Sometimes I Wonder (#1)

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live radically like Rich Mullins. To never wear shoes. To never care about how much money I make just giving it all away. To live a life that’s just radical to the world.  Living a life totally devoted to Jesus. And then I wonder and ask myself what’s keeping me from that? What’s keeping me from selling all that I have and giving it to the poor. What am I waiting on? Why am I so lazy? Why do I ask to hear God’s voice but then never tell listen to what He tells me to do?

So I tore down those walls, and gave everything I have to Jesus. sold out. gave in. And I feel amazing.

Now I know, in John, Jesus tells us we WILL have hard times but we are to take heart because HE HAS OVERCOME the WORLD. So no matter what happens He is always in control. So if you fear God then there’s no reason to fear anything else. So yes, I am prepared to go through tougher times, but I know Jesus works all things together for my God, because HE LOVES ME and HE LOVES YOU TOO.

-keifer

Favorite Preachers

I’m a preacher. I love to preach. I love to hear other people preach. This of course is a list of my favorites. You should check them out. Because their good.

*no particular order

1. perry noble – new spring church
2. judah smith – generation church
3. rich wilkerson jr. – the rendezvous
4. carl lentz – hillsong nyc
5. louie giglio – passion (City church)
6. francis chan
7. Mark Driscoll – mars hill
8. Craig Groeschel – lifechurch.tv
9. Andy Stanley – northpoint community church
10. John Piper – Bethlehem Baptist Church

A Good Woman.

I’ve got one. I’ve got a good woman. She’s a proverbs 31 incarnate. THANK GOD. She’s exactly who and what I need. And I love her for it. Now, don’t get me wrong she is a human that lives on planet earth and screws up just like the rest of us and she’s a mess. But, she’s my mess. Thursday night/ friday morning, my grandmother almost died. Friday she went to the hospital with me, she held my hand the whole time. Friday night, my grandpa came home from the hospital to get some sleep and when he walked in all 3 floors of his house were flooded from a burst pipe in the 3rd floor. She came and stayed until midnight with me cleaning what we could. The next day I was obligated to a band practice for worship events on sunday. She went in my place to my grandparents house and cleaned most of the day, which I am positive she still would have went if I did. Tomorrow we’re going to the hospital together and I’m sure she will again, hold my hand the whole time.

Not complaining, just saying.

 

Spiritual Things 2: Come Clean // Awakening

I’ve been through a lot these past 2 weeks, spiritually. I felt like God was talking to me and telling me to get rid of a lot things that were distracting me from Him and taking my eyes off Him. And then also I felt like He was telling me my relationship with Him wasn’t the only relationship that I have that was being strained to near death. So He began to flood my thoughts and He spoke to me a lot through other pastor friends, through my parents, through a book I was reading and through people I didn’t even know but saw on TV.

I was telling Sarah that I felt like we were both close to some kind of Spiritual Breakthrough. And I was too dumb to do anything about it and then just one day (Yesterday) I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to talk to this person and clear up this relationship. I had to fix things. I had to get off my chest was what was weighing me down. I told them and they showed me grace and forgave me for being so dumb. And then finally, I felt free. I had my spiritual breakthrough. All that was making me bitter and angry was immediately taking away and I’ve felt better today then I have in the past 2 years.

If you’re like me and you have something on your chest or in the back your mind, get it off or get it out. I carried something for 2 years and it made me bitter and angry and insecure. It turned me into someone that was opposite who I needed to be. I know I went through this for a reason, and I feel like that reason is for me to be able to relate to others out there struggling. I promise you no matter how hard it is, it feels so much better when you just get it off or get it out the back of your head. I promise if you do and you ask whoever it is you wronged or whatever your situation and ask God to forgive you and lift this burden He will breathe new life into you. I promise.

-kn

The Great Divide(r).

It makes me sick on my stomach to hear some of the things the people that go to my own church say. I’m growing impatient of this and all you Pastors out there shouldn’t be such doormats and let it continue to poison your flock or Church. And I know the situation will be tough and not easy to confront but I would lose one person before I lost an entire church because of this “divider“.  Do you know what the Bible tells the Church to do with people like you?

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” Titus 3:10-11 NIV

WOW. THAT’S INTENSE. You’re meaning to tell me that, after I warn you twice to stop spreading negativity and trying to split the church’s unity that I’m supposed to have nothing to do with you? Because you’re self-condemned? Because you’re warped and sinful? WOW. THAT IS INTENSE. You can argue with me all you want but thats straight from the Bible. The Word of God. We’ve been taught (this generation and previous) that God is loving and He would never do anything aggressive and we can just spit on His grace all the time with no intent of ever changing and He’s OK with that just as long as you tithe. SERIOUSLY? This is the same God that flooded the planet. This is the same God who burned two cities down. The same God that caused Ananias and Sapphira to fall over dead for lying to the Church and keeping selfish profits. The Same God.

Now, I know this is all coming across harsh. And am I saying anyone that if anyone wrongs you to KICK ‘EM OUT?  Absolutely not! The scripture says to warn them twice. You can’t just haul off and remove someone from a church. It takes a lot of prayer for that person and if you keep warning them and they refuse to recant then, send them on their way. They are hurting the bride. They are hurting the church.  This divider in my case, in my church. I want you to know your words are poison. You say horrible things. Ignorant things. I don’t know if you subconsciously or consciously insult people. I understand some people just speak their mind and have no idea that they’ve offended someone. But then, there are people who shoot to kill. YOU, shoot to kill. And I know you do. I want you to know that I don’t hate you. In fact I love you. And I pray for you now. I know that can sound condescending, but I’m serious. I pray for you. I pray that God would fix YOUR mess. I pray that God will fix YOU.

