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6.22.2011
6.20.2011
Fight the Good Fight
Every Monday, Adam Young of Owl City posts an entry to his blog. I was highly challenged by today's entry, and wanted to pass this message along to you as well. You should follow this guy. http://www.owlcityblog.com/
Right now I’m tucked snugly into my bunk on the tour bus as a sleepy chorus of tires on blacktop sweetly serenades me through the night. My eyelids are growing heavy. Our fearless driver is at the helm, a great courageous captain of the moonlit open road. It’s 2:34 AM and we’re skirting the east coast, stealing through the night, trekking from Baltimore to Montreal. A rich scent of evergreen hangs heavy in the air as our landlocked cruise ship pitches and reels over wave after wave of rolling coniferous hilltops.
A dear fan gave me a beautiful letter after my show a few nights ago and she wrote a verse on the inside cover.
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)
I’m sure I must’ve read this verse fifty times before, but tonight it struck me in a new way. I spend so much time DOING… in whatever capacity the definition of the word DO includes. I, as a mortal human being, would go nuts if I wasn’t always DOING whatever it is I DO… and of course not all of it is BAD per se, because all of it just IS and sometimes I don’t pay any attention to it. I wake up, I do stuff, I fall sleep, I repeat. The conviction here is the fact that I so often forget to do whatever it is I do… in the name of the Lord Jesus, not because I’m willfully trying to be a greedy little monster (despite the classic nature of the flesh) but because sometimes it just doesn’t cross my mind. I stood onstage the other night during the encore and felt the Lord suddenly say, “You don’t have to be afraid to trust me. I’ve got you.” Everything in me wanted to cry out and say, “Yes, but I’m such a helpless sinner! What good can I do?!” Later that night I found myself reading 2 Peter chapter 3, and there was my answer… the fact that my wonderful Savior is ALIVE, and He is going to return for His own. Despite my many flaws, despite my endless list of weaknesses, Christ is so much BIGGER than all of that… my prayer is only that He grant me the strength required to finish this race, to fight the good fight, to remain steadfast, to further the Kingdom, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… for it is painfully obvious that without Him, I am absolutely nothing. I deeply desire more than anything to make Him proud, that by my life or death, His name may be glorified.
Sometimes the good fight feels impossible, but I for one, am NOT giving up.
JV
5.30.2011
"Open-Mic" NIGHT!
This Wednesday, June 1, will be our inaugural "Open-Mic" night at NLBC! You guys have heard me share all year long what the LORD has laid on my heart & how He's spoken to me. But now it's time for YOU to share!
What Does "Sharing" Look Like: basically, this is a time for you to share what God has done in your life this past year. How you've grown in Him. How you've become closer in your relationship with Him. Maybe it's a verse. Maybe it's something that spoke to you on a Wednesday night, Sunday School, a Bible Study or even your own personal quiet time. Whatever it is, pray & think about how God has been working in your life this past year & get ready to SHARE it!
And some of you may not want to. Some of you may be scared. But think about this: you never know how your testimony might encourage or bless someone else.
Time to get real students & time to share the power of the LORD in your life!
JV
What Does "Sharing" Look Like: basically, this is a time for you to share what God has done in your life this past year. How you've grown in Him. How you've become closer in your relationship with Him. Maybe it's a verse. Maybe it's something that spoke to you on a Wednesday night, Sunday School, a Bible Study or even your own personal quiet time. Whatever it is, pray & think about how God has been working in your life this past year & get ready to SHARE it!
And some of you may not want to. Some of you may be scared. But think about this: you never know how your testimony might encourage or bless someone else.
Time to get real students & time to share the power of the LORD in your life!
JV
5.25.2011
LOVER of Your Soul?
Have you ever considered treating your relationship with Jesus like an ACTUAL relationship??
I think that's a good, tough question, and one that generates a huge challenge for us. Think about it. In a real-life relationship, with a best friend or significant other, you:
I think that's a good, tough question, and one that generates a huge challenge for us. Think about it. In a real-life relationship, with a best friend or significant other, you:
- Spend hours talking/texting on the phone & not mind a bit
- Hate being apart...hate not being able to see that person
- Get excited about ANY opportunity to spend time or just hang out with that someone
- Spend numerous hours stalking them on Facebook
So what if we treated our relationship with Jesus the same? What if we didn't mind spending hours in conversation with Him? What if we dreaded not being in His presence or feeling His Spirit? What if we got excited about meeting with Him or spending time with Him at church? What if we spent hours stalking Him & looking Him up in His Word to learn everything we could about Him? What IF?
Better question: so why not? Maybe this can challenge you to take a whole new approach in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Make Him more than your Savior. May He be your LORD & lover of your soul.
JV
Better question: so why not? Maybe this can challenge you to take a whole new approach in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Make Him more than your Savior. May He be your LORD & lover of your soul.
JV
5.24.2011
Go Back or Go Forth?
When Jesus encounters the woman caught in adultery in John 8, He commands her to go & leave her life of sin. To go & sin no more. To go & no longer continue living her old ways. To go & begin a new lifestyle.
