Sunday, August 28, 2011

my commitment.

(http://younglifeleaders.blogspot.com/)

The Yellow Sheet

I was a freshmen in college going through Young Life leader training. We met in the lobby of Winston dorm on Tuesday nights. One evening we were handed a yellow sheet of paper. Written on that yellow sheet were words. Words that deeply impacted my life. Words that God used to call me to lead Young Life. I still read them often, especially at the beginning of each new school year.

May God use those same words now to speak to you:


My Commitment

by Bill Goans (a pastor and former YL Area Director)

As long as high school kids mill around at ball games
looking for love in all the wrong places,
As long as they desperately seek an identity
based on the opinions of friends and reputation,
As long as kids limp through the stands
broken by family strife,
enslaved by drugs, alcohol, and sex

I want to be found- not in the adult section
where it is respectable and controlled,
but right in the middle
where passions, vulgar and profane,
blurt out obscenity,
Where raucous and reckless facades
hide wounded hearts filled with torment and fear,
Where the price tags have been changed
and darkness confuses-
Right in the middle where God has positioned me
to shine forth His grace, His Hope,
His love and His truth.

As long as there is an enemy who can convince his victims
that tomorrow doesn't matter,
that harm will not find them,
that chains are like jewelry and cool is free,
As long as his lies leave character, soul, and life in ruins-
when thrill goes ill and fun turns fatal,
As long as terminal is only a passage word
to an eternity of one's own choosing.
As long as God has rendered him a defeated foe
using the weakest of us to shine a light
that pierces the darkest places,
that brings rescue to the lost,
As long as the darkness is blasted away
by the light of the world-
that Light that lives within all who
know, follow, and love Him.
As long as there is such darkness...

I'll man my post right in the middle of all that chaos,
holding my position until he calls another play,
and I steal home.
As long as we stand in such an important place,
we must not forget what it means to be salt and light
in this tasteless and dark generation.

In Jesus,
Bill

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

the wisdom of a convict.

happiness depends on circumstances. joy depends on our Lord.
i once received a letter from a man in jail. im not sure how he knew exactly what i needed to hear, but his writings changed my life. he was under arrest unjustly and indefinitely. he went from being a man of stature to broken physically and persecuted by many. however, this convict bucked the seemingly natural reaction of anger and bitterness along with a spiteful heart and a loss of hope. he took his sentence as a blessing and decided to write through his sad state. he used his chains to help me do away with mine.
he told me to set my heart on things above, to set my mind on things found in heaven, not on this broken earth. my friend wrote that Christ is now my entire life, to eradicate everything extra in my life that weighs me down or distracts me from being intimate with my Lord. his wording reminded me that i am undoubtedly a new creation. i am not what i once was, i am wiped clean and living for something Beautiful. how refreshing. that takes the weight completely off me- i am new. i am redeemed. i just have to follow the lead of my God. what an adventure i get to be a part of! i should be shouting this with joy at the top of my lungs. I AM NEW IN CHRIST. He took this broken sinner and is working daily in me to sanctify me. I AM JUSTIFIED. i no longer have the death sentence i so clearly deserve. this is my reason to sing. this is my river of joy.
this prisoner who had every reason to be shut off from the world urged me to make the best of any opportunity i was given. to do this, he told me to devote myself to prayer. he reminded me of a friend who is always wrestling in prayer for others. what a vivid portrait. how often are my prayers focused on my own trivial problems? i should be on my knees, a warrior in petitions to my King. it shouldnt be just a daily occurrence, but a continuous stream of passionate dialogue on the behalf of others. i should be prayerfully invested in the lives of my dear friends, in acquaintances, and in complete strangers- all for the Kingdom's sake.
what a letter. what beautiful lessons and great reminders. the wisdom of a convict is shaping my life. the writings of a prisoner are bring tears to my eyes. so thank you, my friend. for taking the time to pen your thoughts that would one day change souls and encourage me. oh that i could have the joy of Paul.
want to take a look at the letter? its written to you too- Colossians 3 & 4.

Friday, August 12, 2011

where i find it all

it is nothing i do. i am too weak to carry my burdens on my own. my pride is too big for me to be a servant. i am not strong enough to have an ever lasting smile. i am too wretched to save myself. but His grace will lighten my step, His humility will break me, His love will bring me joy, His sacrifice has brought me redemption. i can rest in His unrelenting love, that daily teaches and brings renewal. i can cast all my burdens at Him, because my God is big enough to take them on His shoulders and still carry me in His hand.
at camp we sang a gorgeous song called We Give It All. the only part we remember is the chorus. i was in a rut trying to remember the verses to share, but then i realized i am singing for an audience of one. the perfection of the verses doesnt matter, just the heart behind them. so my prayer tonight is a song delivered on my knees.

these earthly plans
and these selfish dreams
my guilty hands
and my thoughts unseen
my fear of failure
that ties me to this land

i give it all to You
i give it all to You
i give it all
i give it all to You

my wicked pride
my broken heart
the enemy's lies
that tear us apart
this world is fading
and all i am is Yours

i give it all to You
i give it all to You
i give it all
I give it all to You

my hope. my faith. a joy carried by Your name.
my peace. my strength. a grace that alone can save.

i find it all in You
i find it all in You
i find my all
i find my all in You.