Hello everyone!
Recently in one my of my college classes we had to read the Book of Job. For those of you who have
not heard of the Book of Job, or who have never read it, I'll give a brief synopsis.
The Book of Job starts out with Job, a man who is righteous in the sight of God, and never does
anything wrong. (Important to note that this does not imply that Job is perfect, but rather that he
genuinely strives to live a Godly life.) One day as God is talking to Satan, God mentions that Job is
such a wonderful person, and how he does everything for the favor of God. Satan, in response says to
God that the only reason that Job is like this is because he has everything he wants. After all, Job is a
rich man with a lot of animals and family. Satan says to God that if this was taken away from Job, Job
Job would curse God. God allows Satan to strip Job of everything he has, except his own life. So, in
the matter of a day, all of Job's children are killed; all of his animals are killed, and all that is left is
wife. Job even suffers from boils on his skin, which he had to scrape off with broken pieces of
pottery. Through all of this turmoil, Job does not once curse the name of God. There are points
where he questions his own existence, and curses himself, but never God. At the end of the story
after much debate back and forth between God and Job, God restores everything to Job that he had
before, even doubling his wealth and family.
That sounds like a pretty horrifying story, right? I mean, could you even imagine going through half
of the stuff that Job went through. It would make most people turn their backs on God, curse God and
walk away from him. However, Job takes another approach. You see, Job never did curse God. He
suffered greatly, but there was never a point where he turned his back on God.
In the darkest of days, it is really easy just to say "screw you God", and walk away from him. The
challenge is to seek God out in these times, not walk away.
The truth is, God sees us when we are hurting. He sees when we are going through something that
sometimes seems like too much to handle. It sucks, right? Of course it does! But God is right there!
The old saying is true: God only ever gives us as much as we can handle. A good friend once gave
me some advice in a hard time in my life, and it has proven true over and over again. "Everything
works out in the end. If hasn't worked out, it's not the end". I know that sounds abstract, and
unrealistic, but I can tell you from my own experiences that nothing I ever heard is more true than
those two sentences.
The moral of the story: In your times of trouble and pain, take a deep breath. Find yourself a quiet
place to sit and just listen to God. Some intimate time with YOUR creator is sometimes all you need
to make it through a rough patch. Other times, our friends are used to help us too! Don't push them
away! Find some Godly friends, and never let go of them. Ever. These are the people who will give
you the must help when you need it. Stay strong my brothers and sisters. Remember, it all works out
in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end!
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
WoodLawn
Welcome back to my blog!
Woodlawn starts with a high school football team in a town that is experiencing deep segregation.
This segregation within the community is felt no greater than within the football team itself. That is,
however, until an evangelist has the opportunity to speak to the team. Within a couple of hours, the
speaker has the entire team down on the gym floor giving their lives to Christ. Not only does this spur
the team into a winning season, but also has dramatic affects on the surrounding community. People
all around, including a football team from another school start to feel the power of the cross, and join
together to make this power known.
Well guys, there is the short version of this exciting story. To hear the entire tail, you will have to
watch the movie for yourself!
Thanks for reading,
Your brother in Christ,
Kyle
As I said last week I will be doing Christian movie reviews for the next couple of weeks! There are
just so many out there that it is hard to pick which ones to do! This week I decided to watch the
movie "Woodlawn", a football-faith based movie.
If you are a sports fan, you like inspirational movies, or you just like Christian films, Woodlawn is a
an excellent choice! Based on a true story, Woodlawn will have you reimagining the possibilities of
revival in public high schools.
This segregation within the community is felt no greater than within the football team itself. That is,
however, until an evangelist has the opportunity to speak to the team. Within a couple of hours, the
speaker has the entire team down on the gym floor giving their lives to Christ. Not only does this spur
the team into a winning season, but also has dramatic affects on the surrounding community. People
all around, including a football team from another school start to feel the power of the cross, and join
together to make this power known.
Well guys, there is the short version of this exciting story. To hear the entire tail, you will have to
watch the movie for yourself!
Thanks for reading,
Your brother in Christ,
Kyle
Thursday, October 5, 2017
The Case for Christ
Hello world!
It seems like forever since I have posted on this blog! I have to be honest; I've been extremely busy.
This fall I started my freshman year at Ursinus College. With that has a come a whole world of
change. From studying for tests, to making sure I spend time getting in God's word, there's seems to
not enough hours in the day! All that being said, I am happy to say that this blog will once again be
posted weekly. With this new start, I would like to take a new direction, and that would be to review
faith-based movies, documentaries, and books. The one thing that I do love to do in my free time at
college is to watch Christian movie, so this should be the perfect system!
Just recently I had the opportunity to watch a plethora of Christian movies and documentaries. I
really have enjoyed all of them, and would like to share some with all of you! The first one I will
talk about in this post, and continue in the weeks to come. Up first is a documentary called "The Case
For Christ" by Lee Strobel.
