Summer with the MLUPC youth!

This is going to be one of the most amazing summers of my life. For the first time ministry is my job, not only my passion. I get to wear shorts and a t-shirt to work everyday, and my job description basically boils down to hanging out and sharing the love of Christ with kids. This summer I'll be interning with Hannah Guroff and Ian Maravalli under my old youth pastor and good friend Ben Kendrew.
I'm really excited to be able to come back home and invest in the students from my old church. So far, my times interacting with the youth of our church have been a blast, and i cant wait to hang out and watch them grow this summer back home, as well as the Chicago, Bigstuf, and Surf City trips. Working in youth ministry is going to be a whole new set of challenges and joys and I'm very greatful for the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of the MLUPC youth.

Sexual Harassment and the Workplace

So I had to come in early to work today to sit through a two hour seminar on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.

Oh my where do I begin.

To start with, this means that I sat and listened to a lawyer explain common sense to me….for two whole hours. And so as I sat there and listened to the thirty plus situations that we were walked through all I could think about was how broken our world really is, and how we place these complex legalistic systems over that brokenness that cover up the real issue at hand.

It was kinda depressing, tell the truth. A group of the most brilliant physicists, mathematicians, engineers, and programmers (honestly these guys have Phd’s) in the entire world were eagerly asking questions so basic, so fundamental to everything I’ve ever known that at times I wanted to laugh….as if they were joking.

It seemed that the entire time we were sitting in that room, we were basically being told what we can and cannot do when it comes to interacting with our coworkers. With an emphases on what we cannot do. And I was not as surprised as I should have been that almost every question coming from the audience involved how close to the line we could get without being deemed “in the RED” by a "Reasonable Observer".

So the company policy on harassment is 3 pages, single spaced, but it can basically be summed up with this sentence:

“An integral part of this policy is to provide equal employment opportunity to applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, veteran status, or disability or any other status or people group protected by applicable federal, state or local law”

Look at that for a minute. It took the lawyer 10 minutes to unpack what ” any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law” meant. Basically it means that governments have the power to determine how “any other status or people group” is defined. The lawyer explained that in Pennsylvania, homosexuals are not defined as a “people group” but how in Philadelphia county they are. In the same manner, in Michigan fat people and short people are considered “people groups” and in North Carolina this classification also applies to tobacco users. PA law also defines people over 40 to be in a people group generally referred to as “old”. Which means that if I offend anyone in any of those specific people groups in any of those specific jurisdictions I could be “terminated and/or sued” and I would almost certainly lose the case.

But doesn’t God call is higher? Aren’t we accountable to a higher court? Why does it matter if I call someone fat in Michigan instead of Ohio? The problem is that I don’t view them as a child of God. How messed up and off aim can our legal system get?

I was fascinated at how these brilliant minds tried to wrap their minds around how to “avoid the red” instead of how to pursue the green. Not once in the entire lecture were we told what we should be doing instead. Not once did I hear that instead of NOT ostracizing and degrading our coworkers for being a part of a specific ethnic group, or country, or age bracket that we should value and cherish what their background brings to the workplace, that instead of NOT pressuring our coworkers to sleep with us, or looking at pornography on company computers, or treating clients to strip clubs, or making “sexual jokes or use of sexually explicit or offensive language; gender or sex-based pranks” that we were to value, respect, and love the men and women in our lives, thanking God for the blessing of even meeting them, and to viewing sex as a divine gift that God has given to us in the holiness of marriage to paint a picture of heaven.

How did we get here? We're completly missing the point. In John 15, does Jesus say, “This is my command: Don’t Sin” NOOOO! He says, “Love each other”. And really if you think about it, my three page “Equal Employment Opportunity Policy” can really be summed up (and drastically improved) in those three words as well.

“Its Been a While since I could……..Blog”

Alas back to summer, the Burgh, photography, baseball, frisbee, relaxation, working a real job, the college group back home, reading, quiet, thinking about life, direction, ministry, family, church, Jesus, etc, etc, etc….and hence, the blog! It’s good to be back.

So over the past year I’ve accumulated quite the collection of books without really reading any of them. Here’s the current lineup over the next few months.

