July 27 - Let the praises ring

Today was very lazy. I woke up around 9, laid around until the mail came and then went to the bank. Stopped by Brusters (mainly to talk, but also got some ice cream) and then came home. Cleaned the car out, did some dishes, and laid around some more.. Like I said, laaaaazy. Oh, I also watered Phil's garden, where I found this tomato.

Things did get more exciting around 7. Some of the college group from church came over and we made a fire. Pretty succesful after it actually got started. Hot dogs and Smores - not a bad way to end the night.

In the morning, I get to wake up and drive to Richmond where I'm meeting some friends to go to Chesapeake. Bluetree is doing a worship set there. I'm so excited - not only do I get to see a lot of friends that I don't get to often, but I get to spend an evening in worship of my God with no reserves. No jobs to do, nothing to worry about, no one I have to please - just me and God. Too often I get caught up in ministry; too caught up in the process of a service rather than the worship. I'm growing in being able to seperate the two and realizing when I need to do one rather than the other. Of course people will always say that you can worship through minstry - they're absolutely right. But I need to have the one-on-one experience where I meet with my Jesus.

Today's verse: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2Cor 5:21 I absolutely can not get over the fact that He is so jealous for me that His son died the death that keeps me from experiencing eternal suffering with no escape. I talked to a student a few weeks ago at camp about this. In his prayer, he said "God, I'm begging you, take away the pain I've felt." (there was some stuff going on the past few years he's struggled with). I loved the way he said that - I'm begging you. He was so broken, so desperate for God that he was weeping, begging God to take hold of everything so that he wouldn't hurt anymore. How often do we who have a generally ok life just go through the motions? Go to church on Sundays, maybe youth camp or some retreat once a year, but then live our own way during the week?? I know I'm nowhere near perfect and I'm still being convicted of things I can be doing to change this. But I have this burden to see people broken before the cross like this student. Where they realize there's nowhere else they can run that will give them the freedom from sin like Jesus. What people think about us doesn't matter, because in the end, we'll all stand judgment for what we did for Him, not what we did for them.

Whatever it takes,
Ryan

(P.S. - signature explanation coming soon)