For a very long time, lets say the overwhelming majority of the 31 years I have spent on this earth, I have thought things were all working towards a goal, an idea that would leave a legacy. It took until today for me to realize that I have done absolutely nothing but shoot myself in the foot time and time again with no regard for the people around me or even caring about their perceptions of me. Many of us like to think that we are confident and that we can "ignore the haters", but that is simply not true. Each and every time we are rejected or contradicted, a wound is opened and a band-aid is simply put on to mask the existence of said wound. We mask the pain by laughing it off or going to a quiet place, when in reality, we hold onto those wounds and just try to pretend that they will heal. The rarest thing that we can do as humans is to truly forgive and forget. Yes, we can forgive, but its the forgetting part that is the true struggle.
This struggle is one that occurs on the emotional, spiritual, physical and mental parts of us. The hardest thing that we can do is somehow try to balance all of these and carry on with our lives. There is always going to be something that is out of whack. The reason that this is true because we are all carrying around baggage and memories of past sins and failures that we refuse to let go of and make a real effort to be what we are meant to be. For example, my name, David, means "man after God's own heart." How often can I say that I have legitimately lived my life in a way that is in constant pursuit of God's plan for my life. Many of you may try to doubt the existence of God and say that He isn't real, but I can promise you with every last breath in my body that God is real and that the proof is in the way that I am actually a functioning human being. The fact that God keeps giving me a new day is the most incredible gift that I could ever receive. The fact that I have a family who loves me, even though I'm a giant screw-up is amazing. The fact that I have a family at Woodside Royal Oak that I get to serve with is such a blessing. The fact that there is someone whom my heart longs to walk beside no matter how tough things get make me the luckiest man alive. Even though I constantly make mistakes and fail and believe me, fail miserably, drives me to start each day by simply thanking God that I have a new opportunity to be better.
But there's more...
I have a been a fraud, a liar, a hypocrite, a control-freak, and a victim for too long. I have told people that everything is alright, when in reality, the world is shattering around me. I have said things that hurt people, while I smile behind their backs. I have said things out of ignorance and stupidity that have made some of those I am the closest to, sever the tie of our relationships and not willing to confront me on my issues because of my defensive reactions. I have fallen in and out of times in which I indulge in the one thing I am most passionate about fighting against. But today, this ends.
Today, I woke up, and did something that I haven't done in a few weeks. I opened the Bible and was smacked in the face with the harsh reality. I can't do this on my own. I need people willing to jump aboard my sinking boat and help me get the water out. I need people to walk beside me and keep me accountable for the stupid things I do. I need to be a real member of my local body of believers and ACTUALLY tithe, instead of making excuses. I started to realize that I need to have the audacious faith like the one that is displayed in the life of Joshua in the Old Testament. I started reading a book called "Sun Stand Still" by Steven Furtick today. The book suggests that I have the faith to ask God for the most outrageous things imaginable in my life, but actually follow through with the faith and hard work it takes to make them happen.
Yes, I still am crazy, and yes I still make a ton of mistakes, but no job, apartment, car, or amount of money is going to fill my life with more joy than the people who stand beside me in my walk, and the same God who led the Israelites out of desert, guiding my path.
From now on, there is a series of new goals that I am going towards. (Not in a particular order)
1. DAILY time spent with God in the Word and stepping out in faith and tithing.
2. Working closely with organizations like XXXChurch.com and Fight the New Drug to spread awareness about the dangers of pornography, as so much damage has been inflicted by this horrible plague upon society.
3. Giving everything I have to making sure that Community Life at Fairlane Woods is an incredible experience to all who live here.
4. Quitting slacking off when it comes to schoolwork, driving for Uber, and hosting trivia.
5. Allow God to dictate the direction of my personal relationships, even though I already know I will fight Him every step of the way.
6. Work on opening what it tentatively called "Rocketown: DET", an indoor skatepark and music venue that will reach the lost generation of youth, and provide a safe place for them to feel love and acceptance, instead of judgment and stares by those who have rejected them in the past.
7. Lastly, I will not quit sharing the name of Christ to people for the rest of my life. I am on this planet to share the love that God has given us to as many people as possible, with no regard to my personal safety or fears. I am proud to align myself alongside the most controversial person who ever walked the planet earth. I call Him Father and Friend. His name is Jesus Christ. I'd love to show you how to meet Him.
Thank you for sticking through this entire post and may God do incredible things in your lives.
If you'd like to know why my faith is so strong, please take 45 minutes and watch the following video entitled, "Why I Choose to Believe the Bible." Your life will never be the same.
https://youtu.be/gWU12DzPTUo
Have a wonderful day.
-@thedavejohnson
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Saturday, November 23, 2013
A Toast to the Future, Kids!
Today, we start with a definition. The word is perspective:
the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship
Perspective means everything. It is the difference between things working out and things blowing up in your face. We all see things differently.
The thing about perspective is that its all relative. Just like the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", perspective is all about the person who is viewing the situation. This is why I love the word perspective because it can change between users. This is why I have decided to take this moment and make a possibly life changing announcement:
I, alongside some great friends are working on an EP that will be titled "Perspectives". This album will be coming out in early 2014.
This would have never happened if I wouldn't have changed my perspective and moved to Michigan in the summer of 2012. This would have never happened if I hadn't gotten involved at NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, MI. Most of all, this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't put my faith and hope in Jesus Christ at age 16.
This project is starting out as a series of covers of worship songs. We don't know where it will take us, but we know that this has the chance to be life-changing. We hope that you will take a listen to the songs and see if your perspective changes. Please join us in prayer as we continually seek God with the next steps on our journey and as we take larger and larger steps toward completing this EP.
Updates to the progress of the EP will be posted on Facebook and Twitter. We will also announce a full release date after we finish our recording process.
