VCA Chapel- 9/12/12- An Interview with Jon Walker

It was my privilege to interview VCA senior Jon Walker in chapel and hear his testimony.  Check it out!

VCA Chapel- 9/5/12- Rick Jones

T-Minus 3 Days

The Carpenter releases Tuesday!  While I've listened to the album a hundred times here, there is something nice about actually owning the music, isn't there?  Check out song previews below or click on the link above for the full album.  

At first listen, you will notice some changes that seem like a bit of a departure, but the album will grow on you pretty quickly, I think.

Do Blogs Make a Difference?

Sometimes I wonder if anyone (besides my friends and family) is actually reading my blog.  Then I check out Feedjit and I am reassured.  Feedjit gives me a little bit of info on who is checking out my blog and how they got here.  Today, I noticed that I recently had a visitor from Saudi Arabia...and they arrived here by searching for "all kinds of free XXX porn videos." Imagine their surprise when they arrived on my post entitled "The Great Porn Debate"and read about the danger of porn and the love Christ has for them!  To top it off, they left the blog by heading to The Simple Way, another great Christian ministry.  So, maybe blogs make a difference after all. :)

(P.S. If you arrived on this blog by searching for "FEEDJIT" or "is anyone reading my blog?"---Jesus loves you and wants to have a relationship with you!!!  You've just been blog-ambushed!)

Lips and Hearts

I guess as an evangelical Christian, I'm supposed to have a "life verse."  You know, a verse that defines what my faith is all about, something that encourages me.  A lot of people choose Jeremiah 29:11 as their life verse (usually due to some pretty serious misreading of that passage), or a similarly uplifting Scripture.  While many, many passages have resonated with me as critical to my walk with God or applicable to my particular circumstances, I hadn't ever reflected on whether or not I have a life verse.  Until today.  I thought about it...and almost immediately, my "life verse" came to mind.  From Isaiah 29 and quoted by Jesus in Matthew 15-

"The Lord says, 'These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." (Isaiah 29:13)

Oh Lord, how true this has been of me at times!  I am apt to read Christ's words and think, "Those foolish, prideful Pharisees!" and fail to see those words describing me.  When we are in Christian leadership, we are always in danger of being the subject of that Scripture.  Constantly, we honor God with our words---we must, it's part of the job---and yet, our hearts can be so far from Him.  That can be a very isolating, lonely place to be.  I know at times I have felt like I must plow forward with the Message of Hope---I must!---even when my heart is far from Him.  

This is not really a "confessional," so to speak.  The very fact that I am writing this blog and thinking these thoughts reassures my heart that I am not far from Him.  But woe to me if I am not conscious of this Scripture daily!  Woe to me if I continue to speak His Word and share His love but do not know Him myself!  

This is my life verse.  It's a verse of discouragement....discouraging a self-centered, apathetic attitude that results in a heart that is far from Him.  Lord, help my heart to acknowledge You even more authentically than my words do.

VCA Chapel- 8/29/12- Wake Up!

Speaking to myself as much as the crowd...

VCA Chapel- 8/22/12- John 10:10

Boy, I'm not the most consistent blogger in the world, am I?  Here is last week's chapel video from the first week of school...I also spoke today and that video is coming soon.  I've been so consumed with VCA that I haven't had time to blog.  I'll hope to change that. :)

8/22/12- LIFE: More than a Game- John 10:10

Real blogs coming soon!