*Make sure you watch the video before you continue to read!*

Here’s the thing, we are on this earth to glorify God!! You get that? I didn’t.

…”take my life and let it be all for You and for Your Glory, take my life and let be Yours”

Here is what that means to me, it means taking up my cross everyday. Teaching myself to be teachable! Living under authority of Christ and of my parents. Releasing worry and stress to Him. Knowing that we are not of this earth as Christians, we are not our own! And sin, well if we are not killing it then it will kill us, and it says that what I want to do is bigger then what God has for which takes away from HIS GLORY!

We were made by him and for him! God gave His son so that we could be His son’s and daughters!

Think about it, meditate on it, pray about it!

Grace and peace,

Ben

At what point am I different from the rest of the world? Is it when I less to “secular” music? Is it when I never sin or get in trouble? Is it when I become completely sinless?  No. It is when we start making conscience decisions to make God first in our lives and follow what He has for our lives.

Christ came as a point of difference, to show us how we are sinners and how much we hurt Him, but instead of punishing us He died for us! And what is our point of difference? Our point of difference is when we rebel against the culture, and accept Jesus as our saviour and our leader! He wants our hearts, we give em up or we sell it cheap to the world around us!

Maybe you already are a christian. Does that mean you only had ONE point of difference? NO! If we are not continually finding points in our lives to change, then we are blinded to our own lives and our own sin! Find your point and start changing it and you will abound in love and faith and hope in the God who forgives & saves!

My Child,
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. I when you sit down and when you rise up. I am familiar with all your ways, even the very hairs on your head are numbered. For YOU were made in My image. In me you live and move and have your being for you are my offspring. I knew you even before you were conceived, I chose YOU when I planned creation. You were not a mistake for all your days are written in my book. I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. I knit you together in your mother’s womb and brought you forth on the day you were born.

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. I am not distant and angry but am the complete expression of love and it is my desire to lavish my love on you simply because you are my child and I am your father. I offer you more than your earthly father ever could, for I am the perfect father. Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand, for I am your provider and I meet all your needs. My plan for your future has always been filled with hope because I love you with and everlasting love. My thoughts towards you are countless as the sand on the seashore, and I rejoice over you with singing. I will never stop doing good to you. for you are my treasured possession, I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. For it is I who gave you those desires. I am able to do more for you then you could possible imagine. I am the greatest encourager. I am also the father who comforts you in all your troubles. When you are broken hearted, I am close to you. As a shepherd carries a lamb I have carried you close to my heart.

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes and I will take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. I am your father and I love you even as I love my son Jesus. For in Jesus my love for you is revealed. He is the exact representation of my being, and He came to demonstrate that I am for you not against you, and to tell you that I am not counting your sins.

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. I gave you everything I loved that I might gain your love. If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me and nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. I have always been Father and will always be Father.

My question is…will you be My child? I am waiting for you…

Love your Dad,
The Almighty and only God.

I almost pushed God away on purpose in order to focus on my friends, but is that how it should be, not at all. My life here on earth is but a glimpse of eterenity, but a good percentage of my time, energy and words were spent in non life giving things. I want to say, I am sorry to all the guys I hung out with last week, for not being the best example of Christ that I could have been, a long with being pissed off for no other reason than my own selfishness. I thank God that I have friends that I can live in community with and share life together, I couldn’t ask for more. May God bless each and every one of your lives!

What is the human body capable of?

This really drives into my head how much there is a Creator who makes us all with different bodies, abilities and definantly different minds!

The movie is called Freedom Writers. It comes from the real story of a group of students who lived through the crappiest of situations and the a lot of racism and discrimination. They had no opportunity to go on in life and had to fight everyday to survive. I won’t give it all away, the trailer is below.

I bring up this movie because it made me think, what are my dreams and  who am I pushing away because they are different. Am I living in community with everyone or am I just pretending? The people in this movie were given a dream, they were given a voice and an opportunity to be different from the world around them. They did and many lives are still around today because of what they have done.

What’s your dream? To make a change, to see freedom reign in all nations, to love your communtiy with all your passion, to see God work in your government?

Whatever your dream is, take it use your voice and take it to the world. Live that dream!

Come watch it with me sometime, I’d be happy to hear what you think!

They were talking about how tight the band was and how they really wanted to be in that band or to go home and practice. So I realized the obvious, that band caused a chain reaction, causing others to follow and want to reach their level.

Another example of this was last night. Last night I was watching Michael Jordon on youtube and it made me crave to play basketball and practice some of the things I had been watching.   Again a chain reaction, causing another to strive for more or to be better.

Here’s where I’m going with this. What if we did that with our faith and with Jesus? Leading lives as an example of Christ in us, causing a chain reaction for the people around us to want more of Him! It’s not about us, it is about the actions we take, the time we spend and the people we invest in! Maybe  living out your faith will really make people want to practice it too!

Just a thought!

We all have our circle of influence, we’re influenced by others and we influence others. Some of us have our heroes, someone who has helped us out, got us out of rough times or practically saved our lives.

No matter how big our circle of influence, no matter how many heroes we may have, we can be someone’s hero just by talking them. This doesn’t mean sticking with “your people”. It means going out, looking for the broken. Everytime you love on someone, you are leaving your love legacy which God will bless.

You becoming a hero, won’t make you wear tights and be famous! It means you played a part in the picture of an others’ life, you essentially are being Jesus the ultimate hero.

There are hurting people everywhere, you and I are all hurt by something, someone. May we be the hero that helps to be rid of the pain and replace it with Christ! Our Time is NOW!

Some would say rugby is just a lame excuse for guys to go out on a field and hurt each other. But being around guys like Sam Taylor and Tim Ruppel, and watching guys like Bryan Habana, Shane Williams, Sebastian Chabal and many others, I realize that rugby is so much more.

It’s not just about your size or your brain capacity it’s about determination, perseverance and self-sacrifice: all of which build character!

Unlike the sports I play, within rugby (professional rugby especially), there is a sense of respect for your own team AND the opposition. But there is more then that which sets it apart in my eyes, that is how in rugby it’s not about one person, it’s about a team. A team working for each other so that the guy beside him can get the try or get the ball out. Being selfish in rugby can be even more painful sometimes, but playing for the man next to you game in and game out, never giving up no matter what…now that is how it should be in every situation in sports and in life.

Respect your rugby players boys and girls! Because you know if they’re on your side, they’ll fight to the end just to say they never gave up on you! And of course most rugby players are convinced that they are good looking…so girls, if you get a rugby player, you’ll probably be getting a good looking man with solid character!

Rugby announcers are also very epic!