God the Maintainer

 Isaiah 45:7 King James Version

7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

People debate whether or not "evil" here is legitimate. For that subject, "evil" until modern times did not mean wickedness but calamity or disaster. A man that brings disaster is an evil man is the correct way to read any instance of "evil" in the Bible. Evil is not necessarily sin. But that's not what I care about now about the verse. 

Rather, notice for the bad things, darkness and evil, are created instantly by God, 

While light and peace are made and formed by God, a slower, deliberate process. 

When God created the heavens and the earth instantly in Genesis 1:1 and the earth was without form and void, it was darkness. It took God saying and forming the words "Let there be light" in order to bring light. Good things come from a slow process.

I'm bad at maintaining things. I'm a set-it-and-forget-it kind of guy. I aim to do everything perfect for that one big impact and splash, and then just go on with my life and never checking up on things after that, and then I get surprised when things go downhill.

In these recent years, I have grown to appreciate God being a Father that maintains things and is very active today as He was in the ages when the Bible was written and before that.

My biological dad is the opposite of me. He is a great maintainer of things. He's always repairing, always doing preventative maintenance of cars, house, relationships, and so on, while I actively avoid doing that.

Many people expect God to be a set-it-and-forget-it type God, a deistic God. Deism says that God wound up the universe like a clock in the very beginning, and never intervenes anymore, never maintains things. This is often called "practical atheism", God exists, but we live like He doesn't do anything.

Many Christians would deny that they are deists, and maybe in some aspects they aren't, but that belief shows up in how they treat, say, God's word today, thinking God no more has anything to do with its transmission, or the miraculous workings of God, or how awry current events, politics, and rumors of wars, and assume God isn't working at all today.

God is a Father and He maintains in the present, a slow process, like a husbandman growing fruit, vines, and trees.

Poem: Can God Create A Rock So Heavy

Can God create a rock
So heavy He cannot lift
And atheists mock?


God became human,
Virgin born,
Jesus, Son of Man.


And many heavy stones,
Formed by His hands ages past,
He couldn’t lift.

The Paradox of Grieving and Celebrating: Dedicated to the Tittles

Rebekah Tittle

Last Sunday night, for the first time, someone I have cared about died.

A tornado struck Paron, Arkansas, and Rebekah Tittle, along with her sister Tori, and their father Rob Tittle passed away. Their house was ripped from its foundation.

For no reason, I woke up around 3 AM in the morning. When the news reached me by social media through third-party sources, I felt numb and in shock. Rebekah was just on the VDP Skype chat yesterday. She just liked a photo on my Facebook yesterday. She just posted some statuses on G+ just hours ago. How can she be gone?

But when more information came in, particularly news from Whitney, the sister of Rebekah and another good friend, it hit me. This is real. This is happening. This isn't some kind of joke or hoax or misunderstanding. I started to cry. I never cried for someone who passed away before.

The surreal attitude froze me. I have to tell them.

Them being the VDP, of which Rebekah was an integral and important part of. As the Prime Minister and Director of Membership, we've never had to experience a loss of our member in such that short of that timespan of our existence. She was our Ninja of our VDP Chat. She kept things lively and jolly. She won our contests and wore her VDP hoodie as a Valiant. She made our non-CP VDP members part of the Society. She was a great recruiter.

Them being the College Plus community, of which Whitney and Emily Tittle were a part of. Rebekah and Tori were not part of CollegePlus, but we considered them part of the community. We ached as we have met them in CP gatherings, participated in our CP Skype calls. Most of us were hoping to meet them in a gathering soon.

Them being other homeschool groups that the Tittles are part of. Rebekah made many friends. They became my friends, too, because of her.

I hate being that messenger. I stayed up all morning to ask prayer for the Tittles. Because what else can we do but to pray to our Father?

Before, I prided myself in my cold logic. That I could separate emotion from my thinking. That I would weather any calamity and disaster just by being rational and reasonable. I was wrong. I am wrong. There is a time to mourn, and I am not exempt.

