theChampy

For Freedom

I jailbroke my iPhone a couple weeks ago. There was no real reason for me to do it., but I’ve had my iPhone for almost 1.5 years, so I decided to see what it would be like.

People jailbreak their iPhones for different reasons. Some want custom themes, others want to unlock so they can go to a different carrier, others want to tether their computers to their phones to use the 3G connection.

I dove into the world of jailbreak apps and custom themes to see what it was all about. I installed a theme to make my phone look like the upcoming OS release. I tried out an app that lets me run applications in the background, which the iPhone doesn’t support yet. I even hacked into the system files to install a theme that made my phone look like Android and changed some of the phones sounds to custom ones.

If I still have your attention after the nerdspeak, I’ll tell you what I learned and observed from my experience.

It seems that some people go crazy when they break free from the “chains” of Apple’s closed software. Some of the apps and themes I saw were just downright pointless/ugly. (That’s not to say there aren’t legit apps that are pointless.)

After I restored my phone back to it’s locked up state, I was able to appreciate some of the freedom I had when it was open.

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Humility

“The heart of humility lies in undivided attention to God, a fascination with His beauty revealed in creation, a contemplative presence to each person who speaks to us and de-selfing our plans, projects, ambitions and soul.” - Brennan Manning

I’ve always considered myself a humble person, which doesn’t really sound like the most humble statement.

I guess because I did behind-the-scenes ministry, avoided attention and shied away from praise, I felt I was a humble person. But I recently learned that it is so much more than just not wanting attention.

Here are 12 Degrees of Humility, written by Saint Benedict:

1. Obedience inspired by awe of God.

2. Break out of ego-centric patterns and see the world from God’s perspective.

3. Develop the ability to accept the authority of others.

4. Develop a constancy of character through perseverance.

5. Offer full disclosure of our attitudes and actions to a trusted spiritual director.

6. Learn contentment in all things, considering everyone greater than ourselves.

7. See your greater purpose in community while putting yourself lower than others.

8. Understand your role and be willing to not advance beyond that role. Embrace your limits.

9. Realize that our value lies in community, not in ourselves.

10. Don’t get caught up in frivolous activities that could lead to destroying community.

11. Speak gently, using reasonable words and tones.

12. Always demonstrate a posture of humility, whether before others or God.

There it is. Some I’ve reached, others I have a long way to go on. But it’s a process, and as I walk with God, He will develop these in me.

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in  the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:3-8

Grace & Peace

For Anne

This post has a background story.

Rewind to a couple years ago. I was a server at TGI Friday’s, and I had the chance to serve one of the regulars at the restaurant. It was Anne, a sweet woman who considered us servers as part of her family.

After getting to know her, we realized we attended the same church. She told me that she would save me a seat during the service, and that was that. For about a year, I sat with Anne during church.

Through job changes, mission trips, and even a dating relationship, Anne took interest in my life. She had no children of her own or family nearby, so she treasured our friendship. She even helped support me on my first mission trip to Mexico.

About a year ago, my ministry duties changed and I didn’t attend the same service, so I didn’t see Anne too often. We did have lunch a couple times at, you guessed it, TGI Friday’s, but our interaction wasn’t was not as constant as before.

Well, about a week ago, Anne passed away. I was at work, and the call came in that Anne had fallen and hit her head at the doctor’s and was in a coma. A couple days later, we were having her memorial service at the church.

Anne had a lot of previous health problems, and she always said that she was around as long as the Lord wanted her to be on the earth. But it wasn’t her passing that hit me the hardest. It was the fact that I hadn’t seen her in months, and now she was gone.

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Chase.Your.Passion

I put in my two weeks notice last Friday.

You see, news is not what I am passionate about. I’m passionate about people, technology, and ministry, and how those can all be used together.

A little over a year ago, I was a recent college grad who had no idea where to start on the job search. But a couple weeks after graduation, I received an e-mail about a position I had interviewed for months earlier.