Thank you for reading. God Bless.
Dave, Anthony, Justin, Jon, Ezekiel, and Brittany
the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship
Perspective means everything. It is the difference between things working out and things blowing up in your face. We all see things differently.
The thing about perspective is that its all relative. Just like the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", perspective is all about the person who is viewing the situation. This is why I love the word perspective because it can change between users. This is why I have decided to take this moment and make a possibly life changing announcement:
I, alongside some great friends are working on an EP that will be titled "Perspectives". This album will be coming out in early 2014.
This would have never happened if I wouldn't have changed my perspective and moved to Michigan in the summer of 2012. This would have never happened if I hadn't gotten involved at NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, MI. Most of all, this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't put my faith and hope in Jesus Christ at age 16.
This project is starting out as a series of covers of worship songs. We don't know where it will take us, but we know that this has the chance to be life-changing. We hope that you will take a listen to the songs and see if your perspective changes. Please join us in prayer as we continually seek God with the next steps on our journey and as we take larger and larger steps toward completing this EP.
Updates to the progress of the EP will be posted on Facebook and Twitter. We will also announce a full release date after we finish our recording process.
Thank you for reading. God Bless.
Dave, Anthony, Justin, Jon, Ezekiel, and Brittany
Monday, August 26, 2013
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Your move, Dave
Well, I've finally figured it out. If you ask God for something, He's going to give it to you, whether you think you're ready for it or not...don't understand, let me elaborate.
God's timing has nothing to do with the timing we set for ourselves. I know, isn't that an earth-shattering concept? I have long wondered when my time in Atlanta was going to end and it seems that whether I was ready or not for it, that time came about 3 months ago, but the realization only hit about 3 weeks ago. Let me preface that by stating that for 2 months of that time, I wasn't in Atlanta, but in Jackson, TN serving with FugeCamps for my third summer. I can post stories all day about camp, my fellow staffers and the memories that I cherish from that place, but that is for another post on another day, maybe tomorrow, we'll see...which is a phrase I've really become accustomed to seeing lately...
Lets rewind to about a year ago...
I've long stated that I do not want to spend the rest of my life living in the south. Its not that I particularly have anything against the southern states (other than the weather), but I am the kind of man who knows that he's meant for more than the typical routine. I don't want to fall into the pattern of the "church on every corner" and "everyone is religious" moniker that follows the vast majority of the people in the "bible belt" around. Not only have I been surrounded by a lot of shallow, surface level faith (including my own at times) in the south, but I've always wanted to be in a place where you may actually be the only Christian at your job, your school, or your circle of friends. It gives me great pleasure to share the gospel (though I do it in different ways, maybe playing Christian rock music at work and noone notices) wherever I go. I know that God has given me gifts of singing and playing guitar, but also given me the gifts of being willing to talk to people and get to know them and break down walls that most people can't break down because I'm willing to throw myself on the fire and share moments from my life first, therefore leaving myself very vulnerable and succeptible to whatever questions/comments the other person/people in the conversation have for me. Maybe I'm just too open about my past or maybe its the best quality I have, because though I hate some of the things I've done in my life, the past is the past and there is nothing I can do to change it. So with that, I've asked God that He, in His timing remove me from the south and place me somewhere I can make a difference, whether its in a big or small way.
3 months ago...
94 days to be exact...
I arrived at Union University for my third summer as a FugeCamps staffer. I knew one person that I'd be working with this summer and I had only worked one week with him last summer. I was the only person from my staff at Ridgecrest (which I had thought was the greatest staff that God had ever put together, but then again, who hasn't said that about any of their camp staffs?) that would be serving at Union and from the get-go, I didn't understand why God had put me there. Just 4 weeks before then, I had been in conversations with Centri-Kid Camps about becoming a worship leader for them but got an email three days before my band's audition telling me that we were no longer needed, which really disappointed me. I messaged the fiance of one of my fellow staffers from last summer (and my future director) and let him know that I would be a part of the Union team. Lets just say he was a little excited to know that I would actually be arriving this summer.
To say that this summer stretched me is a complete understatement. I knew going in that I would be teaching 6,7, & 8 graders all summer, which didn't scare me as that's where I always get placed, no matter what (apparently I'm good at it, but I sometimes beg to differ). But during training week, I was still not completely set on which tracks I would lead. I was supposed to lead Guitar and 9-Square In The Air (really fun game that mixes volleyball and 4-square...kinda). I inquired about leading the Percussion track as I thought it would be fun and challenging for our larger weeks, but as the time got closer, I became more and more uncomfortable with leading that track, so I asked if I may lead the Worship Leadership track instead. My request was granted and I got to spend some real quality time with some great high school, college students, and adults who all had the same desire as I did, to make sure that they were leading their churches/youth groups in worship in the most relevant way possible, but not straying from the scriptures or following the hot trends all the time. If you ask any of my students, my favorite day in track was "video day" and they all have memories burned into their brains from that day they will never be able to remove...YES! Later on in the summer, I was given the opportunity to not teach 9-Square anymore either and picked up the Random Acts of Kindness track or (RAK to remember it more easily). The funny thing is that we haven't even gotten to the part about where God has moved me the most...but well...here's that.
5 weeks ago...