I did not pray to bring Rebekah, Tori, and Mr. Rob back. They literally are with the One Who I am praying to. And that is a much better place, a place I desire to be in, a place every Christian desires to be in. To wish for them back is selfish. They would resist being called back from His presence.

No, I prayed for those that are left behind on this fallen Earth, full of death and sin. I prayed that we would  have pure religion to have compassion upon the widow and the fatherless according to James. I prayed for my apathy and my corrupt priorities and my shortsightedness of eternity. I prayed for the Tittles.

The paradox of grieving and celebrating is this: Our earthly loss is heavenly gain. Our loss of temporal relationship is their gain of eternal places.

Please pray for the Tittles.

This is our memorial to Rebekah.

Job 1:21
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 116:15
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

John 11
33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.
34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

I Cor. 15
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Valentine's Day Part #1: Questions and Pick Up Lines

Check out Part 2!
Let's do questions first.
Who is your current crush? Who was your first crush?
I like the orange soda, too. I don't have a Crush soda though. Just some apple cider. I wonder why the makers of Candy Crush haven't sued them yet?

Crushes make us young. I am frankly attracted to someone at the moment. She has blondish, brownish, long hair-ish. From College Plus? No names, lest I embarrass her. Cause she probably doesn't have a clue that I do. Maybe. ;)

I kept this answer intentionally vague. :P

My first crush's name was Millicent Rose in kindergarten. She's also the first girl I've taken a picture with. I have no idea where the picture is.

Why am I single?
There are countless alternate universes where you are NOT single. So have consolation in the fact that one of you in another alternate universe has a perfect girlfriend that loves you and cherishes you and marries you, happily ever after.

Unfortunately, travel between universes are not allowable by our current technology and/or laws of physics.

Why do we love?
We love because God has first loved us. And also, chocolate. Also, chemical interactions in our brains. Also, peer pressure. Also, the butterflies in our stomach and meeting someone's eyes. And knowing you will never going to be with that person.

Favorite love song(s)?
Right now, "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri, but also "My Girl" by the Temptations, and "Fur Elise" by Bach. Also, I call them sentimental songs, not love songs. Oh, and "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know"! :D

Courting or dating?
I subscribe to this thing called "courtation". Okay, I'm kidding. I will have my thesis on it post as separate, so check that out. I kinda define that dating is before engagement, and courting is after engagement.

Qualities in girls you like?
I only like girls who are virtuous, godly, good, beautiful, and single. Oh, and she must have cookies for me.

Who is my favorite historical couple?
I ship Adam and Eve, Valentine and Asterius' daughter, Doctor and River Song, Jesus Christ and His Bride (though technically a future thing). Bonnie and Clyde; and Marie and Pierre Curie did not make the list, unfortunately.

My favorite is probably Prince Albert and Queen Victoria of England. They are a model every family, royal or otherwise, should aspire to.

How did the heart morph from a fist-shaped organ to the cute little shape we see everywhere today?
The first instances of the use of the so-called geometric heart shape was during the Middle Ages in the use of decoration (Think of the decorated medieval books and Bibles with pictures). But it was not identified as a heart and a symbol of love until around the 13th century, where it was depicted as a pine cone shape in the hands of a knight giving it to his damsel in distress. It appears in various paintings from then on. The current form was finalized around the 14th or so century, and the hearts on playing card games came around the 15th.

In my opinion, the heart-shape is actually more accurate, but exaggerated, than it is given credit for. A normal heart has four chambers, and a somewhat pointed bottom. Also, Cupid cannot hit anyone with his heart arrows without the point. So it does have a practical purpose.

But yes, it went from a fist, to a pine cone, to a the pointed cardiod shape today.Neat, huh?

Which is better to give your Valentine, roses or chocolates?
Chocolate roses. Sprinkled with bacon. A whole bouquet. I don't care if you have money to afford this, steal, plunder, beg, save, invest, so you can have enough. Always, always go over the top on Valentine's Day for your love. Your Valentine will always have a fond memory of you. I promise.

