Seduction of the Secondary

" It is often a "seduction of the secondary" that keeps us from our primary love for Christ and for those He has given us to love. The "secondary" can consist of a commitment to a leader, our denomination, or the nonessential ( but familiar ) customs of our brand of religion. Unity is difficult when those secondary considerations become the basis for judging or staying away from others. Added to these can be racial, cultural, or social differences. Sometimes, education, position, financial status, or political beliefs can stand between Christians, keeping them from loving one another and experiencing the unity that Christ wills for them. When we "major in the minors," we end up separated from people who do not look, act, or talk like we do. The only way to overcome this is to be sure Christ is first and foremost in our lives and to set aside the secondary things that have little ultimate value. "
- Lloyd John Ogilvue

debating theology and politics is very exciting to me, so this cuts me to the heart. But I'm beginning to understand that debating and arguing is sort of an offspring of the our Adamic nature. since the fall, we have competing with one another so see who's better at this and that, but Jesus comes and says "this child is the greatest". So, although it is a strong temptation in me to argue and debate, or even compete, I'm trying to lay it down and focus on the things that ultimately matter, mainly Jesus and His Cross. So whether you believe in Calvin's ideas of election or not, and if you wear an Obama T-Shirt or you have a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker, it matters not to me. i love you anyways. let's go eat pizza and love on Jesus, lets go preach the cross and feed the hungry... lets move on.

john piper.

would you be satisfied to go to heaven, have everyone there in your family that you want there, have all the health and restoration of your prime, and everything in this life about yourself fixed, have every recreation you've ever dreamed of available to you, and have infinite resources of money to spend, would you be satisfied?
If God weren't there?

" i have too much of the world in me to enjoy the Lord, and too much of the Lord in me to enjoy the world. " - Shai Linne

dizzy.

the human heart is the most confusing vessel in the human makeup. who knows where it leads or why it leads, or at what speed it can be led. why is it when everything seems so right it has the capability to be so very wrong. if life had a road map it would be so easy, but yet so boring. if we knew the future what is there for risk, for adventure, in fear, in love, in destiny and fate. but at points i would trade it all in so that i could never hurt anyone again. so that i didn't question, i just knew.
Stephen Christian .

journal:
am i alone in that i am easily ensnared into the trap of my emotions ? One good laugh shared with someone immediately puts the feeling in my stomach that , " this could be right " . and i don't like it. i want to know her. i'm tired of the circles of yes and no, and maybe so. there are some that know the one, and it's straight running from there, but me on the other hand, no, i have not run straight ever. with my good friend, i am left in awe, but i have forgotten what that feels like. but that's part of life, especially in love. there's no telling what will happen tomorrow, or after this post. and maybe that's why marriage has come into question in the hearts of so many. they suspect boredom in running straight. they remember the times (of which i currently run) of wavering in and out of desire. i, on the other hand, am tired of the "in's and out's". i want consistency. i want to be lovesick. i want to be captured. I've tasted it with Jesus, and it's so sweet. Now, will it ever happen again? i sure hope so, because I'm dizzy.

Paul's farewell letter to Ephesus

"You know that from day one of my arrival in Asia I was with you totally—laying my life on the line, serving the Master no matter what, putting up with no end of scheming by Jews who wanted to do me in. I didn't skimp or trim in any way. Every truth and encouragement that could have made a difference to you, you got. I taught you out in public and I taught you in your homes, urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus.

22-24"But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I'm completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won't be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.

25-27"And so this is good-bye. You're not going to see me again, nor I you, you whom I have gone among for so long proclaiming the news of God's inaugurated kingdom. I've done my best for you, given you my all, held back nothing of God's will for you.

28"Now it's up to you. Be on your toes—both for yourselves and your congregation of sheep. The Holy Spirit has put you in charge of these people—God's people they are—to guard and protect them. God himself thought they were worth dying for.

29-31"I know that as soon as I'm gone, vicious wolves are going to show up and rip into this flock, men from your very own ranks twisting words so as to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus. So stay awake and keep up your guard. Remember those three years I kept at it with you, never letting up, pouring my heart out with you, one after another.

32"Now I'm turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.

33-35"I've never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I've done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You'll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, 'You're far happier giving than getting.'"