He ultimately gives her a choice. He commands her to go, but it's up to the woman whether or not she leaves her life of sin. She has that choice to make.
Today, when we encounter Jesus as LORD, we're faced with the same decision as the woman. Go back to our old life of slavery to sin? Or go forth with the Lord? Go & live in new life?
The choice is yours. Today. What life will you choose?
JV
He ultimately gives her a choice. He commands her to go, but it's up to the woman whether or not she leaves her life of sin. She has that choice to make.
Today, when we encounter Jesus as LORD, we're faced with the same decision as the woman. Go back to our old life of slavery to sin? Or go forth with the Lord? Go & live in new life?
The choice is yours. Today. What life will you choose?
JV
MISSION:Chicago 2011
- WHEN: June 10th (meet @ 6 AM) – June 14th
- WHERE: Chicago (Wicker Park & Logan Square)
- WHY: Go serve & do MISSIONS with Mosaic Chicago Church
- WHO: All High School students (2012 school year)
- WHAT: Service projects / prayer walking / VBS / evangelism
- HOW MUCH: $100 (includes lodging, L-Train pass & meals while there)
- DEADLINE: June 1st
- WHAT TO BRING: $$ for food there & back & general spending / sleeping bag, pillow & air mattress / toiletries / BIBLE / work clothes / games for hangout
*Contact John for any further questions! 479.381.7502
4.14.2011
Don't Smear the Map
My heart has been heavy here lately. My mind has been boggled. My thoughts have been all over the place. Discouraged. Confused. Restless.
Tara & I have been here in Little Rock for almost 2 years now. And when we moved down here from Fayetteville for medical school, we left everything behind. Amazing jobs we loved, family, friends & all sorts of support. So moving was certainly a challenge. But we felt the Lord was directing us here for His purpose, so we came even at the expense of those things. We wanted to be obedient no matter what.
And in our obedience, the LORD has certainly blessed! He has given me an amazing opportunity to minister to students at a growing church in New Life Baptist. The LORD has used us in mighty ways to bring glory to His kingdom & He has proven to be great & faithful through it all. We've made lasting relationships, developed some roots, seen tremendous spiritual growth & gone through life-changing experiences we would have never experienced otherwise. God has been good to say the least.
So that's where things got complicated. In our desire to be obedient, God moved & provided us with a ministry to invest in. God proved He had directed us to Little Rock for a purpose. And God confirmed He had called us to minister to students at New Life Baptist Church.
Which wasn't necessarily our plan. Because when we moved, we knew there was a possibility to return to Fayetteville for Tara to finish her 3rd & 4th years of school. We weren't counting on being bound by anything here. But God had other plans. So when that time came around to make that decision to stay here or go on back to NWA this Spring, you can imagine the torment. The stress. The hours of thoughts spent on what to do.
On one hand, everything we wanted was back in Fayetteville. We could go finish up school in a better location, be surrounded by family & old friends, possibly make a return to an old job we loved & be in the place we wanted to be.
But that's not what God wanted for us. That's what we wanted. And as much as we pleaded with Him, He simply never said "GO." We realized we were wanting God's will to line up with our plans instead of the other way around. We were attempting to force God's plan to be ours. Which was so sinful of us. Of me especially.
In our hearts, we were simply attempting to discern God's will. We so desperately wanted to be obedient to Him. We prayed, sought wisdom & spent time in His word to figure it out. But we were also being so selfish in trying to make things work out for us. So selfish in worrying about our lives being perfect & things being the way we wanted them.
Life's hard when you try to outweigh God's will with your own selfish desires. When you try to manipulate God's will & use "signs" to have things work out the way you want. But at the center of it all is sin. The real issue comes not from God providing clear direction - but from your selfishness smearing the map.
This experience boldly echoed John 3:30 into our lives, which says "HE must become greater; I must become less." Our prayer is for God to be BIGGER in our lives. Bigger in our decisions. Bigger in our plans. Bigger in our direction. And definitely bigger than our wants & desires.
May His plans become our plans. May His decisions become our decisions. May His direction become our direction. And may His wants & desires become our wants & desires for our lives.
in CHRIST > jv
Tara & I have been here in Little Rock for almost 2 years now. And when we moved down here from Fayetteville for medical school, we left everything behind. Amazing jobs we loved, family, friends & all sorts of support. So moving was certainly a challenge. But we felt the Lord was directing us here for His purpose, so we came even at the expense of those things. We wanted to be obedient no matter what.
And in our obedience, the LORD has certainly blessed! He has given me an amazing opportunity to minister to students at a growing church in New Life Baptist. The LORD has used us in mighty ways to bring glory to His kingdom & He has proven to be great & faithful through it all. We've made lasting relationships, developed some roots, seen tremendous spiritual growth & gone through life-changing experiences we would have never experienced otherwise. God has been good to say the least.
So that's where things got complicated. In our desire to be obedient, God moved & provided us with a ministry to invest in. God proved He had directed us to Little Rock for a purpose. And God confirmed He had called us to minister to students at New Life Baptist Church.
