Your love is strong by Jon Foreman

Heavenly Father, you always amaze me
Let your kingdom come in my world and in my life
Give me the food I need to live through today
And forgive me as I forgive the people that wrong me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window the birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune or out of place
I walk to the meadow and stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl on her wedding day

So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens is now advancing
Invade my heart, invade this broken town
The kingdom of the Heavens is buried treasure
Would you sell yourself to buy the one you've found?

Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

Our God in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us weary sinners
Keep us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

things that make me happy...

1. 2 hour monday night phone conversations where at least 1 hour is laughter

2. the new william fitzsimmons cd that came out today! (www.myspace.com/williamfitzsimmons)

3. my greek class, which began today.  AMAZING!

4. 90 degrees and sunny (and zero humidity for your chicago friends!)

5. protools is up and running on the studio computer

6. the season premiere of chuck last night (SOOOO GOOD!)

7. thoughts of coming home in 2 months to see a lot of people i miss

8. feeling a rapidly increasing closeness with the Lord

life is good...

life is good right now.   i'm actually trying to start to view life in a different context...like, instead of saying something is bad or good, i'm asking "why is God doing this or doing that?"   i know that God is all good and His purposes are good... so for something to happen in my life that is less than that presupposes God's full involvement to an extent.   

i found a great church yesterday called ecclesia.   it's in hollywood, is a medium sized church (maybe 700 people?), meets in an old theatre, and has an awesome community feel.   i'm pretty sure the church is pca in denomination but i won't hold it against them ;-)   

i'm entering a heightened season of prayer and fasting.   i feel led to seek God's will on a deeper level with some things and this seems like the right way to do it.   if you have any advice or experience with fasting, i'd love to hear your thoughts.   i haven't done much of it in the past.

anyways, so that's that.   please be praying if you can and feel free to reply if you have any thoughts or input... i'd love to hear some other perspectives!

burden

i just woke up about 30 minutes ago, and ive felt this huge burden to pray.  i don't feel stuff like that too often and this strong... but i just feel "pray pray pray!" so i'm praying.   please also pray if you can.   not sure why, what's happening... 

record labels

so my friend steve and i have been talking the last month about starting a nonprofit record label.   the function would be three fold: 1. allow young artists to have a Godly, well-run label help them release their music and be associated with other similar acts   2.help younger artists with recording their music at a high quality for an extremely low cost relative to the marketplace and 3. raise money for an undetermined non-profit group/agency/cause.   the idea, in my opinion, is really good and i definitely have been feeling some sort of calling to do it.   however, i just found out yesterday that to start it will cost at least $500-700 simply in paperwork costs.   like i said, i feel a calling to this, whether its now or later... so any prayer you can give would be appreciated.

my friends heidi, izzy, and katherine are in town!    we hung out last night, ate dinner at pf chang's, and watched "kiss kiss bang bang."   twas a great night and im so thankful for good friends like them.

today, my plans are pretty chill.  i think i may go to a party later on today with my friends dan and mel.  tomorrow i'm going to buster bluth's church!   (not my dog, the arrested development actor!)    i can't wait to give him a backrub and yell "hey brother!"   seriously...best show ever.   there are definitely tons and tons of AD fans at fuller's campus, too... this brings me much joy.   

but yep.  life is good.   God is good.   and music is going good.   peace out.

homeless people

yesterday, with our orientation here, we broke off into several groups and visited old town pasadena, which is basically a long strip of upscale stores, restaurants, etc...   along the way, i counted at least 8 homeless people asking for money, which we seminary students more or less ignored.    there seems to be a large homeless population here in pasadena.   every time i walk by someone in that situation, i cringe.  i can't explain it fully, but it just really feels like my heart completely stops.   its a horrible feeling.   and then, thinking that a group of 14 seminary students is walking by these people doing the same thing...that stops my heart too.   i really hate it.

i tend to be an idealist at times.   i know i can't solve the world's problems... God gave His son for that.   however, i can have a role in doing something about a lot of the things in the world God detests (ie poverty).

so, last year i posted this question to a group of postmodern Christians on the ooze.com: "what do you do when you see homeless people or begging people on the street?"   i received some good responses:

-carry around peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and give them a few

-if you're with someone else, you can offer to bring the homeless person somewhere to buy them lunch/dinner/groceries

-give food stamps

-carry around packs of socks and give them new socks

-pray with them and pray for them

my heart is literally aching for people in these situations.  i don't care how they got there or what they did... this isn't how God meant for these people to live.   please pray for me so that next time i walk by a homeless person, i can be Godly to them and not shy away or ignore them.    Jesus died for them too, just as much as He died for us.

friday!...er...thursday?

i seriously do not know what day of the week it is anymore.   not that that's a bad thing.   one thing God has shown me since coming out here is that i need to get out of my busy 24-7 routine.  it's been painful and stretching, but it's also been a good thing.    i've also gotten away from some bad eating habits, that were mainly influenced from my parents' eating habits... i've given up pizza, pop, and bad carbohydrates.  i think i've lost like 12 lbs since coming here, not to mention the weight lost from getting all my hair cut off yesterday.  its nuts.   

today's schedule is pretty light.  i have a song i want to record a demo of entitled "under the silent stars."   it's a quote taken from elizabeth elliot's book "passion and purity."   i also want to sign up at this one local gym and get my student id pic taken.   after that, who knows?  maybe i'll go for a hike in the mountains.  oh! and tonight there are several parties in celebration of the season premiere of the office.  maybe i'll go to one of those

about a month ago, i was praying this one puritan prayer, the valley of vision, fairly regularly.  i was scared about quitting my job, moving out here, leaving home, leaving everything i knew, and i was in a pretty strong place of humility.  however, as the prayer explains, when we are in a valley of humilitiy, we are also in a great place of vision, where we have a great view of God's leading.  in hindsight, the prayer is completely right, and God is undoubtedly doing some awesome things with this move.   i've pasted the context of the prayer below. 

peace.

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision

Where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up

That to be low is to be high

That the broken heart is the healed heart

That the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit

That the repenting soul is the victorious soul

That to have nothing is to possess all

That to bear the cross is to wear the crown

That to give is to receive

That the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from the deepest wells

And the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine.

Let me find Thy light in my darkness

Thy life in my death

Thy joy in my sorrow

Thy grace in my sin

Thy riches in my poverty

Thy glory in my valley.

beginning

so...my first blog entry!

so classes at fuller seminary start this monday.   i'm kinda lying low before then, doing orientation stuff and just sorta chilling, reading a lot.   i'll probably get a job after a week or two of classes, just so i can gauge the class load and spare time factor.  i have three classes: intro to greek, new testament gospels, and empowering christians.   this place seems pretty hip.

i'm reading a book right now called "passion and purity" by elizabeth elliot.   (insert man card revocation joke here)   i actually like it.   it has given a context, a framework, to insert a lot of my impulses, feelings, and principles into.   i really respect her idea of purity and her story thus far.   it also makes me want to become a better man of God; i think it's working.  at least i hope.

music has been  put on the backburner temporarily.  i'm still writing some stuff, prepping for the full length record (which will be recorded in december).   however, i've taken a week or two off from really trying to get shows.   i want to make sure i'm at the right place spiritually and personally before i start doing that again.   

all in all, though, cali is good.  i really miss chicago.   i miss my friends, my church, my family, my dog buster, my job, etc...   but i know this is where God wants me to be.   if you can, please pray for contentment within me, as well as continued guidance from God regarding my personal faith.   life is good, though!   !viva la vida!