October 28, 2010

I Am Sure that His Promises are Secure: Our Future (Part 1 of 2)

“Looking at the future who can tell you what is going on
It seems we have become the generation of wars and bombs
And the heart grows weak and the fear grows strong
That the day may come and it may not be very long…

I am sure there will be a day
But it will not be like the nations say
The Lord will come when this life is through
And his deep desire is to be with you…

Hearts will fly when the new world starts
And joy will rise like the morning star
God will meet every cry of the heart
And it’s my prayer, I want you to be there” Michael W. Smith Lyrics

The future is a funny thing. We often fail to plan for it, spend most of our lives worrying about, and yet we have a very limited control over it. For me personally, I tend to spend way too much time dwelling on what’s yet to come. Fear of the unknown is something we all have on certain occasions and I am no exception. Waiting for God’s promises has been especially hard this year as things haven’t quite worked out the way I planned. More than ever I’m learning that God is in control and His plans will ultimately prevail. I’ll write on my personal issues facing my future in the next blog but for now I want to focus on our future as a whole…

These are dark times and things aren’t getting better anytime soon it would seem. Our economy is in a freefall and the job market is horrible (especially in Ohio where I live). The rapid increase in divorce, murder, suicide—is very disturbing to put it lightly. The American church is turning to false doctrine and choosing to embrace the health and wealth gospel instead of what Jesus intended. Our culture worships celebrities, sports figures, and the rich. It celebrates sin and immorality in television, music, and movies. Movies are manipulating our society towards violence, rage, hate, and lust. Pornography is now a billion dollar industry and growing. Evolution and human secularism are taught in most schools as fact without question. Drinking and pre-marital sex are acceptable lifestyles among teens. And that’s just a brief introduction..

What’s more earthquakes, hurricanes, and natural disasters are rampantly increasing lately. It seems like every day another one hits and there’s more devastation and heartbreak across the world. Politicians are more corrupt than ever, abusing their power and persuasion for evil. 300 to 400 million children are hungry, 2.6 billion people today make less than $2 a day, and 33 million people are infected with AIDS. The bad news is everywhere and it just seems overwhelming most of the time…

In my opinion, we are in the end times. Could I be wrong? Of course, but the evidence seems to be overwhelming. The Euro is the next step towards a one world currency and we’re already becoming a “global” community thanks to the internet. Israel is gaining more enemies by the day and the United States is on the brink of collapse morally, economically, and spiritually. The church is becoming more vulnerable to false teaching in the “cotton candy” theology and entertainment. Technology is creating huge barriers in our relationships and weakening communities, families, and friendships. Biblical illiteracy is now a huge problem here in America. Nuclear weapons are being created right under our noses. It doesn’t look good at all….

Fear tends to my first reaction to this but then I remember how the story ends. Love wins. Evil and death are defeated once and for all. God takes His rightful place and every knee and tongue shall profess He is Lord. But what should we do in the meantime while the inevitable is on our doorstep…should we just ignore it and act like everything is fine. Hide ourselves away cowering in fear and hope it passes over us. Or should we take action?…

When I see what’s going on around me it breaks my heart and at the same time angers me greatly. I’m angered at how justice isn’t rightly served here, but then I remember that’s God’s job—not mine. I also feel helpless to change anything and that gives me the impression not to care. But God has put in my heart a passion to love people and show them how lost they are—so I can’t just ignore what’s going on around me. Certain things are going to happen no matter what, but that doesn’t mean I should be happy about it! I am only one person, but if I want to see change in the world I have to BE THE CHANGE. And that should be your attitude as well. You can’t change the course of certain events from happening–judgment is coming upon the earth like it or not but that doesn’t mean we should sit back and do nothing. God has each of us here for a reason, to love people and bring them to Christ.