1)The Four Loves--------------C.S. Lewis

2) Blue Like Jazz----------------Don Miller

3) The Grand Weaver-----------Ravi Zacharias

4) Jesus Among Other Gods---Ravi

5) Mere Christianity-------------C.S.

6) The Screwtape Letters--------C.S.

So yeah, not the broadest scope of authors, but I’ve really been meaning to dive into what these giants have written. So hopefully more on these in the weeks to come.

But yeah- I’m back in Pgh, so call me up

Follow up

So the last blog was a bit intense to say the least. But i figured I'd follow it up.

I'm not sure if spiritual warfare wasn't in my life before this last year or so, but I really have come to be more aware of it in the last few months. Never before has it seemed to be at the magnitude of life and death, but I recently was talking with a campus minister, Isaac, who showed me that the spiritual warfare we find ourselves in has ALWAYS been and always will be a matter between life and death. Its just at this point that I have become more aware of it.

Kinda makes ya a little uneasy doesn't it? Like a veil being lifted over your eyes.

But God continues to carry us through! It is rough at times. And our anger is justified before God- because He's angry with it too. In fact, I'm pretty sure he loves it when we work through our struggles with him, when we mourn the evil of this world, when we wrestle through it with him, when we lay it down at his feet, when we allow him heal the pain. Yeah- I'm pretty sure that brings a smile to his face.

The Battle For Pritchard

Hey All,

Be in prayer for my building because were in the midst of the most intense spiritual warfare I’ve ever witnessed. In the past year, there have been 5 separate cases where people have died- the last three have directly involved my dorm, Pritchard Hall.

You all know about last April- we’re all still working through that. The Shootings at NIU brought flashbacks for everyone. The anniversary is just around the corner too.

In November we had a kid commit suicide when he jumped off the 7^th floor of Pritchard

Last Wednesday my roommate Josh’s Mom died after a long battle with cancer

And last night a car hit a bunch of our friends walking to the parking lot. Zack managed to dodge, Dave and Chris got clipped, Dan’s leg was broken and was surgically repaired last night, and Cristine died on the scene. All of these folks have been on the fringe of IV for a while. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be in prayer for Christiane's family. Also pray for Zack and Dan who are both blaming themselves for not being able to protect her. Zack has been having a really rough semester, and this just adds to his trouble. Dan had been dating Christiane for well over a year.

The Devil is not happy with what God is doing in this building.

Pray

"The Essence of Leadership is Reproduction"

Someone famous once uttered these words.


So it got me thinking- how can I foster / mentor / encourage / build up Christian leaders?

Any thoughts?

More to come I'm sure......

Dude- Where'd the Dudes Go?

So I’m sitting in church the other day….and I’m wondering what happened to the guys. Unfortunately in the minds of most guys my age, the word “Sunday” is synonymous with the word “Football” and the phrase “Sunday morning” might as well be replaced with “WTF?”.

Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure that if you don’t have young men in your church, your church is dying. It’s something that frustrates the heck out of me at times, and is one aspect of the church I feel called to develop. The Church is crying for Christian guys with initiative, leadership ability, and intimate relationships with the Father to lead it.

CRYING.

The result has (more often) been that ministries / callings have not been fulfilled, or that Christian women have had to spearhead these efforts. Don’t get me wrong, there are awesome Christian women out there passionately serving God in millions of ways, and in no way can the Church be led without their guidance. I am incredibly thankful for their service and they inspire me every day, but the sad truth is that many Christian women are forced to fill roles that they shouldn’t need to because the guys simply cant step up. The problem isnt that women are leading people to Christ- its that guys aren't.

SO WHAT HAPPENED?

True Dat

"Being listened to is so close to being loved that most people cannot tell the difference." -David Oxberg

Searching for God Knows What

Dude break has been great mainly because I’ve gotten the rare opportunity to read. I love reading- more than TV & Sports and DEFINATLY more than video games. Maybe that means I’m growing up, maybe I’m an old man. Good books have got to be the best presents ever- and at the rate I’m going I’ll have enough from Christmas to get me through the year. Mainly a lot of awesome Christian thinkers like Don Miller, C.S. Lewis, and Ravi Zacharias. So since I got all these books I figure it’s a shame to read them and not share/discuss/debate what I’ve seen. I know there are quite a few Christian thinkers out there so if you agree or disagree or care at all- please respond or write your own thoughts on your blog because if nothing else, God loves it when we talk about him.

