Quitting Christianity?

So I came into work this morning and was checking the news online when I came across an article titled “Anne Rice leaves Christianity.”  (http://tinyurl.com/24ed8je)

Before I even read the article, I honestly thought, “well there goes another celebrity down the wrong path the world has to offer.” But to my amazement it wasn’t like that at all. Anne Rice supported her argument by basically saying that it is impossible for her to “belong” to a group of people that are so unloving, uncaring, and apathetic. The coolest part about this whole article is that Rice doesn’t end there. What she said at the end of the article gripped my heart.

“My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me,” Rice wrote. “But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.”

Re-read that last sentence. What would happen if we as “Christians” took that to heart? We have been called to follow Christ, not his followers. The church today has gotten so far off track of the mission that we were first given. The Christian church has become known as one that condemns people to Hell for anything and everything, but doesn’t accurately portray the Gospel, the story of  a Wonderful Saviour who died on a cross, bearing all of that sin, all of Hell upon His shoulders, and who rose from the dead three days later to proclaim victory over that death and over Hell for each and every one of us. It was love that led Jesus Christ to the cross that day. And somehow since then the people that He died for, the ones that have been chosen to do the same as he did lost sight of that fact.

I visited Newspring Church in Anderson, SC yesterday morning. Pastor Perry Noble spoke on the state of the church, and one thing he said gripped my heart like never before.

“So many people today are waiting for a revival in the church. We don’t need a revival. We need a reformation.”

That is so true. Christianity has become a joke to the world. If the Christians that lived their faith out vibrantly in the Book of Acts were here today among us, they would be labeled as radicals, as heretics even. I truly believe that God is not happy (yeah that is an understatement)  with the state of the church today overall. Yeah, there are quite a few that have got it right, that realize what is going on, and are working to fix it, and I thank God for those.  God is wanting to reform His Church. He is constantly calling us back to him.

So maybe we need to quit. Quit Christianity as it has become known today, and go back to the basics. The base. Singular. JESUS CHRIST. And go from there. That is where that reformation will start. And if we could do that it will spread like a rampant wildfire. “For our god is a consuming fire.”

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Elaborate.

~eklegomai: to choose out~

Who am I?

Well I will start off with the basics.

My name is Joshua Jones, I am one of three children from my parents: Lisa Rozier, and Don Jones.  I am 20 years old, and frankly I wish I could stay 20 my whole life. I am a student at Toccoa Falls College in the north GA mountains. I am majoring in Youth Ministry. As much as I have a heart for the youth of this world, I have an innate passion for the college aged.

I have some of the best friends and family a guy could have. They are an awesome support team, and I am blessed to have them in my life.

I am a Christian. On August 5, 2007 I gave my life to Jesus Christ. He took it, and has made me into something I could have never seen, nor deserved.

I am a natural born leader. Leadership runs through my veins, it is probably the greatest gift that God has given me besides his hope and salvation.

I am eklegomai. Chosen. Before my conception, I was picked out by the Creator of the universe to do something. I have been hand picked by the hand that turns the world to accomplish a task. I know I have been chosen. Each of us have. It will happen, there is no question in that fact. The only question is when.

God has been preparing me throughout my whole life to step up and take the reigns of this calling. And guess what? I am. I don’t know where that will take me, honestly I don’t care. It could lead me to another country, it could lead me down the street, it could lead me to my death. I am eklegomai. I will not fail when it comes to fulfilling that.

I’m writing this to hopefully encourage someone out there. Your life has meaning. You have been preordained by God to do something. All you have to do is to step out in faith and ask God to show you that calling. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

What would you do for a Lexus?

This last week and a half has been life changing, to say the least. Like I said a couple of posts ago, I had been anticipating the work of God in my life. Well, He never disappoints. And it came unexpectedly. Last Monday morning, my roommate came to my house and told me that his mom had just passed away. And He asked me to go to Albany, GA with him for the funeral. I didn’t even think about it, didn’t hesitate at all, I took a week off of work and went. On the way there, doubt began to sink in. “Am I ready for this?” “How am I supposed to be strong for him, when I really don’t think I am strong myself?” Well, thank God for some amazing friends. I expressed this to a friend of mine, and God totally spoke right through her words straight to my heart. “Josh. You are not unprepared. The need has presented itself and you have chosen to go.That is so bold of you. To go even when you are unsure. God is with you, he has a plan. He knows what he needs you to do, all you ahve to be is willing. You have already shown you are.”

