http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MI76zIAe1g
Hey guys and gals, this past week has been a downer because I realized that my summer is coming to a close as I will be starting my first year in college next week. Even though it should be an exciting feeling to be off to college, I still can't help but think about what I have done throughout the short summer months..or should I say what I haven't done. This summer was a crucial one because it was to be a time of preparation for the difficult road ahead. What I didn't realize is that without God, all my preparations, plans, and goals are in vain...To put it simply: its a complete waste. And that's exactly what I did... I put my desires; everything I had planned before God...It was like I totally forgot about Him until Sunday or T.N.P. (Thursday Night Prayer) came around.. I knew something was missing. I continued to sin and do what God would not approve of...slowly I forgot about reading The Word, praying, worshipping...everything that made me a born-again Christian. That was until I went to bed Monday night and a song called "All Along" by Remedy Drive came to play on my sleeping playlist...(yes...thats right...I have a sleeping playlist.) I listened to the lyrics deeply and started to rethink all the decisions I had made throughout my summer vacation and how I was even able to lay in my bed alive...Grace of God was the answer I came up with. One of the phrases in the song says, " I finally found what I could never see before, You've always been the one that I was looking for" Immediately after I heard that phrase, I felt the sudden urge to look around my room..What did I see? Sure enough, I saw the Bible sitting right next to my Ipod. This song really triggered me to open my eyes and see what a fool I've been for being blind to God...I knew He was there...somewhere around me...and yet I still falter..I still disobey...Don't make that mistake..always know that He is there and He holds your heart..not your desires and materialistic possessions of the world that will very soon whither away leaving nothing but God. And if you can't realize then that God is the answer...then...something wrong witchu!
Thanks for reading/listening:)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Unexpected Source
I woke up yesterday on the wrong side of the bed. If you know me, I'm always smiling and I can always look on the bright side. Even if I'm in a bad mood, I'll find someway to make you laugh. I can bet every single person I've ever met has laughed at least once while their around me; whether i was funny or not :)
But for no particular reason, yesterday was a downer. Then I got a call from a close friend who had the random message of telling me to keep my head up because sometimes you go through a desert before you reach the water. Often times there are moments in life where we experience a low, and it can come from nowhere. And although we know the age old lesson of the "light at the end of the tunnel"; we forget it because the problems or circumstances around us dilute it.
That's where we as a community have to be that unexpected source. It could be a song, a random text message, or simply a playful prank on someone to help them get away from their current circumstance a little bit. (See some of our videos for prank lessons LOL!) But do something for your friends and community to encourage them.
After hearing some uplifting words from my friend, I threw on my ipod and this song came on. Nope, its not a Christian song and I actually have probably only one or 2 secular songs on it. But it's humanly impossible NOT to smile or automatically get in a good mood when you hear it. I realized that no matter what situation, mood, circumstance, or problem we are in, there is always room to smile because everything will be alright. While you're looking at your watch waiting for things to happen, God is looking at the calendar. Everything will happen in the right time. So if you haven't smiled today or uplifted anyone, let me try. Check out this song and I dare you not to smile :)
-Jobbin
But for no particular reason, yesterday was a downer. Then I got a call from a close friend who had the random message of telling me to keep my head up because sometimes you go through a desert before you reach the water. Often times there are moments in life where we experience a low, and it can come from nowhere. And although we know the age old lesson of the "light at the end of the tunnel"; we forget it because the problems or circumstances around us dilute it.
That's where we as a community have to be that unexpected source. It could be a song, a random text message, or simply a playful prank on someone to help them get away from their current circumstance a little bit. (See some of our videos for prank lessons LOL!) But do something for your friends and community to encourage them.
After hearing some uplifting words from my friend, I threw on my ipod and this song came on. Nope, its not a Christian song and I actually have probably only one or 2 secular songs on it. But it's humanly impossible NOT to smile or automatically get in a good mood when you hear it. I realized that no matter what situation, mood, circumstance, or problem we are in, there is always room to smile because everything will be alright. While you're looking at your watch waiting for things to happen, God is looking at the calendar. Everything will happen in the right time. So if you haven't smiled today or uplifted anyone, let me try. Check out this song and I dare you not to smile :)
-Jobbin
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Ruins
Hey guys – so I’ve recently come across this song I’ve had on my iPod for quite some time now, but I’ve either passed over it or intentionally did not want to listen to it, but one day God caught me off-guard with this song – hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
You know that feeling of just being so unworthy? Or how God tends to bless you the most when you know you just don’t deserve it at ALL? Like… something good happens and you look up and ask… seriously? You did this for me? After I pretty much turned my back on you time and time again? Why?? (and I’m not even talking about turning your back on Him by disowning Him or something, I mean just by our daily thoughts, actions, desires, or our heart’s intentions)
And then you feel peaceful because God replies, “Because I love you, and because I can.”