I will admit that it has been a long time since I owned my own vehicle. But for the purposes of this entry, its not necessary to mention how long, though its been burned into a memory as one of those painful parts of my past I don't like to relive. My ex-roomate (yeah, that does sound even more weird to type than say) offered me the opportunity to use his truck to drive to camp because he had just gotten a new car that would save him on spending so much money on gas (I learned how much gas the hard way driving that thing to Jackson). But after camp, I decided that since I wasn't supposed to go back to work at HoneyBaked Ham in Kennesaw until August 6th, that I would spend a week visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and 3 kids in St. Louis, then make a trip back to Jackson to see Celia, who I had grown very close to the second half of the summer for a day, then drive to Oxford, MS to see my sister Leah and Brother-In-Law Keith, who I hadn't seen in about a year, then maybe even go back to Jackson again before returning to Atlanta to start my post-camp duties. This is where God said..."NOT SO FAST BUCKO!" Driving to St. Louis became quite the ordeal as there turned out to be an oil leak that I wasn't aware of in the truck and in Cape Girardeau, MO, that came to a head as the truck "threw a rod" and the engine failed. Stuck in Cape Girardeau with one of my staffer's nephew, which was fun cause him and I got to talk a little bit about where our lives would be heading and me literally having no idea what was coming would prove to pass the time very slowly. I ended up arriving at my sister's house at 1:30 the next morning and then getting up again at 8:30 to the sound of 3 children super excited to see their uncle. My time in St. Louis was then filled with tons of swimming, considering that I hadn't gone swimming once during the summer made that more tiring that I could imagine and late nights chatting with the three people I had grown closest to at camp, those being Celia, Marcey-Anne, and Garrison (or as he's better known, Bat-Baby...haha). I did this mostly because I was extremely afraid of what was going to happen next, and what was that you ask...I didn't know...I hate not knowing...I hate not being aware of the things going on around me and how they will affect me. I was afraid that I was not going to be able to get home in time for work to begin and let all my co-workers down. This is where God stepped in and said..."Its time".
3 weeks ago...
Loaded up and packed to go to Ypsilanti, Michigan. (You don't know where that is, most other people have no idea either, but all I can say is that its about 40 minutes outside Detroit and about 15 minutes from Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan) That's where I was 22 days ago. In a church van provided by Parkway Baptist Church, aka, the church my sister and brother-in-law attend who had commissioned a mission team to travel to Ypsilanti to help renovate the downstairs restrooms at North Prospect Baptist Church, the church my father has pastored at for the last 3 years. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be going to Michigan and staying there. I mean, I've visited after camp every year for a couple weeks, but this is more than just a visit, this is a move. I have the vast majority of my things with me and I'm not returning to St. Louis. So after the week with the mission team, helping out at various points with the project and spending other time getting somewhat comfortable with my new surroundings, it really started to settle inside me...I've lost everything, my job, my place of residence, my friends, my family in ATL, all my connections, EVERYTHING...and I didn't even get to say goodbye. Apparently leaving to work camp was my goodbye. God had a plan for me and it took a series of events for me to realize where I would be going. Believe me, this has been the most challenging time of my life and if I seem like I'm trying to grasp on to what little I have left, that's exactly what I'm doing, so if you see texts from me, that's me trying to keep a grip on the reality that I'm currently trapped in. I'm no less than 9 hours away from people that I know and love, 10.5 from ones I really care about, 12 from a sister that I haven't seen in over a year and 12 from a sister who has always been there for me and just gave birth to her third child and I wasn't there for the first time in the hospital to meet a new addition to her family. So you see, I'm struggling up here. I miss everything about the city of Atlanta (except the Braves, I'll never miss them). But God has given me a daily devotion that I can do online from a church near where I used to attend/serve, given me a job at the local Buffalo Wild Wings so that I can start rebuilding my life (though that place does give memories of days gone by as well), and loving parents that no matter what I've done, allow me to be a part of their lives still.
I promise I'm trying to look up, but I feel like I'm locked into a chess match and all I can hear is the words, "Check" and "Your move, Dave"
I'm not one to give up so easily and I know I won't. I know that God is with me here and has me here for a purpose, and I feel I'm slowing starting to figure it out...but we'll see, I guess...
God's timing has nothing to do with the timing we set for ourselves. I know, isn't that an earth-shattering concept? I have long wondered when my time in Atlanta was going to end and it seems that whether I was ready or not for it, that time came about 3 months ago, but the realization only hit about 3 weeks ago. Let me preface that by stating that for 2 months of that time, I wasn't in Atlanta, but in Jackson, TN serving with FugeCamps for my third summer. I can post stories all day about camp, my fellow staffers and the memories that I cherish from that place, but that is for another post on another day, maybe tomorrow, we'll see...which is a phrase I've really become accustomed to seeing lately...
Lets rewind to about a year ago...
I've long stated that I do not want to spend the rest of my life living in the south. Its not that I particularly have anything against the southern states (other than the weather), but I am the kind of man who knows that he's meant for more than the typical routine. I don't want to fall into the pattern of the "church on every corner" and "everyone is religious" moniker that follows the vast majority of the people in the "bible belt" around. Not only have I been surrounded by a lot of shallow, surface level faith (including my own at times) in the south, but I've always wanted to be in a place where you may actually be the only Christian at your job, your school, or your circle of friends. It gives me great pleasure to share the gospel (though I do it in different ways, maybe playing Christian rock music at work and noone notices) wherever I go. I know that God has given me gifts of singing and playing guitar, but also given me the gifts of being willing to talk to people and get to know them and break down walls that most people can't break down because I'm willing to throw myself on the fire and share moments from my life first, therefore leaving myself very vulnerable and succeptible to whatever questions/comments the other person/people in the conversation have for me. Maybe I'm just too open about my past or maybe its the best quality I have, because though I hate some of the things I've done in my life, the past is the past and there is nothing I can do to change it. So with that, I've asked God that He, in His timing remove me from the south and place me somewhere I can make a difference, whether its in a big or small way.
3 months ago...
94 days to be exact...