This simple statement changed the way I thought about the situation, and my walk with God from here on out.

You see, sometimes God calls you, even when you are not ready. He calls you to stand up, to do something, that at that moment is utterly impossible. For you, that is. I truly believe that God is searching this world for those people who will jump at an opportunity to do something, even when they feel like they are not ready. He wants us to look to him for our source of strength, to rely on him for each step we take. And what is awesome about it is that when we step out like that, when we don’t even think about the “what ifs” we become more and more usable for God. God tests us with the little things first, and if he sees that we are faithful with those, then he gives us greater things. Think about it:

If you went up to someone on the street that you didn’t know and ask to borrow their brand new Lexus, chances are they would probably shoot you. (nah just kidding, but they would give you a pretty strange look, get in their car and drive away.) If you knew the person, it would help a little bit, but still just knowing him or her wouldn’t result in a joy ride in their Lexus. They have to trust you. SO say that you know this person, and you have borrowed money him or her before, and faithfully returned it, and maybe you have also borrowed a lawnmower, or something and returned it, the odds are MUCH greater that you would be able to get the keys to the Lexus.

God wants to let us borrow the Lexus. Shoot, he wants us to KEEP the Lexus. But we first have to be faithful in the small things. I honestly believe that going to Albany for me was God seeing if I was ready for more. I am so glad that I didn’t fail that test. Trust me, it was rough, there were still time where I didn’t feel capable, but ultimately I knew that I was there for a reason, and that God would get the glory for it no matter what.

The awesome thing about this is, after a couple days of trusting God in the situation, I felt a change in my perception. You see, when we come to the point where we align our views, our lives, our hopes, our dreams, despite everything that we feel is holding us back, we begin to see differently. And thats what happened. My perception on my walk changed. And the blessings that God rained down have been numerous.

You see, being faithful in the rough situations shows God that you want something more, and He is willing to give it.

What is God asking you to do, so that he can trust you with his Lexus??

Thoughts…

Sorry bout the break, I went on vacation for a week, but I am back now!

I feel a rising in my soul. I have felt something like this before, but not on this level. I have no idea what it is, but I am excited about it. It feels like a breakthrough waiting to happen, and it is inspiring. I don’t know what else to say about it, except that I wake up in the morning with it, and it is still there when I lay my head down, during the day I feel it in the background of my mind, and a lot of times it surfaces full force and I just mull it over and over again, right now it is beyond my comprehension, but it is still there, ever present as always. The one thing I know is it is a God thing. And it will become evident in HIS time.

For some reason I keep thinking of the story of the sculptor that would come in the sculpting room for months, stare at this huge block of marble and yell “COME OUT!” and walk right back out. After a while, this block of marble became the masterpiece of David. The scupltor’s name was Michelangelo.

I feel like that block of marble just waiting to be chiseled down to a masterpiece. I look forward to it, however long it takes. My sculptor is the best of all time.

Guys, keep me in your prayers, I don’t know exactly whats going on, but I know it is big, and prayer will not hurt one bit!!!

“You’re gonna do great things.”

(this blog is dedicated to my mom. Mom, without your constant support, no matter the circumstance, or what was against me, I wouldn’t be the man I am today, and who I am becoming. I love you more than you’ll ever know. Now get the tissues, dry those tears, you have a blog to read, tears and keyboards don’t make a good combination!)

“You’re gonna do great things.”

That is something that I have heard my whole life. I have been challenged my whole life to blow apart labels that are put on me.

“You’re gonna do great things.”

If you know me then you probably know that I was diagnosed ADHD at a young age, and further down the line diagnosed bipolar. That combination doesn’t usually amount to leading a regular life. Most people who are diagnosed with that combination  rely on medication to help them cope with the world. Even on medication, those people live a life inhibited by their diagnosis. Well, I blew that expectation out of the water, as a freshman in high school, I talked with my mom about stopping the medication, the doctor’s visits, the psychiatric evaluations. And for some reason, she agreed. She supported my decision, and for the life of me I can’t tell you why. It  wasn’t easy for any of my family, shoot it was ROUGH. For years, I drove my parents insane, even at a few points had cops called on me. But through all of this I grew. I succeeded in what I set out to do as a freshman in high school.

“You’re gonna do great things.”