I just finished Searching for God Knows What. Pretty stinkin good. One thing that stood out for me (among many many….which I’ll expand on later) was this. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves:

When I meet a non-Christian do I spend more time & energy trying to reconcile Christianity to them or pointing them to Jesus?

This got me thinking quite a bit. I mean- at least half of the non-Christians I’ve met were driven away because the church has hurt them in the past, and I often find myself being placed in a position where I’m forced to be a reconciler. Usually it takes a few months for many at school to realize that these Christian folks are real people who genuinely care and (gasp!) love them. Many times its loveless contact evangelism, fire and brimstone, and checksheet Christianity clean up work and I often catch myself focusing more on how we’ve twisted the Good News rather than the message of Christ itself.

Crafty little devil isn’t he….

And so I turn into another bitter cynic off in the corner- just what the church needs. At times I find that many of us love to point at the faults of the church without taking any ownership or getting our hands dirty to bring about Godly change. Instead we turn to bitterness- we cross our arms & pout like 4 year olds.

Hebrews 12: 14-15 is awesome here:
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

See? Not only do we “cause trouble” and “defile many” by harboring this bitterness, but perhaps more importantly- we fail to see God and his blessings and are blinded to His purpose for our lives.

WHOA!

The Blacksburg Boys

So...this is what finals can push a bunch of guys to do. We had a fun time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8mtOl6ktOU

Life is Precious

Life is precious folks.

Its so strange how a nameless, faceless person can stop the whole world and make you realize how great a gift we've been blessed with.

God's people learned that down here today.

And they prayed.

And it was beautiful.

Pray

Hey all,
A guy just jumped out of the 7th floor window in my dorm. Please pray for him, his family, his roomate, his RA, professors, everyone involved. Pray for peace and healing for this building & campus, and that God would work through this tragedy for his glory.

Two Gimps at a Tech Game

So Kev came down for a football game & we were the gimp brothers. Great times. Tech beat FSU too.

Exa what?

So I'm in this Old testament class....and its pretty awesome. Kinda nerdy- yes. But biblical scholarship is pretty sweet. There's something about sitting down reading 5-6 books simultaneously by a bunch of brilliant thinkers of the ages like Kirkegaard, Calvin, Luther, Augustine, Paul, and so on that makes ya feel real...classic. Kinda wish I had a beard, a pipe, and an office with a sweet fireplace and many leather bound books to do this kind of stuff all the time. Anyway this is my exegesis paper for the semester. Its real great way to put the kids to sleep, but some of ya might get a kick out of it if you brew your coffee strong enough.

Abraham, Isaac, YHWH, and Human Sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible

There are few passages so fundamental yet so interestingly questionable in the whole of the Hebrew Bible as the ordeal of Isaac and Abraham in Genesis 22. Few other places in the entire Jewish Cannon provide such a seeming contradiction in divine nature, an absolute test of faith, and a radically controversial act of obedience. The lessons and theologies derived from this story have become fundamental aspects of all three Abrahamic worldviews, and therefore warrant significant probing and analysis of the text. One of the most striking elements of this passage is the fact that despite being asked to make a “more than ultimate” sacrifice, the author of the passage does not depict Abraham resenting, or even questioning, the command from God to sacrifice his son. Rather, the Patriarch’s emotions are considerably suppressed. It is the intention of this essay to probe the emotional anguish of Abraham’s test in the context of both his life, and the ancient Israelite tradition in order to show how this extreme test of Abraham’s faith sealed the covenant between God and Israel. To truly understand the magnitude and corresponding implications of the events of Genesis 22, it is essential to analyze the cultural aspects of the text in depth. In particular, it is essential to recognize the role of the firstborn.

In almost every ancient culture the firstborn son lived in a loftier position than the rest of his siblings. The firstborn son would almost always inherit a greater portion of assets upon the death of his father than the others, and was generally believed to be the proper successor to his father’s role in society. The ancient Israelites were no exception to this trend, but they did have an interesting twist when it came to the firstborn. They viewed the firstborn son as belonging not to them, but to God, and it is this concept that the firstborn son derives much his patriarchal authority and distinction from. In many places throughout the Hebrew Bible the firstborn is seen as set apart for God. In Exodus 13 God commands that, “You shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb” and later focuses the command to “Every firstborn male among your children you shall redeem” (Ex. 13:12, 14). God blunts the command even more when he says, “The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me”(Ex 22:29). So if the ancient Israelites placed a considerable importance on the firstborn son, they would probably see the most distinguished firstborn son to be the first legitimate son of their venerated Abraham, Isaac. And with the entry of Isaac, we enter the fascinating realm of Genesis 22.