Now for some pickup lines!
Christian pickups:
I've been reading the book of Numbers, and I realized I don't have yours.
Are you my babe in Christ?
Hi, my name is Will. God's Will.
Is your name Grace? Cause you are amazing.
Can I have your name and number for my prayer list?
Is that a mirror in your Bible? Cause you are reflecting the image of Christ.
Is it a sin to steal my heart?
Before this night, I never believed in predestination.
Is this pew taken?
I've picked out our chaperones.
You're a Proverbs 31 kind of woman.
Is your name Faith? Because you are the substance of things hoped for!

Doctor Who pickups:
Will you be my companion?
My heart for you is bigger on the inside.
Babe, you make both of my hearts skip a beat.
We have all of time and space to get acquainted.
Come along, Pond!
You're my fixed point in time.
You must be a weeping angel, because I can't take my eyes off you.

Bonus pickups:
Hey, do you have my hairbrush? Because you are a real peach. (Veggie Tales)

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any eye rolling, face slapping, indiscriminate laughter, cold shoulders, heart breaking or otherwise from the use of the above pickup lines. Use them at your own peril. I will, however, take credit for any engagements and marriages resulting from such use. And invite me to the wedding. Please. Or even have me officiate the wedding! :D

Thanks to Rikki Meek, Hannah Musick, Joshua Loomis, Drew Sproule, Skip Graham, Faith Burnside, Sarah Iddings, Garret Johnson, and everyone else who submitted a line or question or suggestion, or I did otherwise steal from you.

Check out Part 2!

A Year in Review: 2013

January: Elected Vice President of CP Churchill

February: Discovered Doctor Who (well, rediscovered)

March: Spring Celtic Ball

April: Midwest Homeschool Convention, Creation Museum College Plus Gathering; Will You Be the One Youth Conference

May: Blimey Cow Skype Call hosted by the Valiant Defender's Party

June: Bought my iPod

July: Blimey Cow Photo-A-Day; Samx as Doctor Who Challenge; Ohio State Fair

August: Twelfth Doctor Revealed!

September: VDP High Command

October: Random CP Gathering

November: The Day of the Doctor Gallifreyan Plus CP Gathering

December: College Plus The Gathering Texas

Musings About Girls and Various Things Like That

Musing #1:
So.

I like most girls.

I have many friends that are girls.

I really like some girls.

I really, really liked a few girls.

I only love one girl.

I have never had a girlfriend.

Musing #2:
I have asked out many girls to dance.

They all said "yes".

I've only asked out girls for a banquet thrice.

They all said "no".

I only had two dates in my life.

We were just as friends.

I thought she was the one. No, she is the one.

We're just acquaintances now. Almost strangers, but not quite.

No one. I have no one.

I never really knew where I stood with her. Who is she to me? Who am I to her? I. Don't. Know.

Musing #3:
I think all that I am is an annoyance to her. That I really don't mean anything to her. That I just imagined I might have meant something. But not really. Maybe, I have meant something, just not in the way I thought I did.
I asked her out once. I don't think I'll ever do it again. I felt like I wasn't wanted there. She sounded like she wanted to be anywhere but there where I was. That's why I ran. So she wouldn't have to be anywhere near me.
I tried to be just a friend to her. But I can't. She can't as well.
When I look at her, I see all my failures. When I look at her, I miss her even more. So close, and yet so unreachable.
And I still am running.

Musings #4:
Why do I pour out my heart on these blog posts?

Because I want to, that's why. And the majority of the readers won't know the details.

So you are left to ponder.

Musings #5:
Only God can bring this soul to peace, this longing heart to hope.

Let's Play Socrates Jones: The Bible and Euthyphro, Or, God is Holy, Holy is God

from Socrates Jones: Pro-Philosopher

A dilemma was postulated by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who asked Euthyphro:  "Is what is morally good (holy) commanded by a god because it is morally good (holy), or is it morally good because it is commanded by a god?"

This was brought to my attention by the above game, Socrates Jones. It features an Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney-style gameplay, but instead of a court case, you are literally debating the meaning of morality for your life... because apparently you died since you didn't buy deer repellant and now you have gone to philosopher "heaven" (or more accurately, "purgatory"). At any rate, it's not an afterlife you want to spend much more time in.

