All My Fountains

So, I wanted to write a post, but didn't know what to write about. So I opened up my bible and picked the first verse I saw that was underlined, which was....

 

As they make music they will sing,

“All my fountains are in you.”

-Psalm 87:7, NIV

 

And thus, I'm reminded of how God is in charge. It "just so happens" that I spent last Friday night and most of Saturday as a leader on our annual fall retreat for the youth/student ministry. While on that retreat, we sang "All My Fountains" by Chris Tomlin on multiple occasions.

 

This song holds a very special place in my heart, as I was in attendance at Passion 2011 when Chris first introduced this song. As I belted the lyrics mindlessly along with 26,000 of my closest college-aged friends, I was in the moment. I just sang along and read the words off the screen.

 

Then, John Piper got up as the speaker for that session. He proceeded to ask all of us in the crowd if we had thought about what it would mean for all of our fountains to be in God. He asked if we had really meant those words, if we had really meant a devotion and love for the Lord our God that was so overflowing that it pours out of us like a fountain, or if we had merely read the words and sang them back, like some sort of parrot that repeats things with no cognitive element or reflection upon the meaning and implications of such a song.

 

I was floored. I had never thought about it. I had been trained to sing the words off of the screen, and yet I had never really thought about them as I sang them.

 

From that moment on, my approach in corporate worship has changed quite a bit. I have started to focus more and more on the meaning of the songs I sing, and I am getting more and more focused on worshipping God in those scenarios as I grow in my walk with Him.

 

God isn't looking for mindless lyric-reading; He wants you and all of your praise. He wants you to worship and sing, making a joyful noise unto Him. He wants all of your fountains to be in Him, and to overflow from your heart into the lives of others.

 

 

#YOLO (Or Do You?)

Recently, I have seen a lot of tweets, both among friends and famous people, with the hashtag "#YOLO," which stands for "You Only Live Once." In fact, here's a few examples from a random Twitter search for "#YOLO" (note: I do not recommend following any of these people on Twitter. I don't know them. They were selected from a search because they had funny or interesting #YOLO tweets):

Week old shrimp pad thai leftovers in the fridge....#YOLO
     -@Hololla

Getting one wisdom tooth removed right now.. #YOLO
     -@YakapoFlow

Leave your test blank and turn it in #YOLO
     -@ohhh_brandon

But this tweet really captures what a lot of people seem to use YOLO for:

I guess when you say #Yolo that means you can do whatever
     -@McGlovin24

McGlovin24 crystallized YOLO about as well as anyone could. It seems to have become the motto for for doing whatever you want, since you've only got one life to live. Don't waste it, right?

And I totally get that. I'm all about living life to the fullest extent possible. Who wants to get to be 70, 80 or 90 years old and realize that they did NOTHING worth note in their life? My question is: for what reason are you living your life?

When I went to the Passion conference in 2011, Francis Chan spoke on a verse that has become one my "life verses":

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ"
     -Philippians 1:27a, ESV

This is my YOLO verse. It speaks to how we live our lives. Are we living lives that match up with being a Christian, as many claim to be? You see, if you are a Christian, you're called to a different live. You are called to life a life that radically reflects the amazing truth of the Gospel. Look at the Bible: Peter, Paul, James, and John are all examples of New Testament Christians that lived a life on the edge, giving their all to glorify Christ. Out of those four, three of them were killed for their radical, all-in life, which they gave to following Jesus (and they other one died in exile on an island, which isn't much better). You think they played it safe? Do you think they missed out on a full life for following Christ? No! They understood a truth, which Paul alludes to in 2 Corinthians 4:

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:16-18, ESV

The fact is, we don't live only once. Yes, we all have an earthly death approaching, but that isn't the end of the line. Our current bodies are falling apart, but for the Christian, your inner spirit (given life by the Holy Spirit when you are saved and become a child of God) is growing. There will come a time when this earth will be completely remade, and those who are God's people will live again on this Earth. If you have Christ, you have been born again. You are on your second life, not the first.

