There is an event that is drawing nearer even as we speak now! Ready for this? Messages from the Flock! For nearly the last year I've brought you testimonies about what Jesus has been doing in my life and what He's put on my heart, but now is your chance to share your stories! Please, if you have any questions or would like to submit a post, contact me at...
Josh Lewis
Cell: (253) 241-5538
Email: Odyssey312@gmail.com
Postage Mail:
MSC #222
8435 NE Glisan St.
Portland, Or 97220
Myself and the fair people that read this blog would LOVE to hear about your story and/or what God is putting on your heart so now is your chance to share! This will be a month FULL of God's tremendous love and grace as His flock gathers in one place (albeit not physically) to share about His wonders. We are a flock of sheep and He is our glorious Shepard, He loves us all enough to give up His life for our well-being. Now is our time to tell others about Jesus. It'll be fantastic, be sure not to miss it! Thanks guys!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Memoirs of my Mustache: discontinued.
Due to my lack of time and unfortunate conviction, Memoirs of my Mustache must be cancelled. Before you become totally enveloped in grief, I can inform you on the production of my 'stache. It is coming in quite nicely, well developed, and prominent. You should all be proud of its accomplishments. Sorry about the inconvenience...
Have a great Halloween!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Memoirs of my Mustache: Week 1
It has been one week (roughly) since the kick-off of Cinco De Mustache here at Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon. Here are some highlights of my Mustache.
Thank you for reading my blog and have a happy Halloween and Cinco De Mustache!!!
I Believe in Miracles
I would like to start this post off by saying: I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES. Do you? Do you want to know why I believe this? Well, I'll tell you. Let me tell you about Lazarus. Lazarus was a friend of Jesus. One day, Jesus was informed that Lazarus was dying. Did Jesus go to help Lazarus? He certainly could have healed him instantly. But He didn't go; Jesus decided to wait. And wait. And wait. Jesus waited for two full days, probably having a sandwich in the meantime...maybe not. Anyway, it was then that he went to Lazarus. By this time, as you may have guessed, Lazarus was dead. Or was he? When Jesus decided to make the trek to Judea to find Lazarus, His exact words were, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." The disciples, thinking Jesus was referring to natural sleep said, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." Jesus then corrected them saying, "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
Upon arriving outside of Bethany where Mary and her sister, Martha, resided, Jesus was greeted by Martha who ran out to meet Him. Jesus comforted the sisters in the death of their brother and asked to see Lazarus telling them, " I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die."
Jesus, coming upon the grave of His friend Lazarus, had them remove the stone covering Lazarus then looked to the sky and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." Then, after Jesus had finished His prayer, He called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" And he did.
After reading a story like this, how can you not believe in miracles. Miracles such as these are done all throughout the Bible, and not always by Jesus. Miracles such as these are done still today, in our modern world, by our magnificent God. I believe in miracles because I believe in a God of miracles.
Upon arriving outside of Bethany where Mary and her sister, Martha, resided, Jesus was greeted by Martha who ran out to meet Him. Jesus comforted the sisters in the death of their brother and asked to see Lazarus telling them, " I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die."
Jesus, coming upon the grave of His friend Lazarus, had them remove the stone covering Lazarus then looked to the sky and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." Then, after Jesus had finished His prayer, He called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" And he did.
After reading a story like this, how can you not believe in miracles. Miracles such as these are done all throughout the Bible, and not always by Jesus. Miracles such as these are done still today, in our modern world, by our magnificent God. I believe in miracles because I believe in a God of miracles.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
COMING SOON!
Coming to soon from yours truly is something very special. In honor of Cinco De Mustache here at Multnomah University, every week I will be posting a new installment of what shall hence forth be known as...
Memoirs of my Mustache.
In this series you will be able to closely follow the growth of my facial hair as well as the on goings here at Multnomah between the dates of October 5th and November 8th. Guys, it shall be splendid.
