the encounter

here’s the latest WFFA report about Corey Borner, the injured student from DeSoto High School.

click on the picture for the link to the video.

Share your thoughts :: Comments: 0

after you finish the mission mode of Call of Duty World at War, there is another battle called “Nazi Zombies”. its an endless game of self-defense against a zombie bent on destroying you. their pursuit is persistent and endless. the odd thing is – you cannot completely defeat them! you can only keep them at bay. victory is in keeping from killing you.

Nazi Zombies is a great illustration of the soul battles we face. in talking with the teenage guys at momentum last night we used this to better understand the battles they face. it was an easy identifier for the guys.

they were filled with questions and personal honesty about their zombies. an hour had gone by and they wanted to continue! they are young men bent on chasing after God and assuming their place as humble warriors.

teenager or not, we all face personal zombies that come in the form of pride, anger, bitterness, greed, lust, resentment, selfishness, laziness, stubbornness, pretentiousness, condemnation, etc. they are relentless, persistent, and deadly.

the only way they can be defeated is through the strength of Christ in our life. yet because of the zombie-like nature we are born with, the battle will always exist. it is not one we will have complete victory over until we are in heaven.

until then the victory is in keeping these zombies from destroying us.

so we fight continually. we fight with determination. we fight with confidence. we fight knowing that our battle is not against others, but against the rage of our own selfish nature. there we kill the zombies, crucify them, and stand in the power of Christ’s life.

Share your thoughts :: Comments: 0

we are allmotivated by appetite. seeing a burger & fries ignites in me a desire to want to taste and eat it! the question is, “am i driven by my appetites?”

there are some appetites that are natural to the physical body. they are basic towho we are as humanity. (food, sleep, sex, comfort) we do our best as human being to enjoy as much of these as we can.

to the degree that i give in to these appetites determines a conditioning or pattern ofhow i respond to other appetites i face.

there are appetites that are basic to my nature as human. they are self-protecting and self-loving.if given into, they are also destructive toourselves and to our relationships.some of these damaging appetites are:

• greed
• lust
• revenge
• stubbornness
• laziness
• instant gratification
• anger
• envy

in a strange twist, my ability to deny the appetite for these will be based on my ability tosometimes deny the most basic appetites ofmy body. if i never deny myself the appetites of my body, i will have a very difficult time denying myself the appetites that destroy me and my relationships.

the power of fasting, prayer, meditation, serving, and giving is that they create soul habits. they condition us to have controlover physical appetites. that control then leadsto greater control over destructive appetites.

how often do you deny yourself the most basic physical appetites?

what if power over things that destroy you is found in denial of the most basic of appetites?

where would you begin to deny yourself today?

Share your thoughts :: Comments: 0

how often do you tell yourself “no”?

when do you deny yourself what your physical or emotional appetite craves?

part of the essence of being a follower of Christ is the recognition that there is an internal appetite that desires things that are destructive. and just as destructive as the actions is the message we send ourselves when we give into them – “when i desire something i will get it.”

if i make it a practice of always giving into the desires of my physical appetite, then i will have little ability to say no to other appetites when they demand to be fed – pride, lust, anger, bitterness, harsh words, unforgiveness, condemnation, etc.

soul habits of prayer, meditation, fasting, serving, giving condition us to say no to fleshly appetites as well as heighten our appetite for God andfor relationships.

today:

• listen for your appetites. what are they desiring?
• practice denying immediate gratification of fleshly appetites.
• condition yourself to increase your appetites for relationship, love, experiences with God
• condition yourself to increase your appetite for relationship, love, experiences with others

Share your thoughts :: Comment: 1

Today is justice friday on the web…

What is it? It is a day that different people “tweet” about, blog about, facebook about, and generally raise awareness for all sorts of justice issues. From human trafficking to malaria, all sorts of justice issues are raised, with the end goal of generating awareness and action. The point is not just to share statistics, the point is to help other people understand the great justice issues of our day, and how they can respond and act to bring justice.

You can get involved in a couple of ways:

1. Follow the action by searching the hashtag #justicefriday on Twitter – read the tweets. (Here’s how hashtags work…)
2. Tweet, blog, update your Facebook status and also retweet (repost) stats, info, and facts about your favorite justice issues. Do you have a favorite organization like the IJM or Not For Sale or Compassion? Follow them on Twitter and retweet their info for the rest of us! There are lots of ways to get involved. Remember to use the #justicefriday hashtag.

What injustices are you passionate about? What would you like to see your friends and family and others become more aware of and involved in?

HT to exagorazo for the info.

Share your thoughts :: Comments: 0