The chapter begins by telling us that Abraham will be tested. While some scholars such as von Rad would say that this is a sign that the aquedah is only a test, I would tend to side with Levenson in that, “nothing in the verb used (nissa) implies that the act commanded will not be carried to completion, that Isaac will only be bound and not sacrificed on the altar” (Levenson, 126). E.A. Speiser agrees in his commentary on Genesis when he shows that in this verse: “The suspense is this shifted from viewers to actors, yet the transfer does little to relieve the tension. There is no way of assuring the father that he need have no fear about the final result; one can only suffer with him in helpless silence”(Speiser, 164). So without detracting any tension from the events to come, the author of the text reveals God’s command to Abraham.

“He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” (Gen 22:1-2)

There are many interesting points to be taken from these two verses that give us a better understanding of the text as a whole. The first is Abraham’s initial response to God, “Here I am.” Speiser translates this line as the single word, “Ready”. Something that should be noted here is that Abraham does not just react to stimulation, he emphatically responds to God’s calling. Speiser also notes that a modern equivalent to this statement might be, “At your service, at once” (Speiser 162). The implications here are that Abraham is, “ready to act upon a command from God and face the human consequences” (Levenson 126-127). Another noteworthy point is that God uses a very drawn out line in his command to describe Isaac. There are four different descriptors used to specify Isaac in the passage. Each displays the tender father-son relationship between Abraham to a higher degree than its predecessor, and heightens the tension of the situation in the mind of both Abraham and the reader. As Levenson puts it:

“Had the text revealed it to [Abraham] immediately… the literary effect would have been missed: Abraham is ordered not only to perform an act of radical obedience, not simply to sacrifice his own child, but to slaughter the person who now occupies the simultaneously exalted and humiliating status of the beloved son”(Levenson 128).

Speiser adds that, “Isaac was to Abraham more than a child of his old age, so fervently hoped for yet so long denied. Isaac was also, and more particularly, the only link with the far-off goal to which Abraham’s life was dedicated” (Speiser 164).

And with that Abraham, Isaac, the donkey, and two servants head out on the trail. Ironically though, Abraham does not do so immediately, but waits until the next morning. I believe this could this be a muffled sign of Abraham’s grappling with the reality that God has placed him in. It is certainly a contrast from the emphatic response to God’s original calling, and rightfully so as he is expected to slaughter his beloved son. However the text does not go into any further detail on Abraham’s emotional response to this divine command.

Even more suppressed are the next three days on the trail. Few in the modern world can imagine the emotional toil Abraham must have been experiencing for those three intermediate days. Soren Kirkegaard wrote in his book Fear and Trembling that:

“If I were to talk about [Abraham], I would first depict the pain of his trial. To that end I would like a leech suck all the dread and distress and torture out of a father’s sufferings, so that I might describe what Abraham suffered…I would remind the audience that the journey lasted three days and a good part of the fourth, yea, that these three and a half days were infinitely longer than the few thousand years which separate me from Abraham” (Kirkegaard 63-64)

What’s more, on top of knowing the gruesome reality to come, Abraham has no idea where he is going. The text is very specific when it says that God would point out the place in due time. This reality must have been unnerving, yet the reader seems to get no taste of Abraham’s inner toil at all. This is very unlike the character of Abraham to this point in the book of Genesis.

Previously in chapter 21 we can see that when Abraham was asked by Sarah to cast out Ishmael, “The matter was very distressing…on account of his son” (Gen 21:11). Here in chapter 22, the Patriarch is not only casting out his beloved son, but his only legitimate firstborn is being slaughtered, and what’s more- Abraham himself is being asked by God to make the sacrifice. Yet do we see any kind of resentment or even questioning of the justness of God on Abraham’s part? Not at all!