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Matthew 6:26 (NIV)
Amazing.
Ruins – by Bebo Norman
Laying flat upon my back,
All the world in motion
Everything goes by so fast
I feel like I’m frozen
After all is said and done
Did I fail to mention
Everything I haven’t done
All my good intentions
This is my holy hour, this is my world on fire
This is my desperate play, this is where I am saved
I’ve no fear of height or depth
I’ve no fear of crashing
The single thing I fear the most
Simply feeling nothing
This is my holy hour, this is my world on fire
This is my desperate play, this is where I am made
This is my kingdom come, this is my freedom song
This is my helpless state, this is where I am saved
Let my ruins become the ground you build upon
Let my ruins become the start
Let my ruins become the ground you build it on
From what’s left of my broken heart
This is my holy hour, this is my world on fire
This is my desperate play, this is where I am made
This is my kingdom come, this is my freedom song
This is my helpless state, this is where I am saved
God Bless!
You know that feeling of just being so unworthy? Or how God tends to bless you the most when you know you just don’t deserve it at ALL? Like… something good happens and you look up and ask… seriously? You did this for me? After I pretty much turned my back on you time and time again? Why?? (and I’m not even talking about turning your back on Him by disowning Him or something, I mean just by our daily thoughts, actions, desires, or our heart’s intentions)
And then you feel peaceful because God replies, “Because I love you, and because I can.”
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Matthew 6:26 (NIV)
Amazing.
Ruins – by Bebo Norman
Laying flat upon my back,
All the world in motion
Everything goes by so fast
I feel like I’m frozen
After all is said and done
Did I fail to mention
Everything I haven’t done
All my good intentions
This is my holy hour, this is my world on fire
This is my desperate play, this is where I am saved
I’ve no fear of height or depth
I’ve no fear of crashing
The single thing I fear the most
Simply feeling nothing
This is my holy hour, this is my world on fire
This is my desperate play, this is where I am made
This is my kingdom come, this is my freedom song
This is my helpless state, this is where I am saved
Let my ruins become the ground you build upon
Let my ruins become the start
Let my ruins become the ground you build it on
From what’s left of my broken heart
This is my holy hour, this is my world on fire
This is my desperate play, this is where I am made
This is my kingdom come, this is my freedom song
This is my helpless state, this is where I am saved
God Bless!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
By my side
So last Thursday I sprained my ankle playing basketball and thought the rest of my summer would be spent hobbling around on crutches. But being the stubborn person that I am, I went to work the next day without seeing the doctor; making my foot feel a lot worse. Saturday morning comes around and my doctor confirms why I hate visits to the hospital in the first place. I always get some sort of bad news, and this was bad. It turns out I not only sprained my ankle, I fractured my foot in the process.
The doctor was surprised that I have been walking on it the whole time and said I need to be on crutches, and might possibly need to be in a cast for the next 4 weeks. Even though I had plenty of family/friends calling, texting, coming over, and supporting me, I was discouraged because I wanted to be involved in so many things this summer, but now I am forced to sit on the side lines.
Getting ready for church Sunday morning was a hassle, and I never knew putting pants on would be so difficult. I strolled into church on my crutches and automatically got the sympathy card from everyone. For the record, I am the type of person who hates pity, and wants to do things on my own (I know its a bad habit). Later in the service, the visiting pastor prayed for me and said Jesus had healed me. I didn't feel all tingly inside, or have a bolt of electricity shoot down on me, but I believe that nothing is impossible for my God. I started to press hard on my foot and couldn't feel any pain. After the service ended, half the church crowded around me to see me walking around without my crutches.
