tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108442024-03-19T05:19:21.472-05:00Ghost Of MediocrityA look into the things I'd like to do, life I'd like to lead, man I'd like to be, items I'd like to avoid, and the adventure that occurs between dream and reality.Josh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.comBlogger889125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-19239019919793872492018-01-16T23:28:00.003-05:002018-01-16T23:28:47.073-05:00Titus 1:5-9 :: EldersOver the past year and a half, I've grown to appreciate the role that elders have in the church. Growing up, I went to and then served in churches that had a senior pastor model. The senior pastor was the boss, and what he said was the final decision. He made decisions that were best for the church and could seek out input from other staff in making those decisions, but he didn't have to.
I've come to the conclusion now that a plurality of elders is both the most biblical form of church leadership, but also the most wise. While a senior pastor model is never prescribed in the bible, it is also never described. The elder model is similarly never prescribed, but is described.
Ultimately, I think senior pastor's are arrogant if they choose not to move to an elder model. They care too much about their ideas and making sure that they are implemented, even if it's not the best idea. This kind of responsibility was never asked by God for any one man to burden, so why would we choose to embrace it.
I will, so long as it is in my power to do so, only be part of churches that have an elder model and will make it a non-negotiable in advice I give others as they pursue a body of believers with whom they will worship.Josh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-53998747297738909892016-12-05T11:15:00.003-05:002016-12-05T11:15:39.955-05:00Day 2After several days off building a streak of not running, I ran on Saturday and Sunday. Both times I didn't take my phone or even a stopwatch. I know where my turnaround is for my 5k route and I ran out and back on both days. I definitely prefer doing it this way with throwing in a run once a week with my phone to check progress and such. Although, my wife likes it when I run with my phone because she is always scared that I'm going to drop dead.
Josh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-12462903934255157192016-11-30T14:18:00.001-05:002016-11-30T14:18:29.558-05:00Day 0My running streak died last night. I was tired, my left ankle hurt, and I just didn't feel like running. But here's where thinking in the terms of streaks helped me, I didn't finally decide that I wasn't running until around 9:30 PM. Without the pressure of a streak, I would have decided around 6 PM last night. Thinking in streaks helps me want to do things that I would typically try to get out of doing. So today will be a new day 1. Josh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-34834569652764260412016-11-29T00:03:00.002-05:002016-11-29T00:03:10.411-05:00Day 4Today was day 4 of my 5k streak. I'll probably post more about this later, but I'm trying to run at least 5k each day for as many days as I can in a row.
Time: 9:15 PM
Weather: 51 degrees winds 10 mph
Clothing: Shorts; Undershirt, Long sleeve t-shirt, T-shirt, Windbreaker jacket
Distance: 3.17mi
Pace: 9:48
I was tired tonight and would not have gone if I wasn't focused on building a streak. Running always feels good though and I was glad I went.
JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-11849471915796311082011-05-04T08:44:00.002-05:002011-05-04T08:47:28.078-05:00Daily ThoughtsDaniel 2:27-28 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these<br />Daniel had every opportunity to look great in the eyes of the king and yet he continually deferred to God. His whole point that he starts out with is that nobody can do what you are asking, but God can. Daniel knew what it really meant to give God all the glory. A great example of humility that we can all strive for.<br />God, may I never use any position you put me in to build up my own pride, but, rather, to glorify your name. <br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-27418991438040468022011-05-03T10:39:00.003-05:002011-05-03T10:49:59.948-05:00Daily Thoughts1 John 2:3, 6 - And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which we walked.<br />Knowing Christ is so much more than being saved. Full-life commitment is what the scriptures command. We can't have a moment with God and expect that to warrant a different eternity. I've been thinking about bin Laden's death and how some have chosen to celebrate his demise, being thankful that he is in hell. Yet, when compared to God's standard, there is no difference between bin Laden and myself. We all fall short. I read this today on <a href="http://chimprefuge.com/2011/05/02/reason-magazine-on-the-celebration/">another blog</a>:<br /><blockquote>There was something unsettling about watching giddy crowds bounce around beach balls and climb telephone polls last night, as if they were in the lawn seats at a rock festival. Solemn and somber appreciation that an evil man is gone seemed like the more appropriate reaction.</blockquote><br />I think what's scariest to me is that if I'm really honest with myself, I'm a lot more like bin Laden than I care to admit. We all are.