I arrived at Union University for my third summer as a FugeCamps staffer. I knew one person that I'd be working with this summer and I had only worked one week with him last summer. I was the only person from my staff at Ridgecrest (which I had thought was the greatest staff that God had ever put together, but then again, who hasn't said that about any of their camp staffs?) that would be serving at Union and from the get-go, I didn't understand why God had put me there. Just 4 weeks before then, I had been in conversations with Centri-Kid Camps about becoming a worship leader for them but got an email three days before my band's audition telling me that we were no longer needed, which really disappointed me. I messaged the fiance of one of my fellow staffers from last summer (and my future director) and let him know that I would be a part of the Union team. Lets just say he was a little excited to know that I would actually be arriving this summer.
To say that this summer stretched me is a complete understatement. I knew going in that I would be teaching 6,7, & 8 graders all summer, which didn't scare me as that's where I always get placed, no matter what (apparently I'm good at it, but I sometimes beg to differ). But during training week, I was still not completely set on which tracks I would lead. I was supposed to lead Guitar and 9-Square In The Air (really fun game that mixes volleyball and 4-square...kinda). I inquired about leading the Percussion track as I thought it would be fun and challenging for our larger weeks, but as the time got closer, I became more and more uncomfortable with leading that track, so I asked if I may lead the Worship Leadership track instead. My request was granted and I got to spend some real quality time with some great high school, college students, and adults who all had the same desire as I did, to make sure that they were leading their churches/youth groups in worship in the most relevant way possible, but not straying from the scriptures or following the hot trends all the time. If you ask any of my students, my favorite day in track was "video day" and they all have memories burned into their brains from that day they will never be able to remove...YES! Later on in the summer, I was given the opportunity to not teach 9-Square anymore either and picked up the Random Acts of Kindness track or (RAK to remember it more easily). The funny thing is that we haven't even gotten to the part about where God has moved me the most...but well...here's that.
5 weeks ago...
I will admit that it has been a long time since I owned my own vehicle. But for the purposes of this entry, its not necessary to mention how long, though its been burned into a memory as one of those painful parts of my past I don't like to relive. My ex-roomate (yeah, that does sound even more weird to type than say) offered me the opportunity to use his truck to drive to camp because he had just gotten a new car that would save him on spending so much money on gas (I learned how much gas the hard way driving that thing to Jackson). But after camp, I decided that since I wasn't supposed to go back to work at HoneyBaked Ham in Kennesaw until August 6th, that I would spend a week visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and 3 kids in St. Louis, then make a trip back to Jackson to see Celia, who I had grown very close to the second half of the summer for a day, then drive to Oxford, MS to see my sister Leah and Brother-In-Law Keith, who I hadn't seen in about a year, then maybe even go back to Jackson again before returning to Atlanta to start my post-camp duties. This is where God said..."NOT SO FAST BUCKO!" Driving to St. Louis became quite the ordeal as there turned out to be an oil leak that I wasn't aware of in the truck and in Cape Girardeau, MO, that came to a head as the truck "threw a rod" and the engine failed. Stuck in Cape Girardeau with one of my staffer's nephew, which was fun cause him and I got to talk a little bit about where our lives would be heading and me literally having no idea what was coming would prove to pass the time very slowly. I ended up arriving at my sister's house at 1:30 the next morning and then getting up again at 8:30 to the sound of 3 children super excited to see their uncle. My time in St. Louis was then filled with tons of swimming, considering that I hadn't gone swimming once during the summer made that more tiring that I could imagine and late nights chatting with the three people I had grown closest to at camp, those being Celia, Marcey-Anne, and Garrison (or as he's better known, Bat-Baby...haha). I did this mostly because I was extremely afraid of what was going to happen next, and what was that you ask...I didn't know...I hate not knowing...I hate not being aware of the things going on around me and how they will affect me. I was afraid that I was not going to be able to get home in time for work to begin and let all my co-workers down. This is where God stepped in and said..."Its time".
3 weeks ago...
Loaded up and packed to go to Ypsilanti, Michigan. (You don't know where that is, most other people have no idea either, but all I can say is that its about 40 minutes outside Detroit and about 15 minutes from Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan) That's where I was 22 days ago. In a church van provided by Parkway Baptist Church, aka, the church my sister and brother-in-law attend who had commissioned a mission team to travel to Ypsilanti to help renovate the downstairs restrooms at North Prospect Baptist Church, the church my father has pastored at for the last 3 years. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be going to Michigan and staying there. I mean, I've visited after camp every year for a couple weeks, but this is more than just a visit, this is a move. I have the vast majority of my things with me and I'm not returning to St. Louis. So after the week with the mission team, helping out at various points with the project and spending other time getting somewhat comfortable with my new surroundings, it really started to settle inside me...I've lost everything, my job, my place of residence, my friends, my family in ATL, all my connections, EVERYTHING...and I didn't even get to say goodbye. Apparently leaving to work camp was my goodbye. God had a plan for me and it took a series of events for me to realize where I would be going. Believe me, this has been the most challenging time of my life and if I seem like I'm trying to grasp on to what little I have left, that's exactly what I'm doing, so if you see texts from me, that's me trying to keep a grip on the reality that I'm currently trapped in. I'm no less than 9 hours away from people that I know and love, 10.5 from ones I really care about, 12 from a sister that I haven't seen in over a year and 12 from a sister who has always been there for me and just gave birth to her third child and I wasn't there for the first time in the hospital to meet a new addition to her family. So you see, I'm struggling up here. I miss everything about the city of Atlanta (except the Braves, I'll never miss them). But God has given me a daily devotion that I can do online from a church near where I used to attend/serve, given me a job at the local Buffalo Wild Wings so that I can start rebuilding my life (though that place does give memories of days gone by as well), and loving parents that no matter what I've done, allow me to be a part of their lives still.
