Broken and Beautiful

I’d like to start to start this post by saying I’m not exactly sure where this one is going. So let’s find out!

So I work at this rad church full of good people, great people, and I get to spend a lot of time there. The backdrop is straight out of a movie. Tropical perfection, consistent and refreshing cool breezes, huge trees that are decades old, and just down the road, not just one, but many world class beaches… There are worse places to live. J

Anyways, in the back of the church, where all the trees are, we have this old beat up basketball court. A long time ago, the roots of these trees got under the cement and cracked its once smooth surface, making a proper game of ball ridiculous at best. What’s more, these trees like to shed their leaves all over the surface, leaving it not only broken, but messy and dirty too.

In short, the court is a mess and no one really uses for anything. Until just recently…

As of late, two little blond girls about eight or nine years old have been visiting this broken dirty court, playing and pretending. For example, I walked past them the other day, one of them pretended to be a photographer, snapping pictures of the other little girl pretending to be America’s next top model, walking a line like a catwalk, full of confidence and strength.

It was amazing! They love that court! So I let them do their thing and keep walking.

I guess what I want to say is that on one hand, I’m surrounded by beauty: beautiful scenery, beautiful weather, and beautiful people. But on the other hand, I’m surrounded by brokenness: the broken court, broken families, broken people, etc.

Last night, some friends and I went camping out at Polihale (which if you don’t know, is one of the most epic beaches in the world). It’s located on the Westside of the island; so naturally, it boasts some pretty extraordinary and often very moving sunsets.

The weather all day was perfect. No clouds. Then about the time the sun was going to set, the wind picked big, and blew in a lot of clouds. I was bummed!

We continued to watch the sunset, and then everything just went epic. The rays of the sun penetrated the clouds and out came SO much different shades of different colors! It was so beautiful! So much better then just a normal sunset. So much better then what I was hoping for.

I guess God knew what he was doing. He definitely knew better then me.

God not only uses the epic beautiful things, but also, and mostly I think, He uses the broken things for His glory. He makes foolish the wise and the wise foolish. He gives grace to the humble, but stands against the proud. He says the greatest must be last and the servant of all. He is close to the broken hearted and sets the captives free. He is.

When you truly love, then anything is beautiful.

God knows what He is doing. I hope we are wise enough to be want to be a part of it.

He knows better then us.

Grace and peace

Ernie

ALIVE?

"To have the Spirit of God dwelling within the heart of someone who chooses a domesticated faith is like having a tiger trapped within a cage. You are not intended to be a spiritual zoo where people can look at God in you from a safe distance. You are a jungle where the Spirit roams wild and free in your life. You are the recipient of the God who cannot be tamed and of a faith that must not be tamed. You are no longer a prisoner of time and space, but a citizen of the kingdom of God - a resident of the barbarian tribe. God is not a sedative that keeps you calm and under control by dulling your senses. He does quite the opposite. He awakens your spirit to be truly alive."

- Erwin McManus, The Barbarian Way

2 WEEKS AND COUNTING

Just saying...

WE ARE PENN STATE

-A loyal fan

p.s. God is SO much more epic and fulfilling then this... and coming from me that's a big deal.

Though I kind of wish had a video of this many young adults, screaming, and believing with all their hearts, "We are the Church."

Then lived it out.

Take the Plunge!

Have you ever felt like you were on the verge of doing something big? You ever stood at the edge of a cliff psyching yourself to jump or like the kid in the picture, contemplated the sheer awesomeness of what could be?

I know I have.

In my neighborhood we have a hill that was pretty big and pretty steep, maybe not quite so steep as the wild child above, but big, steep, and curvy. Growing up, we used to fly down this hill with our bikes and skateboards.

One day, cruising at the top of the hill with our bikes, someone said, “What if someone went down that hill with no hands and just conquered it?” Everyone was stoked, but no one really wanted to do it.

No one but me.

I eyed that hill, volunteered, and before anyone could call me out, started to peddle. Once the hill’s arc, momentum overtook me, I let go of the handlebars and was coasting! I felt home free. That is until I hit the first turn.

I leaned into the turn, felt the speed wobbles, lost control, and hit the road hard! As I lay there hurting, my friends rode down to me laughing!

So just to prove I wasn’t scared and wasn't defeated, I got up, walked my bike back to the top of the hill, eyed that hill, fully committed, and went for it again!

I hit that first turn perfectly and started to pick up speed. I was pretty much at the bottom and was stoked. Everything was fine, until I started to get cocky, lost my concentration, and went down. I scraped my face pretty bad that second time. But I didn’t care.

I didn’t even care that I didn’t make all the way down. I conquered that sucker. Even my friends were pumped.

With fall comes a new season for many of us. Some of us have graduated high school and are going to college, while others may still be in college but are now older and wiser, ready for something new. Still others of us might be entering into a new job or are quietly looking for the next big adventure. Whatever part of life you may be in, consider your situation, and dare to jump into something big! I know some of us feel like we are on the verge of something BIG. What are you looking at?

The Bible says if that we have faith as big as a mustard seed, we can move mountains! Some of us just need to step up, commit, and jump! And if you mess up or fail, it’s okay! You can get back up!

Woody Allen said, “If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign your not doing anything very innovative.”

Life is for LIVING. Jesus wants us to have life to the FULLEST. Life ABUNDANTLY. Take a risk. Rise up and challenge yourself. Find a dream and reach for it. Be deliberate and don’t let life make your life decisions for you.

Sometimes you try something and you fail. But at least you tried.

Other times, you step out and by grace, you find you’re not made out of glass, you’re stronger then you give yourself credit for, you rise out of your failures, and you conquer.