This is the Future

Owl City, a new band created by Adam Young and recently growing in popularity, has put out some amazing tunes. One of my favorites is "This Is the Future." Though simple as they may be, the lyrics to this song are very profound and inspiring:

Wake up on your own
And look around you cuz you’re not alone
Release your high hopes and they’ll survive
Cuz this is the future and you are alive

Dive in and swim away
From your loneliness and miserable days

And when you wake up on your own
Look around you cuz you’re not alone
Let your hopes go and they’ll survive
Cuz this is the future and you are alive
…You’re headed home

The lyrics seem to portray the importance of making a difference in life...and making that difference through the use of collaboration. "When you wake up on your own" hints a recognition for change, a waking up to the reality of life and the reality of eternity. He tells us to "look around you cuz you're not alone"...once we realize what we're living for, we need to step out and act accordingly with others who share our convictions. Though hard as it is sometimes, we need to start living with all that we have, all we will ever be. We need to "let [our] hopes go" and give them to the One who cares, the One who will help us accomplish those dreams.

But what if we've missed it...we're "headed home" with our past behind us. How will you choose to live, if "this is the future and you are alive?"

November 13-14

The Fall Conference is quickly approaching...


If you are interested in...

1. wrapping paper
2. fir trees
3. thanking your great-aunt for yet another pair of boxers adorned with images of martial-arts trained terrapins
4. stockings over the fireplace
5. a sweetened dairy-based beverage made with milk, cream, sugar, beaten eggs (which gives it a frothy texture), and flavoured with ground cinnamon and nutmeg

...You don't need to come to our Fall Conference. You need tomorrow to be December 25th.






If you are interested in:

• What you can do for God
• The differences between teens and adults
  
• The purpose of your existence
• The lies of the teen culture
• How to overcome your spiritual drought
• Ways you can stand for your faith
  
• What it means to follow Christ
• The plans God has for you

...Christmas can wait.





Grow up...Face your Rubicon. Registration ends soon.

What's the Purpose?

Ahhh...

The teen years.

From the harsh displeasure of a middle-aged mom "forced" to listen to the "junk" we teens know as music, to the nursing home resident thinking wistfully of "Better Times", the time an individual spends within the age range of approximately 13-19 (Hence the title: "Teenager"...) holds a special meaning for each of us.

But what IS the purpose of these years?

Each second we have lasts just that long: for a second. Then it disappears, never to be regained. We use our time in many different ways. But how do we use the teen years? Why do we use them that way?

It seems many young people have their hearts set on partying away this time of their life. They gather in cliques, concern themselves with pleasure and amusements, and worship the so-called "Teen Image". This leads me to believe that those individuals do not consider these years as a time to prepare for adulthood. Rather, they hold this time as a "holiday", a short vacation, a time to enjoy being young. And that's good. We should take joy in our youth.

But, is that the PURPOSE of these years?

I've seen others, those who treat each minute as though it will never come again (which it won't). They study hard, work hard, live hard, and love hard. Yes, they make hard sacrifices. Yeah, it's probably so much easier to forget about your future, about the value of time.

...And yet, though these young adults give more of themselves than what seems possible, they seem to enjoy life MORE than the others!

You give time to what matters most to you. And in return, you receive the rewards of what you've given. Put time into something, you get something in return. So...

...What IS the purpose of the teen years?


I believe you need to decide for yourself.


However, heed the Bible's instructions for young adults:

• "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth..."

• "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."

Lima

Kiersten and I just returned from our trip to Lima, Peru.


In it's entirety, the Mission Trip was very tiring.

Our team held up pretty well under the pressure of:

5 hours of sleep per night, living and working in a dangerous city (Let's just say our first taxi ride involved stalling next to a dozen men who were deeply bent on killing one another with strips of rubber, metal chains, and short clubs.), eating food that can be deeply poisonous to our largely unexposed American bodies, working with noisy children, and, hardest of all, putting up with each other.

One thing I learned, was that Brothers and Sisters in Christ exist around the world.
It seems so, so simple, but when you're working together with men and women who have given their lives to Christ, you begin to realize how much you have in common.

"Here I Go"

Relient K has always been one of my favorite bands, combining catchy tunes with clean, fun, and inspirational lyrical devices. On one of their more recent albums, the song "Here I Go (Demo)" makes its appearance and I believe Rebelutionaries and those excited about "Doing Hard Things" for the glory of God can learn from the corresponding lyrics:

Oh
Believe me I have tried
To work this out from the inside
Then I finally realized
I just need to move on with my life

Gotta make something happen
Not just sit around and wait for it
This place is like a prison
I think I'm going to make a break for it

Whoa
Here I go
It's like we're living for the first time
Whoa
Here I go
And I think that it's the first time I felt alive

In the first verse, he begins by telling of his struggles within-the challenges life presents, the feats we sadly try to fix ourselves ["believe me I have tried"]. For me, one thing that I find myself constantly trying to fix is the never-ending thoughts of worry...focusing on the littlest things and allowing consequential thoughts to control how I live. However, I found myself living selfishly, seeking only to make my life as peaceful and worry-free as possible. After much hardship and many failed attempts, though, I realized that the best way to escape my worry was to simply acknowledge its presence and move on with my life ["Then I finally realized
I just need to move on with my life"].

THIS is where doing hard things comes into play. It's important to "make something happen, not just sit around and wait for it." By this, it is my belief that lead singer Matt Thiessen hopes to convey the importance of making the most of one's life and living in the moment, instead of wasting time waiting for that perfect accomplishment. The "prison" referenced may be comfort zones for some or even the specific areas of struggle such as worry or fear of failure. We're trapped, locked inside with no key, and it can be easy to just give up and hope it goes away by itself...

But I've got news for you...it most likely won't, it won't go away by itself. We need help, we need a Savior-someone who can "save [us] from danger or destruction" [Merriam Webster Online Dictionary]. Jesus is the answer and we need to learn to go to Him with even the smallest troubles life throws our way. "It's like we're living for the first time"-before we weren't really living, we were just getting by. But now that God sent His Son to provide a means of escape, we can truly live the life we were meant to live: A life full of peace in the midst of strife and confidence in knowing our eternal destiny in Heaven. A life for God, however, can sometimes seem in direct contrast to the saving grace we came to know when we first surrendered our lives, but ultimately it's your best life. Your troubles and personal issues may or may not always be there...however, no matter what, Jesus will always be there. For me, I still feel as if I need peace to move on (when in reality, peace often becomes a replacement for God). But with God as my father, I can go to Him and renew my light and shine brighter than ever before!

-Jimmy

Feel free to check us out on Facebook!