Now is the Time to Rebel

Today provided a lot of insight to where I may walk within the next few years. I spent a good five hours just hanging around Pastor Andrew and followed him throughout his day. We ended up going to NCHS where he preached on how you can know Jesus without getting to experience Him and then went back to his office where we ate Panda and do whatever office work necessary. When we got back he checked his inbox in the office and handed me a magazine entitled Ignite Your Faith. Pretty normal if you think about it: Youth Pastor with a student hands the student a little insight in the form of a Christian magazine directed towards students. I took it because, well one, you don't deny something like that from Andrew, and two, it seemed interesting.
When I got home I spent some time looking through it and ran into a graph of Christian music and what they sounded like to their Secular counterparts. I always used to scoff at the idea of Christian Rap. The whole idea was just too hard for me to wrap my mind around. How can rap be "Christian-ized?" All secular rap does is "talk about where they're from, cars, and how many women they've slapped." So how can rap be used for good?
It's funny, I ask these questions and a counter-question arises: Why did Jesus die for sinners? Infinitely greater scale, but again, something we can't, as humans, wrap our meager minds around. But I digress.
I was reading the article and noticed a rapper who was being compared to names of TI, Ludacris, and Kanye in terms of how his music sounded. For some reason, this day it caught my attention and I had to check his stuff out. After hearing 30 second clips on my iTunes, I decided I had to get his CD. His name is Lecrae and if you appreciate the talent of rappers but can't stand the dumbness of the secular music, I recommend you check out this CD. I started listening to the songs on the way to FOS tonight and the first song was phenomenal. I got the album entitled "Rebel" and the first song was appropriately named "Rebel Intro." Basically, the lyrics paint the story that Jesus was a rebel in his time because He did things that went against what everyone conformed to. "He eatin' with sinners/ givin Pharasies ulcers/ He never got married, was broke and plus homeless" is just one of the lines in the song.
It's an awesome little play on words. When I hear the word "rebel" I think of somebody that goes against their parents, usually about a kid who's caught up in the wrong things. Throughout the song, there is a man quoting what seems to be part of a sermon directed towards youth. I would link it but for some reason, the source of the quotes stay hidden in the depths of Google. I'll do my best to bring it justice. Basically the rap ends and the beat goes on and then a man starts saying that the best way to rebel is to read your Bible. He says that the kids that "rebel" from our society to drink, do drugs, steal, and have meaningless sex are conformists. They're conformists because everybody is doing drugs and drinking, et cetera. He goes on to say a real rebel in today's world is a high schooler that dives into the Bible and learning the Word because nobody is doing it. After hearing these words in the car I cracked a smile and was in awe of how true they are. The man says if you really want to be a rebel, you need to read your Bible. That's the only way of being a rebel because it's the only real rebellion left. It's true. And it's worth it. Maybe one day I'll see this world where following God isn't a rebellion, but a natural way of life.

In lieu of that hope I encourage you like this song encouraged me; Read. Join in the revival and rebellion that is Christ. Live off His grace, love and teachings. God bless.

Sheer Frustration

So I successfully put off writing a 3 page paper about what careers are best for me to pursue. I am in constant argument with my mom. School sucks for me right now because I just don't care. I'm at a point in my senior year where I just want things to be over. There's too much crap that I have to be paying attention to and it's all stuff that I don't want to waste time bothering with. My future is solidified in the fact that God is sovereign. Nothing I do to "plan out my future career" is ever going to be put into action if it's not in His plan for me. That's why I don't want to write my Psychology paper on what career is best for me in the time of this economy today. Reality is, the economy can't touch me if I'm doing what I'm called to do. I will only get screwed over be the falling economy if I try to implement things in my life that are not supposed to be in it. I take this mindset into everything I do. Which is why I don't stress out about my future. My plans don't matter. It's all on His time. I wish I could write a quality counter-essay on how all this research is nothing but a rich waste of time. The fields I am interested in are Music Education or Pastoral Leadership. I will be called to serve in one of those fields but in both I will be laden with the responsibility to lead youth to a higher calling. Lead them out of living for themselves and into living for something that matters. Living for someone that can lead you through all peril and hardship. Having faith enough to stand up and say, "No, I have no idea what I will be doing next year. I do not know what He has in store for me but I do know that I will prosper and dwell safely." I don't know how to go about writing that essay. I can't just do it. I don't care how much money I make, as long as I'm doing something to further the Kingdom. I don't care about the economy, God will guide me. In today's world, pastors aren't very wanted. Nobody wants to believe that they are not in control. Nobody wants to believe they have to answer to someone better than themselves. Nobody wants to believe that helping others will come back and help you. No, not karma. A wise man in my life said "I do not believe in karma, I believe in a just God." However, good works don't necessarily equal blessing. Blessing comes when God extends it, not because of what you did, but because of your faith in Him. I wish I had the knowledge to stretch these opinions into a 3-page counter-essay, stating that money and economy does not matter. I do not know how I'm going to finish it by eleven tomorrow morning. But it is written "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27