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-47821375742809828322011-04-27T08:35:00.002-05:002011-04-27T08:44:52.507-05:00Daily ThoughtsPsalm 97:10a - O you who love the Lord, hate evil!<br />I love God. I really do. But I don't hate evil. Not all the time. It should be easy to hate. Evil is what has separated me from God. Life is the journey back to restoration with God. Evil is what makes that journey difficult. But I tolerate evil. I accept it into my own life. <br />Psalm 115:10 - The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.<br />I hate it when my kids abuse the gifts I give them. When they don't understand the value of it. They leave dolls outside, bang baseball bats on the ground, and generally have little to no concept of the value of things or the sacrifices made so that they can have things. I think that's how we treat the earth. God's gift to us, we abuse and use for our enjoyment with no thought as to how it makes God feel when we abuse it.<br />John 15:3-4 - Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.<br />I'm already made clean, all I have to do now is rest in Jesus. Yet I'm constantly consumed with doing instead of being. Being who God made me to be. Being who I am. Being with Him. I focus instead on the doing. On behavior modification. On trying to do better instead of just be better.<br /><br />God, may I see myself for who I am in You: clean. Whole. Restored. May I hate evil, respect your creation, and may I rest in your presence.<br />I love you.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-15667454148308350562010-11-30T12:00:00.002-05:002010-11-30T12:06:52.079-05:00AdventureI've been thinking a lot about adventure lately. Part of it is coming from reading Donald Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, part of it is coming from what I've been reading in the Bible, and part of it is coming from just realizing how amazingly blessed I am. I think the danger we slip into when you get into your 30's is just the monotony of daily life. That's why so many people have mid-life crises where they go out and make dumb purchases, or get hair implants, or have an affair. They realize that their life has no element of adventure, and so they try to manufacture some. <br />I'd rather embed adventure into my life. So I'm planning out what that will look like for me. I'd like to make 2011 a year of pursuing adventure for me. I want to pursue my wife intensely. To demonstrate to her just how much I love her. I want to enjoy my kids intensely. To demonstrate to them just how much I love them. I want to know God intimately. To demonstrate to Him just how much I love Him. And I want to love people fully. To demonstrate to them just how much God loves them. <br />Because I'm a details person, I'm not sure how I'll quantify it yet, but I know that I want to journal the experience. To discover adventure within the monotony. To cast off the pressures of the consumer culture in which we live and instead follow the sermon on the mount and become less. To fully serve. And, hopefully, to fully live. Adventure awaits. JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-8637797500133919732010-11-30T11:58:00.003-05:002010-11-30T12:00:31.523-05:00Being Like GodIf you want to be like God, then you have to be willing to sacrifice. Luke 6:35 talks about how we should love our enemies, do good to them, lend to them without expecting repayment so that we will be sons of the Most High because that's who He is. He loves me even though He knows that I will not love Him back. He blesses me even though He knows that I will not be able to bless Him back. JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-8337544485904530182010-11-11T11:37:00.003-05:002010-11-11T11:40:00.920-05:00TeachingIf I want to be a good Biblical teacher, and I so desperately do, then my teaching must have the authority of God (Luke 4:32). Anything else relegates me to the role that the Pharisees had where I present my ideas for discussion. Or my interpretation for debate. With God's truths there is no debate, just contextualization on how best to present them to the demographic of the audience that He has provided. <br />God, I pray that you would help me to constantly craft messages that are rooted in your authority. May I be a teacher and a leader who constantly strives to honor you with everything that I am and teaches/leads out of that striving.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-36958354546257651912010-10-27T15:22:00.002-05:002010-10-27T15:27:25.302-05:00Keep The PeaceToo often I find that I don't "call people out" because I'd rather keep the peace. I rationalize it to myself because I see the positive qualities in the person and fear creating a rift in the relationship where those qualities might not be used around me anymore. The root of it is selfishness. Rather than approach someone and lovingly try to understand why they are seemingly being disobedient, I hold it in so that things don't get awkward or uncomfortable. I read Galatians 1:18 and 2:11 today. In the first verse Paul spends 15 days living with Peter getting to know him. They built a friendship, we can guess. They trusted each other. Yet Paul doesn't hesitate to call Peter out in 2:11. And I think it's because of the friendship that he felt the freedom to do so. Relationships should give us the authority to speak the truth in love to people, not the tendency to ignore their faults. People can only grow when they are exposed to their areas of weakness. And if my closest friends are unwilling to expose mine to me, or vice versa, then nobody will and I will continue to go on with those weaknesses.