If We are the Body?

So it has been over a month since you last received a blog from me and I know that you’ve all been dying for more. Of course after the recent blogs by my fellow youth ministers I knew that I would have to step up my game a bit and so with that said I decided to discuss the church. I figured it made the most logical sense after my most recent blog on Christianity and will be making most of my statements based off my interpretation of I Corinthians 12:12-31. Furthermore, I obviously stole the title for this blog from a Casting Crowns song and I am sure they won’t be suing me because what they were asking is the same thing I am asking except in a different way, if we are the body what kind of body are we? Since I am hoping you all read my previous blog on Christianity then you already know I do not believe we are a strong healthy body due to the fact that a lot of "Christians" aren’t really followers of Christ. But let’s get past that and assume that say 90%, which a very generous number btw, of the people who do attend church are in fact passionate followers. Now most of you would agree that athletes at 90% are still pretty good, but even then still are not the best. The two biggest problems attained from my analogy are one that 90% is really high and in fact I would put the number closer to 60%, which in my opinion would still be fairly generous, and two is which denomination and which church within that denomination am I referring to?So not only are we not a fully healthy body but our parts aren’t working as one. It’s as if our arm is playing baseball. While our legs are playing football, and our head thinks the game is basketball. With all the splits and breaks and arguments our body is closer to a paraplegic than it is to a sick human being and the only difference between our body when in that state, which is we cant do anything, and the church body is that Christ is at the center and therefore the will of God can still be accomplished if just not in a so perfect way. (Remember the Bible says that if all the world stopped praising God, the rocks would cry out His name, so no matter what we do, God’s will, will get accomplished)So that leads to the question how can we be a better body for Christ? Well honestly I think we are way past that to the point I am not sure we can return unless organized Christianity as we know it is destroyed. Truthfully in my opinion the only time the body was at its most complete was in the early church of Paul. There were no denominations, no arguments over carpets or pulpits, no splitting over did Jesus feed four thousand or five thousand. No it was just a bunch of people who took the Great Commission literally and lived by one simple principal: that Jesus is the Savior and the only way to Heaven. And that’s how we get back to square one, we forget everything else and start with one bed rock principal, that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life that only through Him can we find eternal life and after that what matters?
The answer is nothing. But the problem is we are still arguing over wooden and plastic pulpits, contemporary and traditional music, blue and red carpets, and so on and so on and so on. So instead of being a truly functional working body of Christ we are instead right now stuck in this world of denominations, where Christian brothers make fun of one another because he is a Methodist and she is a Catholic and I am a Baptist, but they don’t count because they aren’t southern Baptist. Stuck in a world of fighting churches, where we further divide the body of Christ not based on something Biblical but on something mundane like the number of stain glass windows and the style of pants the pastor should wear. Stuck in a world that is run by the world which is run by the Prince of the Air (who is Satan for all you who don’t know that) instead of a Realm where Christ is the center and all we are trying to do is better further His Glory and will putting down our own desires and doing whatever is necessary to further expand His glorious Kingdom. And until we realize that, we will continue to fight over meaningless things and will continue to be a paraplegic body trying to do God's will with our parts that don’t work the way they should, because we are trying to walk with our hands our hear with our feet, and that will always lead me to ask the question: If we are the body?On a side note: One may argue about the non denominational church and I will say the same thing about it that I said about Seinfeld, a show about nothing that in the end the idea of nothing became something, is that the idea of being non denomination in its doing became yet another denomination, just another break in the body of Christ.

How Undignified Are You Willing To Be?

2Samuel 6:16, 20-21, 22
16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.
20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
21 David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.

Dignity - The state of being worthy or honorable; elevation of mind or character; true worth; excellence.

Two words stand out at the end of this scripture. Undignified and Humiliated. These aren't easy words to describe someone. David embraced it...

David had to make a choice. He would either do what others expected or give up his dignity and praise the Lord with everything he has. David was a great king. But, more importantly, David was a man after God's own heart. He was in a leadership role and was willing to set the example.

When you have the opportunity to worship the Lord, do you think about who is watching you? Are you willing to set the example? You, as a christian, set the example. When you call yourself a Christian but your actions are of the world, you set the worldly example. Although you aren't perfect, you can still set a Godly example. Are you willing to be undignified and humiliated in the world's eyes?

Take Action - Your actions are a reflection of your heart. When a situation occurs, good or bad, how do you handle it? What's your attitude?

Distractions - This comes in many different forms; cell phones, television, video games, worldly relationships, too many extra curricular activities, religion, and many more. Don't let the world distract you from building your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Laziness - Satan has a favorite Christian. The lazy Christians. Let's go to God's word with this one. James 2:18-26. James tells us that "Faith without Deeds is dead in the spirit." You can say you love God and that you believe, but that "faith" means nothing without deeds. Don't get this confused with salvation. If you have sincerely asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, heaven is your destination. But what James is trying to tell you is don't claim faith if you are unwilling to prove it.