There’s still time. It doesn’t have to end just yet. All it takes is one conscious decision to do good and one act of love to set the wheels in motion… Stand up for what’s right. Voice your opinion. Give abundantly with a joyful heart. Don’t conform to the world’s standards. Flee from evil and the sinful desires of this world. Pray, pray, and pray some more! Pray for world leaders, pray for nations, pray for missionaries and relief organizations, pray for the church–PRAY!! … Choose to see the glass as half-full not half-empty. Don’t give up on people. Love your enemies. Never give up, keep the faith for a brighter future. The hourglass isn’t empty just yet…

I am sure there will be a day when every tear is wiped away, pain is a distant memory, and death is no more. Why, because God promised it and when God makes a promise HE ALWEAYS KEEPS IT! My prayer is that until that day comes we fulfill our mission here on earth to be the hands and feet of Christ radically loving people so when God’s promises are fulfilled we can all be there to take hold of the wonders and glory of Heaven!! The best is yet to come…Never forget this, the best is yet to come!!

Thanks for reading and God Bless.

–Kyle

October 29, 2010

I Am Sure that His Promises are Secure: My Future (Part 2 of 2)

“You hold the future in your hands
You know my dreams and you have a plan
And as you light my way, I’ll follow you

Jesus, savior, in my life you are everything
My future decided, I will praise your name
And I know that I am, I am yours
Yeah, I know that I am, I am yours” Hillsong United Lyrics

As I wrote yesterday in part 1 of this 2 part series, it’s been a very difficult year in many ways as I’ve struggled with staying patient waiting for God’s promises to come into fruition. I’ve dealt with extreme emotional pain, losing a loved one, difficult transitions, and unwelcome conflicts. Through it all, the burning questions remain: When are things going to get better? When will I finally be able to walk into the “promised land” that I’ve so longed for in my life? Is it ever going to happen or am I just delusional? There are five main areas that I want to address that I’ve struggled with. They are: my calling, my character, my career, my church, and my relationship with Christ.

Calling is a word that has surfaced a lot in my life lately. I didn’t think it applied to my life until “SHOUT IT” burst into the scene last spring. I had no intention of turning this two word, seven letter statement into my dream, ambition, mission statement, and life’s work. One thing turned into another and from it has sprung a unspeakable desire to minister to people through the internet telling them about Christ and His eternal truths from His Word. It has certainly been a rough ride, though, as getting feedback, comments, and people to interact has become a HUGE challenge. There are times where I ask myself: is all this effort, time, and hard work worth it? Does anyone even care? Along with this I’ve encountered numerous technical problems, many distractions, and just plain boredom with the project at times. Despite the difficulties, God keeps reassuring me that He has a dream for this project and that’s it’s far beyond anything I can imagine! I just have to take it one day at a time…

My character has always been something I’ve taken pride in. I’m perceived as a kind, gentle, and compassionate person by those who know me. Lately I’ve questioned if I’m really transforming into the image of Christ. Is being nice and polite to people good enough? Is putting on a smile on in public make a difference? The battle is between thinking too much of myself and thinking too little of myself. I often find myself thinking highly of myself because I don’t swear, drink, or involve myself in a lot of my peers problems. When things are going bad, it’s the exact opposite. I crave the attention, popularity, and fun they’re having; wondering why I feel so left out. I’ve begun to see that neither mindset is correct. I must be humble towards displaying my character but at the same time not be afraid to exhibit the character of Christ. It’s a constant struggle, but I’m a change in the making still under construction…

It hasn’t been a fun ride towards career success to this point in my life. Back in high school I figured by my mid-twenties I’d already be done with school and have my dream job. I think it’s safe to say I was wrong. There are many reasons I could give you on why I’m stuck working part-time for a job that I plain just don’t like. Lack of preparation, not studying what I loved, trying to fulfill others dreams for me, and yes even laziness are a few. When I got the idea to make “SHOUT IT” a full blown website and minister through the internet, everything started making sense. The idea of making web design my career of interest slowly began to come into the picture shortly after. It took awhile me to see that God was putting all the pieces together and that this was what I was meant to do. I’ve always had a love for computers from my Dad and always dreamed of having a job that involved computers and being creative. After 5 years of college going from major to major; web design is the final answer to the question of: what do I want to do with my life? This time I have no doubts whatsoever. Am I frustrated that it took this long to figure it out? You bet. Do I wish that I had been more prepared coming out of high school? No doubt. But despite this, I can’t change the past and for the first time since I started college, I know I’m on right path….