36-38Then Paul went down on his knees, all of them kneeling with him, and prayed. And then a river of tears. Much clinging to Paul, not wanting to let him go. They knew they would never see him again—he had told them quite plainly. The pain cut deep. Then, bravely, they walked him down to the ship.

Oh, how he loved them. i hear story after story of missionaries who went to Cambodia or China or somewhere, and them saying that it was the hardest thing to leave them. their hearts were knit together. His heart is knit to ours, and He feels the feelings of our heart. I'm wanting to feel His.

don't reject His plea.

How I wish you could see the potential,
the potential of you and me
It's like a book elegantly bound,
but in a language that you can't read just yet

You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart

There are days when outside your window,
I see my reflection as I slowly pass
And I long for this mirrored perspective,
when we'll be lovers, lovers at last

You reject my advances and desperate pleas
I won't let you, let me down so easily, so easily

I will possess your heart
(death cab for cutie, narrow stairs)

...

inside of the redeemed, deep on the inside, lies this longing.
which, due to our depravity, does not come from us.
this knocking, in the middle of the night, with persistence.
the desperate plea of the Father longing for His child.
i see this Jesus that ignores the locked doors of our lives,
walks through walls, and whispers : " peace to you " .
He has come through the walls of my heart, and swept me away.
He has possessed my heart. and the more time i give to Him,
the more wood i put in the fire, burning inside of me.
its the burning desire of the Father, the lover of my soul .
the Lover of your soul. don't reject His plea. read the lyrics.

apology.

i apologize
For trying to prove what's not there.
That I enjoyed the same music.
That i didn't burn with every curse word heard.
For saying, "i don't think so"
instead of , "hell no you shouldn't."
For doing what they all did
converting to ordinary, to be relevant.
but being relevant didn't change anything.
Like the Baptist I was born,
like the shepherd king, i was tempted to wear
Saul's Armor. to fit in.
but i can't .
i really tried too.
They enjoyed me more this way.
so i guess thats a good thing.
i enjoyed it more this way too.

i hear my train...

"As a child I dreamt of saving the world, but realized it would have none of it, as a man I dreamt of changing my nation, but was ignored, as an old man I dreamt of changing my family, but couldn't, and only now on my death bed do I realize I should've changed myself, then my town, then my nation, then maybe I could've changed the world." - Some Archbishop

im repented that i grew too attached to some things over the past few months. So my prayers are that it all might grow distant with the distance. this is the end of something and the beginning of something new altogether. My desires have untied the knot. the glue has dampened. i'm not complaining. its just all part of the package. my friends say that all will remain the same. but i would have to render that false. it will all change. and change is good.

i was sitting down with a friend the other day. i told her that i did not know why i was doing this. i have never felt the sovereignty of God as heavy as i do at the moment. why can't i just follow the path of the one whose treaded it ahead of me? i don't know how this will end up. usually when one thinks that everything will change, not much really changes. but i want things to change. i want to fall into the hands of my Maker. that means change. that means risk. that means no more shortcuts. im casting myself unto the Sovereign One. i can't help but shake as i write this but find confort in the biography of brother Hudson Taylor who forsook all to preach the Gospel to a gospel-less China. with only pennies in his pocket, He remained faithful to the Faithful One, not asking for any money for his entire career as missionary in China. He trusted. He now wears a crown on his head that "perishes not". [ Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by: Dr & Mrs. Howard Taylor]

the 25th: im off chasing my dreams. this is what i've spent entire nights talking to friends about since i was a kid.

"how can they hear without a preacher" right?

Dear next President of the US of A.

Hey Mr. President,

congratulations on your recent promotion.

I don't know much politics, but since both sides are professing Christians, Paul would advice me to remind ya of some scripture.

Mr Obama: ( if your still alive)

King David, in one of his Messianic Psalms, states "But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God." (Psalm 22:9-10).

Please don't allow the murdering of babies.

Mark 10: 6-8: But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

This one's a tough one, because if you're in office, it's probably because you got all the "left side" votes. So following God's law on this one is definitely going to get you in trouble, but hey just think about eternity for a moment. In 50 years, you will look back and say, "hey, i could have helped stopped the murdering of millions of babies, but i let it happen". That would be a major bummer.

They say that you'll make my wallet heavier, so that's cool. But Jesus told us not to make decisions based on whether or not we would make more mammon or not, so...