<br />God, I pray that I will always speak the truth in love and that you would guide me through the difficult conversations that I encounter. Amen.Josh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-39981341493919421532010-09-30T13:55:00.002-05:002010-09-30T14:04:11.538-05:00Galatians 1:6-10This is a battle I face all the time: pleasing other people or pleasing Christ. The main person that battles for the position that Christ should hold is myself. I try to please myself by wanting people to say I did a good job. I don't even care if I did a good job in reality, just as long as other people perceive me as having done well. God wants so much more from me, though. He wants me to seek to glorify Him in everything that I do. To be so focused on bringing Him glory that I don't care if anyone tells me I did a good job, because God is the only one who matters. <br />While other people's perceptions may be a fairly good metric of whether or not we have done a good job of communicating, that can't be my end goal. May God be glorified by everything I do, whether I am teaching His word or simply living my daily life.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-43826067771540357232010-09-22T14:14:00.003-05:002010-09-22T14:19:40.215-05:00Galatians 1:1-5God has appointed me to do the work that I'm doing. I know this because I can sense that I am in God's will for my life. The Bible, prayer, circumstances, and wise counsel all confirm it. <br />Since this is true, and since God is all-powerful, then that means that I cannot fail. Things may have the appearance of failing from the metrics that I use, but God is using me in the way that He desires. If He desired something different done, He would either lead me to do that or would lead another person into leadership of the ministry. <br />The focus then becomes less about what is best for the ministry, and more about what does God desire for my ministry, my church, myself. How can God use me for His greatest glory. Whether 1000 students show up (in my context) or 1. May God receive the glory from every aspect of my life. And my I not be ashamed to ascribe Him glory from every area of my life.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-91482825154157243882010-06-16T22:11:00.002-05:002010-06-16T22:16:42.435-05:00Matthew 5:4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." This verse has always mystified me. I'm going to be happy because I'm going to be comforted? Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. As I think about the times that I've mourned, though, the times when I've really been sorrowful, I can see that God comforted me. That His peace comforted me. That, even though it may not be clear, everything was going to be okay. That He would protect me. <br />That doesn't mean that all of my problems are going to be solved, or that I won't have sorrow, but that I will be comforted by God. Now that's a promise that makes me have hope. Sometimes life hurts, but God is willing to comfort. Desperate to comfort. I just have to rest in Him and accept it. God help me to stop trying to solve all of my problems for myself and to first accept your comfort, guidance, and love.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-14263499109407349122010-06-14T22:58:00.003-05:002010-06-14T23:04:51.276-05:00Matthew 5:3The temptation is always to show off wealth. To spend what you have. Or more than you have. It's yours anyway, why not enjoy it. This verse says that I'll be most happy when I act as if I'm poor. Whether I'm poor in reality or not. That I should live my life as if I have little. Not seeking out having the best things for myself. But instead, just enjoying the life that I have. The truly poor people that I have met are some of the most giving people I know. They know the value of life and enjoying it. They don't judge everything by it's monetary value, but rather by the enjoyment that it brings them. I used to be like that. I'm hoping I can become like that again. To just enjoy the simple things in life. To have control of my finances and live simply. Jesus says it's the path to happiness. <br />God I pray that you would show me the beautiful happiness that exists when I am poor in spirit. I pray that I would not focus on what I don't have, but rather on enjoying what you have blessed me with.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-45130826770511827552010-04-06T09:22:00.002-05:002010-04-06T09:35:09.093-05:00LoveTwo thoughts from the passage I read today (Exodus 20:1 - Exodus 22:15):<br />1. I think it's a beautiful picture of leadership that the judges that God set up to rule his people are referred to as "God". For instance Exodus 22:9 says "Both parties must come before God for a decision, and the person whom God declares guilty must pay double to the other." I think it reiterates what I was talking about yesterday, that when we are in leadership appointed by God, we just need to follow Him and not worry about any complaints. <br />2. Exodus 21:5-6 says "But the slave may plainly declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. i would rather not go free.' If he does this his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever." I think that is probably the most accurate picture of sacrificial love that I can imagine. I have my freedom, but my family is enslaved. Rather than embracing my freedom I choose to remain enslaved because of my love for my family. It's kind of a picture of salvation. At any point, I can run away from God and be "free" from my commitment to him. Instead I voluntarily sacrifice because of my love. Because I realize my life within the confines of my voluntarily servitude is infinitely better than freedom apart from it. <br />May I constantly be drawn to devotion God because of my great love for Him.