I promise I'm trying to look up, but I feel like I'm locked into a chess match and all I can hear is the words, "Check" and "Your move, Dave"
I'm not one to give up so easily and I know I won't. I know that God is with me here and has me here for a purpose, and I feel I'm slowing starting to figure it out...but we'll see, I guess...
Sunday, October 16, 2011
We ALL can be used...
I've long struggled with the issue of "what is God going to do with me?".
When I was a kid, it was following in my father's footsteps as a pastor. When I was a teenager, it was becoming a doctor of sports medicine. When I was in college, it was becoming a television or print sports analyst. Now, I've gone to the exact opposite end of the spectrum that I ever thought possible. I'm playing, singing, writing, managing, booking, and all things in the music scene. I couldn't be happier (with a couple exceptions) of where I am. The journey that God has taken me on has been a long one with no end in sight, and I hope that it will be a life-long journey full of twists and turns and endless fun.
But as I look back on this story that is my life, I have to again wonder, "why me?" The answer is simply this, "I could have chosen anyone, but I chose you, because I know you can handle it." This statement reminds me of the sermon I was lucky enough to get to hear this morning.
To be honest, I've dazed out of my fair share of Sunday morning messages. I'll be thinking about lunch, (like anyone who was raised Southern Baptist would), or the game that will be on in the afternoon, or even that girl sitting across the room I just caught eyes with (at least I think we did). Today though, God just hit me and said, "Listen up Dave! This message is for you!"
A member of my church's "teaching team", Stuart Hall, just engaged and captivated me with the use of imagery and more importantly, God's word. We have been in a series called, "Simply Joshua". So guess what we were talking about...YES, the book of Joshua! (you are some smart cookies there!) We were backtracking a little bit today and focusing on the story of 12 spies who were sent to go out throughout the land of Canaan to see what it was like. We really focused in on two spies who were sent to Jericho and found safekeeping in the house of a woman named Rahab. Now, Rahab was very much looked down by the people of Jericho. Rahab was a prostitute. At this moment, two worlds collided. One being the world of the Israelites, who have been traveling in the desert for years upon years and even with many times of doubt and fear, they still followed the path that God was setting before them, and the other being the world of the people of Jericho, who followed idols and had a god for anything and everything. Rahab knew that these gods of Jericho was not followed by these two spies and she was intrigued. The spies told Rahab of the plans that were in order and she asks them, "When you return to your camp and then come and destroy this city, will you please remember me and my family and spare our lives?" Rahab had heard in the past about all the miracles that God had performed in the desert with the Israelites and she instantly knew that God was going to deliver the city to them. Rahab didn't ask this of the spies for only her own safety, but she also did this because she believed that God would protect her, she took what little faith she was able to muster and put it in front of a BIG GOD! She didn't try to do things herself, as we so often do, she relied on the God that sent these two spies to her to give her the strength to stand up. The King of Jericho even sent a messenger to her house to ask her about the spies and she denied knowing where they were from so that they would be kept safe and even steered the king's men in a direction totally the opposite of where they needed to go.
Most of you have heard the story before, but here is how the rest of it goes. The spies are able to escape back to the camp and report about the city. God tells Joshua that the city will belong to the Israelites and that they will go marching around the city for seven days and on the seventh day, blow trumpets and scream and the walls will come falling down. Well, that is EXACTLY what happens. The walls come tumbling down, but Rahab's home and all of her family are kept safe and sound and because she stepped up and had faith in Christ. Rahab is again mentioned in the book of Hebrews in what we call the "Hall of Faith".
When I was a kid, it was following in my father's footsteps as a pastor. When I was a teenager, it was becoming a doctor of sports medicine. When I was in college, it was becoming a television or print sports analyst. Now, I've gone to the exact opposite end of the spectrum that I ever thought possible. I'm playing, singing, writing, managing, booking, and all things in the music scene. I couldn't be happier (with a couple exceptions) of where I am. The journey that God has taken me on has been a long one with no end in sight, and I hope that it will be a life-long journey full of twists and turns and endless fun.
But as I look back on this story that is my life, I have to again wonder, "why me?" The answer is simply this, "I could have chosen anyone, but I chose you, because I know you can handle it." This statement reminds me of the sermon I was lucky enough to get to hear this morning.
To be honest, I've dazed out of my fair share of Sunday morning messages. I'll be thinking about lunch, (like anyone who was raised Southern Baptist would), or the game that will be on in the afternoon, or even that girl sitting across the room I just caught eyes with (at least I think we did). Today though, God just hit me and said, "Listen up Dave! This message is for you!"
A member of my church's "teaching team", Stuart Hall, just engaged and captivated me with the use of imagery and more importantly, God's word. We have been in a series called, "Simply Joshua". So guess what we were talking about...YES, the book of Joshua! (you are some smart cookies there!) We were backtracking a little bit today and focusing on the story of 12 spies who were sent to go out throughout the land of Canaan to see what it was like. We really focused in on two spies who were sent to Jericho and found safekeeping in the house of a woman named Rahab. Now, Rahab was very much looked down by the people of Jericho. Rahab was a prostitute. At this moment, two worlds collided. One being the world of the Israelites, who have been traveling in the desert for years upon years and even with many times of doubt and fear, they still followed the path that God was setting before them, and the other being the world of the people of Jericho, who followed idols and had a god for anything and everything. Rahab knew that these gods of Jericho was not followed by these two spies and she was intrigued. The spies told Rahab of the plans that were in order and she asks them, "When you return to your camp and then come and destroy this city, will you please remember me and my family and spare our lives?" Rahab had heard in the past about all the miracles that God had performed in the desert with the Israelites and she instantly knew that God was going to deliver the city to them. Rahab didn't ask this of the spies for only her own safety, but she also did this because she believed that God would protect her, she took what little faith she was able to muster and put it in front of a BIG GOD! She didn't try to do things herself, as we so often do, she relied on the God that sent these two spies to her to give her the strength to stand up. The King of Jericho even sent a messenger to her house to ask her about the spies and she denied knowing where they were from so that they would be kept safe and even steered the king's men in a direction totally the opposite of where they needed to go.