The biggest touch from God was not the healing that happened, but what occurred directly afterwards. My friends helped me walk around and then laid their hands on me to pray. More than the healing, that action and development in faith from my friends was an answer to prayer. I've had plenty of great friends over the years who genuinely care about me and still do. But our personal prayer and mission with this ministry is to develop a "community for Christ". I've longed to see that in Chicago and have heard plenty of complaints why that hasn't happened. But my testimony is that it is happening and God is using the youth in Chicago like never before. You pray for revival; I'm seeing it. I know God is always "by my side", but think about if we were by each others side in the same way God is there for us? Check out the song "By your side" by 10th Avenue North and you'll understand what I mean.
quick update: I went to the orthopedic doctor the Monday after I got prayed for. The doctor said amazingly all the swelling went away, and I wouldn't need a cast at all. She even said I don't need crutches and I'll be perfectly fine in a few weeks :)
-Jobbin
The doctor was surprised that I have been walking on it the whole time and said I need to be on crutches, and might possibly need to be in a cast for the next 4 weeks. Even though I had plenty of family/friends calling, texting, coming over, and supporting me, I was discouraged because I wanted to be involved in so many things this summer, but now I am forced to sit on the side lines.
Getting ready for church Sunday morning was a hassle, and I never knew putting pants on would be so difficult. I strolled into church on my crutches and automatically got the sympathy card from everyone. For the record, I am the type of person who hates pity, and wants to do things on my own (I know its a bad habit). Later in the service, the visiting pastor prayed for me and said Jesus had healed me. I didn't feel all tingly inside, or have a bolt of electricity shoot down on me, but I believe that nothing is impossible for my God. I started to press hard on my foot and couldn't feel any pain. After the service ended, half the church crowded around me to see me walking around without my crutches.
The biggest touch from God was not the healing that happened, but what occurred directly afterwards. My friends helped me walk around and then laid their hands on me to pray. More than the healing, that action and development in faith from my friends was an answer to prayer. I've had plenty of great friends over the years who genuinely care about me and still do. But our personal prayer and mission with this ministry is to develop a "community for Christ". I've longed to see that in Chicago and have heard plenty of complaints why that hasn't happened. But my testimony is that it is happening and God is using the youth in Chicago like never before. You pray for revival; I'm seeing it. I know God is always "by my side", but think about if we were by each others side in the same way God is there for us? Check out the song "By your side" by 10th Avenue North and you'll understand what I mean.
quick update: I went to the orthopedic doctor the Monday after I got prayed for. The doctor said amazingly all the swelling went away, and I wouldn't need a cast at all. She even said I don't need crutches and I'll be perfectly fine in a few weeks :)
-Jobbin
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Escape
Hey guys...here's a song that really means a lot to me and has lifted my heart up from the slums many times...it basically says that God is everywhere..from the air u breathe to the things u see..we sometimes feel as if we are alone and can't be seen by the eyes of our friends/family/church (if applicable)...but someone is always there...watching,hearing, feeling what we experience in our lives..."
-Jonathan
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wow so here we are with our 2nd blog!! :) We’ve been talking about setting up this blog for awhile now, been kind of on our “wish-list”, if you will, so needless to say, this is exciting to actually have this up! To get right to it, God has placed something quite interesting upon my heart in the past couple weeks and I hope it encourages you all as well :)
I’ve been praying and seeking God’s guidance lately for friends of mine, so that I can better understand God’s ways/plans (hoping to receive something from Him, in an effort to edify my friends with God’s Word). Sure enough, God spoke. He took me to 2 Samuel Chapter 24. [If you have a moment, I encourage you read this chapter before continuing :)] For those that don’t have that time, let me paint the picture for you:
[God is angry with Israel, so he instills in David a desire to take a census of the people of Israel and Judah, which even after a warning from his Captain Joab, David refuses to listen and makes Joab go throughout the land to conduct this census. Needless to say, the amount of people was numerous. After the census was taken, “David’s conscience began to bother him” (v.10 – NLT) and he repented to God; however, as you continue to the read the chapter, you see that God punishes Israel for David’s sin.]
So why am I writing about this… well, it is essential to realize how important it is to GOD that we always put 100% of our trust in Him (if not more). This census had no purpose for David OR his men. Whether there were 700,000 good, strong fighting men or 2 weak little children, God would STILL be able to win any victory with His people. God is not limited, and because of that, neither are we, as long as we place our COMPLETE trust in Him.