Now, for those of you who do not know this already, a few years ago Lee Strobel wrote a book called
"The Case For Christ". I have not read the book yet, but I was able to see the documentary that they
produced based off of it. It is truly wonderful documentary that I would recommend for anyone,
believer or non-believer.
In this documentary, Lee Strobel talks about is faith journey and how he went from being a devoted
atheist to a Christian passionate about his beliefs. What is interesting about his faith story is that he
was not a person who was easily swayed to a certain idea. For years Lee was very skeptical about
the bible, and about Jesus being the son of God. In this documentary you will see how Strobel is able
use the evidence surrounding Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection as grounds for making an
informed belief about who Jesus really is.
This is definitely a documentary that you will want to see! You can find it on amazon.com for a very
cheap price!
Until next time,
Kyle
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Trying Times Reveal the Strength of Our Faith
Hey guys! There has been a particular bible story on my mind recently that I would like to discuss on
here with all of you.
Many of you have probably at some point in your life have heard of the story of Job. Maybe it was during a Sunday morning church service, or perhaps you came across the story in your own reading. The story of Job is one that is told time and time again, and usually has the same purpose of preaching it. It generally is a story told to give people a hope for the troubling times they experience in their lives.
If you have never heard of the story of Job, I will give a quick synopsis below. Or, if you would like to read the full story for yourself, which I recommend, you can find the book of Job in the old testament of the bible.
Synopsis of the book of Job: Job is introduced as a man who is looked fondly upon by God. He is seen as being a just man, doing all that God asks of him. Not far into the book is God and Satan introduced. God asks Satan if in his time on earth he has seen Job. He (God) even refers to Job as "my servant Job". God tells Satan that he is a faithful servant, who "fears God and shuns evil". Satan in response tells God that Job is only doing that because God has blessed him as much as he has. To test his true loyalty and faith in God, Satan proceeds to strip Job of all of his earthly possessions. First taken away is his servants, sons and daughters, and all of his animals. To many people, this would seem like a travesty; a total life set back that would be nearly impossible to recover from. Through this, Job does not once curse God. Throughout the rest of the story, Job talks with his friends who start questioning Job and what he has done to deserve all of the terrible things in his life. Job starts to question the meaning of his life, and wishes that he was dead. After chapters upon chapters of Job talking like this, God steps in. He questions Job about who truly laid the foundations of the earth, who has infinite knowledge, and who has set the plans for Job's own life. In this questioning, Job starts to realize how silly foolish he was for questioning God. After being forgiven in the old testament way (sacrificing an animal to God), Job is given back double of all of the possessions he lost: servants, children, and animals.
As a child grown up in church I would always hear the story of Job and feel sorry for everything that he had lost. I would ponder how I would react if all of the experiences Job went through happened to me. I truly believe the story of Job is told for a few reasons. 1. I believe that God wants us to see that even those who follow him will experience trying times. Just because you are a Christian does not mean your life will be perfect and easy. There will be times of pain and sorrow. 2. Even those who follow God the closest can question God in hard times. Many people think that you should not question, and that it is wrong to. No, no one should question God, but it happens to the best of us in hard times. 3. God will restore your losses, either today, tomorrow, or in the far future. It is difficult to trust God when it seems to so much has been lost. However, believers can be assured that God will restore our losses, and heal our pain.
Until next time,
Your brother in Christ, Kyle
here with all of you.
Many of you have probably at some point in your life have heard of the story of Job. Maybe it was during a Sunday morning church service, or perhaps you came across the story in your own reading. The story of Job is one that is told time and time again, and usually has the same purpose of preaching it. It generally is a story told to give people a hope for the troubling times they experience in their lives.
If you have never heard of the story of Job, I will give a quick synopsis below. Or, if you would like to read the full story for yourself, which I recommend, you can find the book of Job in the old testament of the bible.
Synopsis of the book of Job: Job is introduced as a man who is looked fondly upon by God. He is seen as being a just man, doing all that God asks of him. Not far into the book is God and Satan introduced. God asks Satan if in his time on earth he has seen Job. He (God) even refers to Job as "my servant Job". God tells Satan that he is a faithful servant, who "fears God and shuns evil". Satan in response tells God that Job is only doing that because God has blessed him as much as he has. To test his true loyalty and faith in God, Satan proceeds to strip Job of all of his earthly possessions. First taken away is his servants, sons and daughters, and all of his animals. To many people, this would seem like a travesty; a total life set back that would be nearly impossible to recover from. Through this, Job does not once curse God. Throughout the rest of the story, Job talks with his friends who start questioning Job and what he has done to deserve all of the terrible things in his life. Job starts to question the meaning of his life, and wishes that he was dead. After chapters upon chapters of Job talking like this, God steps in. He questions Job about who truly laid the foundations of the earth, who has infinite knowledge, and who has set the plans for Job's own life. In this questioning, Job starts to realize how silly foolish he was for questioning God. After being forgiven in the old testament way (sacrificing an animal to God), Job is given back double of all of the possessions he lost: servants, children, and animals.
