So I am sitting here thinking about my options for what I can do after December. So here is a few options for what I could do.
1. GO TO SEMINARY
This is the option that I thought for the longest time was going to be where I ended up but currently not sure.
2. GO INTO THE MILITARY
This is one I have put some thought into recently. I could join the national guard or something and thanks to the many programs they have could always go back to school and pursue something else.
3. GO INTO POLITICS
Well, apparently this is one that a lot of people think I will end up in sooner or later so why not just go on and do it. I could work in a headquarters or something and draw govt. health care and some decent money but not a lot. This is kind of what my internship is doing right now.
4, GO TO LAW SCHOOL OR GET MY MBA
Well this one has been swirling around my mind a lot and will probably continue to swirl until I graduate.
5. TAKE SOME TIME OFF
I could always just take some time to try to figure out exactly what it is that I am being called to in life. But who knows
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Not Sure
Well I have to be at my internship in less then 7 hours but I cannot sleep right now. I am wide awake watching “The West Wing,” which is a great show by the way, and I cannot get this simple thought off my mind and that is what am I supposed to do when I graduate college. It is a tough thought that we all must deal with at some time. Now of course I feel called to ministry but I am not sure I feel called to seminary or even called to be a pastor of any kind. Of course I have spent the last 5 years of my life working in ministry of some sort, whether it be from youth ministry, to campus ministry, to recreation ministry. But could that have been all God had called for me to be in Church ministry? Is it possible that God is calling me to a different purpose now? I would say that all things are possible but that I am very confused at this moment.
I know where ever I end up that I am going to do it for the Glory of God. Everything I do I want to share the love the of Christ with people and I do not believe you have to just work in a church in order to do that. Sometimes I think people go to work in the church just because it is a comfort zone and you do not really have to do anything to mess that comfort up. Sure you have to get out of your comfort zone once a month to go knock on doors or maybe go on a mission trip during the summer but from 9-5 you are usually sitting in your office at the church. Now do not think I am trying to down play working at the church because Ministers do a lot of good and not every church is how I just described but most are. I don’t know I am just confused at this moment so ignore my useless babble.
Well not sure where I will be in 6 months or if I will even still be breathing but I guess that is up to God to decide. I guess all I will do is put one foot in front of the other and keep seeking to give God all the glory. I guess no one knows what tomorrow holds and today is always the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. So who knows…………….
I know where ever I end up that I am going to do it for the Glory of God. Everything I do I want to share the love the of Christ with people and I do not believe you have to just work in a church in order to do that. Sometimes I think people go to work in the church just because it is a comfort zone and you do not really have to do anything to mess that comfort up. Sure you have to get out of your comfort zone once a month to go knock on doors or maybe go on a mission trip during the summer but from 9-5 you are usually sitting in your office at the church. Now do not think I am trying to down play working at the church because Ministers do a lot of good and not every church is how I just described but most are. I don’t know I am just confused at this moment so ignore my useless babble.
Well not sure where I will be in 6 months or if I will even still be breathing but I guess that is up to God to decide. I guess all I will do is put one foot in front of the other and keep seeking to give God all the glory. I guess no one knows what tomorrow holds and today is always the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. So who knows…………….
Monday, May 24, 2010
Overlooked Command
Warning: YOU WILL PROBABLY NOT LIKE THIS POST.
Now with me starting a post like that does that make you want to keep reading? Probably not but I have to be honest because what I am writing about most followers of Christ do not like to think about. It is one of those topics that we like to ignore and avoid what the bible truly says about it. I have to admit that I myself even struggle with the topic I am going to write about, and that is one reason I feel like I should write about it. So what is this topic anyway, what is it that I think you will not like me writing about? The topic involves being in the midst of “Christians” who continually sin and show no desire to listen to the holy spirit or to repent. That is right I can imagine the thoughts swirling around in your mind right now about what else I am going to write. But I want to look more at what us as believers in Christ are supposed to do according to scripture in these times. So I hope this little introduction has grabbed your attention enough to make you want to continue on.
Let me start by having you imagine a little bit with me. Imagine that you have an extremely intimate relationship with Christ, one where you feel as though you are walking in God’s will and one where the joy of the Lord is written all over your face. Now imagine a dear friend of yours has truly lost their way with Christ. You hang around this person a lot and have talked to them sincerely and honestly about what they are doing, just as true brothers and sisters in Christ are called to do, but yet they never seem to care or to seek Christ. You begin to get discouraged by this person but yet you never stop being around them all the time, and slowly over time your friend slowly begins to bring you down to where you have lost your intimacy with Christ. You have truly learned that it is easier to be pulled down then to pull someone up. So how do you feel? What do you think you should have done in this situation?