Most of you have heard the story before, but here is how the rest of it goes. The spies are able to escape back to the camp and report about the city. God tells Joshua that the city will belong to the Israelites and that they will go marching around the city for seven days and on the seventh day, blow trumpets and scream and the walls will come falling down. Well, that is EXACTLY what happens. The walls come tumbling down, but Rahab's home and all of her family are kept safe and sound and because she stepped up and had faith in Christ. Rahab is again mentioned in the book of Hebrews in what we call the "Hall of Faith".
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
If you look at those verses again, many famous names are mentioned, but little to no detail is given in what they did. Rahab, who did nothing more than hide two men on her roof underneath some flax is shown as a major player on God's team of awesome leaders. And why is she mentioned with this detail? Because she stood up and mustered what little faith she should and laid it all at the feet of God and said, "Here you go God. You know what I've been in the past, but I give that and all I will ever be in the future to You now. I don't expect you do anything, but if You choose to spare me and my family's lives, we will forever praise Your name, but even if you choose not to, I will not let your word fall on deaf ears in this city."
After hearing this, I couldn't help but think...
God can use anyone, whether its a screw-up like me, or a prostitute like Rahab.
I can't go on any longer letting the "elephants in my room" destroy the man God has promised He would make me if I'd just have the faith to let Him lead, but also do my part to make sure that in all things, God will be glorified through me.
If a prostitute can be used for God's glory, we ALL can be used.
-D-
Monday, October 10, 2011
You're An Indictment of the American Educational System...
Twitter, the final frontier of essentially anonymous arrogance and ignorance.
Some people use it as a tool to expand their "brand", maybe keep up with their friends, or better yet, stalk celebrities and hope and pray for a "retweet" or "reply". Apparently, that is all it takes to make someone's life immesurably better. Now, it does feel cool when someone that we consider "untouchable" acknowledges something we as the little people say, but maybe we should tone it down a little bit...I know I need to. That was NOT what I wanted to really convey tonight, but its a start.
Do we as a people actually read words before we react to them? Its amazing how we're so quick to respond to one or two words that we see and instantly lash out in a tirade that makes no sense. Case in point (sorry to some of you, this is sports related, but it wasn't meant to go this far).
I was watching a show on ESPN called "Around the Horn". On this show, 4 sportswriters from around the country debate about different sports topics. On this day, there were writers from Denver, Dallas, Charlotte, and Boston on the show and the topic of Tim Tebow, former QB for the University of Florida and current back-up QB for the Denver Broncos.
After being selected in the first round in the 2010 NFL draft, Tim hasn't had many opportunites to display his skills in front of the home fans other than coming in when the Broncos had a large lead or were behind by a large margin with the exception of one start that he made where he led a 4th quarter comeback to lead the Broncos to a win over the Houston Texans (I'm not a Broncos fan, but I like Tebow and respect what he's been able to do with his limited time). Tim was brought into the game this past Sunday against the San Diego Chargers to play the second half after the starter, Kyle Orton, was rather ineffective and was removed at halftime. Tim had some rough spots in the third quarter, but with about 7 minutes left in the fourth, ran for a 12 yard TD and then 3 minutes later, connected with former University of Georgia star, Knowshon Moreno, for a 28 yard touchdown, but the Broncos were not able to score again and lost 29-24. Tebow led a thrilling comeback and injected some much needed excitement into the crowd in Denver which had been deflated following the dreadful first half. Well, back to the show....the debate is on whether Tebow should start the Broncos next game at Miami on October 23rd.
Tebow is a part of the new breed of QB, a guy who can throw the ball a mile, but at the same time, be able to escape the pocket and run for first downs and touchdowns. In college, Tim was a run-first QB, meaning, if he found a running lane, he would take that before having to sit in the pocket and scan the field for a receiver. Now, in the NFL, he is a pass-first QB, he has changed his style to match the game he's in. There is another high profile QB in this position right now by the name of Cam Newton.
Cam is quite the story. He was kicked off the team at Florida (while Tebow was there) for questionable actions involving a stolen laptop, went to Blinn Junior College in Texas before being highly recruited by a couple schools and ending up at Auburn University, leading them to the 2010 BCS National Championship (which is under investigation by the NCAA). Even with all this speculation about his actions last season, Newton is an extremely talented athlete. But in the same regard, in college he was a run-first QB, in fact, he ran the ball only 4 times less than he threw it. Now, in the NFL, Newton is a pass-first QB and has shown that maybe he can one day be more than a middle of the road QB (sorry for all the backstory, but this sets up the real story, I promise).
Now the writer from Denver praised the efforts of Tebow for how he played Sunday, but no matter what he said, the writer from Charlotte (where Newton plays), wouldn't give Tebow any credit and proceeded to say later on in an exclusive video Here that "Tebow isn't athletic enough to overcome the fact that he stinks". The fact that this writer who represents a city that has the same type of QB for their team and then refuses to give the guy a chance just shows that he is a hypocrite. He loves what Newton is doing in Charlotte, but because Tebow hasn't had the opportunity to shine like Newton, says that he stinks. This writer from Charlotte is a very arrogant guy, when he "wins" on the show, he puts a replica WWE belt on his shoulder and pretends like he is the champ (but he loses MUCH more often than he wins, so that belt should be "dropped" like any champ who loses in WWE). So, after this segment, I go to twitter to talk about this writer and I write the following tweet:
@AroundTheHorn Bomani Jones hates on Tebow when he's reppin' the city that has CAM NEWTON as their QB!!! #hypocrite
Here's where the fun starts!!!!
