Deja Vu

Tony Scott. The director that brought us great profound movie lines like "I don't like you because you're dangerous." "That's right! Ice....man. I am dangerous." Or good mind numbing action dramas like "Crimson Tide" or "Enemy of the State". "Deja Vu" did not disappoint. I enjoyed it for several reasons. Denzel. Enough said. The movie was filmed and released in New Orleans while I was living in the city post Katrina. And the never-gets-old idea of time travel. But something that really stuck out to me was a simple dialogue exchange that happened twice in the movie.

Being a follower of Christ, my desire is to know Him and love Him as best as I can. Integral to that is to love others as best as I can. And in loving others as best as I can, it would only make sense to share with them that which is most important to me, that which promises a fullness of life, that which promises hope and freedom.

In my line of work, talking to students about Christ inevitably yields a wide range of responses. More often than not, students choose to pursue their own "god", be it their success, material gain, social acceptance, etc. When I wrestle with our responsibility in evangelism, or challenge the students involved in our ministry with evangelism, a common thought always comes up. My friends just don't seem to be responding to the gospel. I'm afraid I might offend them. Should I keep sharing?

Tony Scott has directed his fair share of movies and definitely knows how to entertain. But one thing he showed me in "Deja Vu" was that he understood another simple truth that so many Christians often forget.

"What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they'd never believe you?"

"I'd try."

Hearing God

Prayer is an interesting thing. What is it? How does it work? Does it work? Growing up, I was taught that prayer is talking to God. But that's hardly a recipe for depth and intimacy in a relationship. Imagine if all I did with Amber was talk to her, never once stopping to hear from her. Well, a little later, either in high school or in college, I remember hearing that the way it works is that you talk to God through prayer, and you hear from God by reading the Bible. Is that it? Is that the formula?

Hearing God's voice has been something I've been trying to understand better. And thanks to Can You Hear Me? by Brad Jersak my thoughts on prayer and hearing from God has really been challenged.

As it turns out, the other day while I was driving, a name pops into my head. And it must have been from God, cause I don't see any other reason why my friends name would have come to mind while I was listening to sports radio. So, I decided to give him a call. After catching up for about 30 minutes, we both realized how much we both needed that call. We were able to pray for each other and really encourage each other through our similar circumstances. God knew I needed the encouragement. God knew my friend needed the encouragement.

If I had ignored that little voice that said my friends name, we would have both missed out on how God wanted to bless us that day. A friend of mine once said - "delayed obedience is disobedience." Well, as I'm learning more about prayer, if you hear from the Lord, even the faintest whisper, you best respond!

The Light...

...at the end of the tunnel. Yes, I can finally see it. After being "homeless" as newly weds for the past 5 months, Amber and I finally have a date set to move into a house. Well, assuming everything goes well from here on out. After looking at all our options to renovate the house I actually own, we decided it was best to sell, and find a house that was move-in ready. With much thankfulness, and full of praise, I gladly report that as of Sunday, we are now under contract to buy our first home and to sell my first home (not suitable for a married couple).

There have been many lessons I've learned since being married. But the one that has been the most "in-my-face" (one that I've been learning since I put my trust in Christ), is ironically how to trust Christ. In this case, it's trusting Christ with providing for my family. Especially with my wife's sickness (she has fibro), my tendency to control and provide is more apparent.

God sometimes speaks to me through my dreams, and recently, I don't think I've been listening. Since we've been back in Austin, when we first started looking to remodel, to most recently looking for and selling a home, I haven't slept well. Pretty much every night is filled with stressful dreams. And it continually got more and more intense. Pretty much a sure message of "HEY! You need to ease up. Stop stressing about things and trust me. Know that I am God and have rest!" But I didn't listen.

This past Sunday was the Chicago marathon, in which our friend Jen successfully finished. She decided to pray for someone different each mile, and we were mile 6. When I first learned that she wanted to pray for us, I was thinking, "Wow! That's a really cool idea, and really nice that we made the list." I had no idea how important mile 6 was really going to be.

If you're reading this, I don't know what your take on prayer is, but at least consider that God really does hear our prayers and responds. After waiting a week of negotiations on the house we were trying to buy, and listing our house for just a few days, on SUNDAY, God heard the prayers during mile 6, and the sellers accepted our offer, and we received a full price offer on the house we're selling.

God knows the very number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12). God is intimately involved in our lives, every detail he cares for us, and will love us. Will I finally learn that I truly can trust Christ?