And if you don't know Christ? Well, according to Ephesians 2, you are "dead in your sins." Your spiritual life, the second life, has not begun. If you remain in this life, and never turn to God to be born into the second life, a life of glorifying Him and following Him into eternity, then you will be judged by God and found guilty for the sins you committed in this life, even the ones you justified in the name of "YOLO."

The fact is: Christ died and rose again, allowing dead sinners to come to life in Him and live twice. So, live your life to the fullest, absolutely, but are your eyes on this life, living until this body dies, or are you focused on the second life, the things unseen, and a future with Him? What is your reasoning behind going for broke on life? I hope and pray that it is the name of Christ that you live for.

Countries of the Day, Part One: Colombia

Note: Colombia was the "Country of the Day" for January 10. However, while I personally prayed for Colombia, my desire was for the blog to be devoted to Anthony Horsman and God only. Therefore, I have combined two countries today, in order to stay with a country every day.

Colombia is located in the northwest part of South America, bordered by countries like Venezuela and Panama. It is a very troubled country politically, as warring factions have been tearing the country apart for decades. The illegal drug trade, particularly that of cocaine, is strong in Colombia. There are 44,205,293 people in Colombia, which makes it a top-30 nation, population wise. Bacterial diarrhea, dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, leptospirosis and HIV/AIDS are the more prevalent diseases in the nation, and 46.8% of the population is below the poverty line.

Spiritually, 90% of the nation is Roman Catholic, with some reports saying that up to 97% of the nation are Christ followers. This is misleading. According to Christianity Today magazine,

"Over the past three years, more than 200 churches have been forcibly closed and 35 pastors assassinated in the South American country..."

There is a difference between Colombia and China, which we profiled on Sunday. In China, it is the government that is limiting the Gospel. In Columbia, we find that it is a lack of government that limits the truth of Christ. In the cities, where government is still in control, we find Bibles and the truth of Christ abound. It is the rural areas where the problems begin. Parts of Colombia as big as Texas are rural areas of jungle and mountains. It is in the jungles where the guerrilla terrorists and drug traders rule, and it is in the jungles where the Gospel finds resistance. For obvious reasons, a Jesus-loving culture is a counterproductie culture for war and drugs. This is where Bibles Unbound steps in.

This is the first cause I will highlight here on my blog, and not the last. I came to know about Bibles Unbound through the Passion conference I attended last week. At the Passion conference, they always set a huge area in a convention center called "Do Something Now." In the "Do Something Now" area, they highlight multiple causes that the people at Passion have felt led to share with 20,000 college-age kids, in hopes that we would jump on board.


One such cause was Bibles Unbound, an organization that focuses on bringing the Bible into countries hostile to Jesus, such as: Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka. Sometimes, they must perform covert missions in order to get the Bible into some countries, and Colombia is one such country. So, what they've done is print up Bibles in Spanish. The hope is that everyone that doesn't have a Bible can get one.


Passion challenged the people there to raise $20,000 for Bibles Unbound, which would allow them to send 20,000 Bibles into Colombia. Some of these Bibles would even have to be dropped from helicopters! The students and volunteers at Passion responded to the need for Christ to reach Colombias outskirts, and together raised an astonishing $31,554 for the same amount of New Testaments to be taken into Colombia! Praise God!

God, praise You for the good you do in this world! I know that sometimes we focus on the negative of the world, and forget that it is You that keeps us breathing, blinking, and heart-beating. Thank You so much for compelling the people at Passion 2011 to donate that much money for the people of Colombia, but we know that Your job isn't finished. We pray that the people of Colombia continue to be able to get the Bible and delve deeper into Your Word. We pray for a revolution, not politically, but spiritually, in Colombia. We pray for the Christians there, that they remain steadfast and faithful to Christ. We ask that you bring healing to a nation that is very wounded and sick, not just spiritually, but also physically. Thank you God. In Jesus's name, Amen.

