What does it mean to be successful?

Neither of my parents grew up with any sort of spiritual background. My father's parents could care less if he was dead or alive, and my mother's grandparents started a church, but her closer family moved away when my mother was only 5. I came to know the Lord really really really with my own decision in the 7th grade at Cornerstone. My mother was happy for me, and my dad said I could believe what I wanted.

For a long time, my mother was hesitant about ever going to Cornerstone. She'd heard stories of them being too loud, people smoking and making out in the back of the church. She thought it was a bad place, until I made her come to Christmas service where she cried, and has been going ever since.

My mother and I had always seemed to be on the same page as far as our views of Christ until recently. I guess I started to step beyond just what I was learning at church, and pulled out some books, and started to read myself. And learn myself. And my out views have changed in a lot of ways.

What concerns me is how the wealth of the world is divided so so so unevenly, and though we can't get it all back until God melts every heart, it's been such a struggle decided what I want to do in my life, and what I want to do about THAT issue.

My mother has always told me that school comes first, best effort, best education, best degree, get all the money you want, and spend it the right way. Only work 3 days a week, get a paid to be off, and spend your time with the kids in Africa, give your money to build houses and schools. She talks so much about how important money is. How I think so much about living life for God, but it's not 'reality'. I need money to live, and I need money to support and provide for my family. Which, is true.

Shane Claiborne wrote how he basically became homeless and reached out into people just in his community (truth be told that, although people get to here the Gospel several times in the U.S., it's no good if it's the wrong Gospel, or if it was set by a bad example. And I think regardless the fact if they'd heard it or not, there's still just as big a party when a sinner becomes saved) in his book The Irresistible Revolution. He got money from people who already had money, and he spent his life focused on the lives of other's and assuring Jesus was their personal savior, and by letting God handle who gave the money and how much.

A lot of people without money do it. They ask the people who have money to give it to the right causes besides bigger houses and nicer cars and things. Is it better that way? Is it better to explain the cause to get the money? Or is it better to work a high paying job where people are most likely paying thousands to you for your service (dentistry, being a doctor, graphic design, etc.) and use your money that way. I think that's tricking almost, and it's not even first hand.

Jesus also said that the beggar who gives his 2 pennies to the church has more faith than the rich man who only donated a few hundred. The beggar has more trust and gave everything he had, while the rich man only donated what he felt was sufficient.

I hear the words 'success' and 'successful' a lot. I go to one of the top high schools in the state, and all the teachers are just talking about making money and 'being successful?'

What does it mean to be SUCCESSFUL? Successful in CHRIST? Is it getting the good education and the high paying job and using your money for Christ and to do good with it like my mother suggests? Or is it being a person who puts Christ first, and seeks the hearts of those who have held the money and hopes that God would melt their heart and ultimately like Shane. Is it having a regular job and doing your best to support what you can? Is it about having your job being Christ related? Or is it not even about that?

Where does money come in play with being successful in Christ?

How does this all fit together?

What you feel only matters to you

"...it's what you do to the people you say you love that matters, it's the only thing that counts"

First post in a while, it's a hefty one!

Lately I've been having trouble showing love go the people I say I love, and ultimately that's disobeying Jesus. I could talk about my friends, but I'd also like to point out the world. A missionary came to Merge the other day, and he asked us 'Who here loves Jesus?' and of course the entire room raises their hand. His message was about Jesus' command of loving our neighbors (ultimately, everyone around us), and that not showing love to your neighbors isn't following Jesus at all. We can mumble all day about how we want to be nice to strangers, how we hope that Africa will get a miracle. But we are supposed to be that miracle. Those foreign countries and even areas in our own communities are our neighbors! And the feeling and longing for them to be given food and home and a shelter and, most importantly, the relationship with Jesus, is just a feeling. It only matters to us. What we do about it is what will make the difference.

So,

I'll be starting a club at school this year, and I'm thinking about calling it 'Pocket Change'. Here's the deal...

- Hamilton High School has 3,300 students.
- Blood:Water Mission is currently on a mission to raise enough money to build 1,000 wells in different countries in Africa.
- It costs an estimated $2,000 to build a well
- If every student in the school donated $5 over the course of the entire school year just from their 'pocket change', thatds be about $16,500
- $16,000 divided by $2,000 is 8, or 8 wells that could be built.
- It costs an estimated $2 to print the new testament in a native language.
- The remaining $500 divided by $2 is about 250 bibles.

Just because we are in school across the world doesn't mean we are 'stuck'. I want to leave here SO BAD at times. Sometimes I'm tired of parental confinement, school confinement, this whole system of who's hot who's not, but God doesn't always give us what we want. He'll discipline us, sweetly or straightforward. God has us here because He can use us. I'm asking for help. It's not going to be easy. Especially in high school. I'll need about 15 people total willing to help, a teacher sponsor, and lots and lots of prayer that we go a out this the right way. That we would not be afraid to share but to show respect as well. To give reason and show people a purpose. To not be focused on how much money we really get, but how much love and heart we can show to the 3,300 other students who God has a plan for, and that that would spawn the beneficial money towards saving lives. Man, that is SO hard for me to remember. I mean we're all guilty of having that friend that doesn't know Jesus and they don't want to bother so we keep quiet. Or sometimes people think some are impossible to convince. I listened to an old Merge sermon where Ryan threw his life infront of the stage. He didn't hide anything, he told us his troubles through high school, through growing up, but God took a "peice of junk" and "bragged with it." Jesus had the sinners and tax collectors all over him. Let's not forget about the people here too, that don't know Jesus, because we are their examples and could very well be the reason they see Jesus is calling us to something different, or we could also be the reason they stay away. Anyways, I hope some of you would like to help.