This situation is what this whole note is about, those situations with one of our dear friends who has fallen into such a pit that they begin to ignore everything that is about Christ. All of us have dealt with these situations at one time or another. The sad thing is that one person can influence a group of believers in such a negative way that a whole group of friends before long can begin to ignore God. It really is a sad situation and it is one that I have seen a lot since being in college. So what does the bible say about this, and I can promise that a lot of you will not like what the bible has to say.
I want to start with 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Did you just read that? I have to admit I do not like what was written by Paul in these verses, I wish I could just cut those out of my bible and ignore them, but if I did that I would be making myself more worthy then Christ and in someway act as though I am a God. But that is not right to love God is to accept and agree with whatever the bible says even if I do not like it. So looking at these verses I think we can see what Paul, says we should do. Understand Paul spoke to Christ and was taught by the disciples so clearly what ever he taught came straight from God. He says for us to not even eat with a person like this. WOW, that is tough. We do not ever want to go that far, because we long for our friends to come back to Christ and we do not want to leave them. But is it possible that God knows better then we do? So lets look at one more verse on this topic.
Lets look at Matthew 18:15-17
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Understand everything I am talking about here is about followers of Christ. You do not do this to people of the world the people without Christ. I look at the verses in Matthew as an outline of how to handle a friend who has gone astray. First go talk to them one on one, not with anyone else. Keep it between just you two because there is no need to go gossip about this situation. Secondly if your brother or sister in Christ take another person with you so that Christ can hopefully break through with your friend. If all else fails take them to the church, which your friend will most likely not let you do. This is where you have to just let them go. It is important to understand that your personal relationship with Christ is important and it can easily be brought down by another person.
I know this is hard and most of you probably did not even make it to the end of this post but if you did seriously trust in Christ because he does know better then all of us. Please do not just ignore these versus because if they were not important they would not be in the bible. And understand it will be hard, I haven’t even implemented this idea into my life because I know it will be tough. I let the verses speak a lot in this post so I hope you pray about this. Your personal relationship with Christ is important do not let someone who is running away from God pull you away from God. Again this is for believers and not for non-believers.
Also handle these things biblically, do not go crazy on someone or speak ill. Be humble and honest.
I love you all
Brent Phillips
Now with me starting a post like that does that make you want to keep reading? Probably not but I have to be honest because what I am writing about most followers of Christ do not like to think about. It is one of those topics that we like to ignore and avoid what the bible truly says about it. I have to admit that I myself even struggle with the topic I am going to write about, and that is one reason I feel like I should write about it. So what is this topic anyway, what is it that I think you will not like me writing about? The topic involves being in the midst of “Christians” who continually sin and show no desire to listen to the holy spirit or to repent. That is right I can imagine the thoughts swirling around in your mind right now about what else I am going to write. But I want to look more at what us as believers in Christ are supposed to do according to scripture in these times. So I hope this little introduction has grabbed your attention enough to make you want to continue on.
Let me start by having you imagine a little bit with me. Imagine that you have an extremely intimate relationship with Christ, one where you feel as though you are walking in God’s will and one where the joy of the Lord is written all over your face. Now imagine a dear friend of yours has truly lost their way with Christ. You hang around this person a lot and have talked to them sincerely and honestly about what they are doing, just as true brothers and sisters in Christ are called to do, but yet they never seem to care or to seek Christ. You begin to get discouraged by this person but yet you never stop being around them all the time, and slowly over time your friend slowly begins to bring you down to where you have lost your intimacy with Christ. You have truly learned that it is easier to be pulled down then to pull someone up. So how do you feel? What do you think you should have done in this situation?
This situation is what this whole note is about, those situations with one of our dear friends who has fallen into such a pit that they begin to ignore everything that is about Christ. All of us have dealt with these situations at one time or another. The sad thing is that one person can influence a group of believers in such a negative way that a whole group of friends before long can begin to ignore God. It really is a sad situation and it is one that I have seen a lot since being in college. So what does the bible say about this, and I can promise that a lot of you will not like what the bible has to say.
I want to start with 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Did you just read that? I have to admit I do not like what was written by Paul in these verses, I wish I could just cut those out of my bible and ignore them, but if I did that I would be making myself more worthy then Christ and in someway act as though I am a God. But that is not right to love God is to accept and agree with whatever the bible says even if I do not like it. So looking at these verses I think we can see what Paul, says we should do. Understand Paul spoke to Christ and was taught by the disciples so clearly what ever he taught came straight from God. He says for us to not even eat with a person like this. WOW, that is tough. We do not ever want to go that far, because we long for our friends to come back to Christ and we do not want to leave them. But is it possible that God knows better then we do? So lets look at one more verse on this topic.