If you are interested in learning more about Colombia, here's some links:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/april/24.17.html

http://www.biblesunbound.com/qry/mc_home.taf

Passion Blog: Do You Have a Stew?

This morning's main session was great, as everything here in Atlanta has been this weekend. The speaker was Andy Stanley, a life-long friend of Louie Giglio (the first night speaker/founder of Passion).

Andy focused on the story we find in Genesis 25:17-34, as we see Esau selling his birthright (inheritance+power+blessing) for stew. In retrospect, we see this as a major blunder, which is true, except that we say we'd never do the same.

Andy pointed out that we don't know what God has planned for our life, but a lot of determining if we accomplish it has to do with managing our appetites. I know what you just thought about: food. But there are other appetizing desires: progress, responsibility, respect,winning, love, acceptance, fame, recognition, things, and to be envied. All of these things, as God made them, are perfectly fine. Ok, so I'm not sure desiring others to envy is fine, but the others are all clear. By managing our appetites, we can stay focused on what matters: God.

You see, nothing can fill an appetite. I don't care if it's recognition, sex or actually food; you'll never find enough to quench that appetite. That is, you'll never find anything of the Earth that will be enough. Luckily, we have God to fill our appetites. God is the only one who can fulfill an appetite completely, because He is so great and huge that HE is the only thing big enough. The question is: what is your stew? Esau gave up his future, God's plan, for a bowl of food. What is keeping you from following God correctly?

I will update on the talks by John Piper and Gabe Lyons tomorrow morning because, honestly, I am exhausted. Goodnight world!

Passion Blog: Are You Balanced?

Tonight's main session featured great music by Chris Tomlin and Charlie Hall, but that was nothing to the lesson by Francis Chan. Allow me to jump right in.

"27 Just one thing: live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." -Philippians 1:27, HCSB

This is the verse that Francis spent the most time focused on. He had an old time scale, like that you weigh what he guessed was gold or barley on, to demonstrate. We are supposed to live our lives in accordance with the Gospel of Christ, so that our lives are balanced with the words in the Bible. Yet, this so rarely happens.

Francis told about students in China that are having church in hiding, because it is illegal there. When Francis told them about how Americans pick and choose churches based on who is speaking, what kind of music is played, or what kind of programs that church offers, the Chinese laughed. They literally burst out in laughter. You see, in a country where the punishment for loving God is death, these are petty, unimportant things. Yet, in the States, we are afraid we may lose a few friends for the Word of God. We may not get to go to a party. We may, heaven forbid, be laughed at.

I don't know about you, but the idea of having to have a life that is "worthy" of the Gospel is a terribly convicting passage. Francis asked the question: "If you believe in Hell, why aren't you trying as hard as possible to keep people from it?" This really struck me.

I immediately thought of my co-workers at Kroger and all the lost people around me in my life. I've been working at Kroger for almost 3.5 years, and really haven't shared with people the Gospel, the Truth of Jesus. What a waste of time! What have I been doing?! Do I not realize that these people's eternity is at stake?!

If you're like me, this is a hard thing to swallow, and one that must be corrected. We cannot sit back any longer; we don't know how much longer the lost may have.

Passion Blog: Being Radically Renewed

This morning's main session featured a great worship service, as a heavily-bearded David Crowder and his band lead us in praise of our Lord. As if that wasn't enough, a legend in Passion history spoke this morning: Beth Moore.

Beth spoke on having our mind renewed in Christ. The only way to successfully discern God's will for your life is to have a mind that is focused purely on God.

We are charged to focus every thought on Christ, and through that, you will change the way you think. By changing the way you think, you change the way you feel. By changing the way you feel, you change your actions. By changing actions, you better glorify God. It's all dependent on itself. Are you ready to change?

Also, David Platt spoke today. If you've followed my blog for awhile, you would see that I am a huge advocate for his book, Radical: Taking Your Faith Back from the American Dream. He did a condensed version of book in one-hour form, and it was as convicting as ever.