I may not be the pastor, but my patience is growing thin.

Some Worship Bands (for now)

Here are some of my favorite worship bands that I listen to when I’m studying or praying or even just riding in the car. Also, they’re not in any particular order.

1.) Jesus Culture

• Best Album(s): Consumed, Your love never fails
• Sound: Heavy Live Worship, Powerful
• I could listen to this in prayer time, study time or in the car

2.) John Mark Mcmillan

• Best Album(s): The Medicine, (although I do love his first album “The Song Inside The Sound of Breaking Down”).
• Sound: Sounds like worship but with an indie, folk, north carolinian twist.
• I could listen to his stuff anytime, anywhere.

3.) Ascend The Hill

• Best Album(s): Ascend The Hill (Their only one as far as I know)
• Sound: Unique, Different then your standard I, IV,VI,V progressions (musicians know what I mean)
• I usually listen to them in worship times, prayer time or study time.

4.) Gungor

• Best Album(s): Beautiful Things, Ancient Skies
• Sound: It changes pretty much every song, there’s nothing this man can’t do. He does it all (Rock, Worship, Gospel)
• I listen to him in the car and in private worship times

5.) Lovelite

• Best Album(s): All Color
• Sound: Slow, Mid-tempo, love songs for Jesus without getting carried away. These guys put in songs what most of us pray.
• I listen to them in prayer time and worship time and usually in the car

Once again these are just some of MY favorite bands, you may listen to them and hate them but of the people I share them with or tell them about them buy their CDs or become a big fan. So enjoy, buy their records, they have to eat too.

I Get So Worried.

I get so worried about the congregation and Christianity as a whole sometimes. It  kindly consumes my daydreaming more and more lately. And I get nervous over the condition of the American Church and  the condition of Christians and NON-Christians because Jesus is coming back and I’m not quite sure we’re ready. I’m not sure I am completely ready. But don’t you think it’s about time we got ready for the return of Jesus?  I mean obviously I’m not saying Jesus is coming back on November 13th of next year so we better start packing but I’m asking are you spiritually ready?  Are you really ready to go home and be with God for eternity? Are you even sure that you’re even going to be with God for an eternity?

In Francis Chan’s book “CRAZY LOVE” (which I highly suggest everyone Christian and nonChristian read), He asks the question “If Heaven was exactly how God described it with its no pain and golden streets everything exactly how it’s described in the Bible except God wasn’t there. He wasn’t there at all, would you still want to go? Would heaven still be okay for you?” For me personally, (Back to me) I couldn’t go. Me personally; I wanted to be saved so I can be with God forever. Heaven sounds nice, but  honestly if Heaven was in the dead center of Nebraska but if God was there that’s fine. I’m Okay with that. Are you?

The Day and Hour Unknown

³⁶“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[a] but only the Father. ³⁷As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.⁴²“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.⁴⁵“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Blessed.

• If you have a house you’re blessed.
• If you adjusted your’re shower or bath water to be just the perfect relaxing warm, you’re blessed.
• If you took a shower or bath this morning, you’re blessed.
• If you were able to talk to // see // tell your husband or wife, son or daughter, brother or sister, mother or father, grandparent , aunt or uncle, cousin or friend that you loved them, YOU’RE BLESSED.
• If you got to choose which flavor of WATER (dasani, fiji, aquifina ect.) you wanted to drink today you’re blessed.
• If you’re car started today when you put the key in the ignition you’re blessed.
• If you got to pick which outfit of clothing you wanted to wear today your’re blessed.
• If you got to pick which shoes went best with you’re outfit today, you’re blessed.
• If you got to brush you’re teeth today, you are blessed.
• If you got to read you’re Bible today with out worry of someone taking it from you then taking you’re life for it, you are blessed.
• If you got to go to Church today and didn’t have to worry about someone coming in and burning it down then you are blessed.

Spiritual Things 1.

I enjoy blogging I don’t know why I don’t do it more. Maybe I’ll try doing it twice a week. mondays and wednesdays or mondays and thursdays. WHO KNOWS? I kind of need a job and don’t really have time to be doing all this here blogging and such. But until then, I keep my nose in books and studying more and more of the Bible. Use all this free time while I have it. So I encourage you to do what I’m doing. I’m reading the Four Gospels in the New Testament (OBVIOUSLY) in 30 days. Its manageable and it doesn’t kill you. 3 chapters a day. You can handle that. I have the attention span of a small child and even I can handle that. I guarantee you that these 4 books of the Bible will truly change you. I promise you. They’re changing me the more and more I read.

I promise you that if you invest 1 hour of your day reading these 3 chapters meditating on them and praying you will go so much deeper in your relationship with God. But you’ll also notice a change in your actions and speech. Things will be different if you let the Spirit move in you.

Lean.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understand; in all your ways acknowledge him,

and He will make your paths straight.- Proverbs 3:5-6

If you’ve ever been to Sunday School you’ve probably heard this verse. If you’ve ever been to Church in general you’ve heard this verse. I love the fact that the writer used the word “lean”. When you lean on something you put all your weight and trust in to whatever your LEANING on. You have absolute faith that whatever your leaning on will support you. The same faith he says not to put in your own understanding (your own personal knowledge) but to trust in the Lord with all of your heart.

ALLOFYOURHEART.

The second half of that verse says “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”. That takes faith because God’s ways are so much higher then our ways and we have perverted and distorted pretty much every kind of thinking. So God’s logic tends to seem crazy. But to God our logic seems crazy.  So He tells us to just lean on Him in everything we do because He knows how “intelligent” we think we are. And He puts it so nicely just saying “Trust in me and ill make your paths straight”. He says in ALL your ways. In everything you do come to God about it. He created knowledge so I’m pretty sure He has all knowledge.