I was asked to write an article for this place called Sanctuary where I spend a good chunk of my week at here in Victoria. It was free reign on what a wrote about - so I wrote a bit about what God has been speaking to me over the past few months. So below is a little sample. It was only a short article I was writing so I might dwell upon it in blogs to come, but Ive been slacking in the blogging department. I didnt really personalise this article, but I think I will personalise some upcoming blogs - so stay tuned.
A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. John 10:10a MSG
If there's one thing that gets me angry it's when I see life stolen from my friends. This is all too common down at Sanctuary. The teens that come to Sanctuary Youth Center have had life robbed by the thief. Instead of a life of joy and peace I watch my friends day in and day out live a life that is death.
One night I was at Sanctuary for music night. I was playing around on the guitar trying to come up with a song that wasn't "in-your-face" worship but gave a good message, it was a night where the reality of living in death was at large. I began strumming some random chords and quietly singing to myself and these are the words I came up with "Life is death...death unwritten." At first I thought I was being funny, in a morbid kind of way, and put the guitar down to talk to some kids that just came in, but when I got home that night I began to think, life really is death unwritten, and Jesus came to show us that life.
I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. John 10:10b MSG
I have come so they can have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way. John 10:10b NIRV
Jesus, he is so faithful and so just, he will never leave us in the hands of the robber. He has provided a way out. I love what Jesus defines as life - fullness, eternal, real. A life more and better then they ever dreamed of. Man, this is good stuff. Jesus doesn't want my friends at Sanctuary to shoot up to be happy, or to walk the streets at night finding empty pop cans as a means of survival. No! His plans is a full life. I got in a conversation with a girl down at Sanctuary a couple weeks back about what she wants her life to look like. She described a lovely scene of horses, and mansions and a family - Jesus wants this for her too, and more! This is her dream, and Jesus promises us an even better life then what we dream of.
So how do we battle this monster of death to the teens at Sanctuary or even within our congregations, workplaces or schools? It's quite simple really. Jesus has shown us what real life is, it is now our turn to be like Jesus, to live life to it's fullest and to show people what real life really is. It begins with us, we must die to ourselves so we can live in Christ. We must walk in the opposite spirit.
Why not start at Sanctuary??? We are always looking for volunteers to show life to a bunch of kids who only know what death is.
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Like I said more to come in future posts - but chew on that for now.
Currently reading "Ill Fight" by Phil Wal (Good book yo!)
God is here.
ps - my birthday is in 362 days.