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-89020562482451593432010-04-05T09:25:00.002-05:002010-04-05T09:28:59.117-05:00Exodus 16:7Being in leadership can be tough. People like to complain. To let you know how they would do things. How they don't like certain things that you do. Or how they have the greatest idea that they just want to share with you, but if you don't use it, then you're an idiot. People like to complain about leadership, until they are the one leading.<br />I hate leading outside of God's will. When you're leading within God's will, then you're really not even leading, you're just following and showing others how to follow you. When you're leading outside of God's will, you're forging the path on your own. Who knows where you'll end up then? <br />Within God's will though, leadership is just following and any complaints you receive are just complaints against God. Kind of removes you from the whole equation. God, I pray that I would be the kind of leader who follows you closely.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-86490247897577798352010-01-27T12:41:00.003-05:002010-01-27T12:49:36.442-05:00Exodus 4:21There is this perception that if God calls you to do something that He will clear the way for you. That it will basically fall down in your lap with little to no effort on your part. God's doing the work and you reap the benefits. That's not always the case, though. In fact, I bet it's actually seldom the case. Just because God ordains something, that doesn't mean that it's going to be easy, or quick, or fun. Moses was going to get God's people out of Egypt, but nobody was going to like him or trust him. Not pharoah. Not the Israelites. Probably at times not even his brother or even himself. But God ordained it. So he pressed on. It's tempting to quit. To get frustrated and drop out. If God has ordained it, then he will see it through fruition. And nothing will stop it. God help me to have the strength to press on in the projects you have ordained for me and to abandon those you haven't.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-61060855434604700582010-01-13T14:23:00.003-05:002010-01-13T14:27:20.183-05:00Galatians 1:1I know that God has called me to be doing what I'm doing: ministering to students at FBC Harvester. I know it without a doubt. But the problem is that I don't behave like it. I don't act as if I have God's authority on my life. Instead I focus on little things and let them distract me. I hope that I can say that I am called by God and be so confident in that fact that it convicts me to lead with the kind of determination that he requires of me. God, remind me of your power. Remind me of your presence. And help me to lead in your power, and your authority.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-10648029992133028402009-12-22T16:44:00.003-05:002009-12-22T16:49:31.455-05:00Proverbs 1:19There is a certain pleasure to knowing you've earned something. That you worked to get it. There is a value to work besides just what it produces. An intangible benefit if you will. The problem is that so often I focus on what work earns me. I'm always spending my future earnings in my mind planning out how great having thus and so will be. But if the point is the product and not the process then I've missed what is truly important. To earn. To work. To know the true value of something. And not just enjoy things for being things, but rather enjoy the purpose of things, that they can enrich our lives. That they can help us. That they are tools to help our lives be easier or more enjoyable. But they aren't the point of our lives. Whenever that gets out of place, when we value the things in life over life itself, then we start to lust for more. We desire more things just so that we can have more. That lust can give way to ill-gotten gain. To stealing. To ethically dubious decisions. To cheating. To self-promotion at the expense of others. God, please help me to simply enjoy life and always be thankful for what I have.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-39941653120268333602009-12-13T23:03:00.002-05:002009-12-13T23:12:03.905-05:00Matthew 16:16-20I know that Jesus is the Christ. I can proudly state that line in verse 16 with Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. But there are problems in the next few verses for me. First, I act like verse 20 is still in effect for me. As if the great commission doesn't exist, I walk around and I don't tell anyone about the Christ. As I'm going I don't preach his name or teach others to obey everything that He's commanded. For whatever reason. I also think verse 18 is incredible to think about. Jesus establishes His church and authorizes it to grow under Peter's leadership and that "the gates of Hades will not overpower it". I doubt Hades is too worried about it. About the way I function in church. God's church. That He has put me in leadership in. I try to make it my church. To do it my way. To focus on what I want. My preferences. Peter was in leadership, but it was Jesus' church. God forgive me for thinking I can do it better. Help me to lead Your church the way You would desire.