Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
In Class
I'm in class today until 9:30 pm. I like school but am ready for a break...May here I come!
Have a blessed day in Christ!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Not Gonna Kiss Again Until I'm Married (November 29, 2006)
(This is a previous post from another blog)
Wow, I cannot tell you enough how shameful I feel because it has been so long since my last post. I hope all is well with you all and that your Thanksgiving was great.
Now that i've apologized for being a slacker, lets get to the topic of this blog.
Notice the title. Some of you may or may not know that Allison and I do not kiss and will not until Pastor Jim says, "you may now kiss the bride." I was told last night that this was weird. The truth is, I know it's weird, that's part of the reason I want to do it. But the interesting thing is not that people tell me how weird it is but really more that they can tend to get offended. One person told me that she kissed before she was married. She said it as if by my saying that I was not going to that I really said "anyone who does is a sinner." The truth is, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). Who am I to say that kissing before marriage is a sin, the truth is, for me it might become a sin. It may start off innocently, but it could turn into something it was never intended to become.
The fact is, i'm not saying "I'm better than you are" by not kissing. I'm really saying that i'm worse, I might not be able to control myself once in the situation, so i'll do it before it ever has the opportunity to happen. I know myself too well.
So what about you? when it comes to everyday things, do you know your weaknesses? Do you plan for them to happen and have a plan to battle them? Or do you easily continue to give in to their call?
Especially in relationships, is God honored in all that you and your bf/gf do and say and think? If not, then you may need to come up with some plan to battle that before it comes, not once in the middle. You may need to say that you will not kiss your gf/bf before you are married, but you don' have to say that. Please just know that our Lord desires all of our lives. Every part. Even our time alone with our bf/gf. How do you expect to show your love for Christ in anyway outside of Church if you cannot control the things you do outside of Church?
Just remember what Paul told the Romans in chapter 12. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
We presnt our bodies as sacrifices to him by saying, I will not do this or that so that I can honor Him." or "Lord, I will not kiss until my wedding day so that i can be sure to honor you with that."
I hope all is well. Keep checking back frequently, I plan to write these much more often.
Solus Christus,
Derrick
Wow, I cannot tell you enough how shameful I feel because it has been so long since my last post. I hope all is well with you all and that your Thanksgiving was great.
Now that i've apologized for being a slacker, lets get to the topic of this blog.
Notice the title. Some of you may or may not know that Allison and I do not kiss and will not until Pastor Jim says, "you may now kiss the bride." I was told last night that this was weird. The truth is, I know it's weird, that's part of the reason I want to do it. But the interesting thing is not that people tell me how weird it is but really more that they can tend to get offended. One person told me that she kissed before she was married. She said it as if by my saying that I was not going to that I really said "anyone who does is a sinner." The truth is, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). Who am I to say that kissing before marriage is a sin, the truth is, for me it might become a sin. It may start off innocently, but it could turn into something it was never intended to become.
The fact is, i'm not saying "I'm better than you are" by not kissing. I'm really saying that i'm worse, I might not be able to control myself once in the situation, so i'll do it before it ever has the opportunity to happen. I know myself too well.
So what about you? when it comes to everyday things, do you know your weaknesses? Do you plan for them to happen and have a plan to battle them? Or do you easily continue to give in to their call?
Especially in relationships, is God honored in all that you and your bf/gf do and say and think? If not, then you may need to come up with some plan to battle that before it comes, not once in the middle. You may need to say that you will not kiss your gf/bf before you are married, but you don' have to say that. Please just know that our Lord desires all of our lives. Every part. Even our time alone with our bf/gf. How do you expect to show your love for Christ in anyway outside of Church if you cannot control the things you do outside of Church?
Just remember what Paul told the Romans in chapter 12. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
We presnt our bodies as sacrifices to him by saying, I will not do this or that so that I can honor Him." or "Lord, I will not kiss until my wedding day so that i can be sure to honor you with that."