This is the same man who called God’s plan into question on account of Sodom and Gomorrah in chapter 18. “Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare with the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”(Gen 18:25). It is totally out of character for Abraham to appear so calm and passive in this situation. “Whereas in chapter 18, Abraham passes the test God assigns him by speaking up in protest against God’s own counsel, in chapter 22 he passes the test by obeying the divine command unquestioningly”(Levenson 129).

If we look at other figures in the bible forced into similar situations, we see that Jepthah experienced extreme anguish when he learned that his daughter needed to be sacrificed. “When he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas my daughter! You have brought me very low; you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow” (Judges 11:35). How much more important in the mind of the ancient Israelites is the firstborn of Abraham (not to mention the patriarch of all Israel) over the unnamed daughter of Jepthah, whose own father finds her less important than a vow? And yet Jepthah tear his clothes while Abraham shows absolutely no sign of remorse! The irony is absurd.

The only possible explanation for the calm, cool, and collected way in which Abraham handles this situation is that he has complete and total faith in the goodness and justness of God. What Abraham was willing to do goes so far against the grain of societal standards, that would he have attempted to do this in the modern day, Abraham would have been labeled a madman by any logically thinking jury. As Kirkegaard put it, Abraham’s faith is, “a paradox which is capable of transforming a murder into a holy act well-pleasing to God, a paradox which gives Isaac back to Abraham, which no thought can master, because faith begins precisely there where thinking leaves off”(Kirkegaard 64).

It is precisely this faith in God’s divine purpose that later cements the covenant between God and Israel. “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies” (Gen 22:16-17). Without the Abraham’s total faith in God when all appeared to be lost, this unconditional covenant simply would not have been made.

Bibliography

Anchor Bible. Gen. 22:1-22:19. First ed. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1964.

Harper Collins Study Bible. First ed. New York: Harper Collins, 2006.

Kirkegaard, Soren. Fear and Trembling. Princeton University Press, New York 1954 (62-64).

Levenson, Jon D. The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son. Yale University Press, New Haven and London 1993 (126-129)

And......I'm Back

Sorry all- life is nuts, you know what I'm talkin about.

Anyway for the first time in quite an eon I finally have time to blog... Hoo RAH!

So this is what God's up to around me:

PRITCHARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a small group leader in Pritchard Hall, the largest all male non military dorm this side of the Mississippi River, maybe you've heard of us. Its the biggest, smelliest, certanly most infamous dorm in the state of Virginia....and I'm absolutely in love with it. 5 or 6 years ago, nobody but freshmen lived here . They moved out as quick as they could because it sucked. This building was a Godless wasteland- a stereotypical all male college dorm. Then a few Christian guys felt God calling them to love on this place. The year after, more people came back to the Man Castle as it came to be known, then more the next year. Today we got a small group here in Pritchard that pulls from a crowd of 20 or so, and it seems like there's only going to be more upperclassmen coming in the future. There's so many guys, that we gotta split the small group to keep it small. SICK NASTY! Its been nothing but a joy to see God redeem this place and use it to bring freshmen and upperclassmen together in brotherhood over the short span I've lived here. We just launched a prayer group here in the dorm to unite all the different campus ministries involved with this building in prayer and for the last few weeks its been amazing. WE GOT A BLOG TOO, check it out- its pretty sweet.


Well that's all for today, i'll try to keep you all updated with life and such as we go on, keep nagging me to post stuff & hopefully I'll get a chance sometime laters.

PEACE!

-EO

Gone Muddin'

Ok, I dont consider myself a redneck, but off roading is awesomeWe got a little stuck

Up & running again


Then stuck again...hehe.