Don't count on my vote.

Dear Mr: McCaine:

My friend in Iraq tells me that they think Mr. Bush is a terrorist. My friend is a christian. She can't go to sleep at night because of the constant bombing. Her church building was bombed. Put yourself in her position sir. And i know that it's your job to make the U.S citizens feel safe. I know that the actions of the terrorists are evil. But consider what Scripture says about evil.

Paul asked: "how can you say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?.
Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you;

7 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. 20 Therefore



“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”[b]


21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.


And no offense sir, but you can't believe in God and evolution at the same time.

Don't count on my vote.

...

In 120 characters or less, what would you say to the next president?

john piper's "wartime lifestyle"

" sometimes i use the phrase "wartime lifestyle" or "wartime mind-set." The phrase is helpful- but also lopsided. For me it is mainly helpful. It tells me that there is a war foinf on in the world between Christ and Satan, truth and falsehood, belief and unbelief...it tells me that the stakes of this conflict are higher than any other war in history; they are eternal joy or eternal torment (matt 25:46)

...I need to hear this message again and again, because i drift into a peacetime mind-set as certainly as rain falls down and flames go up. I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. i start to call earth "home". Before you know it, i am calling luxuries "needs" and using my money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the "war". I don't think much about people perishing. Missions and unreached peoples drop out of my mind. i stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mindset that looka first to what man can do, not what God can do. It is a terrible sickness. And i thank God for those who have forced me again and again toward a war-time mindset. "

hi.

those two letters have so much speed. they get me from :( to :). i didn't use that word for a long time until December 2007. i'm starting to use it alot now. and i have found that it's a beautiful word. it's a key to a whole new world at times. it opened me to beautiful relationships with so many people and so im thankful for "hi". i'm not the kinda guy that has a vision every time i have a bowl of cereal, but i think i hear God a lot. not audibly, but like heartburn -except in my belly. and i always feel God telling me to say "hi". it's like "hey, i got a word from God: hi." . yesterday i was sitting around at a friends house with some folks i had never met before, at it was awkward. were all just sitting around, checking our phones to see if we had any new texts [although my phone was on vibrate]. and so i feel "bellyburn". so in a really weird way i turn to the guy next to me and say "hi". he looked at me like a wacko but it actually led to a full fledge conversation filled with stories about how his sister almost died of fever and how he thinks our church is "dope". remember wisdom, "life's like a box of chocolate."

the here and now

"we can easily become so driven by our vision for church growth, community, or social justice that we forget the little things, like caring for those around us." -shane claiborne.

God please help me to love my mom and dad, sisters, pay for a friend's lunch... to do the little things that i often overlook.

Austria has been on my mind, so much in fact that i took my eyes off the here and the now - and the opportunities thereof. i was praying for God to use me overseas to bring about change, feed the hungry, heal the sick, etc. but Jesus has reminded me about my family, and my friends, co-workers. He wants to use me [you] now.
for tomorrow is never promised.
while reading james' book in the new testament last night, it made me wonder whether we were meant to have all these plans for the future. i think we should constantly remind ourselves of "now" .of the present moment. and of making the most of it. mother teresa used to say: "you cannot love your neighbor unless you learn to love your family." and maybe thats one of the problems with our culture, that we've been programmed since we were kids to look ahead and have all these dreams. that , on its own, is a good thing. but we've made it out to be that all we live for is the future. the patriarchs of our faith also looked forward to something, but nothing earthly. their hope was in The City, eternity. and they understood that the pleasure they recieved in eternity is directly linked to the present moment, and what we do in it.

so open your eyes and your hands little child,
look at those 5 loaves and 2 fish that seem so small
learn to use them now in this moment
and one day you'll be able to feed us all.


but whatever you do, do not miss this moment. because there's beauty in it.

