Youth Group and an idea to good to be my own

Youth group tonight was fantastic. It was the kickoff, and everything went very well and flowed very smoothly.

The video I made didn't turn out so good, however, as the sound was so muffled in the system that you could not understand a word that was said. It being an interview video, it kind of made it dumb. I was disappointed about that, but the rest of the night was extra good!

The worship was a lot of fun. The students seemed to get into it, especially at the end. The drums were too loud (again), so I may be using rods next week. I think that the stage volume is relatively low and could certainly be raised, but I suppose the easiest thing to do is to quiet down the drummer. Oh well, I suppose it's what I signed up for when I decided to drum.

Some good news about that, though, is that we are getting a brand new set for the youth group, and I get to pick it out! I'm excited, though I wish we had a bit more money to work with. It will be fun though.


On a completely different note, I feel that I need to spend (a lot) more time in God's Word. I think that personal study time is very important, and I certainly have been slacking lately.

This is not good.

I know that in order to be the man that God has for me to be-a man that can be a spiritual leader in the household and in the workplace-that I need to saturate my life with Him and His Word.

So, I thought that I should begin to add a new feature to my blog, mostly for my benefit, but perhaps for yours as well. I am going to begin blogging on a section of scripture each day.

Basically, I'm going to read the scripture, then write my thoughts on it. I figure that, since I enjoy blogging and am pretty set on doing it everyday, why not make that a reminder to read. With this way, I will also be able to put more thought into what I read as and will be more likely to remember it as I will be writing down. Another bonus is that it will create the opportunity for discussion on various topics and chapters in the Bible between me and you.

I'm hoping that this will be a good way for me to edify my faith, and perhaps, if the Lord so chooses, your faith.

So, I'm am going to kick-off this brand new portion of my blog with Hosea 1-2. This is what my band's newest song deals with, but I haven't read it entirely or dwell on it at all yet, so I thought it would be a great place to start.

Basically, chapter 1 is about God telling Hosea to marry a whore, and to have children with her and always accept her back even if she betrays him and no matter how many ties. Not only that, but its one named Gomer. An odd request indeed, but Hosea obeys.

Chapter 2 delves into the metaphor that is behind this odd request from God-about how Israel is like the whore as it constantly strays away from the Lord, seeking there guidance from idols and earthly things. However, God is always there when Israel pleadingly runs back into His arms, and His arms are always open.

This is an intense story.

I think this request from God is one of the weirdest in the Bible. I think it is a very good, true, and powerful metaphor for not only Israel, but for me. I constantly run away from the Lord and idolize other things. Whether it be film, drums, video games, friends, whatever, I often find myself in the same situation as the whore-wed, but unfaithful. As a Christian and as the church, we are married to Christ. As a sinner, however, I am a whore. I am unfaithful to Christ, as I am always running to other things for comfort or satisfaction.

But Christ is always faithful. He always has open arms. He is always willing to take us back and give us yet another chance.

This is amazing. This is un-human.

Man, that just hit me hard. If I had a wife, I could not imagine what it would be like if she cheated on me. I can't imagine the pain. The questioning. The feeling of not feeling good enough, of utter betrayal. It hurts to think about now, and I don't even have a girlfriend, let alone a wife.

How could God have such a sovereign love to be able to take us back immediately. Even though it's not the first time. Even though He knows I will keep betraying Him.

I don't understand this. I can't.

God doesn't need us, but He still readily takes us back. He's excited we're back. No matter what I do, He will still take me back, even though it must hurt so much everytime that I betray Him.

And I do it so often.

This type of love is the real kind of love. Unconditional.

And this is the best example of unconditional love.

This is what I want to strive to be. I want to be like Jesus in the sense that I want my love to be real, to be unconditional.

To last until the end.

The best thing is, is that with Jesus and through Jesus, it's possible. All things are possible.

So praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord for His unconditional love!


I enjoyed this. I enjoyed writing my thought process of the chapters down and then spawning new ideas based of the thing I had last written. I think it actually really helped me to dwell on the chapters better and have more focused thought than when I solely read. I hope that you got at least a little bit out of it and could follow my thought process. I'm definitely going to continue doing this, though, I really think it will help me in thinking about what I read and in being able to think about different ways in which I can apply the reading to my life.

I'm excited for this. I think it will really help me grow and be more consistent in reading the Bible.

So praise the Lord!

Lee