Monday, September 17, 2012
It's Not About Me.
Being saved isn't easy, and having not been saved even a full two years has proved to have its' struggles as well. Lately I have been realizing that there is one very specific lesson that I must learn before I can move on: humility. Now, so I do not sound like a sob story, this is not a lesson that is specific to myself, it is one everyone struggles with, I just need to learn.
Being a music student in college, I am eager to try my hand at a number a facits within my field, my most resent endeavor being song writing. I've written songs before, but when I realized that I was trying to write Christians songs for self-glorification...well, passing over the total conundrum of that, it was a block. Recently I have sat down and tried to write music and haven't been able to, everything escapes me.
I think the thing I and so many other struggle with is the idea that nothing we do is for ourselves. It's a hard idea to swallow that no matter how hard believers work, we don't do it for ourselves. We are in service to Gods' glory. Our sweat, blood, and tears are for Him. It's hard, it really is. How do you get over the fact that when you work you should take no props from it? We did it, why don't we get anything from it? Well, we do get something from it. Jesus' sermon on the mount tells us not to store up our Earthly treasures but to store up our Heavenly treasures in our one true God. No, we don't get immediate satisfaction, but we are rewarded through His mercy and love for us. We are rewarded by the thought that no matter our follies and failures, GOD, the savior of all humanity, is up there smiling down upon us waiting for the day that we stand HUMBLED before Him in His infinite glory. Guys, it's not about what we do for Him, it's about what He did for us. Guys! It's not about what we do. PERIOD. No matter what we do, it should be only to glorify HIM. If you fail, do you expect praise? We all fail, He is the forgiving teacher. When we fall, He is the father who scoops us from the ground. When we break and lay motionless on the ground weeping, He sits on the ground next to us, looks deep into our eyes with a gaze that penetrates the deepest parts of our being and whispers, "I love you, I will NEVER leave your side."
Guys! It's not about us, it's about Him!
Being a music student in college, I am eager to try my hand at a number a facits within my field, my most resent endeavor being song writing. I've written songs before, but when I realized that I was trying to write Christians songs for self-glorification...well, passing over the total conundrum of that, it was a block. Recently I have sat down and tried to write music and haven't been able to, everything escapes me.
I think the thing I and so many other struggle with is the idea that nothing we do is for ourselves. It's a hard idea to swallow that no matter how hard believers work, we don't do it for ourselves. We are in service to Gods' glory. Our sweat, blood, and tears are for Him. It's hard, it really is. How do you get over the fact that when you work you should take no props from it? We did it, why don't we get anything from it? Well, we do get something from it. Jesus' sermon on the mount tells us not to store up our Earthly treasures but to store up our Heavenly treasures in our one true God. No, we don't get immediate satisfaction, but we are rewarded through His mercy and love for us. We are rewarded by the thought that no matter our follies and failures, GOD, the savior of all humanity, is up there smiling down upon us waiting for the day that we stand HUMBLED before Him in His infinite glory. Guys, it's not about what we do for Him, it's about what He did for us. Guys! It's not about what we do. PERIOD. No matter what we do, it should be only to glorify HIM. If you fail, do you expect praise? We all fail, He is the forgiving teacher. When we fall, He is the father who scoops us from the ground. When we break and lay motionless on the ground weeping, He sits on the ground next to us, looks deep into our eyes with a gaze that penetrates the deepest parts of our being and whispers, "I love you, I will NEVER leave your side."
Guys! It's not about us, it's about Him!
Through Christ "we are free to struggle, we are not struggling to be free."
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Next Chapter.
As this summer began things were super awkward. Both Island Lake and Miracle Ranch had nearly completely new staffs with just a few returners, so those of us who had been at camp longer than just the short training week felt quite awkward getting out there now that we were the ones supposed to be inviting, not the ones being invited. But, fortunately, this did not last long.
