Fellow readers,
Howdy! How has everyone been? I hope everybody is doing well in school right now-if you are in school. If you are not in school, then I also hope that your lives are going well...as well. How am I doing?(I know you guys were dying to ask me that.) Just as I typed that, I found out that a pillow works just as well as one of those laptop desk thingies. To answer your inquiry, I am doing very well. Thank you for asking. A lot has happened since we last parted. One unusual, yet good, thing that happened-I read a book! "Wow, that's good Andrew. We are so proud of you for being able to read." Sadly, that is what a lot of people who know me well thought when I mentioned this to them. I believe my mom even said, "What is that, like the first book you've ever read?" Close! It is no surprise to those who know me, I do not like to read. And yes, I have read more than just that one book. However, you can probably count on one hand the books I have read for pleasure, not for school(which I never read any of those anyways...oh the joys of the American school system, that you could be saved by an easy standardized test and pass your English classes without ever reading the books mandated and stressed throughout the semester.). But, the book is, Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working, by Craig Groeschel. Long story short, quote-unquote, normal, in today's society is premarital sex, partying, drinking, POLO by Ralph Lauren, iPads, texting, etc., etc., etc. The list goes on and on and on. But it very rarely includes: spending time with family, taking the time to study your Bible, praying, loving strangers, serving others, not being afraid to share your religion, saying, "no" to your friends when you feel like you shouldn't be doing what they want you to(could be anything, even saying no to dinner with them if you are trying to save money for stuff). I will hold the list at that. These things, when people see them, are weird. Anyways, the book just talks about how we get caught "following the beaten path," rather than full-force, seeking God's face and living a life for him. It is very well-written and funny, so I definitely encourage it. And I mean, if I read it for fun, anyone should be able to enjoy it. Moving on. So far this semester I have: attempted breaking and entering on campus to try to sneak into the pool after hours(probably shouldn't admit to that online, but I never actually did it so does that mean free from charges? I had accomplices!), went ghost-hunting in Monterey, TN, skipped my Friday class every Friday so far, made a putt-putt hole in my dorm room and later won the putt-putt game, stayed up countless times till at least three or four A.M. and then drug myself to class that day, got my fingers printed and a background check done-completely unrelated to the before-mentioned B&E, and that's just the beginning! For the rest of February I have Valentine's Day, two Math tests, The NEEDTOBREATHE concert, my girlfriend's play(she is a thespian), and helping lead a new campus ministry called Manna that starts up the 10th. I'm so excited and anxious for what God has in store for me this semester and am so blessed already! So that about wraps it up for the catch-up session. Now time for the message.
Message:
I already touched a little bit, while talking about the book, about not conforming to what is the standard in today's world. That's what inspired the title of this blog. We need to be the generation that cares more about our life with Christ, than what is "in." But, that is not my message today. My message today is just a simple one. I was studying my Bible today and read about the crucifixion of Jesus. This just really resonated with my this time while reading it, because of how much my relationship has grown with Him recently. It almost brought me to tears reading it. How they traded him for a criminal, with no reasoning other than His example made them feel bad about how they were living their lives. How they flogged Him and mocked Him, and were just incredibly and inconceivably cruel to Him. And He did it all for us! He endured it all for us!! So that we could be saved! So we could live a life worth living! How could you not just want to do everything you can to please someone who would do that for you? So, if you find yourself questioning, like I have myself before, "Why should I try so hard to live a 'good' Christian life? I know I'm saved." or "I'll do that, even though I know it's wrong, and will just ask for forgiveness afterwards. We are forgiven for our sins right?" The answer is simple: we are saved by His blood and forgiven for all our sins before we even commit them; but, why not do everything we possibly can to please someone who loves us so much? It becomes less of a burden, or task, when we realize how much He sacrificed and how much He loves us, and it becomes more and more of us showing how much we love Him!! Thank you all for reading, and I hope this will inspire you guys to become weird!
Signing off.