Wow, this past few days have been intense. It was a usual Monday. I got out of my first class and was on the way to my 2nd around 9:45 with Jorgen, one of my best friends down here when we ran into our other buddy before leaving the building. He told us that a girl had been a shot in the dorm right next to mine earlier at 7:15 that morning and that there were hundreds of police outside who just told him to run. It was about 9:45 when we walked out the door of Torgerson Hall to the scream of sirens and the sight of officers with pistols ready and snipers crouching behind big white SUV’s outside Norris Hall. We sat there and watched for a few minutes until we saw a pack of fully armored SWAT officers move around the side of the building when we decided to get back inside the building as soon as they locked us down. We all whipped out our laptops to try to see what the heck was going on- all of us were checking the major news networks while IMing our friends & getting phone calls from others. We looked out the window and saw hundreds of people running with their hands above their heads from evacuated buildings. It was like a war zone out there. Scary. I thank God that I was safe in Torgerson and that he’s blessed me with three other solid Christian brothers to wait out this storm with.
We prayed hard for peace in the campus as we kept getting reports of the counts. First there was one confirmed death, then 1 death and 8 injuries from people jumping out of windows. We quickly brushed this all off as people panicking and calling in irrational reports to the media. But we prayed that God would make the shooter (or shooters…we didn’t know) drop the guns, end the violence, and restore peace to campus. They later evacuated the building we were in around noon and told us to go back to our dorms. We turned on CNN as more reports came in.
There was still only 1 confirmed death, and 7-8 injuries at this point.
Then 7-8 deaths. We still didn’t believe the reports… had to be mass panic.
Then 10 deaths.
Then the police commissioner came on and said there were at least 20
Then 23
All in the span of 15 minutes

We were shocked, horrified, and numb. A bunch of guys from my hall came into my room & we all prayed again that God would stop the violence and restore peace, and that the death count wouldn’t go any higher.

It did.

It kept growing throughout the day.

33

My God, My God. 33.

Numb is the only word to explain it.

We kept watching the news as they repeated the same story over and over. And over the rest of that day it started to sink in how much God had protected me and my friends that day. The first shooting was at 7:15 in a dorm literally 100 yards away from mine. I stood outside a few hundred feet away from Norris hall as the gunman opened up in the classrooms. There is one major path across the drill field between those two buildings, and both the gunman and I walked along it that morning.
My brother, Ben, walked behind Norris hall and heard a bang bang bang but figured it was a guy hammering some metal thing in the nearby construction site because there were well over 20 bangs in a row.
My brother, Dan, had a class in Norris that morning but had stayed up the night before working on homework until 7AM, and decided to take a nap before heading off for his 9AM class. He overslept his alarm until 11. Thank the Lord.
My brother, Micah, was in a class in Norris when this all went down. He and a few other classmates barricaded the door. The gunman shot through the barricade 4 times. They all missed Micah. Thank the Lord.
There were so many “maybe’s” and “almost’s” that day. And I thank God for all of them. His hand of protection was so evident on so many people that day- that while we mourned the worst gun disaster in the U.S. history, we also thanked and praised our Father for the grace, mercy, and guiding hand he had shown us all.

Later that night- a bunch of us from IV and other campus ministries got together to pray and comfort one another. We were all united as one body in prayer and in awe of our God. We were hurt. We told God that. We comforted each other. I don’t think I’ve gotten so many hugs ever before in my life. There were tears. There was mourning, and we stood on the promises of God.

Jeremiah 31
10 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.'
11 For the LORD will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD— the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.
13 Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty," declares the LORD.

Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

We all began to realize something together. For a few weeks leading up to Monday, a bunch of leaders among the other ministries had been feeling that something was out of alignment. Stuff felt off in a spiritual sense. In the last few weeks, my discipler, Jon, had been feeling that something massive was on its way, and that it was good. Very Very Very good. God was about to work in completely unfathomable ways through our campus and we were so exited for it to come.

The Devil shelled out quite a beating on Monday.

But he’s only the Devil.

Our God is an awesome, sovereign, untouchably powerful God. He loves us and we love him.

Imagine what he’s gonna do through all this.

I grantee you that you can’t.

However horrible Monday was- God is going to bless us with something better. And he’s promised us a double portion. While the horrors that took place on Monday were not of the Lord, the healing and love that is following certainly is. This campus is growing so much closer. There is a whole lot of love for each other. The Church is growing closer. I’ve gotten at least 200 emails, facebook posts, and texts from people wishing me well. My parents have gotten at least 100 phone calls letting them know you all care & are praying. Multiply that my the 28,000 kids that go to VT. Intervarsity has been getting emails from almost every other chapter in the country, letting us know that they are praying for us. Every church, every campus ministry, and nearly every Christian in this country and the world is lifting this campus up in prayer.


Praise God.