Shortly after I was diagnosed ADHD in elementary school, people saw potential in me. They said I had a brilliant mind, even one of my teachers said that I would “discover the cure for cancer, but forget where I put it.” (Brilliant, not necessarily organized) I was the first to read in my kindergarten class, and the teacher made me read that book to the second graders down the hall, and in second grade I checked out, read, and grasped Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”. So I was put in the accelerated classes, or should I say, when my third grade class began “math time” I would grab my 4th grade math book and head to the library, to come back shortly after with my assignment complete, and right. My standardized reading scores in elementary school came out to show that I could read and comprehend books at a post-high school level.  Even after all of this my mom was constantly challenging me, if I brought home a 98 on a test, she wanted a 100. If I brought home a 100, she wondered why I didn’t do the bonus question! She saw potential in me, along with all of my teachers. I am sad to say that halfway through middle school I stopped applying myself. I got bored with it, and I regret it. But people still saw the potential in me, and they continued to challenge me even to this point in my life.

“You’re gonna do great things.”

I decided eighth grade to sign up for NJROTC in high school. My mom told me it was a full four-year commitment, and I agreed. I found something I wanted to really apply myself at, and come my sophomore year, I was already an officer in the unit. The summer before my junior year I was invited to attend the prestigious Leadership Academy, where the top 2% of the cadets of the region went to be taught about military leadership. Myself and one other guy were the only ones from my high school to attend, and I was the only one to actually make it through the week. On my return to the unit I was the first junior in the history of the unit to be appointed second-in-command, the Executive Officer. I began to grasp just a little bit of my talent as a leader.

“You’re gonna do great things.”

On August 5, 2007 I was at a youth camp in Panama City Beach, Florida. Maybe a month before that I had began attending church at Family Life Church in Brunswick, GA. (www.familylife.ws) That night i was in a small room with a bunch of people I really didn’t know at the time, and the senior pastor spoke. Through his sermon God grabbed hold of me. That was the moment my life changed. Everything that came before this moment was just the stretching before the run. I gave my life to Christ, and I’m pretty sure now I know what he was thinking at that moment I came to his feet.

“You’re gonna do great things.”

At that point, my plans after graduation were to receive a scholarship through the Navy to go to an aeronautical university and learn to fly. Well, God had a different plan. He seemed to think that I was fit for ministry, and I felt the tug on my heart after the scholarship fell through to pursue a career in youth ministry. For a year and a half I interned at Family Life Church with the youth group, and over this time, I learned so much about who I was in Christ, and really began to realize that I had an uncanny knack for leadership. I spoke on the radio to surrounding counties three times, and was at the church any time I could be. I loved it. And I began to hear a slight whisper…

“You’re gonna do great things.”

Throughout this time, I dated a girl for a year and a half. She was phenomenal. We were great together. I felt loved. For the first time in my life, there was a girl who actually liked being around me for more than two minutes. However, the relationship turned, things happened that shouldn’t have, and I began to put that relationship before what God had planned. That whisper dimmed to a breeze that would rustle by every now and then.

“You’re gonna do great things.”

After  a year and a half that relationship flopped. I was devastated. Hardest part of my life. But through that hurt, God was there repairing me, and still telling me…

“You’re gonna do great things.”

“Hello, I am an Admission Counselor from Toccoa Falls College, do you have a minute to talk?” Thats how the phone call started not even a week after the break up. Through the turmoil I was dealing with inside I felt a leap for joy that was surely unexpected. Long story short, I applied, got accepted, and planned on moving and starting a new life less than two months from that first phone call. When my mom and little brother and I went for the campus tour, I felt alive again. I knew it was where I was supposed to be. When we walked in the chapel I looked at my mom, and she just kind of grinned at me. Later on the drive home I told her what my first thought was when I walked in there. “I didn’t want to say it when we went in and look arrogant in front of the tour guide, but I am going to speak in that chapel before I graduate.” My mom replied with, “I knew that was exactly what you were thinking.” At this point, God was speaking to be louder than before, lovingly saying…

“You’re gonna do great things.”

Well I have been here for a year now, and I have grown so much. I have had so much more growth than I thought was possible in my life. I started over when I came here, I knew I was coming with a clean slate, and I wanted to make the best of it. I went from the quiet(ish), lonesome, Josh of Brunswick, GA, to the friendly, loud, eccentric, crazy, hyper, Josh of Toccoa, GA. I surprised myself at how easily I made friends, and how they seemed to see things in me right off the bat that I had only heard whispers of.

“You’re gonna do great things.”