Lets look at Matthew 18:15-17
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Understand everything I am talking about here is about followers of Christ. You do not do this to people of the world the people without Christ. I look at the verses in Matthew as an outline of how to handle a friend who has gone astray. First go talk to them one on one, not with anyone else. Keep it between just you two because there is no need to go gossip about this situation. Secondly if your brother or sister in Christ take another person with you so that Christ can hopefully break through with your friend. If all else fails take them to the church, which your friend will most likely not let you do. This is where you have to just let them go. It is important to understand that your personal relationship with Christ is important and it can easily be brought down by another person.
I know this is hard and most of you probably did not even make it to the end of this post but if you did seriously trust in Christ because he does know better then all of us. Please do not just ignore these versus because if they were not important they would not be in the bible. And understand it will be hard, I haven’t even implemented this idea into my life because I know it will be tough. I let the verses speak a lot in this post so I hope you pray about this. Your personal relationship with Christ is important do not let someone who is running away from God pull you away from God. Again this is for believers and not for non-believers.
Also handle these things biblically, do not go crazy on someone or speak ill. Be humble and honest.
I love you all
Brent Phillips
Monday, May 3, 2010
You're Busted Part 1
I am thinking it is about that time of the year, you know the time when you finally get busted for everything you have been hiding, all of those hidden sins you thought you were always going to get away with but forgot to realize that God knows everything. Just take a deep breathe and then breathe out, doesn’t that just feel good? All the joys that come from truth are not evident at this moment but at some point they will be. You feel as though you are in a pit and everyone is turning their backs on you. Disappointment is a part of life and that is something you need to understand but sometimes there are consequences for your hidden sin becoming known. Because of course as you have always been taught there are always consequences for sin. But hey this could be a good thing, because now you have to rely on Christ much more, and he is your rock and your salvation.
I am not sure what this sin could be, it could range from Adultery, to Alcohol, to pride, to seeking acceptance instead of seeking Christ, gossip, slander, hatred, jealousy, or stealing. There is a list of what it could be that you have finally got busted with. Now understand I am talking more about being busted by friends and your peers then God because God clearly always knew.
But I write this so that you can be encouraged. Jesus never gave up on you and it is important to be broken before him so that he can change you into the person he wants you to be. And it is important to understand that sometimes it does take people time to trust you again. I understand that it should not be this way and that Christians should embrace their brothers and sisters in times of need but it a lot of time does not happen.
Here is my recommendation and my recommendation comes directly from the bible:
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16
It is important to just come clean with it. That is what I attempt to do with this blog and with people that I seek accountability with. Sometimes people are given a much worse name because when their sins are beginning to be seen by people they still try to stay hidden and silent about them. Just seek redemption and forgiveness from others and I believe you will find out that less people are trying to avoid you then if you were trying to avoid talking about.
This is part 1 of 2, I had another post I wanted to post but I felt that this needed to go first. I truly love you all and I pray you seek Christ and the redemption he gives and even when it is tough do not fret because He will always love you.
Love Brent
I am not sure what this sin could be, it could range from Adultery, to Alcohol, to pride, to seeking acceptance instead of seeking Christ, gossip, slander, hatred, jealousy, or stealing. There is a list of what it could be that you have finally got busted with. Now understand I am talking more about being busted by friends and your peers then God because God clearly always knew.
But I write this so that you can be encouraged. Jesus never gave up on you and it is important to be broken before him so that he can change you into the person he wants you to be. And it is important to understand that sometimes it does take people time to trust you again. I understand that it should not be this way and that Christians should embrace their brothers and sisters in times of need but it a lot of time does not happen.
Here is my recommendation and my recommendation comes directly from the bible:
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16
It is important to just come clean with it. That is what I attempt to do with this blog and with people that I seek accountability with. Sometimes people are given a much worse name because when their sins are beginning to be seen by people they still try to stay hidden and silent about them. Just seek redemption and forgiveness from others and I believe you will find out that less people are trying to avoid you then if you were trying to avoid talking about.
This is part 1 of 2, I had another post I wanted to post but I felt that this needed to go first. I truly love you all and I pray you seek Christ and the redemption he gives and even when it is tough do not fret because He will always love you.
Love Brent
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