Religion?

Jan 2010 was by far the best month of my life! I have had many opportunities to play, sing and write with many awesome musicians around Auburn (Vince, Ashley, Meagan, Becca, Dru yall rock). I have also had one really awesome opportunity to minister to one of my closest friends in the world! God has done some super awesome things in my life and I cant wait to see what this semester will bring!

After a small group one night last semester I had a buddy come up to me and tell me that he thought what we were doing was really cool and he wanted to make some changes in his life, but he jus didnt want to be "all religous" he said it wasnt his thing... a few weeks ago I was thinking about is conversation and it hit me... religion isnt my thing either nor do I want it to be! I dont want to be "religious". It makes me sad that from the outside we all look like religious folk, sure we go to church and sure we surround ourselves with other christian people but as far as im concerned my relationship with my God is far from religious! God works in the strangest ways and if your walk with the Lord is boring or "religious" then you are doing something wrong.
Religion is a building, a relationship is a personal experience with the creator of the universe. You can chip away the electric guitars, the loud speakers, the pretty girls in the row infront of you, and the super stylish college pastor and if God is not present then you are left in an empty room all by yourself.

01/04/10

For a few years now I have called myself a "Christian" but there were many things that I refused to surrender to the Lord. I attended Passion 2010 (Jan. 2-5) and I must say that for the first two days and nights I got absolutely nothing from it. I dont know if it was the distraction of 21,00 college students or the freezing weather but for some reason i was discouraged (I later realized that I did nothin to pursue God these two days). During a breakout session with Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, Joel Houston, Matt Redman, and Marilyn Skinner at Passion 2010 I finally felt the Lord begin pulling at my heart but it was not until the night service on January 4th that i felt God moving in me. I looked around the packed stands, at the Philips Arena, and saw about 16,000 college aged kids worshiping God and thats when it hit me. i thought to myself that there is no way that all 16,000 of us are being tricked into following some "god", there is no way we are all wrong. I raised my hand and said God I'm ready and in that very moment my life changed! I realized that the reason I have never felt God's presence is because every time I thought I felt him I ran as fast as I could away from him. I also realized that the reason God's never revealed his plan for my life to me is because I have never let him in to change me... I have been a musician for alot longer than I have been a christian and there is nothing in this world I care more about than music. My main passion is songwriting. I have felt God tell me that he wanted to use the talents he gave me to glorify him before but I did absolutely nothing to seek him. On Jan 4th I got my calling, God has called me to write worship songs and to lead through music! This calling was so obvious, it was as if someone stood a foot away from me and held a HUGE sign in my face telling me what to do. I have never been so excited in my life and I can not wait to see where God takes me!! I feel this generation could save the world, we need to band together and act on it!

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up dissension but love covers over all wrongs