Euthyphro is the first philosopher you debate against. In the game, he argues that mankind is flawed, which is true. He then argues because the gods are better than humanity, they determine what is good. But his premise fails because of his belief in polytheism, for the gods contradict each other. His counterpoint to that is most gods (and religions) agree on what is good and what is bad. Which brings back the dilemma, do the gods agree because that thing is intrinsically good?

After a few pensive thoughts, my mind turned to Scripture, which, naturally, has the answer.

Isaiah 6
1In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 

2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

The passage equates God as thrice Holy (reflecting His Triune nature). It doesn't say "God says what is holy" or "God knows what is holy", it says He is the very essence of holiness and moral good. It cannot be separated from Him. His very nature is holiness and moral good! No God, no holiness.

Euthryphro fails to acknowledge the thrice Holy God of the Bible. There are no other gods but Him. What he has is only a false dilemma once you know the actual state of things.


Isaiah 45
5 I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.

Note that the passage capitalizes the "G" in God on verse 5. While there are many small "g" gods, there is only one capital "G" God. Because the idols are beneath Him, whether the god be called Baal or Zeus or Thor, since He is the the God, they don't even start to compare, making them ill fit to be standards of morality. (It's a favorite strategy by atheists to equate the Christian God to Zeus due to the fact they are both religious entities, but the similarities end there. The Christian God stands by Himself while Zeus and his pantheon merely resemble petty immortal humans with great powers, i.e. superheroes.)

Which brings us back to a slightly altered question:
"Is what is morally good (holy) commanded by God because it is morally good (holy), or is it morally good because it is commanded by God?"

Answer: "God is holy and morally good, holiness and good morality is the nature of God. God commands what His holy nature is to be, and what His holy nature determines what is commanded by Him".

What is Module Failsafe?

What is Module Failsafe? 

The plan module was conceived in 2012 to deal with the inevitable coming time of disaster and chaos. It contains:
1. One diamond engagement ring.*
2. Hotline to every dads' phone number in the world.
3. Portable time travel machine, a TARDIS will do.
4. Many, many prayers to God. And fasting. Yes.

Note: No courage is included, however, once this is activated, it is assumed there is a time pressure that might translate to courage.

*A 500-1000$ value

Break Only In Case Of Emergency.

The time is coming. >.<

A Year In Review: 2012

A bit late... but here are highlights of 2012

January
I discover BlimeyCow.

February
I go to my last Valentine's Banquet

March
Probably the biggest highlight of my year: The Spring Celtic Ball! It came right after my birthday. :)

April
Trip to the Philippines.

May
High School Graduation at the A Beka Academy, Pensacola, Florida.

June
High School Graduation at the High Street Christian Academy, Columbus, Ohio. (Yes, I had two)

July
Youth Conference at Hammond, Indiana.

August
Trip to Chicago.

September
Trip to NC, SC, and GA.

October
The Valiant Defender's Party October Elections.

November
I got a job at Verizon FiOS. And I got a cane from my sister Victoria for the gift exchange. :D

December
The Winter Festive Ball!

I can't wait for what 2013 will bring. God has blessed me so.  :)

Relationship Ramblings, Or, Why Sam Doesn't Have A Girlfriend

Another rare post about *cough* girls. Or, actually, relationships. Or something. No, just random ramblings without construction about the fact of relationships or lack thereof.

Everyone I know seems to ask me if I have a girlfriend, or if I'm courting. My grandma, cousins, family, relatives, strangers, friends from church and college, authority figures, teachers, pastors, random people....

I keep telling them, No, not yet, me? I have to... earn money, finish college, stuff like that. That I'm very, very picky. That I only want one girlfriend, and that she'll be my future wife someday. That I want to be patient and be very careful.

And that's all true. They're not really excuses, or at least bad ones. But what I don't tell many people is that I think I know who she is.