I hope all is well. Keep checking back frequently, I plan to write these much more often.
Solus Christus,
Derrick
Repentance (How?) - (Sept. 7, 2006)
Ever wonder what it truly means to repent? How do you even go about repenting? Truthfully, i've asked the same question, recently. John Loftness, a Pastor at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland has provided a practical guide to reaching true repentance. The following is The Path of Repentance and has graciously been permitted to us to use on this blog. Wherever you find yourself when reading this blog, read with diligent focus on how you must repent of the sin in your life.
Step 1: Pray
This may seem difficult at first glance. The fact that it is never easy to kill something off in our lives which is what we are doing. Yet we find our strength only in Christ. You must devote yourself to these practices or something similar if you truly desire for that sin to no longer have any control over your life.
Have a great day today as you follow Christ more closely!
In Christ Alone,
Derrick
The Path of Repentance is an appendix in Joshua Harris' book Sex is not the Problem (Lust is). It was used by permission.
Harris, Joshua. Sex is not the Problem (Lust is). (Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, 2003)
Step 1: Pray
- Establish your dependence on God by praying for the Holy Spirit's help in this process.
- Define its practice in biblical terms.
- Define your heart's motive for the sin in biblical terms.
- Define the lie-the false belief-that creatied this motive and its acts.
- Meditate on how your sin offends God. Cultivate sorrow.
- Meditate on the fact that God sent Jesus to die in your place to overcome the offense this sin created.
- Pray. Admit your sin to God and ask Him to forgive you and to account this sin to Jesus' death on your behalf.
- Collect on paper what the Bible says about your sin, its consequences, your forgiveness in Christ, and the Spirit's power at work in you to change. Memorize the most helpful passages.
- Purpose to change your thinking and behavior.
- purpose to change behavior that increases temptation:
- Places you go
- People with whom you interact
- Things you look at or listen to
- Words you say
- Confess your sin to those you've offended and seek their forgiveness. Make restitution if necessary.
- "Put on Christ." If you're a Christian, you are joined to Jesus Christ. His Spirit dwells within you. You can think and act as He does!
- Identify thoughts you can think or actions you take to replace:
- The lie with truth
- The sinful motive with a true motive for something else that pleases God
- Sinful behavior with righteous behavior
- If you haven't already, inform godly friends or a pastor of your sin and the process you are engaging in to change.
- Ask for their evaluation of the conclusions you've drawn, and adjust where needed.
- Make yourself accountable to walk along the specific path you've outlined above.
- Steps 1-5 daily.
- Step 6 for regular accountability.
This may seem difficult at first glance. The fact that it is never easy to kill something off in our lives which is what we are doing. Yet we find our strength only in Christ. You must devote yourself to these practices or something similar if you truly desire for that sin to no longer have any control over your life.
Have a great day today as you follow Christ more closely!
In Christ Alone,
Derrick
The Path of Repentance is an appendix in Joshua Harris' book Sex is not the Problem (Lust is). It was used by permission.
Harris, Joshua. Sex is not the Problem (Lust is). (Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, 2003)
Secret Sin (Aug. 17, 2006)
(This is a previous post from another blog)You know, its the little thing that you do that no one knows about. Its like a little monster rearing its little head every now and again. And it says "come on, have a bite, just a little. One time won't hurt. You can ask forgiveness when you're done."
You know what i'm talking about don't you? Perhaps now, there is something like this in your life. The question is "should we continue in sin that grace may abound?" And just like Paul says, I echo, "NO", "by no means."
It's time we quit telling ourselves the lies that we so often turn to rather than the truth of scripture. The truth is, no sin honors God. The truth is, the Bible talks of not even a hint of sexual immorality, and to flee the devil, and that we need to hunger for truth and righteousness.
