Watch the man falling in the street. See him gesture to his neighbours; see him trampled beneath their feet. All that emotion connects to nothing, for each is concerned with their immediate need. WHEN DOES THE MAN REACHING UP FROM THE GUTTER SEE THE OTHER ONE STUMBLING ON WHO CANNOT SEE?"
~From a friend's blog

I sometimes wonder if we'll ever bother to help him up. We see those around us in utter suffering and chaos, but we turn up our Christian talk radio, or our our Christian music, and put on our headphones, and attempt to drown them out. Or, worse still... we give them indifference... When was the last time you invited someone from class to CCF, or BCM, or Church? When was the last time that you actually held a conversation with someone on campus, who was not in your group of friends? And something more than just a "hey, how are you?"
There are those on our very campus who we are demanded by our Father to reach out and minister to, and yet, what do we do?
"oh, I have a test tomorrow.... I HAVE to study...."
"well, I would, but..."
"I'm just so busy..."

Are those really good excuses? You give them to the hurting, the lost, the destitute, but would you tell them to your friends? Honestly, now.... How much time do we spend playing  Texas hold 'em and catch phrase, and how much do we spend talking to those on campus, who are not in our immediate circle?

Would you dare? Will you dare? Dare to reach down, and pull them up from the gutter? Or will you be content to hide away in a sub-culture of Christian Suburbia?

What about when there are new people at a function... do you go up and introduce yourself to them? Make them feel welcome? Or do you merely say hi, if that much. Maybe you only make eye contact, and then abruptly look away.

Or, how about this: when was the last time that you visited an elderly person? Grandparents/uncles/aunts included... Or visited with an unwed mother, and didn't look down on her? Or hold a Bible study in your quad? or talked with the girl in the bathroom while getting made up? When was the last time that you held a prayer session with someone regularly?

I guess my question is this: are we doing our duty as Christian students on campus? Do we have a love for those that the Father loves? Those that we are commanded to? If those around us were to tell us what our lives were about, would they say that it is indeed Christ? Do we make them wonder at the peace and hope that is within us through Christ? Does how we live make them desire it?

Ouch... it hurts...

27 And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will.(F)

Isn't it wonderful, to know that even when we do not know what we are to be praying for, what we are even burdened for, that He comes to our aid, and bears us up, in the midst of our humanity, in the midst of our weakness?
He groanings too deep for utterance... He IS too deep for utterance...

Gloria Halleluja, He is patient with us,and forgiving...

 I was asked, recently, why would God give us desires, strong desires, if He did not mean to give them to us at some point... At the time, I didn't know what to say... After reflection, I wonder if maybe it is because that desire He has given has caused you to 1) draw away from the closeness we are given with Him, or 2) that by giving up what you want most, He is most glorified, and can give you what is indeed meant to be given unto you... When do we glorify Him most? When we give up something that we just like, or something that we want so strongly?there is a third possibility, which I call the Abraham complex... that it is a test, to prove that you do have Him put higher than others... (that would be, Abraham was asked that he sacrifice his ONLY son, the son of PROMISE, of God's promise, the desire of his heart)...and that would be the question : if He asked you to, would you be willing to give up your very strongest desire for Him? Or, rather, would you be willing to submit them to Him, and let Him take control over them, rather than yourself?

What would your answer be?

You daughter wants to live under Your Cross,
And die for Your cause.
Reach out to the maddened by sin,
those are the ones she wishes to spend
her life for.
Take your daughter to the slaughter.
She wants to die, showing beauty,
Disproving the lies,
Giving the Truth a stand.
Blind fold Your child, Father, to the distractions of this World,
Keep her mind solely on You.
She wants to go.
Hold her by the hand, lead her the way which she should go.
Or else she will lose herself.
She wants to count, but count only for You.
To have her life spent,
For the Glory of the Son.
She prays to be worthy to be
persecuted for Your name's sake.
Father, take her lamb, her offering,
and use it,
Use her, your daughter, as a burnt offering
against Your holy and just rage
at the disobedience of Your fallen children.
Accept this, her offering...
She wants to count for You, and only You
Take her to the slaughter,
lay her on the alter,
and pierce her...
To live is Christ, and to Die is to gain
A life with You,
She knows...
Take her.

