Here’s to You, Jesus.

I just wanted to share my thoughts on a book from the Bible that I just finished reading, yesterday.

I just finished the book of Matthew.

In Matthew, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, you probably already know this.  I love the way he taught in parables.  He would tell stories of sowers, mustard seeds, farmers, sinners and so many different kinds of people and things.  I must admit, when I first read some of the parables, I had no idea what the gist of the stories were.  But later on in the book, he explains his parables to his disciples and to his audience… and it is incredible how he could take the most random, everyday things and situations and demonstrate a moral in them, even when the moral is embedded deep within the story itself.

Also in the book, Jesus performs many miracles (like other books).  Jesus would lay His hands on a sick person and they would be instantly healed.  He would say simple words and He would demonstrate His power by saying “Because of your great faith, you are healed.”  To me, it is amazing how Jesus, the Son of Man, the Almighty, the Messiah, the One Perfect Son of God would show so much mercy to everyday people.  He did not throw out His miracles to anyone, however.  On many occasions He denied people their requests of mercy because of their week faith; only when they have proved their faith, would He grant their requests.

Words or thoughts can never describe how loving and merciful Jesus is, He is just Perfect.  How can we fully understand One who is Perfect?  The answer simply put is, we can’t… we NEVER will be able to fully understand Jesus and His eternal Love for us.  What we can understand, however, is that He will never abandon us and He will always love us.

Going back to the miracles that Jesus performed in Matthew.  It is truly amazing that Jesus would always tell anyone who witnessed a miracle, “Do not tell anyone about what you have seen.”  If you’re not convinced of his selflessness, think about the ultimate sacrifice, HE DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US!  HOW MUCH MORE SELFLESS CAN HE GET?!

Think about how selfish we, as humans, are… we always seek credit for the things that we do and for the good things that we say.  One of the motivations for our doing these good deeds is purely recognition and praise…. now THAT is selfish.  I am one of them.  I often find myself thinking, “What will this person think if I do this?  What would that person think if I did that?  I hope they would reward me or compliment me.”  Face it… we all like to get recognition for what we do and we love to get rewards for our good deeds, that’s not something that will ever completely go away.  But Jesus never sought recognition and He did some amazing stuff; HE PERFORMED MIRACLES!  How many of us can ever say we performed miracles?  David Blaine might say:  I have!  I levitate!  I held my breath under water!  (David, Jesus walked on water… He CALMED water during a vicious storm.)  Criss Angel might say:  I walked on water!  (Yes, but that is an illusion.  That’s is manipulation… You just want recognition.)  Here’s the thing,  Jesus is real!  Not some magician or illusionist.

Back to the point of miracles and selflessness… Many people were terrified after witnessing Jesus perform a miracle, his disciples included.  They would question Him and ask, “Who is this man???”  Answer:  He is the Son of God… with whom God is well pleased.

My friends, Jesus is great… I hope you know that.  Without Him, there would be no “me”…. there wouldn’t be iPods, computers, Desperate Housewives, happiness, or hope.

Sunday, September 13, 2009 = DUNKED

“Hey now, this is my desire: consume me like a fire ’cause I just want Something Beautiful to touch me.  I know that I’m in reach, ’cause I am down on my knees and waiting for Something Beautiful.”

Recognize it?  It pretty much described my life prior to today…

I woke up this morning to go to church at NewSpring Church, where I have been going for several months now.  Little did I know that this particular service would change my walk with Christ forever.  I got to church… not really in the best of moods, I was just in one of those completely random weird moods… the ones where you aren’t mad but you aren’t happy either and you have NO IDEA why.  I didn’t really sing the worship songs like I usually do so I just listened… gave three dollars in the offering and waited for the sermon of Perry Noble.  One of the first things he said in his sermon was “Today, Sunday, September 13, 2009, will be a significant day in many of your lives… you will write down today’s date and remember it for the rest of your life.”

That statement caught my attention but I didn’t know what he was going to do or say that would make me remember that day… so I just listened.  Later on in the sermon, he asked anyone on all NewSpring campuses to stand up if they needed Jesus and had never been baptized since the decision to follow Him.  I, however, didn’t stand up because I was actually embarrassed of what people would think of me… I had my WyldLife students there who might wonder why I was a leader if I haven’t even been baptized yet.  The truth is… I was baptized when I was a baby but to me, it didn’t count because it wasn’t MY decision.