4-16-07

Hey all,

Today has been one of the most tragic days I've ever seen. Somebody down here shot a girl in a dorm, then went over to a classroom and opened fire. I was a few hundred feet away from it all.

at least 32 are dead- this is the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

Please pray for Virginia Tech.

THE PENS ARE HERE TO STAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOVT. OFFICIALS, PENGUINS ANNOUNCE DEAL FOR NEW MULTI-PURPOSE ARENA

03/13/2007

Governor Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl joined Pittsburgh Penguins co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle Tuesday in announcing a deal for a new multi-purpose arena that will keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh for at least the next 30 years.

The $290 million arena will be built across the street from the current Mellon Arena, between Centre and Fifth Avenues.

ITS ABOUT TIME FOLKS. Not to mention, this arena could put Pgh back on the map for concert tours!!!!

Vietnam- the stuff you'll never see back home.

Vietnam...meet Frick















Power lines















Beast















An ad for a cruse on "the Junk"




















Uncle Steve































I like to call these guys the imperial guard. They are nothing but thugs in uniform- they can steal your money, your car, your drivers lisence, put you in jail, or do anything they want if you don't pay up.




































A memorial along the 17th parallel (the border between the old north and south Vietnam) commemorating "The People's Victory". This was some of the bloodiest ground during the war, and was disturbing to say the least. American and Vietnamese guys my age died here 35 years ago.















These are piles of shot down American Bombers that were collected and made into a giant pillar of destruction. Makes me want to vomit.















For the record, most of these planes were clearly fake- just look at the paint jobs- navy and air force insignia on the same plane. Pretty sure we moved on to jets by the 70's too. But the war and the people these planes represented wasn't fake at all.















I cant imagine what's going through Don's head here- He knew what Vietnam meant & it must have been so much more intense for him















This is Hanoi Hilton- a military prison during the war. It was originally built by the French in the 1700s where the worst of Vietnamese prisoners were kept starved & tortured. American pilots shot down near Hanoi were taken here during the war and given the same treatment until they were returned at the wars end. This place was numbing.















Yea right.






























Broken glass bottles on the top of the walls to prevent anyone from climbing over















The pilots were shackled to the floor for days at a time. Temperatures could easily reach 100 in these cells, and these guys couldn't move at all. They did slant the floors back though, so you didn't have to sit in your urine all day.


































Death Row















Propaganda bull. They actually believe this.















The Vietnamese Government used photos from US papers covering anti war protests and twisted it to say that these Americans were protesting for Vietnamese Freedom- that even America was on the side of the People. They won the war though, and therefore reserve the right to rewrite history any way they see fit. I look at this though, and wonder- have we learned anything from Vietnam?
















This is a shot looking up from the outer prison wall. Behind the Hanoi Hilton, the place where US soldiers felt some of the most brutal pain of the war, sits the 50 story Best Western of Hanoi. Tell me now- despite the efforts of the People's Government- Who really won?



































Ho Chi Minnh's grave



















Me & Ho Chi Minnh.




















Lennin
















Governmet 'Housing'















This is a better than average bedroom.
















This is the kitchen of a well off family of 6.















Rice farming has to be the hardest job on earth, and most of Vietnam does this for a living. You are bent over, and up to you knees in mud all day. Leeches all around. You get paid nearly nothing. Its 105 degrees and more humid than anything you can ever imagine. You wear the same old pair of disgusting old wet clothes every day because nothing ever dries in this humidity. If you live in the country, chances are that you will work every day of your life in this patty. It truely makes me thankful for the blessing God's given me.





















Boom.















Me & Ballgame on the bike
















Steve drove his bike strait into a parked bus. He didn't even fall over, even though the bike slid under and he hit his head right on the rear panel. Dude is Diesel. Steve stood right up and was like, "Who the heck parks a Bus there!". He later almost picked a fight with a little old Vietnamese lady afterward because she kept laughing at him. It was freaky at first but hilarious.














































Kyle is funny




















What the...?















All you Killa
















perfect blackmail picture

















More than anything else from this trip, I'll remember the children in Vietnam. These kids are so happy with the little they've been given. Vietnam, despite all its troubles, still has a lot of hope. Jesus loves this country so much, and I cant wait to see the day when every tongue on Earth- from America to Vietnam, proclaims Jesus as Lord of all.


"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! " -Luke 10: 1-3