[as you read this, it's a beautiful moment: a chance to pray, a chance to make someone's day, a chance to surprise your parents with a big wet kiss!]

these two in mind

when time shows its weakness, loved ones show their heart.
when reality becomes real, christians show their zeal.
so we live with these two in mind
that time and eternity live together.
that "they can't hear without a preacher"
and "she will fall for another".
life, Jesus, and love-
have taught me their lessons.
they've taught me that "life isnt life unless it's given away".
that Eric Clapton's "layla" does exist
and that there can always be another on the other side.
then she becomes "layla" and then another...
Jesus has asked me "will you turn away too?"- and i counted the cost.
she will ask me the same as life has taught her that i will.
but to both i respond, i'm here to stay , although i go.
like Upton sings, i run, but love's magnet has me running right to you.
i'm starting to comtemplate the possibilities that Jesus meant everything He said.
very unpentecostal of me, i know.
but His teachings of celebacy and redistribution have tugged on me lately
and i ask "did He mean it?" .
and He asks the same of you and me.
"did you mean it?"
when you said you will follow.
it really hurts to leave for these three years
but i'm off following Him.
and i can only hope and pray me and her are opposites.
though for now it seems doubtful.

may God give you peace.

unquenchable love

Daniel 7:9
“I watched till thrones were put in place, and the ancient of days was seated; his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, it’s wheels a burning fire.”

His throne was a fiery flame, it’s wheels a burning fire. Our God… being moved by fire. Our God, being moved by passion. By love. Not fancy words. Not empty sacrifices. Not positions, titles or things that can be acknowledged by man. The wheels of His throne are a burning fire. What drives Him and moves Him is fiery passion. This word ‘fire’ has been in my spirit lately. I can’t help but think of how His beautiful eyes… the eyes that made me fall in love… are a blazing fire…and with those eyes he is trying to find a reflection within my heart, so he sees that same fire inside of me. He wants to be moved by the passion in my heart. He is searching us… were not our hearts burning within us?

oh, summer

this past friday was my last day of high school. i have mixed emotions concerning that. [ mostly relieved ] . By late August, i will be in Minnesota for college. again, mixed emotions. a large portion of my time spent in college will be overseas. [ it is a "missionary college" ].

i remember when i used to spend my entire summer days running around being a kid. i want that again.

so i'm giving away my laptop for the summer and will be completely abandoned to God, family, friends, video games and books.

I am graduating this Friday at Florida International University and so my sister is congratulating me with a sweet camcorder. i will keep you informed of my time spent on campus and on the mission field through the medium of this precious graduation gift.

either way, i am sure Melissa will continue to blog throughout the summer. as for Julio Anta... he will be writing/ touring on the famous Warped Tour this summer so he might keep us posted on his experiences there.

i hope i will be able to post this summer but if not,
Have a great summer

give me bread..

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Luke 24:5

We are all looking. The Bible says all creation groans in eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. Why the sons of God? Simple…because we look like our Father. So we’re looking… each and every one of us are looking and searching. Remember how Adam got kicked out of the Garden of Eden?? You and me… we want to go back in. Back into the place of completion, where there were no questions as to where we were going next and what we should do with our lives because we walked with God, where we were surrounded by life because nothing had died until Adam killed to conceal his sin, where the sweet smell of the breath of God lingered in the air. We want to go back in… we want God again….so we are looking for a way.
But why do we look for the living among the dead? Why do we look for the living God among the dead world? Why do we look for God in “old tombs” of relationships, ambitions, money, and compromise? He is not there. And being someone who has looked frantically like a deer pants for water… I’ve tried to find Him. I’ve tried to find the acceptance of God inside people, I’ve tried to find the will of God inside “safe small steps” instead of leaps of faith, and I’ve tried to find the richness of God inside ambitions of this world. I’ve tried all that with no luck… but today during lunch at work, I think I found Him. I found him and he wasn’t inside church [not saying church is bad… just go with me here]. I found Him and he wasn’t inside a theologian or scholar. I found Him and surprisingly enough it wasn’t inside Jason Upton…[haha]. I found Him in bread.
In Luke 24, after Jesus had died and resurrected, he appeared to 2 men walking down the road to a city named Emmaus. They were talking about Jesus, trying to understand the crucifixion when out of a sudden Jesus came up and started walking with them. They didn’t recognize that it was Him, so they started talking TO Jesus, ABOUT Jesus. When they finally got to where they were going, they invited Jesus to stay with them. The Bible then says that Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him” [Luke 24:31]. He took bread and broke it, THEN their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. What is bread? The word of God (John 6:51,John 1:1). Once the bread AKA the Word was torn open, they were able to recognize Jesus.
We have been looking for the living among the dead… when all we need to do is tear open the word of God to be able to recognize who He is in our lives.
I’m still learning and trying, but my soul longs yes even faints [IM STARVING] for the courts of the Lord, my heart and flesh cry out for the living God [Psalm 84]. Give me bread…

task at hand

i came across an old prayer of a Danish Pastor named Kaj Munk. Munk was an outspoken priest and playwright who spoke these prophetic words before he was killed, with his Bible next to him, by the Gestapo in January 1944