Lets look at a brief passage of scripture. The text is Romans 6. Paul begins with the same question, "1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"
Please read the entire chapter, but lets just stay here for this post. This very passage leaves no question of the problem and what needs to be true of us, but how do we arrive there? The thing is, we cannot arrive there, we are dependent on something, the death of Christ. Paul says that just as He was raised, we too walk in newness of life. We beckon the Lord to help us die to sin and live in Him. this may not be happening because you may not know the Lord. that first needs to happen, the only way you can have life is through Christ's atoning death on the cross. you must believe that your sin was reckoned to Him and His righteousness was reckoned to you. He is your only way.
Maybe you need to be reminded of this fact today, then the secret sin will be confronted with the God who hates it, and sent His son to die for it.
Because, "How can we who have died to sin still live in it?"
You can't
Solus Christus
Derrick
Cleaning House (Aug. 27, 2007)
(This is a previous post from another blog)
If your life were represented by a house, what would it look like?
You know, ratty on the outside and nearly unlivable on the inside. Would it be torn to shreds because of life experience. Or so dirty on the inside that you'd be embarrassed for anyone to know what goes on inside?
I know people who have beautiful houses...I also know people with beautiful houses, on the outside. They live in a subdivision that requires the outside to be presented in a certain manner. And at the same time they cannot allow visitors because they are so embarrassed at their mess on the inside.
If someone were to look into your life, would they see a nice house needing a few fixer upers here and there or would they be disgusted with the filth that lies with in.
Again there are others who work so hard to clean the house and maintain its cleanliness while there attitude stinks and they fail to have meaningful relationships with other people because they are so busy making sure their stuff looks good enough.
The problem is, we need major renovation. You may know, my weekends are booked until 2017 with work that needs to be finished in our house. The thing is, Christ needs to come in and completely strip out our "houses." A quick fix by us will not do. Sweeping the trash under the rug will one day be discovered. Christ has changed us completely. Or needs to if He has not already. And therefore, we should live our lives as if they had been changed. Your house gets gutted and completely refinished, you will appreciate the new much more and strive to keep it in nice working order.
Stop just fixing up the outside, clean what's on the inside.
In Christ Alone,
Derrick
If your life were represented by a house, what would it look like?
You know, ratty on the outside and nearly unlivable on the inside. Would it be torn to shreds because of life experience. Or so dirty on the inside that you'd be embarrassed for anyone to know what goes on inside?
I know people who have beautiful houses...I also know people with beautiful houses, on the outside. They live in a subdivision that requires the outside to be presented in a certain manner. And at the same time they cannot allow visitors because they are so embarrassed at their mess on the inside.
If someone were to look into your life, would they see a nice house needing a few fixer upers here and there or would they be disgusted with the filth that lies with in.
Again there are others who work so hard to clean the house and maintain its cleanliness while there attitude stinks and they fail to have meaningful relationships with other people because they are so busy making sure their stuff looks good enough.
The problem is, we need major renovation. You may know, my weekends are booked until 2017 with work that needs to be finished in our house. The thing is, Christ needs to come in and completely strip out our "houses." A quick fix by us will not do. Sweeping the trash under the rug will one day be discovered. Christ has changed us completely. Or needs to if He has not already. And therefore, we should live our lives as if they had been changed. Your house gets gutted and completely refinished, you will appreciate the new much more and strive to keep it in nice working order.
Stop just fixing up the outside, clean what's on the inside.
In Christ Alone,
Derrick
Response to Teenage Workforce
Below is the comment I received from Jeff Whiting who's main purpose in life is ensuring teenage workforce success. Jeff, I appreciate your response, I never imagined anyone would respond much less an expert in the field. My goal in posting the questionnaire of sorts was to get my students thinking about "big people things." I am afraid that most Christian teenagers today have fallen into a worldly mindset concerning work (as well as many other issues). I am a product of starting to work at a young age. I made $200 cutting grass at age 10 and have been doing something to earn money since. So you may be able to understand my frustration when students are lackadaisical in work ethic even if its in their school work. Here is Jeff's comment and I would like to comment following:
Hello Derrick,
My name is Jeff Whiting and I am the manager for WAVES for Teenage Workforce Success. I would like to take a stab at question # 1.
