Christmas and bears

Hey everybody! The snow has melted but we are still feeling the Christmas cheer here in California, as we drive with our windows down and feel the warmth of the sun on our faces (did you know Redding is #2 on the list of sunniest cities in America??). We had a tree-lighting service at Bethel during the winter blast, which really made things feel Christmasy:

A bundled up Jeremy Riddle led us in some carols

Then today I went with some friends to a nursing home, where we got to spread some joy by singing carols. They were very appreciative and said we did bring cheer to their environment, which they don't always get to experience. It was a great way to pour out love, which actually makes room for us to receive more love in return. It's a nice little cycle.

Earlier this week we had an Encounter Day, which was basically a small personal retreat followed by a time of worship and sharing with our core group. If you're confused about the seemingly endless list of groups, we have revival groups (70 people), core groups (20 people), and small groups (5 people). So for my encounter I went with my small group leader to Whiskeytown lake and hiked on the trail:

The actual lake is much bigger. This is more like a creek on the side

Right when we got there, we saw some fresh BEAR tracks in the snow! At least we thought they were bear tracks. But I'm no doctor...

I was scared, I'll admit it. All alone on the trail, my imagination running more wild than anything I came in contact with. I thought about how the bears are probably eating more now to prepare for their winter hibernation. But then I realized that if I'm living my life on a mission towards a vision, I shouldn't be scared of death in any way, because I'll only get as much accomplished on earth as I have days given to me. And God will provide for what needs to happen.

I think this is choice we simply have to make before we get into a difficult situation. Much like "Will I defend Jesus if someone I respect mocks him?" or "Will I worship Jesus even when I don't feel close to him?" That last one is a toughie because it's so easy for me to be led by my feelings. Feelings make a great thermometer for how things are going inside, but they make a terrible master.

That's all for now. 3 days of school this week and then I'll be back on a plane to Cincy :)

For your Christmas enjoyment, my favorite carol - O Holy Night sung by Josh Groban

SNOW

There is no escape. Whether you live in Ohio, Texas, or California, winter has come and dumped a freezing blanket of awesome on us all. What started as a few flakes looking out of place against the palm trees turned into this:

"Those are not palm trees." Yeah but it's a nice pic.

My revival group had gathered for a Christmas party and gift exchange, but after dinner the decision was made to end it early so we could drive home and be safe. So some friends and I went to the Civic Center (where we have class) and had a snowball fight. We also took advantage of the glorious packing ability of the snow and rolled a giant snowball. It ended up being about 6 feet high:

That's the silhouette of a champion.

After building a wall of snow in front of a friend's front door, we called it a night. And what a week! This past week was relationship week at BSSM. So we heard a variety of amazing talks on friendship, dating, marriage, and all that good stuff. Danny Silk brought a life-changing message about boundaries, and one of my favorite events was Men's Night. The ladies had one too, which I heard was fantastic. But I got to gather with the other men in my class to worship (interesting sound with just the low voices, very powerful) and hear from a speaker. It ended with some ministry time and guys seeing breakthrough in different areas. For some odd reason I felt less distracted on that night...

So here's the thought for this week: the bar is always being raised. Think about it. Humans are designed to want to succeed and explore. We were called to subdue the whole earth, and it's natural for us to want to reach new heights and set records. This desire, harnessed in the wrong way, led to things like the building of the Tower of Babel, where people tried to reach heaven and show off their pride in humanity. But no matter how you look at it, it's clear that when we reach a certain level, there is expectation to go above and beyond.

This is also true with spiritual things. When we reach a level of intimacy with God, he wants to bring us even closer. When we do something great, he wants us to do even greater things. Now there are two ways to look at this bar being raised. You can look from a worldly perspective and say that you never have enough, and that you are never good enough. It may seem that God is never fully satisfied with your work. Or you can look with a heavenly lens and see that God went to great lengths to raise us up himself, and he is SO satisfied in us if our identity is in Christ. God would love you the same if you never prayed another prayer or read another Bible verse. But he knows that there is so much more for us to experience - so much more of Him to know. So he calls us to come, and to reach.

Listen to this song and get pumped up! The Anthem by Jesus Culture. Wow!