Building Blocks & Special Advice

So apparently someone had too much time on their hands and they loved google maps. So they created this really awesome website where you can type in anything and get buildings around the world to spell it. Check it out!

NEW ADDITION: I have a very important piece of advice for you over this Christmas holiday.

A Brother Who Sins Against You

So I was reading Matthew 18 today (still following the rabbi) and I came across this part of it:

15"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

This jumped out at me because when we were at the youth conference a speaker brought this passage up. He mentioned how when we see our brother or sister sinning we usually think to this verse but we don't follow it exactly. As we can see you handle a problem by you alone talking to the person first. If that doesn't work then you bring some witnesses. If that doesn't work you tell the church. And if that doesn't work you treat them like a pagan. What I had always thought of the verse at the end was to kind of kick the person out of church or something because who wants a pagan messing up the church....BUT this speaker brought new light to the verse for me. The question is, "How did Jesus treat the pagans and tax collectors?"

Well this verse helps us answer that:
10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples.
11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

So from the passage it seems that Jesus wouldn't kick the sinning brother or sister out. Instead he would be having dinner with him. He would act like they did not know God and love them and have compassion on them. He would act like a doctor who cares for the sick. So even when our brother or sister sins against us and even when we go through the whole process to correct them if they still don't listen to us we treat them with love and we begin to show them the love of Jesus Christ like we would do to a non-Christian.

Line Rider

So today's post is something fun! I had some not so fun news today so I needed something to lift my spirits and hopefully something that might make you chuckle a little. So here it is: LINE RIDER. Man this thing is cool. I think that you can get the guy to do a flip or something if you get the right aerodynamics. I had one where he actually fell through the slope and lost his tiny sled. Anyway, try it out!

Tears of the Saints

If we really look at these lyrics I think a lot of us will realize there is a lot more we need to be doing. Wouldn't it be amazing if every person you ran into that a burden for their well-being and their soul came over you. So let's make an effort to help our brothers who are poor and those that do not know Jesus. Let's lead them home.

There are many prodigal sons
On our city streets they run
Searching for shelter
There are homes broken down
People’s hopes have fallen to the ground
From failures
This is an emergency

There are tears from the saints
For the lost and unsaved
We’re crying for them come back home
We’re crying for them come back home
And all your children will stretch out their hands
And pick up the crippled man
Father, we will lead them home
Father, we will lead them home

There are schools full of hatred
Even churches have forsaken Love and mercy
May we see this generation
In it’s state of desperation For Your glory
This is an emergency

Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children in Christ you stand!
Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children in Christ you stand!

And all Your children will stretch out their hands
And pick up the crippled man
Father, we will lead them home
Father, we will lead them home

Leeland
Tears of the Saints

Matthew 6:1-4
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Follow the Rabbi

I learned so much this weekend at youth specialties. And I could literally talk forever how each session and seminar spoke to me and how I am going to do things to change the world now! However, that seems like those things could be a distant memory in a month. Instead I am going to tell you the one piece of advice that I felt like everything kind of fell under.

Wade and I attended "Jesus as Rabbi" a seminar led by Ray VanderLaan. He is an American Christian who decided to learn just how Jesus and the Jews did...by following a rabbi. So after instense rabbi learning things he is now a rabbi who can teach other rabbis. And although his seminar had some amazing things of the culture and times of Jesus there was one main thing that stuck to me. Am I doing everything I can, to do exactly what my rabbi (Jesus) did?

Well, I feel like I am taking steps to do that. I recently started trying to read through the Bible. I started over a month ago and I am starting the book of Leviticus today. Wade told me if I can get through this I can get through anything. But Ray gave me something else that would help me follow my rabbi and I think it might be something that anyone reading this should think about doing. Read one of the gospels each month for 3 years. So this December read Matthew, Jan. read Mark, Feb. read Luke, March read John and repeat that for three years. Each day you will be following what we know of our rabbi's life.

If you have a dedication to the word like that and you begin to do what Jesus did then I really think that all of the "other" things will fall into place. Even though I heard an amazing Christian at the convention talk about helping the poor I know that should just fall into place when I am really following my rabbi. And I heard someone say to put God before your dreams...but Jesus always did that so if I am following Him then that should fall into place too.

Wade said one of his seminars had this quote: God cares more about who you are rather than what you are doing for him. God wants to know us personally not just see us doing busy things because we think that is the next logical step in order to serve Him.

Really...think about doing the gospel thing. I am adding it to my Bible reading. This month I got Leviticus and Matthew!