Do you believe? - Let's go back just a tad to James 2:19. Your belief is important. What you believe determines how you will live. The "believe" that the demons have is the understanding that God exists and they are scared of Him. The "believe" that Jesus expects us to have is that we "Trust, Rely, and Depend" on Him and respect(fear) Him. Do you, with your whole heart and a clear conscience, believe that you "Trust, Rely, and Depend" on Jesus Christ?

Where in the world could we ever begin to fathom the idea that we could improve on our relationship with Jesus Christ? There is so much asked of us. You have places and people that you can go to for guidance.

The Bible - This book has all the answers. Start there if you have one...

The Church - I don't mean the church service or building but it just so happens that the church (Body of Christ) I speak of, meets in the church building a couple times a week.

Youth Minister and Leader or Church Pastor - These men and women dedicate themselves to sharing Christ with everyone, including you. Despite what you think, they are not in it for themselves. They have been set apart by God to be a servant leader example in your life. They are great resources for answers to many questions. (Hint: They get their answers from The Bible.)

Ultimately, it all comes down to this. Are you willing to become undignified and humiliated in the world's eyes and be set apart by God in His favor?

Actions Speak Louder Than Words...

Well, we have been away for a few weeks, but I guess it's time to post another blog. I want to talk about dad's this week since we just celebrated Father's Day. I hope you honored your father yesterday. If you forgot, tell him you love him a.s.a.p!!! I want to share a story about my dad and then show you how a loving earthly father is a reflection of our Heavenly father.





“Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

I remember the first time I ever saw my father cry. It has been engraved in my memory forever. I didn’t even know he could weep. I mean, he is not really human, is he?



I was probably about eleven, and the summer was in full bloom. I still thought the world of my Dad and was still young enough that I wanted to be like him. He loved to hunt and from an early age, he would take me with him. He would always go coon hunting late at night with a few old hound dogs. I never really remember shooting anything, but Dad would always talk about how beautiful those dogs sounded as they barked in the pitch black night. We would let them loose and would wait until they found something. I could never tell the difference between the “Searching bark” and the “Eureka bark” but Dad knew every time. Amazingly, he could even identify the specific dog that found the coon.

“There it is, Preston.” He would whisper.

“What?”

“She’s got one!”

“Who has what?”

“Daisy has a coon treed. Let’s go help her out.”

Now I have already said that I don’t remember us ever killing any coons, but I do remember Dad having a few dead coons when he went by himself. I think he didn’t want me to see him kill an animal, so we would just watch the dogs bark up the tree and listen to their voices. It wasn’t until I grew older that we started actually shooting things.

I go into great detail in explaining these events to help you understand where my passion for hunting originated. I was now eleven and we lived near a small patch of trees near a lake. I had a little “Weenie Dog” that loved to hunt squirrels. I would always walk outside and hear “Droopy” barking at the top of his small, puny voice at a frightened squirrel in a tree. I would then run to fetch my BB Gun to help him out. I have to say that without a doubt, Droopy was the best dog in the world. He loved me and I loved him. It is because of Droopy that I still tear up when I hear the old country song that goes something like this:

“Feed Jake. He’s been a good dog.
My best friend right through it all.
If I die before I wake, feed Jake.”

I laugh at that song now, because you can’t get much more redneck than writing a love song for your dog! But I truly loved that dog and considered Droopy to be my best friend. There was one problem, though. Droopy loved to chase cars. I, to this day, do not understand the concept of chasing cars, yet to a dog it is a way of life. And if you play with fire, you are going to get burned. Well, the day finally came when Droopy got burned.

We were in the house when we heard a car fly by so fast it sounded as if the person driving wanted to match the speed of light. Shortly after that sound came the squeal of a wounded dog. I knew what had just happened. We jumped up and ran to the door. We saw a crippled ball of fur laying in the road with it’s back broken. I began to cry as well as my sister. My older brother was at the age where he was too cool to show emotions, so he fought back the tears. My mother tried to comfort and distract us as my father went to pick up the injured friend. The sounds that came from my hunting companion were unbearable to hear, so my sister and I ran to our rooms, shutting the door behind us. Clearly it was too late to save my friend. My Dad had the horrible job of putting Droopy out of his misery. I do not look forward to this fatherly duty, but am sure the time will soon come for me also.

About a half hour passed when my door was slowly pried open. It was my mother. She looked as though she had been crying and still appeared to be fighting to gain control of her composer. It was no shock for us to see our mother cry. There were many times we witnessed her crying. Every time one of her children got hurt or sick, she would tear up. She looked at me and said, “Preston, we are ready to bury Droopy now.” My sister and I were still crying. We went outside where my father had dug a hole in the ground. He was already waiting for us there. I looked at his face and noticed something I never remember seeing before that night. A tear. My Dad was crying? What does this mean? Did he love this dog as much as we did?

The answer was, no. He liked Droopy as a pet, yet never let him become more than that. So why the tears if he didn’t love the dog? I struggled with this answer for a long time. It wasn’t until I saw my own son cry over something he loved for the first time that I realized my Dad was not crying because of his love for my dog, but because of his love for his children. My mom and dad both were sad about losing the family pet, but they were broken inside because their children were broken inside. They felt what we felt. They hurt because we hurt. They cried because we cried.

