APU Chapel 4/12/2010

So I was given the opportunity to speak at Azusa Pacific University's chapel service. I believe there were over 3,000 students, staff and faculty in attendance. Safe to say the largest audience I've ever spoken in front of. It went great and I have to give all the glory to God and the people praying on this one, definitely could not have done it without him.

You can see the video through itunes here:

http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/apu.edu.2484207151.02484207160.3718807843?i=1686521378

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Erwin!

"It was easier to be certain you were right when you had never even heard of an opposing position. It was easier to be sure you were right when you felt you were in the majority position. It was easier to believe everyone else was wrong when you didn't know him or her personally." -Erwin Mcmanus, An Unstoppable Force

To state it in the negative perspective: Homeschool so you don't have to listen to the opposing position. Go to Christian college so you can be in the majority position. Socialize at church so you don't personally know anyone other than christians.

We think that is good.

That's what my life has been. For this reason I don't think I can go straight into an M. Div program or directly into ministry. Evangelism is geared toward christians...Ministry is geared toward christians. We can't let that be the case.

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Ex-Murderers

Here's a quick thought: Murderers wrote our Bible.

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (and Job?) by Moses who killed an egyptian (that's why he ran away from egypt and ended up having the burning bush experience 40 years later)

most of Psalms by David who killed Uriah (Husband of Bathsheba)

Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon (maybe Hebrews) by Paul who participated in the killing of Stephen the firsty Martyr as well as many other early christians.

So thats up to 21 of the 66 books of the Bible, and those are the big ones too. There may be more, I'm not a scholar on Obadiah's life, if you know what I mean.

what does this say about God's forgiveness?

What does this say about capital punishment?

in 1 John 3 it says we know that murderers do not have the spirit of God...but these guys obviously did, so I'd propose to call them ex-murderers. What is more true about them is that they are redeemed by Jesus' sacrifice, just like me, I'm an ex-idolater (putting stuff before God) God thinks its out of character for me when I do something like that.

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Homeschool Book

Probably since 6 months ago when I got to speak at my mom's school's graduation thing, I've had it in my mind to write a book about getting the most out of a homeschool education. I'm thinking maybe I would come up with 10 topics and write 10 pages or so on each, see what happens...one of the topics would be things homeschoolers miss out on.

1. Cliques

I don't know if its something unique to me, but I don't really understand how one group of people can become so self-sufficient. I think it may be because I missed out on this part of socialization. I'm assuming that it becomes advantageous within social settings like schools to get a posse of a certain group of people and basically do what they do, think like they think, dislike certain things, like the same kinds of things...get comfortable with a group and just settle in.

I think kids that are homeschooled get the opportunity to think for themselves more easily. Sometimes thats good sometimes thats bad.

Its good to not understand cliques because you get to be unique, maybe more creative, you have less bias, you can enjoy things you want to enjoy and not have to defend them to the other people in your group, you can be your own person.

Its bad for other reasons, the world thinks certain ways, this begins to dominate the way things happen. Unless you think the same as everyone else, you might not understand major trends. I'd be surprised if a homeschooled kid would be a good marketer to the masses. I could see niche, indie marketing, but not like top 40 pop music, or some people magazine advertising expert.

What I'm saying is these kids would have a hard time becoming socially succesful in some settings because they don't understand the concept of cliques, while much of the world operates in these exclusive us vs. them communities. Good or Bad? You decide.

Granted, the homeschooling community is pretty much its own clique.......

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Think twice

1. I was about to write, but I realized my topic may alienate some people. So I decided not to. I thought twice.

2. I'm 23 now. This year, I want to be a man.

....what the heck does that mean?

Audio Blogs

In an effort to synthesize the thinking and sharing I've done, this link will take you to four recorded messages I've given at the Ranch Church. If there's anything noteworthy in these messages it is because God is real, and He wants to be involved in our lives.

http://ranchchurch.com/sermons.php?teacher=Taylor%20Storey

Don't Waste Your Life

If there's one phrase I'd put on a billboard it would be this: Don't Waste Your Life.

I think it leads people to what really matters the most in their lives, and then asking questions if even that really matters.

For instance, how would you live your life in such a way that it really mattered. The first thing I think about is to live for other people. Go to africa and give orphans food. Spend time with kids so they can grow up and do the same, right?

Then that kid that we invest in, he grows up and gets a job for a magazine, writes and researches from 9-5, goes home, has a drink and watches a movie, then goes to sleep. On the weekends he plans fishing trips, he spends most of his free time on ESPN.com and can't wait for sundays when the guys come over and he watches the Chargers go 14-2 then win the super bowl.

not a bad life, but if the thing I get most excited about is the chargers, it seems to me i'm wasting my life.

I've been working construction this summer and its so sad to hear the guys talk about their lives. They live with a girl that they got pregnant before they were married and now they are living in a trailer with a couple kids trying to do the right thing. They work LONG hours trying to pay their expenses but they still live paycheck to paycheck. When they are not working they are sleeping, on the weekends they try to relax so they can get back to work during the week. The brutal truth is that it seems pretty wasted.

So if mother Theresa spends her life helping other people to waste their lives is her life wasted? The brutal truth is that it also seems pretty wasted.

Therefore life is meaningless.

Or should I say life apart from God is meaningless? When we put God in the situation our lives all of a sudden become meaningful. We realize our purpose is to know God, then all of a sudden the mother Theresa, humanitarian work takes on meaning. We feed people so that they can live a meaningful life, knowing God, enjoying what he has given us to enjoy. We invest in that kid so that he can exist with God.

If there is eternity, then everything takes on new significance. If its not there, the only life not wasted is one not lived. But don't kill yourself! There is eternity! and there is eternal significance to our actions here!

I wanna live a life not wasted, a life that matters for eternity.