But I don't tell them. Because I feel like I fail in everything I plan concerning these things. Always waiting and waiting for weeks to build up courage. Always failing to ask in time for a date to the banquet. Always resigning whenever the one you ask tells you that, in a deflating tone of voice, why she can't go out with you. Always feeling too dejected to try again in the foreseeable future.

(That's why I look forward to the bi-annual dancing balls where the Scottish music plays around here in Ohio every spring and winter. At least there, no lady will reject any gentleman who asks her for just a single dance. And all dance as friends, not any more than such. There is no dating or any such romantic matter. Just merely fun and laughs. But I digress.)

Some people have caught on a little bit on who she would be. Or maybe, they already know for sure who she will be, as if God reveals it to them, not to me. I think He does, though. Either that, or there's a huge conspiracy going on. Them peoples making little snide, seemingly harmless jokes here and there, and I just smile and shrug it off.

It's probably my fault. Making little art game in dedication to a certain, specific mademoiselle was not the most subtle thing I could have done for Valentine's Day. I don't regret doing that, though.

People are smarter than you think. They observe you. They know more.

I think she even knows. Maybe. Or maybe she actually dislikes me a lot. Or thinks me amusing. I never really asked. Sometimes I want to know. Sometimes I don't want to know.

It's been a long time since we were together for any reason. We used to go to school. And to youth group activities. And nowadays, I only see her at church, rarely. I think we naturally avoid each other. I can probably count only a handful of times where we both were in proximity of less than one feet from each other. And most of those times were more or less forced. It made me hesitant and uncomfortable and yet strangely hopeful.

You probably can tell she occupies my thoughts a lot. Trust me, I tried forgetting. And erasing my memory. And finding another to take her place in my heart. To no avail. And that's one reason I know it's her.

Even then....

What am I supposed to do, though? Every opportunity I ever had has disappeared and it doesn't seem like any will come. I'm just quiet now. Waiting. Dreaming. Watching. Hoping. Praying. Looking out my window to see a winter wonderland.

I've just accepted the fact that if we were indeed meant for each other, that God will bring us together one day.

I love her. I trust Him.

Postmortem: Nativity

A celebration of the true meaning of Christmas.

Nativity: http://gamejolt.com/games/other/nativity/10880/

I was tired of all the games for Christmas that promoted the ultra-commercialistic Santa Claus Kringle. Where are the media that celebrated the true meaning of Christmas? (I realize the previous sentence may be oxymoronic in nature.) And so Nativity was born, no pun intended. It is actually a continuation and a finishing of the game I started last year or so.

Gameplay:
Not really much gameplay. It's supposed to tell a story on why it was necessary for Jesus to come to Earth, and thus the journey of Nativity is punctuated by flashbacks in the past and "flashforwards" in the future, making it a huge sequence. It's more of an interactive story, and so, only the characters may be controlled by the Arrow Keys or A and D to move the characters. It's probably the first game that I drew out the landscape for platforming instead of using blocks.

Graphics:
The graphics are a mix of colored and black and white silhouettes. I added in light effects for the angels and for the star of Bethlehem. Small objects are colored to distinguish them, as with the fruit and the gifts of the wise men.

Sound:
We Three Kings of Orient Are is the piece that plays once throughout the game. I aim to replace it, since it doesn't seem to fit in some instances. I was thinking of using a thunder effect for the flashback, but only the music is the only sound that plays in-game currently.

Merry Christmas!

I Love U-........kuleles & Youth Conference

     It's stuck in my head! I heard it first at a skit at Youth Conference. It was a fun time, and possibly my last youth conference I will attend, unless I come back as a chaperone or counselor or something.

     I made some decisions for Christ at the Conference. Many did, too. No less than 119 people got saved under the preaching of Jack Schaap, Kenny Baldwin, Eddie Lapina, Chris Tefft, and other great men of God. Some of my youth group were called to preach. I renewed my commitment to preaching the gospel.

Here are some pictures:

High Street Youth Department at First Baptist Church Hammond

The Chicago Bean

My sisters, with David Riggs on the background.

The guys that sang "I Love Ukuleles". Singles' session.