Which wasn't necessarily our plan. Because when we moved, we knew there was a possibility to return to Fayetteville for Tara to finish her 3rd & 4th years of school. We weren't counting on being bound by anything here. But God had other plans. So when that time came around to make that decision to stay here or go on back to NWA this Spring, you can imagine the torment. The stress. The hours of thoughts spent on what to do.
On one hand, everything we wanted was back in Fayetteville. We could go finish up school in a better location, be surrounded by family & old friends, possibly make a return to an old job we loved & be in the place we wanted to be.
But that's not what God wanted for us. That's what we wanted. And as much as we pleaded with Him, He simply never said "GO." We realized we were wanting God's will to line up with our plans instead of the other way around. We were attempting to force God's plan to be ours. Which was so sinful of us. Of me especially.
In our hearts, we were simply attempting to discern God's will. We so desperately wanted to be obedient to Him. We prayed, sought wisdom & spent time in His word to figure it out. But we were also being so selfish in trying to make things work out for us. So selfish in worrying about our lives being perfect & things being the way we wanted them.
Life's hard when you try to outweigh God's will with your own selfish desires. When you try to manipulate God's will & use "signs" to have things work out the way you want. But at the center of it all is sin. The real issue comes not from God providing clear direction - but from your selfishness smearing the map.
This experience boldly echoed John 3:30 into our lives, which says "HE must become greater; I must become less." Our prayer is for God to be BIGGER in our lives. Bigger in our decisions. Bigger in our plans. Bigger in our direction. And definitely bigger than our wants & desires.
May His plans become our plans. May His decisions become our decisions. May His direction become our direction. And may His wants & desires become our wants & desires for our lives.
in CHRIST > jv
3.30.2011
3.07.2011
Champions of Breakfast
I'm proud to announce our involvement & support of Our House this Spring. Our House is a shelter for the working homeless in Little Rock & we're going to step up as a ministry & get involved.
One very easy & small way we're going to start is through a campaign called "Champions of Breakfast." Breakfast is obviously a huge meal & has great benefits in our everyday development - especially with kids. So we're going to meet a great need by providing breakfast for homeless children in our community!
Easy to get involved. Just bring some of the following items to church & put them in the red buckets:
One very easy & small way we're going to start is through a campaign called "Champions of Breakfast." Breakfast is obviously a huge meal & has great benefits in our everyday development - especially with kids. So we're going to meet a great need by providing breakfast for homeless children in our community!
Easy to get involved. Just bring some of the following items to church & put them in the red buckets:
Pop-Tarts
English Muffins
Cereal / Granola Bars
Cereal
Bagels
Dried Fruit
Muffins
Ensure / Ovaltine
Juice Boxes (100%)
"If anyone has material possessions & sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions & in truth." 1 John 3:17-18
JV
2.24.2011
Living THE Life
Take a hard look at your life. Actually, make it quick so you can continue reading this. But take a look nonetheless.
What's challenging about Daniel & his life is that no man could find any fault in him. He lived his life for God so passionately, that "they could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent" (Daniel 6:4).
In reflecting on the way you live your life, what are you representing? What example & legacy are you leaving behind?
1 Timothy 4:12 calls us to set an example for other believers specifically in our conduct & the way we live life. Calls us to set & live up to the standard as Christians. But, I think too often we ruin our example for Christ simply by the way we live every day. We forget our call to be the standard & unfortunately carry ourselves much like the world. Nothing different.
But take a look at Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego. We'll see something that starkly contrasts with the ways of this world:
- They were carried off to Babylon & put into an elite training program. But they refused to eat the food presented to them because it was first offered to Babylonian idols. So the Lord prompted the overseer to show them favor & they were put on a veggie & water diet only. They prospered & excelled far beyond all the other young men. They chose to live their life for God & not go along with the ways of this world & set an example in living THE life.
- Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego refused to bow & worship the king. They were caught & thrown into the fire to be burned alive. They were pulled out without even being touched by the flames. The Lord delivered them & the King praised the true God. They chose to live their life for God & not go along with the ways of this world & set an example in living THE life.
- Daniel later on also refused to pray to & worship the king. He was caught & thrown into a den of lions. Again, the Lord delivered him & he was pulled out without a scratch on him. The king praised the true God & Daniel prospered. He chose to live his life for God & not go along with the ways of this world & set an example in living THE life.
What's challenging about Daniel & his life is that no man could find any fault in him. He lived his life for God so passionately, that "they could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent" (Daniel 6:4).
He set THE example & lived THE life for THE God.
This should be our goal. That because we are living our lives for God SO passionately, others see it. Paul challenges Christians to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" in Philippians 1:27. A call to live up to the standard of Christ & model our lives after His.
Because some of us "claim to know God, but by [our] actions [we] deny Him" (Titus 1:16). You claim to be a Christian, but don't live like Christ. Can't work. Won't work. You can't claim to be a Christian & then live life anything but like Christ.
So be the example. Live your life after the standard of Christ. Or don't claim Him. And if you do claim Jesus, don't deny Him & ruin His name by the way you live.
Be real. Be like Christ. Live like Christ.
JV
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