( careful, it might get you killed )

"What is, therefore ,our task today? Shall i answer : "faith, hope, and love"? That sounds beautiful. But i would say - courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature... we lack a holy rage- the recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity. the ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth... a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world. To rage against the ravaging of God's earth, and the destruction of God's world. To rage when little children must die of hunger, when the tables of the rich are sagging with food. To rage at the senseless killing of so many, and against the madness of militaries. To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction peace. To rage against complacency. To restlessly seek that restlessness that will challenge and seek to change human history until conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian Church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish... But never the chameleon. "

i want a beard

" [justice]...It needs to become more than a TREND. It should be something that Consumes us,

because after all that is what Jesus cared about." - [anayanez.blogspot.com]

i read , write alot on justice. i do very little.

i want a beard.
it would make me look cool.
cool because radical.
because radical is cool.
i don't even have to be radical to be cool.
just look it
so i want a beard and dreads, and a picture with a child from sudan.
and i'll keep writing these blogs on justice
and keep my hands and feet clean.
jesus you came to wash your disciples feet
but mine are pretty clean.
so forgive me.
you're calling me to risk
to be faceless,
to act.



i'm sorry God.

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
- von Goethe

give a shhhh...

i was reading an article today that really convicted me. it was talking about being pro-life. as soon as you read those two words "pro-life", abortion came into your mind. atleast it had that effect on me. but being pro-life isnt just protesting against the murdering of babies, but also for the sanctity of life as God intended it. every human being, baby and adult alike, have the right of life. so being pro-life means protesting against the things that are against life, like war, disease, racism, slavery, etc. all of which are very real. these are the "principalities and powers" that Jesus overcame and that we are called to war against. greed must be combated with radical generosity. hatred combated with love. war with peace, loneliness with compassionate community, and so on. these are all things that are seeking to choke life. unfortunately, the american dream has taught us that greed is at times wisdom, when jesus of nazareth taught that in order to find our life - we must first lose it. i could go on but i wont.

the following is an excerpt from the article i was reading: [ i must warn you, it might offend ] .

[ Sacred Reality by :Erin Warde, Burnside writers collective }

Speaking at Wheaton College, Tony Campolo once had great opposition to his words (which have been quoted various times, various ways, with the meaning still valid), “I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.” Not only do I find truth in his words, but also in the reaction. Crowds were shocked, just as he knew they would be. And, though I can speak for no one’s heart, I believe that those people were far more concerned with a four letter word uttered in church than 30,000 deaths. To make things a bit more real, 17 million children, just children, die from malnutrition and starvation each year, and I do believe that we as a society cannot bring ourselves to show enough compassion for these children and, as Campolo noted frankly - give a shit.

please share your thoughts.

undiscovered

“Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers.”
-Howard Thurman

i think i can drive in my neighborhood blindfolded. but there are so many roads out there, and it would be foolish of me think that driving in my neighborhood is the only place i should drive. in the same way, we should be continually opening our arms to new people. they aren't actually new people, they're just new to you and i. they have some years on them. they've laughed, and cried. been loved, been broken. they've been alone in their room, just like you and i, staring at their roof. they have the other part of the song. i must confess that there have been times when i have built up walls around my friends, and you needed like a special pass to hang with us. but i think God's calling us to lay down our arms to the "unknown and undiscovered brothers.” this year i tried it out, and i made some amazing friends. i hope this summer will be a season of beautiful community.

this word community has messed me up by the way. Jesus was the ultimate friend. he laid down His life for His friends. he showed us what true friendship was.

and... God has been speaking to me alot lately. Yay! actually it is really exciting although it cuts me to the heart. every time i have had food or money in my hand this past week [money- very few times]; he has whispered in my heart to share with someone. i have failed miserably proving to me that i am very selfish. so i'm working on "giving my coat away" even if it leaves me cold.

make a new friend