I pose a thought, a theory : Has the modern Christian movement taken the term "conviction" to a new level, one that it was never meant to be taken? It has, seemingly, become a catch phrase for an excusable sin. "well, I am convicted in this, but its ok for them, that just isn't how they've been convicted"..."...everyone is different...".... we throw in people's faces, or perhaps even deceiving ourselves, that  when Romans 14:14 says "I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus Christ that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything unclean, to him it is unclean." This really has nothing to do with convictions, as is now seen by the world. If a believer is convinced that a certain behavior is sin, then he should not do it... yes, I agree. However, I come to a new point... Why are we so quick to claim this verse, when we are critiquing ( for lack of a better word) another's actions? Or, better still, why do we say " well, that's ok for them, to each their own conscience..." Is it REALLY to each their own? Yes, there is nothing impure in of itself, except that we sinful men got a hold of it, twisted it, etc... why else would things be not as they should ?what about Romans 14:22-23 ""22 Do you have faith?Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin."  do you see that word? "doubt"? yes, DOUBT... if you DOUBT that what you are doing is right... then its completely possible, and most likely, that it isn't!
Has the story of the plank really been that seeped in the conception of tolerance that we honestly think that we have zero to no say in what is in fact wrong? By biblical standards? When will we realize that there are really and truly NO gray areas when it comes to right and wrong?That gray areas are really in fact just excuses...

Perhaps we wrestle with this concept because we do not truly hate sin? Well, that's obvious.... "What is sin for one may not be for another..." is that really the correct interpretation? we esteem some sins above others, when ALL sins are alike in God's eyes... there are NO small sins,... they are ALL big. They are all wrong...period.

I think that that is what is so beautiful about the cross... that God would send the Sacrifice to make atonement... its hard to comprehend how much God hates sin... He HATES it... It disgusts Him... and yet He chose to redeem that which makes His stomach turn...

I wonder at times, if I would ever be brave enough to see sin through God;s eyes... could I handle it?

Last night was the camp out... looking at the stars in the midst of friends, watching the fire light dance and jump, talking with friends, being given two of the most perfect smores, both crunchy on the outside, and melted on the inside *sigh*... it was a really nice time... I happened, last night, upon an epiphany. People, more spefically I, are/am like roasted marshmallows... allow me to explain.  An exterior may seem gruff, or hard, unfeeling, whatever... but the inside is softer than lamb's wool... Often we tend to disreguard said marshmallows, because the outside is frightening, unless we have had one before, and know the truest value of it... I also saw last night, that... the longer its in the fire without being burned, the better the marshmallow is...could that be like life itself? The longer one can endure the fire, without allowing themself to be burned to a crisp, the more one is enriched and the more one can grow...The key is to allow yourself not to get burnt... and THAT is the tricky part. Before one has gone through the pain and the hurt, can they truly understand and appreciate the best? I have been told that you have never really lived until you had died... what do you understand this means?

I'll never forget the times you made me wide awake inside,
filling my empty cracks with less of me.
~Staple

Staple, while being a very hard group, have lyrics that seep into your soul, and make you cringe and cry and laugh and think, all at once...
I was listening to a CD, and searching the lyrics... And those are a couple of lines that really just stick out...

Its humbling to be forced to think that I must lose of myself to gain Him... But it is great to know that He is willing to fill all of me with all of Himself

How amazing it is to think that Lyrics can truly minister to a mind diseased... while well-meant words can avail much, lyrics slowly creep into your soul, and awaken that little piece inside you, asking the sleeper to awaken...

All of You
is more than enough for
All of me...
You satisfy me
with Your love
And all I have in You
Is more than enough.
~Barlowgirl