Within seconds, literally...I get bombarded with person after person "replying" to me saying the same thing, "Cam is better than Tebow". Will someone PLEASE tell me where in my tweet I said anything comparing these two QBs statistics or abilities? Next thing I know, I have people asking me if Tebow being a devout Christian has anything to do with my stance on my tweet? Really, somone is playing the religion card on me now? This is getting out of hand! All I said is that this sportswriter from Charlotte is giving no respect to a person when the QB for the team that is in the city he writes for has the EXACT same type of QB. Some of these people who "reply" to me say that I'm essentially a racist for my tweet. Did I ever mention anywhere that Tebow is white and Newton is black??? NO, NOT AT ALL, THAT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME!
We have such a deep desire to be heard that we are willing to try to destroy the credibility of others to make ourselves feel better. People refuse to read anything past the names of who is involved in a story. They start to judge and if they think something is different, they will relentlessly attack someone who thinks differently of them. The arrogance of this writer and the ignorance of the people who replied to my tweet just prove to me how poorly we've done in this country in educating people. It hurts me to realize how much people don't read something in its entirety before giving an assessment. This world would be so much different if people would just stop looking things over, read entire statements and articles, then give it time to process instead of reacting on emotion. Believe me, I've reacted on emotion plenty of times and its gotten me nowhere fast. Its put me in situations I wish I wasn't, kind of like it has now. So maybe its time for a new inititiative. Lets call it...Educate The Previously Semi-Educated, this time No Moron Left Behind...
Maybe then we can avoid this indictment of the American Education System.
-D-
If you want to see the "tweet war" that ensued, I'll let you see every reply that was posted to my tweet, just contact me and I'll let you see them.
Some people use it as a tool to expand their "brand", maybe keep up with their friends, or better yet, stalk celebrities and hope and pray for a "retweet" or "reply". Apparently, that is all it takes to make someone's life immesurably better. Now, it does feel cool when someone that we consider "untouchable" acknowledges something we as the little people say, but maybe we should tone it down a little bit...I know I need to. That was NOT what I wanted to really convey tonight, but its a start.
Do we as a people actually read words before we react to them? Its amazing how we're so quick to respond to one or two words that we see and instantly lash out in a tirade that makes no sense. Case in point (sorry to some of you, this is sports related, but it wasn't meant to go this far).
I was watching a show on ESPN called "Around the Horn". On this show, 4 sportswriters from around the country debate about different sports topics. On this day, there were writers from Denver, Dallas, Charlotte, and Boston on the show and the topic of Tim Tebow, former QB for the University of Florida and current back-up QB for the Denver Broncos.
After being selected in the first round in the 2010 NFL draft, Tim hasn't had many opportunites to display his skills in front of the home fans other than coming in when the Broncos had a large lead or were behind by a large margin with the exception of one start that he made where he led a 4th quarter comeback to lead the Broncos to a win over the Houston Texans (I'm not a Broncos fan, but I like Tebow and respect what he's been able to do with his limited time). Tim was brought into the game this past Sunday against the San Diego Chargers to play the second half after the starter, Kyle Orton, was rather ineffective and was removed at halftime. Tim had some rough spots in the third quarter, but with about 7 minutes left in the fourth, ran for a 12 yard TD and then 3 minutes later, connected with former University of Georgia star, Knowshon Moreno, for a 28 yard touchdown, but the Broncos were not able to score again and lost 29-24. Tebow led a thrilling comeback and injected some much needed excitement into the crowd in Denver which had been deflated following the dreadful first half. Well, back to the show....the debate is on whether Tebow should start the Broncos next game at Miami on October 23rd.
Tebow is a part of the new breed of QB, a guy who can throw the ball a mile, but at the same time, be able to escape the pocket and run for first downs and touchdowns. In college, Tim was a run-first QB, meaning, if he found a running lane, he would take that before having to sit in the pocket and scan the field for a receiver. Now, in the NFL, he is a pass-first QB, he has changed his style to match the game he's in. There is another high profile QB in this position right now by the name of Cam Newton.
Cam is quite the story. He was kicked off the team at Florida (while Tebow was there) for questionable actions involving a stolen laptop, went to Blinn Junior College in Texas before being highly recruited by a couple schools and ending up at Auburn University, leading them to the 2010 BCS National Championship (which is under investigation by the NCAA). Even with all this speculation about his actions last season, Newton is an extremely talented athlete. But in the same regard, in college he was a run-first QB, in fact, he ran the ball only 4 times less than he threw it. Now, in the NFL, Newton is a pass-first QB and has shown that maybe he can one day be more than a middle of the road QB (sorry for all the backstory, but this sets up the real story, I promise).
Now the writer from Denver praised the efforts of Tebow for how he played Sunday, but no matter what he said, the writer from Charlotte (where Newton plays), wouldn't give Tebow any credit and proceeded to say later on in an exclusive video Here that "Tebow isn't athletic enough to overcome the fact that he stinks". The fact that this writer who represents a city that has the same type of QB for their team and then refuses to give the guy a chance just shows that he is a hypocrite. He loves what Newton is doing in Charlotte, but because Tebow hasn't had the opportunity to shine like Newton, says that he stinks. This writer from Charlotte is a very arrogant guy, when he "wins" on the show, he puts a replica WWE belt on his shoulder and pretends like he is the champ (but he loses MUCH more often than he wins, so that belt should be "dropped" like any champ who loses in WWE). So, after this segment, I go to twitter to talk about this writer and I write the following tweet:
Here's where the fun starts!!!!