This next topic is by far the hardest one to write on. It’s about my church and the problems that have surfaced lately. For me this year has not been a downright horrible year with my church. It seems like every week more bad news comes out, poor decisions are made, and people are walking out the door for good. I’m frankly bored silly with the worship services and my spiritual growth is at a standstill. I feel completely left out, separated from the church in some ways, and I haven’t agreed with many of their decisions. I’ve seen and heard things that have been hard to take in. For the first time since I joined my church back in 1998, I really questioning whether I belong there. I don’t want to leave, trust me, but things don’t look good right now. For the time being I’ll pray about it, look over my options, and make sure that when a decision needs to be made on what to do; it’s the right one…

Lastly, my relationship with Christ has been all over the place this year. I’ve had weeks where I’ll totally on fire of Christ, and others where I can’t even bring myself to spend time with Him. I often left my circumstances dictate my walk with Christ. If things are going well then I’m in tune with God. When things are rough I drift away from Him. Over the past several months I’ve taken a hard look at my life and observed what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong. I set out to completely surrender everything to God not just bits and pieces that I feel comfortable with. That decision has been held off long enough and I’m “starting over” as the month of October closes. I want to have an relationship with Christ because I desire Him and want to be with Him. Not out of obligation, religious duty, or feeling good about myself. A fully surrendered life to Christ isn’t a once in a lifetime event, but a daily choice to each day take up your cross and follow Him. It’s time I started picking up mine….

These are just the five main areas I’ve been hit hard with this year, but there others as well. My friendships have encountered many obstacles, I’ve dealt with financial concerns, a longing to enter into a dating relationship, and the pain from dealing with loss. Through it all, I have to constantly remind myself that God is in control of my future and He has a plan for my life. His plans are much greater than my plans. He knows what’s best for me. The issue that comes into play is trust. Am I willing to trust in what He desires for my life, or instead turn to my own ways? It’s easy to let fear get in the way sometimes wondering why nothing seems to be changing. Patience is a virtue, but that doesn’t make it an easy trait to exhibit… that’s for sure. Through it all, I am reassured that I am His and that’s all that matters in the end. He’ll never let me go no matter what happens. My future is secure, nothing can keep me from Him. That makes my future a very bright one for there’s no greater road to travel on than the road that leads to Heaven! I pray that you’re on the road too, I promise you it’s a road well worth traveling!!

Thanks for reading and God Bless.

–Kyle

November 14, 2010

Failures, Frustrations, and Foundations to take Flight

“Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You there’s
Nothing I cannot do…

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me…
I wanna set the world on fire” Britt Nicole Lyrics

If you could put your mission statement for life in one statement, what would it be? That’s the question I pondered back in the summer of 2008. Then I got idea of putting that statement on my license plate and that meant it had to be just 7 letters long. From there, a series of events came one after another slowly drawing me to April 21, 2009 when I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to do something with my life! Not for myself but for God. His calling for my life began to open with that memorable day. The phrase, Shout It, repeated in my mind over and over again until the point where I could no longer ignore it. I had no idea what to do with this phrase, but I knew that night that God had something special in mind for it….

It happened so fast that I could barely take it in. A mere day later the idea to make an acrostic from the phrase, Shout It, came to my mind. It took just 2 hours of brainstorming to come up with the seven principles that still remain intact today: Stand Up, Holiness, Outrageous, Unite, Thankfulness, Integrity, and Tell Them. In the weeks to come, things kept getting larger. From the acrostic came a simple mission statement that composed of a half a page. It kept getting bigger and bigger as new and creative phrases and concepts jumped into my mind. Alliteration seemed fun and challenging–so I embraced the challenge of making everything follow a pattern for easy memory–and it’s stuck with me ever since. My half page turned into two full length pages…

