New years

So I have been trying to blog regularly, because it helps me to process my thoughts and all that God is doing in my heart. And it's been a while because I was using myspace went over to myspace to blog, but I was really annoyed by their format so I think I will just come back to blogger. and I will try to blog at least once a week this year, talk about my wife and the baby she is carrying, youth ministry, college ministry, what I'm reading, the church, the world, culture, and random stuff that I just pick up throughout the day. Let me tell you about transit. It rocks. It's our college ministry that we started in October. Currently it meets in my house and we have about 20 people who kind of rotate through attendance. We are going to have to change our venue soon though because we will have a baby soon, and that would just make everything a little too chaotic. Lately we have been going through the book of Hebrews, and I am currently trying to write a talk on Hebrews 11. It's hard because this is a passage that is so familiar that I don't know what to say about it. Very frustrating. But when you look at the context of Hebrews it becomes clear that this chapter is more than just a look back, at great leaders in the history of Israel, it's really a challenge to the Christians that that author is writing to. He is challenging the people who are thinking about going back to the old ways of Judaism to persevere in their relationship with Jesus. Even though they don't know all the answers or reasons for what is going on they need to continue. None of the people the chapter 11 highlights knew all the answers when they started trusting in God, but they kept going anyway. Pretty spectacular. The Christians were doubting that Jesus was really the one that they should follow, and they were facing persecution from all sides, and so it would just be easier to go back to Judaism. But that would be a disgrace to them as people, but also to all the heroes of chapter 11 because everything that they did would ultimately lead to Jesus. And if people stopped following Jesus they would be disgracing all of their heroes. Pretty interesting to think about. All this heroes of the faith are waiting for us to follow Christ. They want us to serve Jesus, to be faithful. Even when we don't know where we are going or what the end is really going to look like. It's scary and it could cost us everything but it's worth it. Chapter 12 starts out talking about this cloud of witnesses and how because of them, we need to press on and run through aside every hindrance and obstacle and sin that slows us down and just run to follow Jesus. Moses wants me to follow Jesus, Abraham wants me to serve Jesus. Pretty cool.