I'd like to apologize, too. For not always practicing what I preach. For pushing out my chest sometimes. I forget who gives me courage and the words to speak, and I thank you for those of you who remind me, and don't make me feel like an idiot about it (haha), but who aren't afraid to keep me in check rather.

In other news, school starts Monday. I talked to Travis Chavez in Tijauana a few nights ago on the phone. It was nice catching up! With Keira Jennet in Kenya, too! (Click on both of those links! They're AMAZING! Seriously. Do it). Except thru the computer. The world is so small. I had a blast at some birthday parties, celebrated some birthdays at shows, and have been hanging with some new friends that really keep me going. And I still have those true friends (+ more) that are still tagging along side me and I appreciate so much! Missing some people too. Things just change I guess...

Agh, so much stuff to talk about. Follow me on twitter if you're really interested!

Love all of you!

-Chris

P.S.

I love feedback! Tell me I'm wrong, tell me I'm right. Read this, watch that. Connect things, give me ideas. I know I'm not in this alone. God gave me a community!

Careful Hands

"Put your coat on, this city trembles.
Keep your chin up, as you untangle God
From cold blood and bruises.

We are X-rays of something broken.
Cursive bloodlines write every forecast:
An orchestration Of dissonance and innocent surrender.

When our color dies,
We will bury the ashes of time,
And we will earn new eyes.

Wrists get tired rewriting futures.
Our bodies beg us to be creatures of habit.
We are creatures of habit.

Only with careful hands
We’ll turn their fangs into feathers and cures.
Only with careful hands
We’ll divide the prisoner
From the pioneer.

Clever beauty,
Umbrellas folding.
In architecture, our lines will measure
A map to find us.
Blue ink will guide us home.

Cranes are creeping, lifting metal,
We will find new ways to settle,
Tipping scales from the killer to its prey.

I can feel the weight around us,
Climbing every rib inside us,
A sanctuary in a lion’s mouth"

I think that if

the worst things I can complain about
is my computer running too slow
or my father being aggressive
then my life is pretty comfortable.

And I'm getting really tired of comfortable.
I'm praying for something to wake me up
Whatever is blocking me
I just need to break down

And I think that starts here

These next two weeks will be a pain

It's currently 2 AM and this is my new sleep schedule my body is being adjusted to
In 16 days I'll have to be sure that I can make myself awake by 6 because I'm taking a zero hour class this upcoming year. I don't always know what I'm working for, or why I plan on putting so much effort into this, but I guess work, regardless of the matter, is good for rounding out your edges.

Life hasn't been bad. I've been reading a lot lately. Reading for school, reading for wisdom, and reading just for the sake of good authors with no purpose besides just writing itself. And In all of this I've been taking notes and trying to become better at memorizing but I realize my sleeping habits aren't helping, so I have to review several times a day.

I don't always know what I want to remember when I read, so in result I write down more than I think I should. I don't know what it's doing for me now, but I hope that sometime in the near future these notes will become more useful. And sometimes the inability to just remember off the bat is frustrating and inconvenient when reflecting things. I never pick up on little details, just the story in general.

I guess it's all just having some kind of clever side I guess. Dallas Willard talks about cleverness in his book The Divine Conspiracy. It was convicting when I read it, but realized God wired all of us to want to be something more.

I hope I'm doing the right thing in my life right now. Goly, I think everybody is thinking that. In my head it's "prepare now, serve later" but I don't think I'll ever be fully prepared, and they're always be a need that needs to be served, regardless of who I am or what it is. I think I get wrapped up elsewhere. C.S. Lewis said "If Satan can't steal your soul, he'll give you meaningless work to do instead". I hope I'm not doing meaningless work.

It's a hard parade, just be courageous

I'm upset that my age is catching up with me...

My whole life I've been told "you look older than you really are!"
or "you're more mature than most people your age."

I'll be a sophomore, and my foot size hasn't changed in a year. I've grown half an inch since the end of 8th grade. My hair is the same, my face the same. Pictures a year ago look like they were taken last week.

And looking back on it all right now, turning 16 this year, I think I could've done a lot of better things with my time. The heart was always there, just nothing to pump the blood. I wont loath, but I'd hate to feel the same when I graduate high school.

Nathan told me the story about a student he had at his old church, who'll be a freshman this year, who's raised over $100,000 total in a program he started called "Hoops for Hope". He asked people to sponsor him according to amount of free throw shots he made on his own, or something along those lines, and the money he'll get will be donated to a village in Africa. He started in in 6th grade. He'll be a freshman this year. Wow, talk about not wasting your time! They've built a hospital and school with that money.

I spend more time mapping out the trip then trusting the signs on the freeway that tell me how to get there.

Huh? Revalutia what?

If you know something, and you know it's right, and you feel it's right, why don't you do it?

Do you think God gives people different outlooks on things to fill out different parts of "the body of believers"? You know, the toe nail no one wants to b except Bobby who, or, i dunno, somethin? People claim God states His thoughts and what he wants clearly.

If you've got something you feel is right, how do you propose it to an environment where everyone else thinks they feel right, too?
And what do you do if they won't listen?

Do you start something on your own?
Isn't that how all churches have started?

I guess you have to ask first.

Why don't we just say "the church" like Jesus referred it to.
Why are we so broken up today?
And how do you bring everybody back together?

Jesus says it's all summed up in loving your neighbor as yourself.
And I think it's when there's little details that disregard us from that, we separate.

Nate said today there'd be a lot of changes.
I hope there's a lot of changes with a lot of love, because I don't think there's enough!

I think people get bored of a Jesus when there's no opportunity