The position was still open, and I was offered the job. It was an answer to prayer and provision from God. I walked into a job with people I already knew from my internships doing something I had a comfortable grasp on.

It was a great job with incredible people. And I honestly had no plans to leave anytime soon.

But here I am over a year after starting, and I’m saying goodbye.

Why? Because I’m chasing my passion.

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The.Point

This past weekend, I participated in a Disciple Now weekend with the students at my church.

We split into groups, stayed in host homes, did service projects, played relay games, and gathered for worship and Bible study.

I always look forward to these weekends. Even though I’m exhausted at the end, it’s totally worth it. This kind of exhaustion comes when you have poured yourself out into the lives of others.

Those “lives” in question are 6th and 7th grade guys.

People think I’m a brave soul to try to teach them, but I am constantly blown away by the ways that God reminds me that I have an impact on their lives.

When we were having a time of group prayer, to have my group surround me and pray for me was incredible.

And when one of my former students that I lost touch with came and prayed for me, I about broke down. To know that I had a lasting impact on this individual blows me away.

Weekends like these remind me that I don’t deserve to be doing what I’m doing, but through God’s grace alone, I am able to.

I was also reminded that impacting the lives of students is what makes my heart beat out of my chest. I would give anything for them to know the love of Jesus that I have experienced, and I pray that I get to do it until I die.

God also showed me that I am right where I need to be, surrounded by the people that He wants to walk alongside me. The guys I got to lead with this weekend are great men of God, and it was a privilege to serve with them.

And about “The Point”. The theme for the weekend focused on the point of worship, and that only God was deserving and worthy of our worship. Man oh man was I convicted to the core about what I worship in my life. I look forward to replacing them with God as the focus of my life and devotion.

This is just a taste of what the last weekend did to my heart, but I wanted to share it with you. Thanks for reading.

Grace & Peace

True.Love

I’m single. Most everyone I know is aware of this. It’s not for lack of trying, it’s just the way things are.

Valentine’s Day was yesterday, and in the past, I have labeled it “Singles Awareness Day” or some other name dripping with bitterness.

This year though, I actually spent time thinking about love instead of trying to ignore the day.

I reflected on the love that I have in God, and how powerful and overwhelming that is.

Almost 12 years ago, I made an exchange with God. He gave me an eternal, abundant life, and I gave Him my heart.

Then at Late Nite, as Pastor Jeff was talking about love, he read and dissected 1 Corinthians 13:1-11. I have included verses 1-7 below:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

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Disappointment

Lately, I’ve had to learn to deal with disappointment.

It’s not that I’ve never been disappointed until recently, but I got to a point where I had to let go before it affected other areas of my life.

You see, I was looking to others to validate me, to complete me. And when they let me down, I felt like there was something wrong with me, that I had done something wrong. Then I would be bitter towards them because of the way I felt.

That is dangerous for a couple reasons.

First, I’m putting unfair expectations on people. No one is perfect, and I’m a prime example of that. So expecting them to act a certain way, to validate me with their actions, is too much pressure.

That destroys relationships. Friendships and marriages can fall apart because of unfair/unmet expectations.

Second, I was never meant to find my satisfaction or validation in other people.

I believe we were all created as relational beings. We need others to walk through life with us. But when we look to them to “complete” us, we are setting ourselves up for failure.

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Wine.Wool.WildHoney

I recently finished a book titled Scouting the Divine. The author Margaret Feinberg, writes about her quest as she seeks to think of the Bible as more than a dusty old book.

The Bible has so much depth to offer, but Margaret found herself having trouble relating to certain passages that she had read countless number of times, and also seemed ancient.

As she puts it, how can we fully grasp abiding in the vine when we buy our grapes at the store, and how do we look at Jesus as the Good Shepherd when we only see sheep in petting zoos?

These questions led her on a journey, where she spent time with a shepherdess, a farmer, a beekeeper, and a vintner. With everyone she spent time with, she shared scriptures with them related to their skill, and asked for their insight.

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