Incomparable Excitement

On Friday night I helped run sound at a blitz weekend for The Philadelphia Project, where I'll be interning this summer. I'll tell you a little bit about how the night went and the events that led up to it.

Scott Smith texted me on Tuesday asking me to play bass for the blitz on Friday night. I quickly agreed, however, later he asked me to play electric guitar instead. I told him that I had no experience but that I'd ask my buddy Ben if he was available to play. Both Ben and his brother Luke (who plays drums) ended up playing and I asked Scott if I could help in any other way. He said I'd be running sound. At first, my thoughts were, "uhh...I've never done that but I guess I'll do my best" However, throughout the rest of the week I was praying that God would use my weakness in this area to glorify Him. I slowly, through Him, became confident in my ability to do something that I had very little knowledge of. 

So I arrived at Mt. Airy Presbyterian church a little before 5 on Friday and began to set up. Ben, Luke, and their dad showed up and helped me out in my little knowledge of sound systems. Once everything was set up, the band practiced, we prayed, and "club time" began. God used the words of both the songs and Scott's message to speak into my life. Scott spoke on the freedom that exists in giving your life to Christ.

This freedom, I've come to realize, is something that can't really be described; only experienced. I've experienced this freedom, but I've also experienced enslavement to sin and brokenness. In fact, that's the only way it's possible to experience Christ's freedom; to experience enslavement to something else first. Romans 6:16-18 says,

"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness"

Paul goes on to explain how being slaves to God and to righteousness ultimately leads to eternal life; and how being slaves to sin leads to death, destruction, and a radical lack of benefits. It's really interesting.

Anyway, back on track. After club time, we went into small groups where Scott and I had the unique experience of being able to speak Jesus into the lives of the students from a leadership perspective. Hearing the things that some of these kids were struggling with was both humbling and heart-breaking. But then praying over them and seeing them love each other, come along side each other, offer to pray for their struggles, laugh with each other; and then later to go crazy in the gym laughing, getting competitive, all with such joy was so incredibly encouraging. It was something that I experienced last summer as a student, but it's a whole new experience as a leader. Although I was a leader on Friday, I was taught by the kids more than I taught them... I think.

This night was all just a small taste of what I'll be doing for the entire duration of the summer with The Philadelphia Project. God's doing some incredible things through this ministry and the people that support it and keep it running. I am more than excited to be a part of something so moving in God's kingdom. The joy that the thought of this summer provides me casts a large shadow over the nervousness that also exists. In fact, only by His grace can I say that, at this point, I'm almost completely void of nervousness.

I've never been so excited for anything in my life than to be a part of The Philadelphia Project this summer. Perhaps it's because I feel so close to God and I know that this experience will only allow me to know Him better. But part of it has to be that I feel so called to do this. Especially having experienced TPP from a student's perspective and now, though only for one night, as a leader, I feel that God will use me to bless this ministry. It's going to have its difficulties and setbacks, but I know that this summer will be one of the best of my life thus far.

Pray for me.

Culture Shock - A Cry for Justice

As a result of my recent prayers asking God for a heart that seeks out justice, I've recently been absolutely heart-broken by the general college culture. First, a little disclaimer: By no means is this post a judgement on everyone involved in the college culture. I consider myself a victim of all of these vices and have no feet to stand on to pass judgement.

I look around on the weekends and I see an almost unlimited amount of brokenness consuming an entire generation. People idolize alcohol, drugs, sex, grades, and at the root of it, themselves. It's, in my opinion, nothing short of disgusting. One of the most blatant displays of injustice that I've noticed recently is just simple gossip and meanness towards certain people. It makes me sick to hear people talk down on others for the sake of building themselves up. However, this is something that I continue to do even though it so disgusts me. I get it, making fun of someone, criticizing them, "hating" on them, attacking every little thing that they do/say makes yourself feel like you're better than them. If you believe yourself to be "better" than others, why not talk about the person that's "less" than you? But there's the problem, are they really less than you? What makes you better than them? We are all human, all sinners, all outcasts to God. So why would anyone ever have the right to say a single negative word against someone?

I want to see change in this generation. To see people take a stand against gossip, against drinking, against drugs, against sex. Are these things that we want to tell our kids we partook in while at college? Are you really going to proudly say to your wife "my girlfriend and I used to have sex all the time" or to your kids "I went out every single weekend in college and got plastered". Aside from that, what do these vices that so infest our culture do for you now? Do you find yourself waking up on Saturday and Sunday morning happy about the events that happened the night before? Are you satisfied with puking your brains out night after night? How about when you're coming down from being high and you realize you completely forgot to do all your homework? Or when you finally take a break from slaving over your homework to realize you forgot your best friend's birthday? These things are detrimental at their CORE. How long will it take for our generation to realize that?

This isn't a guilt-trip. It's more of a call to change. There's more out there than just following the patterns of the world. Though maybe you're someone that really likes this culture. Someone that loves getting drunk, going to a party, maybe bringing a girl back to your room. If that's the case, I can't change your lifestyle. However, know that someday those things are going to get old, and a lot of times they have severe and immediate consequences. Why not change now?

As I've wrestled with the disgusting nature of the college culture and my part in it, I can only look to one thing: the cross. As he had the weight of the entire world's sin on his shoulders, Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Such grace. Such love. Only a God that has undergone such injustice can pursue true justice the way that he has and continues to do.

To put it plain: I hate our college culture. It's about time we, as followers of Jesus, do something about it.

Pray for our generation.
Pray for me.