Perry Noble then went on to say, “We have a pool outside… we even have clothes so don’t worry.  When the band starts to play, those who want to be “dunked”, go to the next room and change and get ready.”   After he said this, Sam Mitchell began to play a song on his guitar and people walked out of the room to go get ready… at this point, I hadn’t even thought about it.  I didn’t think about it until halfway through the song, when my heart just completely sank… we’re talking the most guilty feeling I have ever felt in my life (Not kidding one big).  I felt like God was saying to me “Wyatt, you idiot!!!  Here is your chance for a new life, I am offering you ETERNAL LIFE!!!”  So I looked next to me at my good friend, Chris Cantey, and tapped his shoulder and said, “I’m going, man..”  He responded with excitement, “You’re going?!?!” and so I did.

I walked outside because I had waited so long to go, I didn’t know where the others had gone.  I then found out that they were inside in the dressing room (duh Wyatt).  So I got in line to get my “Jesus Garb” (that’s what I called them) and once I go in line, I saw some very familiar faces… three of my own WyldLife students and several of my good friends.  Including my long time role model, youth minister and friend, who’s name I will NOT mention JAMES MCCOY!  Just the sight of him made me so much more relieved.  We walked outside into the hot sun and waited in a line of 150 plus people.  We joked about what funny things we would say when Florence Campus Pastor Michael Brown asked us “Who is your Savior”… we talked about saying “Jesus dude!” or in some funny accent.  James went first and he got into the pool and got baptized…  I was next and I was nervous.  Why was I nervous?? Because I’m an idiot who cares too much about what others think about me but it is OKAY because God was about to offer me a new eternal life.  My name was called and I stepped into the pool.  Michael Brown asked “Wyatt, who is your Lord and Savior?” and I responded “JESUS CHRIST!!”  (Where that came from, I don’t know… by the way, the water was COLD.)  So everyone cheered and I went to dry off and to change.

When I got back outside to watch the rest of the ceremony, another good friend of mine, Kali Benthall said to me in the most sincere way… “I am SO GLAD I got to experience that part of your life, Wyatt!!!”…. that statement meant SO MUCH to me… all I could do was hug her… so I did (Take that Jonathan Dabney!)  JUST KIDDING!

I guess the whole point of this blog is to express how clean and happy I feel.  I know that I have the strength to make it through all of life’s struggles.

Let this be a testimony to anyone who is unsure if they need to be baptized.  YES…. you need to.  If you’re nervous about it… don’t be. I was nervous but the reward is ETERNAL LIFE AND HAPPINESS… so who wouldn’t do it?!

Praise Jesus, my friends.

By the way, this blog is dedicated to all who got baptized today at NewSpring Church.

Stereotypes? Nooo, who would ever think that??

So I was thinking of something to blog about today, and someone offered a suggestion of writing about the commonly known stereotypes of Coastal Carolina.

There are many rumors about the students here, at Coastal.  Some are true, some are not… Let me expand on that:

Rumor 1: Everyone at Coastal Carolina has an STD.

Truth: That is NOT true… 100% of the students here are NOT infected… only 98% are in fact, infected with some kind of STD…(the new politically correct term is STI… but that’s irrelevant).

Rumor 2: Coastal Carolina’s programs aren’t accredited (they are fake).

Truth:  Coastal Carolina’s programs ARE accredited.  I haven’t the faintest idea of where people heard this rumor, or who started it.

Rumor 3: Coastal Carolina is a party school… all people do there is drink.

Truth: Completely absurd…. CCU is not a party school…. it is a party, drink, smoke weed, shoot heroine, smoke crack, take shrooms, and above all, sex school.  Get your facts right, people.. come on.

Rumor 4: Everyone at Coastal is a yankee (not that there’s anything wrong with yankees… I mean.. they’re a great baseball team.)

Truth: Again… not true.  I’ve met like three people from South Carolina and one from New Mexico; therefore, not EVERYONE here, is a yank.

Rumor 5:  No one at CCU is a Christian.

Truth:  That is also untrue!!  There is a small group of Christians here… I haven’t met them yet but I know they are all great.  I am here… there’s another one.  OH, and should I mention the everlasting fact that Jesus Christ is here on campus???  It’s true, He is; He lives here… right down the hall in room 273…. and in 272, 271, 270, and every other dorm room, classroom, hallway, and every square inch of this campus.  He didn’t abandon Coastal and He never will.

Let me clarify something, I am lucky to be here.  This is a beautiful campus and the faculty are all great.  I am looking at my being here as God’s Will (because it is).  He put me here for a reason and, though I do not yet know what the reason is, I know I will find out soon enough.  I’ve been told this is my mission field… that is true, it is.  I am doing my best with what I have been given and I am trying to shine God’s Light on this campus.