It’s not up to us to trust in ourselves, ‘our’ abilities/talents, ‘our’ possessions, ‘our’ stamina, ‘our’ strength, or ‘our’ knowledge/wisdom (or lack thereof for that matter). Instead, we must know that none of these things are from or because of ourselves; rather, they are from GOD. So, rather than placing our trust in the THINGS that we have obtained in this world, let’s place our trust in the ONE who GAVE us these things in the very first place and ROC on for God!! :)
Whether there are 10 people available & willing to be used by God, or 100, I know that we were not called by God to look at the numbers, or the odds of reaching out to everyone, but if there’s one thing I DO know, it’s that God wants to do something in this city and He doesn’t need US to give HIM statistics. Instead, He just wants us to be available & willing to be used by Him.
So, be sure to get plugged in to a small group to learn more about how we can stay strong on this walk with Christ! Contact us to find a small group nearest you!
God Bless!
Siby
I’ve been praying and seeking God’s guidance lately for friends of mine, so that I can better understand God’s ways/plans (hoping to receive something from Him, in an effort to edify my friends with God’s Word). Sure enough, God spoke. He took me to 2 Samuel Chapter 24. [If you have a moment, I encourage you read this chapter before continuing :)] For those that don’t have that time, let me paint the picture for you:
[God is angry with Israel, so he instills in David a desire to take a census of the people of Israel and Judah, which even after a warning from his Captain Joab, David refuses to listen and makes Joab go throughout the land to conduct this census. Needless to say, the amount of people was numerous. After the census was taken, “David’s conscience began to bother him” (v.10 – NLT) and he repented to God; however, as you continue to the read the chapter, you see that God punishes Israel for David’s sin.]
So why am I writing about this… well, it is essential to realize how important it is to GOD that we always put 100% of our trust in Him (if not more). This census had no purpose for David OR his men. Whether there were 700,000 good, strong fighting men or 2 weak little children, God would STILL be able to win any victory with His people. God is not limited, and because of that, neither are we, as long as we place our COMPLETE trust in Him.
It’s not up to us to trust in ourselves, ‘our’ abilities/talents, ‘our’ possessions, ‘our’ stamina, ‘our’ strength, or ‘our’ knowledge/wisdom (or lack thereof for that matter). Instead, we must know that none of these things are from or because of ourselves; rather, they are from GOD. So, rather than placing our trust in the THINGS that we have obtained in this world, let’s place our trust in the ONE who GAVE us these things in the very first place and ROC on for God!! :)
Whether there are 10 people available & willing to be used by God, or 100, I know that we were not called by God to look at the numbers, or the odds of reaching out to everyone, but if there’s one thing I DO know, it’s that God wants to do something in this city and He doesn’t need US to give HIM statistics. Instead, He just wants us to be available & willing to be used by Him.
So, be sure to get plugged in to a small group to learn more about how we can stay strong on this walk with Christ! Contact us to find a small group nearest you!
God Bless!
Siby
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Welcome to our Blog: Small Groups
Welcome to our first posting of the ROC 322 blog! Every Thursday you will hear from someone new in the group about thoughts God has put on their heart. We are excited about the amazing things God is doing to us as youth, as well as what He has planned for Chicago. Our ministry is unique...:) If you've seen our Youtube channel, or promo videos....you can tell we have a sense of humor (i hope!).
We take this approach to relate more with the youth, so that we can come together as a community. Instead of holding the traditional worship meetings and overlapping efforts of many effective ministries out there, we feel that building relationships through unique events and small groups are an alternative way to fellowship and grow in the Lord. Acts 2:42-47 talks about the 1st century church and how the believers "continued steadfastly in the apostle's teaching and fellowship in the breaking of bread and the prayers." (v. 42).
I am proud to say this small group feel is the basis of our ministry. Take some time to read our history of how we started on our website at roc322.org, and you can see that our Thursday Night Prayer group (TNP) is how we formed this bond and started to reach out to the community. Since 2005, our core group has been getting together for prayer and it has only strengthened us as friends and believers. Anyone can have an "experience" at a church/meeting/concert... but where do you go from there? How do you stay consistent in growing with the Word and living a good Christian life EVERYDAY, and not just on Sunday?
By getting into a small group! So get plugged in somewhere.... through our groups, your local church, or ask your friends. Together we can become a "community for Christ".
-Jobbin
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