Americans have made Christianity a cultural joke instead of the very real Truth that it is. When you make Jesus and the Gospels conform to the American standard of life, you quit worshipping Jesus. You are then worshipping yourself.

Let go of your possessions and useless junk that you waste your time, money, and resources. All that matters is Christ and His future for us. He will take care of the rest.

Let's pray that the people of the world are renewed for Christ and let go of useless stuff and focus on God. There's no time to waste; people are dying every minute and going to Hell.

Passion Blog: We Are All Ants

What a great day to learn about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I have learned so much today, and I still have a lot left!

The day opened with a Community Group session. Community Groups, by the way, are a smaller grouping, a fraction of the 22,000 people here. That way, more personal connection can be made. This morning, we looked at Philippians 2, which talks about some characteristics of Christ, and how Christians should imitate Him. Particularly, we discussed the servant heart of Christ, and how He was obedient, even up until the cross.

One girl, a student at Texas A&M University, discussed how we are tiny and dumb compared to Christ, like ants compared to a human. This is truer than we realize: we are puny compared to God. Like ants, we have limited information about life. We focus almost purely on our meaningless tasks. The only difference is that we move around things other than just dirt. Regardless, it's all pointless.

Christ fits the role of the person, as well. He sees the entire anthill of our world: every ant, every job, and every good and bad thing found within the anthill. In fact, he designed the anthill, and the only reason it isn't perfect is because there is imperfection in places that reject the designer.

But here's the crazy part: the "human" volunteered to become an ant, be squashed in the nest He designed by other ants, and then rise again...to save the ants. Would you save the ants? I know I wouldn't.

Let's just praise God that He came to the ants, and was willing to be one to save us all.

Passion Blog: Chained Up

Wow, what a first night! My mind has been blown. Worshipping and learning with 25,000 college-age people is amazing.

Chris Tomlin was the main worship leader at tonight's main session, and he was spectacular. The first two songs were some of his better known, as he played "Our God" and "Chosen Generation" back to back. "Our God" was a bit special, though, as Christian rapper Lecrae made a surprise cameo in the song, rapping and adding hip-hop flair to the emotional lyrics of Tomlin's original. "Chosen Generation," however, is my favorite. Here's some lyrics to ponder:

We are a chosen generation.
Rise up holy nation.
God, we live for you.
You have called us out of darkness
Into light so glorious.
God, we live for you.

I just wish that this generation, the I belong to, the one here at Passion, would realize that they could be that very generation. Please pray that happens.

Louie Giglio was tonight's speaker, and he was fantastic. He taught from the first chapter of the book of Philippians, teaching how Paul used his situation (he was in jail, shackled to another prisoner) to further God's kingdom. He challenged us to put away all the distractions and obstacles and other "stuff that doesn't matter." This is so true. So little in this world matters; why dwell on it?

Let's pray that every student here in Atlanta takes this to heart and goes home to make an impact. I'll talk to you soon!

Passion Blog: Bus Ridin'

Right now, I am on a bus in the middle of no where, Georgia with a bunch of people I don't know to go somewhere I've never been. Sound crazy? I agree.

I am accompanied by several friends, and a bunch of other college-age people I don't know, on this bus on my way to Atlanta, for Passion 2011. Passion is a huge conference full of well-known speakers and musicians, all praising and worshiping and learning and teaching about the amazing God that created us. The event is focused on college-age people, and the goal is to help teach and set a fire in the hearts of this generation.

This is my first year that I am old enough to attend, and I couldn't be more excited. I can't imagine the experience of 20,000+ students praising God and worshipping their Creator. I'll be keeping you updated on the events of this weekend, and try to convey the amazing experience I will be sharing with so many other young believers.

I ask that you pray for those of us attending, as well as the speakers, musicians, and volunteers at Passion 2011. Let's pray that a revolution is started this weekend in Atlanta, and that a wave of God's love and truth sweeps out of Georgia to the rest of the United States and the world. I pray that God makes himself palpably present in that place, and that our hearts be consumed by Him. Talk to y'all soon! :)