Within seconds, literally...I get bombarded with person after person "replying" to me saying the same thing, "Cam is better than Tebow". Will someone PLEASE tell me where in my tweet I said anything comparing these two QBs statistics or abilities? Next thing I know, I have people asking me if Tebow being a devout Christian has anything to do with my stance on my tweet? Really, somone is playing the religion card on me now? This is getting out of hand! All I said is that this sportswriter from Charlotte is giving no respect to a person when the QB for the team that is in the city he writes for has the EXACT same type of QB. Some of these people who "reply" to me say that I'm essentially a racist for my tweet. Did I ever mention anywhere that Tebow is white and Newton is black??? NO, NOT AT ALL, THAT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME!
We have such a deep desire to be heard that we are willing to try to destroy the credibility of others to make ourselves feel better. People refuse to read anything past the names of who is involved in a story. They start to judge and if they think something is different, they will relentlessly attack someone who thinks differently of them. The arrogance of this writer and the ignorance of the people who replied to my tweet just prove to me how poorly we've done in this country in educating people. It hurts me to realize how much people don't read something in its entirety before giving an assessment. This world would be so much different if people would just stop looking things over, read entire statements and articles, then give it time to process instead of reacting on emotion. Believe me, I've reacted on emotion plenty of times and its gotten me nowhere fast. Its put me in situations I wish I wasn't, kind of like it has now. So maybe its time for a new inititiative. Lets call it...Educate The Previously Semi-Educated, this time No Moron Left Behind...
Maybe then we can avoid this indictment of the American Education System.
-D-
If you want to see the "tweet war" that ensued, I'll let you see every reply that was posted to my tweet, just contact me and I'll let you see them.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Its All A Part of Something Greater...
First of all, I am as guilty of this as anyone else, so this is not me "calling you out". I've just been thinking a lot recently on why is it that whenever we refer to our favorite sports teams, we refer to ourselves as a part of the team by saying "we"? Whether its in high school, college, or pro sports, we all desire so badly to be a part of the action, we want to live in the moment just like those who are actually participating in the events. When I was a student at Ole Miss, I can remember vividly games on Saturdays, (though my friend Ryan can attest to this, we didn't get to attend many games due to work), and in the spring, sitting up in Section I at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field yelling "throw it in the dirt!" at the top of our lungs. Whenever I'd describe what happened during a game, I would always refer to the team as "we", but I've never realized how often I do that until a couple of weeks ago when I was talking about how the University of Georgia was punished for 60 minutes by Boise State University (who I was cheering for, btw...). Now I've never been to Boise, I've never gotten to see, (outside of a TV screen), the "smurf turf" that serves as the single greatest home-field advantage in collegiate athletics, but when I talked about the game the next day, I used the word "we". Maybe its just that I love cheering for the underdogs and defending their right to be able to play on the national stage, (since they've constantly proven themselves, and believe me, I'll defend them against any of you "SEC supremacists" whenever you want, and I promise, I WILL WIN), or maybe its just that I can choose whoever I want to cheer for whenever I want. But as I watched that game, I felt myself wishing more than ever that I had played football in high school, tried out in college, and was not in the position I am today.
In all that, it still boggles my mind that we all just want to be a part of something so badly that we live in the delusion that in some way, us yelling through the TV at the referees or the coaches really make a difference and that whether we're at the games or not will make the team play harder or even win more often. Now, I've never seen Boise State play live, but I'll tell you, I think they'd still beat any team in the country whether I was there or not, (and I really want to see them play live sometime), and whether they win or lose, I'll still fight for their right to be placed in the same company as the top conferences and not reference them as "the little sisters of the poor". But personal thoughts aside, why do we have to feel like we belong to these teams? Is it our desire to be with like-minded people? Is it our desire for community?
We were meant to live in the company of others. But is this really the way for us to feel like we are a part of something bigger?
These questions can unlock all sorts of doors. But its when our desire to be a part of something bigger becomes who we are, we can destroy ours and the lives of others. (reference to Harvey Updyke, the man who poisoned the trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn, AL.) We all love our rivalries and the jokes and gloating we get to make, (which still makes it funny, cause we didn't play in any of the games that allow us fans to gloat), but why do we take them so far? Why is a man willing to destroy another school's tradition over a the fact that "his" team lost a game? Its sickening to think that we are a people who are so petty that we're willing to destroy things in the towns of a rival school. The "sickness" of the human condition blows my mind and continues to make me wonder why I love sports so much...oh yeah, I know now...the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
That says it all.
In all that, it still boggles my mind that we all just want to be a part of something so badly that we live in the delusion that in some way, us yelling through the TV at the referees or the coaches really make a difference and that whether we're at the games or not will make the team play harder or even win more often. Now, I've never seen Boise State play live, but I'll tell you, I think they'd still beat any team in the country whether I was there or not, (and I really want to see them play live sometime), and whether they win or lose, I'll still fight for their right to be placed in the same company as the top conferences and not reference them as "the little sisters of the poor". But personal thoughts aside, why do we have to feel like we belong to these teams? Is it our desire to be with like-minded people? Is it our desire for community?
We were meant to live in the company of others. But is this really the way for us to feel like we are a part of something bigger?
These questions can unlock all sorts of doors. But its when our desire to be a part of something bigger becomes who we are, we can destroy ours and the lives of others. (reference to Harvey Updyke, the man who poisoned the trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn, AL.) We all love our rivalries and the jokes and gloating we get to make, (which still makes it funny, cause we didn't play in any of the games that allow us fans to gloat), but why do we take them so far? Why is a man willing to destroy another school's tradition over a the fact that "his" team lost a game? Its sickening to think that we are a people who are so petty that we're willing to destroy things in the towns of a rival school. The "sickness" of the human condition blows my mind and continues to make me wonder why I love sports so much...oh yeah, I know now...the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
That says it all.
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