You ever have people come into your life and change everything? I feel like a lot of people have done that for me the past couple of years and it sometimes is frustrating and others incredible. I have had people come through and change my way of looking at things, my way of thinking on certain subjects, my way of pursuing, and so much more.

You are probably thinking, "JJ, you must be weak minded and/or easy swayed by those around you". Here is the "Beautiful Problem" (as i am calling it for this blog), i am normally one to be skeptical and test what everyone says. I am not one to just go with something because everyone is doing, and i am not one who believes something just because a person i look up to believes it.

Ok, now you think i am just rambling but here is my thoughts on all of that. When you are living in true God center community with someone where you are actually living life together, sharing ideas and such, is that not when you affect each others lives and those around you? Is that not what God is calling each and every one of us to? Life in community, God centered life changing community!! The past couple of years have been the most ridiculous and hard years of my life but i wouldnt do anything over (here comes the cheesy phrase) because God has used that to make me who i am currently.

We are not perfect creatures, not even close and that is why i challenge you to see how you are affecting those around you and most importantly how those around you are affecting you, because that is true biblical "church" and that is a true biblical lifestyle. If you are not being affected in some way then, are you truly living in God centered community?

The True Problem

Yesterday i had the privilege of playing music all day for the Mississippi Baptist Evangelism Conference. There were some really good guys who spoke and they did not hold back. One guy specifically made comment to something that i have often though about and it was good to know that some else thinks it as well, the comment was this (my version of it anyways);

We think the problem is that the world acts like the world when the true problem is that the Church is not acting like the Church. We say that America would be better if they put prayer back in schools. That is not the problem either because it is the home were prayer needs to be reinstated. Why would you expect a stranger who may or may not be a Christian to pray with your kids when you wont even do it yourself.

When families start acting like families who are in Love with a living God and the Church starts acting like the Bride of Christ and we start living lives worthy of the calling we have received. How amazing would the change in this world be, how far the Kingdom would be advanced, how much Love this world would see. But until that happens, America will continue to live in stagnate religion and will continue to hate the Church more and more. Why would you go live in community (biblical church) with people who do not Love, who are not different than this hurting world, who do not live out the message they sometimes claim?

Back Sliding? Losing Salvation? Never Had it?

There is some debate or "discussion" that surrounds Hebrews 6:4-8. So, I thought I would open it up for my second attempt at discussion on my blog here. Those of you who see this on Facebook and want to add to the discussion, jump over to my blog and join in, jjyount.blogspot.com.

This specific passage is sometimes used as a passage to support the theological thought that one can lose his/her Salvation. It has also been used to support the thought that one can "backslide", what ever that actually means. I will reserve my thoughts for the discuss so as to not lean it in any particular direction, just yet.

Here is the passage;

"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned."

Hebrews 6:4-8

alright, What do you guys think? Back Sliding? Lose of Salvation? or Neither? what is the writer trying to say and what does he mean?

Save Me From Myself

Save Me From Myself
Jon Foreman

My mind is dull and shattered
From these years of buy and sell
My mind has seen the glory
Of this hollow, modern shell
Sex is a grand production
But I'm bored with that as well

Lord save me from myself

The electric sun keeps shining
Wrapping daughters in the chrome
This world is where I breathe
Let it never be called home
Well the vultures make the money
It's where my body fell

Lord save me from myself

The vultures make the money
But I'm bored with that as well

Christmas! YAY!!!

So, I have had this on going battle within myself over the past few years of my life around Christmas time. Some years I love lights and reindeer and others I hate the commercialization that has happened to the birth of Christ.

I do believe we have taken the whole Santa Claus thing WAY to far and have made Christmas out to be something that it is not, but at the same time, it is good to be joyful and merry and give gifts to others. something we should do more than just in December.

So what do I do here, I dont want to be an extremist because in most cause extremities are bad. I dont think it is a sin to have a Christmas tree and all that jazz but do we truly celebrate the birth of Christ our savior? Is your "holiday" joy really the joy of the Lord? or just joy because of the pretty lights and the giving and receiving of gifts? Are we truly thankful that the Lord of Lord's became human so that He could die and, most importantly, defeat death?!

To answer those questions honestly, well, let's just say that all to often I am not proud of what my honest answer would be. I get caught up in the consumerism and commercialism that America brings to my door step and very often have to be humbled by God.

All I am saying is, check your heart and see if your "holiday" joy is truly of the Lord or if it is a joy from worldly things.