This simple act of compassion painted a visual portrait of my heavenly Father and allowed me to see Him in a whole new light. It reminds me of the story of a man named Lazarus. Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus. In fact, Jesus was close friends with the entire family, visiting them for dinner often. On one particular occasion, Jesus and his disciples were in a different town ministering when news came of the sickness of their good friend. The news was certain. There was nothing they could do. Lazarus would surely die. Jesus waited until four days after the burial to show his respects. As he drew near the tomb where Lazarus was laid, he noticed the family grieving. In what could be the most simple, yet profound, verse in the whole Bible it is recorded that Jesus cried. John 11:35 simple says, “Jesus wept.”

I wonder how often we miss this truth by looking at the spectacular miracle Jesus performed by raising Lazarus from the dead. I am by no means down playing the miracle, yet I want to focus on those two words for a moment. Jesus wept. Wait a minute. I didn’t even know he could weep. I mean, he is not really human, is he? He is God!

Yes, and that is exactly why it is such an epiphany to see our Lord cry. Some standing nearby made the same mistake I made when I first saw my father cry. “See how he loved him.” The people thought he was crying because he was going to miss his longtime friend. But we know from verse 11 that he knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead four days before. He was not weeping because he lost a dear friend. He was broken inside because his friends were broken inside. He felt what they felt. He hurt because they hurt. He cried because they cried.

Just like my father, our heavenly Father loves and cares for his children. It is so encouraging for me to know that when I cry, my heavenly Father is right there with me and is going through the pain as well.

How we see our earthly father is how we see how heavenly Father. As I look back on the life of my Dad, I can point to many times when he displayed Jesus simply by his actions. The saying is true.

“Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

Why I am Anti-Christian

Well I get the honor of being the first of many in a weekly blog series written by the youth ministers here in Leon County in attempt to further give you something to think and to also widen our horizons as teachers and speakers. I am excited about this and thought this opening blog will give you a really good idea of how I am as a blogger. I am very open and I don’t like to hold back, I have many thoughts and don’t mind expressing them. It has been often said that I could totally do the Mike and Mike Show but instead of talking about sports we would talk about Jesus. Anyways with all that said lets get started.
I chose this title as my first blog because I am almost certain I've grabbed most of your attentions right away. Now let me be the first to tell you that I have not forsaken Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior nor am I now an atheist nor a Mormon nor a Jehovah’s Witness nor any of those crazy things. I am for all intensive purposes against the name Christian because it has been corrupted and no longer is a true representation of being a "little Christ". In fact I would much rather be called a 'little Christ" or the term I am most endeared to, Jesus Freak, than Christian any day of the week. Why you ask? Well most of you, I am sure, are quite aware that almost every person you run into today claims to be a Christian, but not because they are a hard core member of the body willing to lay down their own life for the name and cause of Him who did the same for us, but instead because they go to church, because their parents went to church, because they are a good person, because they were born that way, or more commonly just because they are American. And lets not even get into the fact that most of the people in high positions of Christian areas are not truly representing Jesus at all either by living lives of a very sinful nature or by living lives in a very Pharisaical matter, or as I see it, talking a good talk but not walking a good walk. At seminary I was often surrounded by students and professors who would speak a good word and yet never once practiced what we preached. Look at the Southern Baptists lately. We are throwing around words like love and grace and forgiveness and not practicing it at all. We are greedy and unforgiving and are very two faced in our dealings. If the Bible calls us to be salt and light as Jesus so clearly did in Matthew 5:13-16, then shouldn’t we be living lives that stand out from the rest of the crowd and not just blend in with everyone else? Shouldn’t we be going out of our ways to make sure that a name that represents our Lord and Savior is making a difference in the world and not just a commonality that is seen in everyday talk as if it has no real meaning at all like being a Scorpio or enjoying a latte’ in the mornings?
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not perfect, I am a sinner but I have been saved by grace, I have been forgiven of my sins and therefore try to show these same things to others. I try my best to live a life that is worthy of the name “little Christ” and is not just a life that any Tom, Dick or Harry could live without knowing the awesome joys that come with the acceptance of Christ as your Lord and Savior. So I have decided to become Anti Christian, a down to earth mocked Jesus Freak, the same kind that in an attempt to be mocked by the name found joy in being persecuted for a man who gave His life for them.
So what is the point of this initial blog? It is to get you to think about what does the name “Christian” mean to you. Is it just a word you toss around like American or Texan or Boy or Girl? Or is it a name that makes you proud to stand up and say that I was saved by the blood of the Lamb, not by anything I did, but only by the grace of God could I be saved from the life of sin that I personally could never get free of on my own? So how will you go about your day now, same as before, or will you stand up and say I am a Jesus Freak and I’m willing to do anything for the glory of Christ, even give up my own life to further His kingdom?

SMOLC Blog

Welcome to the blog of SMOLC. We thank you for taking the time to check us out. We will do the best we can to update this blog on a weekly basis. Starting next Monday, June 1st and every Monday after that. Have a blessed day!