I hope this blog has caused you rumor starters to stand corrected.  But to all who read, this should give you a better idea of the amazingly safe, Christian campus………….. woo!  Now we can all rest easy.

Thanks!

Let the songs I sing…

My day began at 7:30 AM because I met with a good friend of mine, David, for coffee and breakfast at his house.  We drank coffee, ate Kashi Go Lean Crunch, ate cranberry bran muffins, and had several chill and relaxing conversations.  He introduced me to his youngest brother, Sammy, and reintroduced me to his other brother, Jonathan, who is half deaf. This boy changed my week and my outlook on many things.

Jonathan  taught me so many different letters and phrases in sign language.  He taught me the basics, such as “hello”, “thank you”, and “I love you”, and some more complex phrases, such as “play soccer”, “I like your shoes”, and “What is my sign language name?”.  Now… I’m a fairly impatient guy; anyone who knows me well can agree with me, but as he and I were communicating, I never felt so patient.  Both Jonathan and Sammy showed me their respective photo albums, filled with many pictures of their summer and friends (They both have girlfriends!!).  After their presentation of their pictures, we went outside, where they rode bikes and my friend, David and I took turns on his longboard.

After ten minutes or so, I had to leave and so I told the two boys “goodbye” in sign language (even though Sammy, the youngest can hear fine).  I left and on my way home, I was listening to the new Needtobreathe CD, The Outsiders.  The song that was playing was “Garden”, which just happens to be my favorite of the album.  There is one particular line in the song that stuck out because it pretty much summed up my morning making connections with my new friends.

“Let the songs I sing bring joy to you. Let the words I say, profess my love. Let the notes I choose be your favorite tune.  Father, let my heart be after You.”

I do not know if you see any connection yet or not, but I promise you, it is the perfect explanation of my experience.

“Let the songs I sing bring joy to you”  suggested that maybe the “songs” that Jonathan was “singing” do not have to specifically mean “song” or “sing”; I interpreted them as “Let the things I say make you happy”, and that is just what they did.  They made me happy.  They changed my whole outlook of what it means to communicate with those different from us (or are they not so different after all?).  The next line “Let the words I say, profess my love” were suggested as words through sign language.  The “love” that is mentioned symbolized his passion and willingness to communicate with me; he was very understanding of my lack of experience and he was very helpful in teaching me these few phrases.  It was like he loved to teach people this language because not only can you communicate and make connections through signs, but also making connections and communicating as a “heart to heart”; therefore connecting at a more personal level.

“Let the notes I choose be your favorite tune” showed me how truly fun it is to learn a new language.  Jonathan did not “choose” to be half deaf but it is a blessing from God.  He took on his disability with a full heart and is now very enjoyable to communicate with.  His being deaf is what makes him different from most other people, and I love it!  Of the many people I have met in the last few weeks, Jonathan and Sammy are my “favorite”.

“Father, let my heart be after you” is exactly what I am thinking as I write this blog.  ”Father, let my heart always be Yours, You are Mighty and Loving in every single way.  You have brought love and joy to my heart this day through Jonathan.  Let this serve as a reminder that you are in complete control and as we see shortcomings as… well… short, let us remember that they are there to learn from, live with, and grow to love.

To all of those who live with or are friends with disabilities, LOVE THEM.  Get to know them.  COMMUNICATE!

My friends, how great it is to blog, once again.

So I’ve been away from blogging for a while… don’t ask me why because I have no clue why.

I really don’t even have anything to talk about but I just felt like blogging.  I’ve got to write a paper on a great book that I finished a couple weeks ago and I’m too lazy to start.  I need to get on it, I suppose.

I’m still very new to WordPress so I’m just learning as I go.  It is totally different than Blogspot but I guess I can get used to it.

I’ve been watching my nephew all day long and he’s actually been unusually easy this time.  Normally I put together puzzles with him or throw the ball or something and then let him on the computer to play games whenever he gets bored… but today has been nonstop games and TV.  I know that’s not good but you know, he’s happy.  I’ve fed him breakfast and lunch so far and he’s only wanted Rice Crispies cereal… I tried to get him to eat chicken nuggets but he refused to even look at them.  It can’t be good for his stomach to just want cereal… but I’m no doctor.

A look ahead:

I am really excited about starting college but at the same time, very nervous.  I will be going to Coastal Carolina for my freshman year and we’ll see how it goes from there.  I’ve got my schedule all worked out (after having to change it twice).

That’s all I really have today… maybe I’ll think of something later.

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