Its all based on “Maturity” which can vary widely with a young age group. Some 14 years olds seem to be quite a bit more squared away and work ready than an 18 year old! Some of that can be seen in the application and interview process, such as;
1. Is the application complete, legible and have relevant experiences. Even a 14 year old can demonstrate that they can work within a team environment by their volunteering, club, sports and church activities. Babysitting and/or yard work can demonstrate work ethic.
2. Do they have references from their jobs, clubs, etc. that you can follow up with. Also personal references. The young person that is able to and proactively provides this information is demonstrating real responsibility.
3. During the interview, ask open ended questions. Can they give you full sentence answers?
4. Do they make eye contact and smile? A very hard thing to teach and if they aren’t doing this during the interview don’t plan of them doing it after they are employed.
5. How did they dress? You are seeing their best at the interview... No matter how they look.
6. Were they early for the interview?
I would judge their maturity and mental capacity, not on their age but based on the above experience.
This is what we do. Help business and owners get a better understanding of the new management approach that is needed for engaging today's teens.
Hope this helps.
Jeff.
All of the above are values I feel were analogous of me and many of my friends when I was a teenager. I came to realize that even I was not the stereotype, I just thought I was. I thought everyone was just like me. What's interesting is how these principles for good work ethic are not only lacking in teenage workers but teenage Christians as well. I wonder what you think, why do today's teenage Christians seem to lack these qualities? Or do you even disagree?
Let me know!
Hello Derrick,
My name is Jeff Whiting and I am the manager for WAVES for Teenage Workforce Success. I would like to take a stab at question # 1.
Its all based on “Maturity” which can vary widely with a young age group. Some 14 years olds seem to be quite a bit more squared away and work ready than an 18 year old! Some of that can be seen in the application and interview process, such as;
1. Is the application complete, legible and have relevant experiences. Even a 14 year old can demonstrate that they can work within a team environment by their volunteering, club, sports and church activities. Babysitting and/or yard work can demonstrate work ethic.
2. Do they have references from their jobs, clubs, etc. that you can follow up with. Also personal references. The young person that is able to and proactively provides this information is demonstrating real responsibility.
3. During the interview, ask open ended questions. Can they give you full sentence answers?
4. Do they make eye contact and smile? A very hard thing to teach and if they aren’t doing this during the interview don’t plan of them doing it after they are employed.
5. How did they dress? You are seeing their best at the interview... No matter how they look.
6. Were they early for the interview?
I would judge their maturity and mental capacity, not on their age but based on the above experience.
This is what we do. Help business and owners get a better understanding of the new management approach that is needed for engaging today's teens.
Hope this helps.
Jeff.
All of the above are values I feel were analogous of me and many of my friends when I was a teenager. I came to realize that even I was not the stereotype, I just thought I was. I thought everyone was just like me. What's interesting is how these principles for good work ethic are not only lacking in teenage workers but teenage Christians as well. I wonder what you think, why do today's teenage Christians seem to lack these qualities? Or do you even disagree?
Let me know!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Zeke Fielder
I am officially 27 years old as of 8:35 pm yesterday. Beyond that, this weekend has been eventful. Beginning Thursday, Allison and I got a new puppy (picture coming soon). We named him Zeke, he's cute. I rescued him from the pound and we are continuing rescuing him. He has a fungal breakout on his hind feet and tail. We are treating that. He also had a really bad case of fleas, some advantage helped with that. Friday evening, we went to eat with Allison's family for my birthday. Saturday, we spent most of the day trying to get out back yard ready for Zeke to be able to leave. Sunday, we had lunch with my parents after church. I am blessed to have such a wonderful family, such a wonderful wife and now a cute new puppy.
Have a great day.
Derrick
Have a great day.
Derrick
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