As the summer went on the staff grew closer and closer. Yeah, we had our little snags at the beginning and still here and there; but for the most part, we were close. Myself especially grew quite close to a group of solid friends--a couple of whom I had known from last summer--who would come to be some of the best friends I have ever had.
It was definitely a much more difficult summer than I had experienced last year not only because I was now on college staff and being held up to a higher standard, but because camps is growing in popularity and we simply always had someone to cater to. Towards the end especially the difficulty mounted. Many of us, myself included, took on many more tasks than were in our job description, and some of us simply took on multiple job titles at the end--myself holding the titles of Paintball Supervisor, Ropes Course Facilitator, AV sound person, and Assistant Rec Staff Coordinator. But all the work was worth it.
When working at camp you get this feeling that you are part of something much bigger than yourself; that's because you are. You are part of a sort of chain link fence that holds together to keep out those unwanted desires and beings. Now, in this chain link fence, the whole is only as strong as the weakest link, but the whole holds together stronger when someone has fallen. In times of trouble, you form bonds in Christ that you wouldn't have seen without the turmoil.
As summer drew to an end, rather than deciding simply to attend college, I applied to be an intern at Crista Camps. To keep this story short, I did not get the internship because leadership felt I was called to be at school, so I came to school; this turn of events, though I miss camp, was a great decision. Though only in my first week of school, I have gained friendships that will last at the very least, through school, and had forged an even stronger bond with God than I had before. God did intend for me to be here.
And as this new chapter in my life begins I've begun to look back at all the friendships I've gained and lost, all the friends I have left behind to attend college (some of which are my very best friends), the family that has supported me all these years despite my negative attitude; these are not memories to be forgotten, no they are to be treasured. I shall see my friends again, soon even, but as for everything that has changed, God does not dwell in the past. Jesus forgives the wrongs and moves on towards the realization of a greater plan, of His plan. I'm just one piece of that puzzle.
P.S. Just to alleviate some questions now, I'm not ditching old friends ;-)
As the summer went on the staff grew closer and closer. Yeah, we had our little snags at the beginning and still here and there; but for the most part, we were close. Myself especially grew quite close to a group of solid friends--a couple of whom I had known from last summer--who would come to be some of the best friends I have ever had.
It was definitely a much more difficult summer than I had experienced last year not only because I was now on college staff and being held up to a higher standard, but because camps is growing in popularity and we simply always had someone to cater to. Towards the end especially the difficulty mounted. Many of us, myself included, took on many more tasks than were in our job description, and some of us simply took on multiple job titles at the end--myself holding the titles of Paintball Supervisor, Ropes Course Facilitator, AV sound person, and Assistant Rec Staff Coordinator. But all the work was worth it.
When working at camp you get this feeling that you are part of something much bigger than yourself; that's because you are. You are part of a sort of chain link fence that holds together to keep out those unwanted desires and beings. Now, in this chain link fence, the whole is only as strong as the weakest link, but the whole holds together stronger when someone has fallen. In times of trouble, you form bonds in Christ that you wouldn't have seen without the turmoil.
As summer drew to an end, rather than deciding simply to attend college, I applied to be an intern at Crista Camps. To keep this story short, I did not get the internship because leadership felt I was called to be at school, so I came to school; this turn of events, though I miss camp, was a great decision. Though only in my first week of school, I have gained friendships that will last at the very least, through school, and had forged an even stronger bond with God than I had before. God did intend for me to be here.
And as this new chapter in my life begins I've begun to look back at all the friendships I've gained and lost, all the friends I have left behind to attend college (some of which are my very best friends), the family that has supported me all these years despite my negative attitude; these are not memories to be forgotten, no they are to be treasured. I shall see my friends again, soon even, but as for everything that has changed, God does not dwell in the past. Jesus forgives the wrongs and moves on towards the realization of a greater plan, of His plan. I'm just one piece of that puzzle.
P.S. Just to alleviate some questions now, I'm not ditching old friends ;-)
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