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-1387428817946891772009-12-10T22:26:00.002-05:002009-12-10T22:31:04.301-05:00Philippians 4:9I think one of the scariest things for me would be if someone started patterning their life after mine. Not after who I say I am or how I say I should act, but after how I actually live it out. I can put on a good front, and can act great most of the time. But there are those moments. The ones of which I'm not proud. The ones that I don't talk about. Or even like to think about. Those are the ones that I hope nobody notices. When I'm impatient. Or selfish. Or covetous. I think praying Philippians 4:9 is one of the biggest prayers that I could pray. That I would be able to proudly and unashamedly say that people can pattern their life after how I've lived mine. That's only going to happen when God lives through me. God let it be so.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-88658956670879297072009-12-09T10:36:00.002-05:002009-12-09T10:43:05.103-05:00Philippians 3:6-7, 15-16The church I work at has been going through a lot of changes recently. It's tough for a lot of people. We've made the building more secure, which means that people can't get into the building whenever they want. We've become more staff led, which means that people feel as though they have lost some control they had over "their" church. We've unified our worship styles, which means that one of the worship styles (traditional) is going away. Some people have had issues with this. They don't understand it. They're going after their preferences. Our job is to lovingly show them that they need to passionately pursue Christ and nothing else. Nothing else matters. <br />That's easy for me to write right now because I like all of the changes. But there will come a time when I don't. When my preferences are being catered to. And that will be when I see if I really love worshipping God, or if I just love worshipping my way. If I really love serving God or if I just love serving my way. I pray that I will just continue following the Truth that I already have and that everything else (the functionality of it) won't matter.<br />JMJosh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-86266647514913644742009-12-08T10:55:00.002-05:002009-12-08T11:03:44.136-05:00Philippians 2:14-16The biggest detriment to the modern church's effectiveness is complaining and arguing within us. It derails us. It makes us focus on things that don't matter. There are people who have devoted all of their lives to the study of Calvinism at the expense of loving others. There are people who have devoted all of their lives to the study of eschatology at the expense of loving others. There are people who have devoted all of their lives to apologetics at the expense of loving others. All of these things are a subplot to the glorious story that God is writing through us. We are part of the redemption story of man, and yet we complain and argue about the most petty things. I complain about the music. I complain about the font used in our message series. All of that is worthless and reduces my "shine". How can we shine like stars in the universe if we are constantly trying to put out the light of other people. If I'm constantly just trying to outshine the guy next to me. Or snuff out his light. Imagine what we could do if we started working together. If we focused on loving others. If we stopped complaining and arguing and coordinated our efforts to shine the light of God to the world. <br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wKbJvM7VbQc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wKbJvM7VbQc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Josh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35510844.post-22640456418946481942009-12-06T00:54:00.003-05:002009-12-06T01:14:46.700-05:00Philippians 1:27Live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. I've always struggled to see that Christ was fighting for me. That Christ sacrificed his life for ME. God in the flesh came down to earth and suffered FOR ME. I think the more that I can come to grips with the reality of that statement then the more I can live my life to bring honor to Him. It's not me earning his love, because that already happened. It's not me earning righteousness, because that is impossible. It's me living my life to bring honor to the Good News of Christ. Christ fought for me. He wanted to restore our relationship so badly He gave his life for me. My job is to earn it. To be so blown away by the lengths to which God went to reach me that I will do whatever it takes to earn it. To live my life in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. I pray that I never lose that desire to do something great for God. Not for my glory, but for the glory of God. <br />JM<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hrsDBMewkEc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hrsDBMewkEc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Josh Mc Alisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00337448486705864306noreply@blogger.com1