Guy with an epic backpack. XD

Mindwrap: Time Travel

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16

Man has dreamed of time travel throughout the centuries. The chance of changing the past or manipulating the future has haunted many. But is it possible?

Science postulates that it is possible by using wormholes(a spinning black hole) and sending a space ship through it. We may go to the past by exceeding the speed of light. But the problems with this are obvious. We do not have the technology to accomplish such feats.

Some are in favor of "time traveling" with the mind. The advantages of this is obvious. First, one would not be affected physically by any constraints. Secondly, time itself will not be affected, since it is an observation without any influence on the Time stream. This may be called "prophesying" or "divination". However, the Bible explicitly bans any form of "divination", since it is a demonic form of mental time travel. Prophecy has already ceased for the Church (I Cor. 13).

We know that God is an Infinite and Eternal Being. He created Time itself. As you know, Time is a dimension. Space is composed of three dimensions of width, height, and depth, however, Time seems to be only comprised of one(or two, depending on your perspective). Does Time have more than one dimension that we can't access but only God can?

I find it useful to think of Time as a line, and Eternity as a sea around that line. The sea of Eternity is three-dimensional, while Time is one-dimensional. God can see all of Eternity at once, as if the past and future doesn't exist, as if everything happens at once to God in His Eternal Present. God, however, in His human form, our Lord Jesus Christ, limited Himself to our Time "line".

In the Bible, it records that the prophets had special insight from God concerning the past and the future. Moses recorded a Creation that he did not witness, and the other prophets like Daniel and Isaiah saw the future of the nation of Israel.

There is one person in the Bible that seems to have traveled in the future, physically. Even farther than our own future right now(in the time of this writing). That person is the Apostle John. In Revelation, it is recorded in the first chapter, tenth verse: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"


The Lord's day is a reference to the Rapture. The Rapture hasn't happened yet.


Some may say that John was actually in a trance. But if you may recall, in Acts, Phillip the apostle was too transported physically by the Spirit. It is akin to teleportation.


Acts 8:39: "And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing." 


The answer is, time travel is possible... if only God transported you Himself by His will. We cannot alter the past, or rectify the present by going to the future. But who needs tine travel when the Bible already records the past, present, and the future of the universe and beyond?

Grandfather Paradox

InDev: A Leap Of Faith #1

Yes, this is a real blueprint for a game. It is obviously a platform game, like Super Mario or whatnot. The character has to leap to the other side. But there's a catch...

Your character can't jump very high.

I'm still working on another game, but I already have many levels planned, based on a verse or verses from Hebrews 11 and 12.

I'll post more info soon!

A Godly Perspective In Gaming

"When I play a game, I feel God is closer to me..." ~ Halos and Avatars

What do you think about gaming?

How about God?

How about being with God as you play a video game? Does He just look over your shoulder while you play? Or does He sit down with you? Or do you let Him have the controls?

Isn't this universe just God's video game? Are you His allies or His enemies? Does He control your every movement? Or are you like the Sims, who complain to their controller?

In this level, you only have one life. And you will lose it in the end. How do you get another, infinite powerup? Trust in God and believe in Him.

Dealing with Disappointment

I had a disappointing weekend. On Friday, dated conveniently the Friday the 13th, my trip to the Mid Ohio Valley youth conference was canceled. Of course, there was snow everywhere. The day after, I was supposed to attend my first CollegePlus! gathering. Then another snowstorm came.

I can handle this situation in many ways. I can be selfish and complain. I can reiterate how unfair this is. I can wish the winter away. I can sulk and post things on Facebook that I will regret someday.

And then He tells me all the things He has done for me. He gave me protection and love. He gave me a good church and a good youth group. He saved me from hell. I remember....

But, all in all, this disappointment is nothing in light of eternity. In light of His grace and His goodness. His mercy.

God's Call: Who Will Answer?

Isaiah 6:5-11

I. Prepare (v. 5-7)

If you have sin in your life, confess it.

II. Dare (v. 8)

Listen to the voice of the Lord, and surrender at the altar.

III. Care (v. 9-11)

Serve God, obeying Him every step along the way. Depend on Him, and God will work throughout.