Music of the Month: July

"Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.’” -Luke 9:23-24

It’s a pretty tall order what Jesus asks of us. It’s not like you’re simply giving away your clothes to your siblings because you don’t fit in them anymore, or sharing the last slice of pizza with a friend. No. This is our lives we’re talking about. Jesus is telling us to drop what we’re doing to live a life for Him.

If we see further beyond our initial shock we are then able to see the greatness God has planned for us up ahead. What we usually fail to realize is that this is nothing but a win-win situation.

I saw these words the other day and oh how perfectly does it fit into what I’m writing about here today. You see, when Jesus asked us to drop our lives and pick up the cross, it was His own way of saying I have something greater for you. God created you as an individual, He created you with your own personal desires that He has not forgotten (Psalm 37: 3-4). Not only that but if you allow Him He can also give you a new desire for something you have never considered before. So whether it be your love for design, veterinary work, technology, cooking or what have you, He knows it all! The path He is leading you on is not that different from the one you currently walk on, the only maybe minor difference is that it is one billion times better (Jeremiah 29:11). He will show us how to use our passions to the fullest and not only will they better our lives but that of those around us.

Here comes the personal story:

I’m a lover of the arts. I enjoy a good design and I take delight in capturing moments with my camera - I enjoy these things so much that during my last year of college I even started a small business and it did pretty well. However, following my move from Oregon to Sydney I found it difficult to start it up again. Fortunately Jesus came in and blessed me with a job where I could do just that but on a more selfless level. Sure it was a weird transition but what stage in life isn’t? I now work for my church and in all honesty, I am so grateful. Once I got past the sting of losing my business to help others I found more joy in doing what I now do. Through that, God has given me more opportunities to design and photograph different things. Additionally, the people I have been lucky enough to call co-workers are people I can also call my friends. When God wants to bless you, with Him it’s either a “Go big or go home”
type of thing.

Just remember:

YOU WERE MADE FOR THE PLACE WHERE YOUR REAL PASSION MEETS COMPASSION BECAUSE THERE LIES YOUR REAL PURPOSE.

You are not alone

Teniola Komolafe April 29, 2013

How many times have you heard someone say, “You are not alone?” Whether it was directed at you or to someone else, it’s probably been quite a few times right? However, no matter how many times you have heard it please don’t ever become desensitized to that truth. Don’t ever forget that it is truth.

Last week I attended a Hillsong album recording with a few friends. Although admission was free it was still sold out. By that I mean that everyone there was sold out for Jesus. It wasn’t about watching a show, showing up to meet friends, or showing off your religiosity. As the pastor said, that night was about “your spirit identifying with its creator”. That’s exactly what happened. I loved being in the midst of so many people who were so on fire for God.

It was such a humbling experience because it reminded me of how far God has brought me. My entire life I have always grown up in or around the church. As I grew older and moved away from home for college my relationship with Christ became stagnant. I allowed the things around to affect me negatively. In my eyes it seemed as though no one else was going through the same things I was. I invited people to youth group but most of the time they were too busy; I stayed in some weekends while others went out because God was calling me to be different; not to mention the ride to church was a lonely one because again, like most times my friends had other plans. After a while I found myself questioning my beliefs and asking if this was really a life worth living. It was a difficult time in my life because this new road God was calling me to walk left me feeling abandoned. Even though I had grown up in the church I seriously considered leaving it for a while (Man, let me just take a moment to say that doubt, lies, and cloudy thoughts will have you feeling every emotion God never desired for your life).

Moving on to my senior year, God brought me the most amazing set of friends. Friends that understood the lifestyle God was calling me to lead, friends that I could pray with, and most of all these same people were asking me to join in on their youth group! I remember one service I found myself crying during the praise and worship. At that moment God reminded me: “This is what you prayed for freshman year. A group of girls - and some guys - that you could grow close to so you would not feel alone as you grew up in me.” Funny how I had forgotten that prayer until then. Looking back though, I’m glad I did because it made me appreciate those God-given friendships all the more.

Long story short, this is why I urge you Christians to remember that you are not alone. The world will have you feel like you’re a crazy Christian; too religious; uncool; and amongst a bevy of other things, unwanted. There are other people out there just like you who want more people like YOU as a friend, just patiently wait on God for them. Although, even when you are waiting you still aren’t alone - you have Jesus.

Lastly, I just want to share this with you:

Romans 5: 3-5 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”