As a child grown up in church I would always hear the story of Job and feel sorry for everything that he had lost. I would ponder how I would react if all of the experiences Job went through happened to me. I truly believe the story of Job is told for a few reasons. 1. I believe that God wants us to see that even those who follow him will experience trying times. Just because you are a Christian does not mean your life will be perfect and easy. There will be times of pain and sorrow. 2. Even those who follow God the closest can question God in hard times. Many people think that you should not question, and that it is wrong to. No, no one should question God, but it happens to the best of us in hard times. 3. God will restore your losses, either today, tomorrow, or in the far future. It is difficult to trust God when it seems to so much has been lost. However, believers can be assured that God will restore our losses, and heal our pain.
Until next time,
Your brother in Christ, Kyle
Thursday, February 16, 2017
You Are More Valuable Than You Will Ever Know
Hey guys! This past weekend I did not get to post anything, so I wanted to take a few minutes and share a passage in scripture to hopefully encourage you this week. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus talks about something that everyone deals with, and that is worry. It is very easy in our busy lives to become overcome with worry with everything going on around us. What do you worry about? Your grades? Money? Your health? All of these things seem to burden people with a sense of trouble, and uncertainty. What I want to encourage you with is what Jesus says in response to this.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Jesus is pleading with all of humanity here to realize that worry does not solve anything. It doesn't take away any hurt or pain. All worrying does is take away the peace that you could have in the here and now.
God has a plan for you, and if something in your life is giving you trouble or worry, remember what Jesus said.
Have a blessed week eveyone!
In Jesus' name, peace out!
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Jesus is pleading with all of humanity here to realize that worry does not solve anything. It doesn't take away any hurt or pain. All worrying does is take away the peace that you could have in the here and now.
God has a plan for you, and if something in your life is giving you trouble or worry, remember what Jesus said.
Have a blessed week eveyone!
In Jesus' name, peace out!
Saturday, February 4, 2017
There is Power in the Name of Jesus
Hey all! I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday afternoon! This week I wanted to give you an encouragement in the form of the most basic biblical truth: the gospel. Many times throughout this life we find ourselves becoming discouraged because of the circumstances happening around us that are out of our control.
In John chapter 16 verse 33 Jesus says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
It is easy to forget that our power does not come from within ourselves, but from the holy spirit living inside of us. No matter the situation your are in, or the hardship that you are facing, God is right there with you.
When Jesus gave up his life for you on the cross, he gave you complete freedom, in every sense of the word. We were also given the holy spirit, which is what gives us the strength to overcome any and every obstacle. This does not mean that we will have problem free lives, but it does mean that we have an anchor to hold on to.
Worship group "7eventh Time Down" wrote a song titles "Just Say Jesus". The chorus goes as follows:
When you don't know what to say
Just say Jesus
There is power in the name
The name of Jesus
If the words won't come
Cause you're to afraid to pray
Just say Jesus
If you are facing something to great to handle within your life, remember the power that was released from the cross 2,000 years ago!
As always, have a blessed week!
In John chapter 16 verse 33 Jesus says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
It is easy to forget that our power does not come from within ourselves, but from the holy spirit living inside of us. No matter the situation your are in, or the hardship that you are facing, God is right there with you.
When Jesus gave up his life for you on the cross, he gave you complete freedom, in every sense of the word. We were also given the holy spirit, which is what gives us the strength to overcome any and every obstacle. This does not mean that we will have problem free lives, but it does mean that we have an anchor to hold on to.
Worship group "7eventh Time Down" wrote a song titles "Just Say Jesus". The chorus goes as follows:
When you don't know what to say
Just say Jesus
There is power in the name
The name of Jesus
If the words won't come
Cause you're to afraid to pray
Just say Jesus
If you are facing something to great to handle within your life, remember the power that was released from the cross 2,000 years ago!
As always, have a blessed week!
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Love and Free Will --- Ravi Zacharias
Ever wonder why God allows bad things to happen? Quite possibly you have come in contact with bible skeptics who harp on the fact that a loving God could never allow the things that happen in our world play out.
Ravi Zacharias, a truly brilliant man who deals with Christian apologetic, explains just why our loving God DOES allow bad things to happen. Check it out by clicking on the link!
Video
I did not mention this in my first post, but I will be posting every Saturday morning, and on occasion Sunday afternoons. Let your Christian friends know! Spread the word!
Ravi Zacharias, a truly brilliant man who deals with Christian apologetic, explains just why our loving God DOES allow bad things to happen. Check it out by clicking on the link!
Video
I did not mention this in my first post, but I will be posting every Saturday morning, and on occasion Sunday afternoons. Let your Christian friends know! Spread the word!
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