looking forward to being done. Guess it could be worse though - at least I have weekends off.

- Started a bible study with some of the guys. We've been doing it for 3 weeks or so meeting at O'Henry's Coffee shop. Right now, we're keeping it small until we know for sure who's leading (we're taking turns right now) and what format for sure and all that fun mess. But it'll be good. I really think God will use it, and us, for his glory.

- Friends coming back from mission trips all over. Karina, Stephen, Clara, Wesley - it'll be good to see everyone back and get to hang out with everyone again.

- Karate test coming up soon. Will be going for Orange Senior belt, which is the last of the beginner belts. After that, it'll be Green, which means I'll be a intermediate level, and 2 years away from black belt, assuming I passed everything between then. Kinda scary, cool, excited, and nervous at the same time typing that. And just as an FYI, it goes White, Orange, Green, Brown, Red, Blue, and then Black. There are two degrees (hence the Orange Senior that I'll be testing for) of every belt before Black.

Anyways, hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was good, just too short. Went to Oak Mountain with Brook Hills and met a lot of new people and played a lot of games and had a lot of fun. Me and Justin went to go see Captain America after that - I enjoyed that movie a lot! Have a good week everyone. And as always, please let me know if I can pray for anything for you.

Love in Christ,
Chip

Peru Trip

So I guess I should go ahead and write about my trip to Peru. Been
putting it off, as I wasn’t really even sure where to start, but we’ll
see how it goes…

… But before I begin, I want to say the following, just in case I
forget to below while I ramble. The women on this trip, be they
Peruvian or American, were all amazing. The pastor’s wives cooked
lunch for us every day, and it was always great food and we looked
forward to seeing what they would cook for us next. They also gave us
fruit as snacks and chicken sandwiches at night once we were done with
the kids and the lessons. They had wonderful hearts, and we were truly
thankful for them. As for the women who went with us – they were all
great. From Lilah, who had her passport stolen and never let it get to
her, despite missing two days because of it, to Ashley and Kate, who
were always playing with the kids and seemed to never NOT have one
hanging onto them, all of them had such great hearts for the Peruvian
people. They were all a blessing to be around and I miss spending time
with them.

So on to the trip! This was my second time flying – and my second
mission trip to Peru. Funny how that works out, huh? Gotta say, Delta
had the nicer airline over American Airlines, but American definitely
had the better pilots, lol. We had a long wait between flights, but it
was good to get to know everyone a little better during the layover.
We made it to Peru late Sat night. We saw Jackie and Lucho in the
airport. They were there picking up another group for a separate
mission trip. It was great to see them, even if it was only for a few
minutes. We made it to the hotel late that night and grabbed as much
sleep as we could. Ryan, Basilio, and I were all in the same room, but
thankfully we all had our own beds. Hot water and consistent water
pressure were another matter…

Sunday morning we got up, not having had much sleep, and went to
church (church #1). The girls went upstairs with the kids, and I
preached while Jim, the local missionary from the IMB, translated for
me. I think it went well. Afterwards, we went out to eat at a
surprisingly nice restaurant. We came back to the hotel and crashed,
trying to catch up on sleep, and Jim gave us a short presentation
later that night about the history of Peru and some of the local
customs and such.

Monday morning we started working with the church (church #2) that had
just been started in one of the shanty towns. They were using their
living room and had moved everything else into their bedroom so that
the living room could be used for the church. They also had the
backing of some of the local churches, which is a rare thing in their
area as they almost never cooperate amongst themselves. It was great
to know that they were coming together to spread the Gospel in this
area, and have plans to keep doing so in other areas as well. So we
met at church #2 and did prayer walks through the neighborhood. We
stopped and passed out fliers and talked with people (through
interpreters) and invited them to come to the church. We went back to
church #1 after we finished with this, ate lunch, and prepared for
that afternoon. We made it back to church #2 and waited. We had a few
kids at first, but more and more kept trickling in. It was a lot of
fun playing with them and seeing the smiles on their faces, even if we
couldn’t understand what they were saying. Ryan preached the first
night on the Gospel and biblical manhood – it was his first time
preaching and he did a good job, esp. considering the circumstances.
It was dark, and to read his notes, someone stood behind him with a
flashlight. The kids were causing total chaos. But the adults there
paid attention the entire time and definitely heard the Gospel.

Tuesday morning we were greeting by Basilio cooking eggs for us. I
need to learn from him – he cooks some mighty fine eggs. We went out
and to church #2 and did more prayer walking that morning. We focused
more on actually praying for the people of that village that day and
let the Pastors talk to anyone we met. It let me focus on the point of
the trip and to really pray for these people and let my heart break
for them instead of just going through the motions. We came back to
church #1 for lunch afterwards. We got back to church #2 in the
afternoon, played with the kids – the # kept growing throughout the
week it seemed – and Josh preached that night on the Gospel and
biblical womanhood.

Wed was a little different, for me at least. Apparently we had gone a
little long the two previous nights, so the pastors asked us to cut
our sermon time down to about 10 minutes - 20 with translation.
Usually, people ask you to go into more detail, and expound upon
certain points. And here I felt like he was asking me to gut my sermon.
I spent a good part of the morning and the afternoon going back over
and over my sermon, seeing what I could cut out and what I needed to
keep, asking God to show me what the core of the message was that he
wanted me to speak. Definitely had to rely on him for that. Plus it
was a good reminder that people don't need the most eloquent of
sermons. God's word has been promised to not return void. I didn't
have to worry about cutting stuff out - God will use what is spoken
for his glory.

Thursday was our last day with the churches. Everyone was sad we had
to leave them. We gave them some parting gifts, which admittedly was
not much, but they were thankful of at least the thought behind it.
Everyone took pictures with the kids. One child's grandmother came and
gave us bracelets with our initials on it - she usually sold these to
pay for her child's education, but wanted us to have one. It was very
sweet, and as much as we wanted to refuse, it would have been rude.
The people of Peru, at least the ones we dealt with, all seem to have
a servant's heart, and give cheerfully. Something we seem to lack in
America. OH! I almost forgot. Earlier in the week, one girl's camera
got stolen, and one of our interpreters found it. She was so happy she
said she could marry him. Well, it grew from there, as running jokes
tend to do, and the local pastors heard about it. So they got a kick
out of it by gathering everyone in the room that day and performing a
fake ceremony for the two of them. It was pretty funny, and they were
both good sports about it.

Friday was out cultural/sightseeing day. We went to Lima and walked
around the capital building like last year. But we also went to a few
of the big Cathedrals that were located in Lima as well as going into
some of the catacombs underneath them. We also went to the Indian
market later, and several people bought gifts for friends and loved
ones. We got on the flight at Midnight, and made our way back to the
states. I wasn't able to sleep but an hour or so on the plane, so by
the time I got home, I was pretty tired.

Anyways, thanks everyone for the prayers for our trip. They were
needed more than you could ever know. I'm sure there are plenty of
stories I left off of this. Just know that it was a good trip, and
that God's name was proclaimed. I'm looking forward to seeing what God
has in store for next year.

Love in Christ,
Chip