I have spoke in that chapel three times already. And every time I have delivered a message that came straight from God. Everytime I have heard from people…

“You’re gonna do great things.”

I am at a point right now writing this where it has become as loud as a roll of thunder…

“You’re gonna do great things.”

I used to not accept it, after all it is a huge responsibility. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to take it, I mean, who am I to do great things? I can’t do it. Well I have come to find that is right. I can’t do it. But God can. And who lives in me? God! Who has called me to a specific purpose? God has! I have written this looking back at everything in my life, and noticing all of the accomplishments I have made have not come from me at all. God was working on me since birth, even before I acknowledged him. And it was through him that my accomplishments came, and whatever is in my future will come from him.

I had a friend tell me the other day, “Josh, you are a mover and a shaker.” That lit something inside of me, thinking about it now, it just brings tears to my eyes. Why me? I didn’t do anything to deserve to do great things! But that is what so many people see in me, great things waiting to be done. I thank you for the encouragement. All of you are awesome.

That is my passion, my heart-cry. To do great things for the glory of God. To change lives. When I leave this world, I don’t want to be remembered. I want people to remember the things that God did through me. I want to live a legacy that lasts way beyond my name. I want to change the world. So pray for me. Because I am definitely going to need it. And if you want to join me, come on! The world needs people who are going to do great things. And this I say to you:

“You are going to do great things.”

“darling…”

“Patience is a virtue but you will never ever accomplish anything if you don’t exercise action over patience.” Byron Pulsifer

I have really been learning the meaning of patience here recently. Sitting in a 10×20 guard shack for four hours (at least)  a day will end up doing that to you! But I’m not just talking about the type of patience it takes to wait for the clock to move, I’m talking about this:

“Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.”

source: wikipedia.com

…The character trait of being steadfast. That sounds familiar!

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

James 1:2-4

I could go on all day with these, but if those didn’t encourage you (which they should) I’m  just going to show you a little piece of my mind. When I hear the word “steadfast” for some reason I picture an iceberg. An iceberg pretty much does its own thing.. float around, chill, sink ships, repeat. Right? That’s pretty much it. But the cool thing is, it is very difficult to force an iceberg off its track. And the reason for this is because there is more to the iceberg than what you see.

We all know that the majority of the mass of an iceberg lies unseen under the surface of the water. Over half of the iceberg itself lies dormant, rarely being noticed at all. However, this portion of the iceberg is what “steers” the whole part that is seen along. It is what gives icebergs the “Titanic Syndrome” (yeah I just made that up.) The Titanic Syndrome states: I can unfalteringly take on something that everyone else says is impossible. I might be roughed up a bit, but I can face whatever comes my way with a sense of steadfast certainty and I will endure.”

So think about this. Patience is the state of being steadfast, being steadfast is like an iceberg. I challenge you to wrap your mind around this small, but ver significant thought: if you can, it might change the world.

If an iceberg can have such a “Titanic Syndrome” with over half of its capability unseen, how much of a “Titanic Syndrome” can we have by showing what we hide under the surface? What could stop us if we saw what power we have through the name of Jesus Christ, and the gifts that he has given us, and we stopped hiding it? Do you think the world is ready for a few of us to step up and do that?

Carpe Diem!!!! (or not…)

photo thanks to: www.cartoonstock.com

Do one thing every day that scares you.

-Elanor Roosevelt

Taking risks… does that excite you? Or do you tremble with fear even thinking about it?

Personally, I love taking risks. When I take a risk, whether it works out the way I want it to or not, I find out a little bit of what I am made of.  It’s a learning process for me.

However, taking risks never comes easy. There is always an element of uncertainty involved. Fear of the unknown. “What is going to happen if…?” The “if” factor is what gets us… and for a lot of people, taking risks is out of the question. The present situation seems to be great as is, but taking that risk can change everything. That’s what gets me. We have lessened the value of risk-taking. Think of how many things have happened over time because someone, somewhere took a risk. Someone, somewhere, was told one thing and they did they opposite to see what would happen. Think about it. What would happen if you “did one thing a day that scared you?” Think of the results.

1 Person: 1 risk per day->365 risks/year -> 1,825 risks taken in 5 years!

The impact would be tremendous, not just in our own lives, but the lives of countless others! All it takes is one person willing to take one big risk to change the lives of thousands.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I…I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” -Robert Frost

What is it that keeps you from taking risks? When you do take a risk, how do you go about it? What are some risks that you can take today?