What is your purpose?

A good friend of mine wrote up on a white board: What is your purpose? Then another friend added what he believed his purpose to be. The first friend clarified what certain words meant and defined the purpose more clearly. The whole white board was filled as student began to add thoughts and discussion.

As I said over hearing what took place I wondered if something like that could take place in a blog with multiple authors, which is what this is. So I will ask the question and see if it goes anywhere.

What is your purpose?

What is most important to us?

Personally, recently, I've been quite overwhelmed by the world.
And when I say "world", I mean what is important to us as humans, nowadays. What we think on, what our lives revolve around. 
Most everybody I know has heard about the serious calamities that have occurred in the past few months, around the world. The earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. The violent bombings and murders in Libya, as well as other places. And most recently, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
I know many churches, many believers and many bodies were in fervent prayer during this time. Prayer for help... prayer for recovery. Prayer for restoration. Prayer for revival, not just in Japan, but in all places. Prayer for peace. Prayer for love.
It hurt to know that there were so many deaths, in just a matter of days. "Over 8,000 souls were ushered into eternity", our pastor reminded our congregation. "So many of which did not know Jesus Christ as their Savior."
It is enough to drive one to tears.
And the next day, all that America was concerned about was the top song on iTunes.
This caused me to really start thinking about it: what matters most to us? As believers we would instantly say, Christ. He is our All, He is our everything.
But if you ask us as human beings, there are so many things that can easily take the place of that. There are so many things we might be tempted to put over Christ. And there are so many things that we do put over Him, though we may not even see it.
It has been amazing growing up in this age. Since many of us were just children, the world has changed tremendously. Technology has gotten better, faster, easier to use, easier to get to, more efficient. Gas prices have risen, as well as the price of everything else. Presidents have come and gone.
But just seeing, hearing and watching how the world has changed, how America has changed. They have taken the words of God and they have twisted them into everything that they aren't.
So what is most important to you? Make sure to ask yourself that. Especially in times like these.

I praise God for His

I praise God for His faithfulness in the ever changing circumstances of this world.

What next?

The more I think about this blog the more I realize that has lots of possibilities for just about anything. I have thought about it as a non-locational church site, a place to find encouragement, a place for those who are following Christ to have other believers who care, and the list goes on. But what really is this blog about?

Since I am not the only writer here I don't have the final say in the matter. My vision for this blog is to create a place to join together in unity of faith, love of Christ, and desire to grow and help others join in as well. I want to see people join in the pursuit of Christ-likeness and begin to show the love of Christ as they go.

This blog is a product of me being a visionary, wanting to get something done even if I have no idea what I am doing. I greatly desire to see the unity of the saints join together to bring Christ into their worlds and invite others to do the same, so I created a place to do just that. I don't know where this will go, but that is part of the adventure of following Christ.

If you have been invite to be a contributor please feel free to write about whatever. My sisters have written challenges, I have written strategy, and I am sure others will write something that is unique to them. Join the pursuit, all are welcome. If you want to contribute just let me know

Question

it has been said that technology adds to our relational experience. my question is that true, or are we as children of technology finding ourselves more empty by it?

Prayer

I realized something today on my way to Chapel. If you begin to pray for Godly things, and for actions that are clearly within God's will and desire. He gives them. Just be careful for what you ask for.

I am reading a book, Bruchko, and with it tells a very passionate story about a young man who is passionate about God. He simply prayed, "God, change me like you changed the people in the bible" and after being struck with God's presence he continued, "and give me the passion that you gave them."

A very simple prayer, but one with a lot behind it. If you think about what kind of passion it takes to be like peter, or to have faith like john, then asking for that would mean a lot.

I asked God this morning that he would give me a passion like Peter's and a faith like John's and a drive and compassion like Paul. Already within the day I have felt a greater desire toward those very things.

Be careful what you pray for.

Am I A Soldier of the Cross?

Am I a soldier of the cross,
a follower of the Lamb,
and shall I fear to own his cause,
or blush to speak his name?

Must I be carried to the skies
on flowery beds of ease,
while others fought to win the prize,
and sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
to help me on to God?

Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
increase my courage, Lord.
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
supported by thy word.

Thy saints in all this glorious war
shall conquer though they die;
they see the triumph from afar,
by faith they bring it nigh.

When that illustrious day shall rise,
and all thy armies shine
in robes of victory through the skies,
the glory shall be thine.