Now what? That was the question I asked as the summer of 09 came to a close and my mission statement was complete. My license plate changed to SHOUT IT, but everyone was still in the dark on what this Shout It phrase was all about. It was at this exact same time that my interest in Web Design began to grow and from it sprung the radical concept of making “Shout It” a full blown website where I would write blogs covering the concepts in the mission statement…

The final big piece of the puzzle was on how to get this website off and running was when I saw the Truth Project at my church starting that fall(09). I began to see my faith in a whole new light and how critical it is to have a biblical worldview. Then the slogan for “Shout It” came to me one morning in early October: Know the Truth. Live the Truth. Everything seemed to fit perfectly–this simple concept matched my mission statement to the core and my motivation to launch my website grew immensely. On Saturday, November 14, 2009, I launched my website promoting it through Facebook with a simple blog about myself. Modest beginnings would follow…

The website www.shoutitforlife.com was now up and running! But getting people to read my blogs and coming back imposed a serious challenge. Facebook posts and e-mail seemed to be the logical answer. At the time I had a mere 70 Facebook friends; so I needed to get the ball moving on getting more friends. Today I’ve managed to increase my friend list to 450–so that’s helped out a lot. Also I needed to promote my website via a fan page, so I created one trying to reach people through that. It was then that I got my first dose of rejection. There was an underwhelming response to say the least….But I kept pushing myself forward, knowing God had guiding me every step of the way…

Over the next several months ideas for more distinct ministries began to formulate with Kaleidoscope, Profiles, the Manual, SPECIAL, and more recently Shout Out to the Silver Screen. I began set a specific time to work on my blogs and post them, a length for each blog, and a format. Every once and while someone would comment and encourage me to keep writing. Within the past few months, my best friend agreed to write weekly blogs on Glee, videos were finally added, along with pages, Facebook applets, and polls. In one year I’ve written an astounding 40 blogs–incredible!…

I’m already encountered numerous problems, challenges, and frustrations as along the way as well. Some have been technical– such as the my old and new servers switching back and forth, or formatting issues. Also I’ve had tons of setbacks as I’ve tackled many difficult issues this year. Busyness, boredom, or just plain writer’s block have been obstacles to overcome as well. The biggest challenge, no doubt, is getting people to CARE about what I’m doing. I can keep writing, throwing in new features, and promoting my website–but if no one cares, what’s the point?…

There has been several things I learned over the past year with my work on this website: 1)most people don’t like reading, especially blogs; our generation learns visually for the most part 2) there is always going to be people who don’t like to be bothered and will ignore you not matter what you do 3)getting feedback is like getting your teeth pulled–it’s painful and very hard! 4)writing blogs of this caliber is HARD work and challenging 5)making mistakes comes with the territory 6)I have to be careful to site my sources, giving credit where it’s due, 7)proofreading is a must! 8)for every big dream, comes small beginnings….

It’s year two of SHOUT IT Ministries and I’m not holding myself back one bit. I’m giving my website a fresh, new, and improved look along with a fancy logo and header. I’m also working on making a much improved weekly newsletter for e-mails, getting both the Manual and SPECIAL Ministries finally off the ground, introducing and launching an exciting ministry called Shout Out to the Silver Screen in the late spring of 2011, finding new applets and features to put on my website, and writing blogs on exciting topics such as worship, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Bible next year. Year one was a time to set foundations in order to take flight for this incredible dream that God has given me to fulfill! There’s goals to be set, obstacles to tackle, and work to be done–I want to set the world on fire!! For more on how SHOUT IT came about, read a blog I wrote almost one year ago today on November 20 of 2009:

http://shoutitforlife.com/2009/11/20/shout-it-a-short-simple-seven-letter-statement/

Thanks for reading and God Bless.

–Kyle

December 31, 2010

Waiting for My World of Winter to Wash Away

“I’m waiting for the world to fall
I’m waiting for the scene to change
I’m waiting when the colors come
I’m waiting to let my world come undone” Jars of Clay Lyrics

“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens…” Ecclesiastes 3:1

I’m in the process of reading a lot of new books with Christmas just behind me and the New Year only a few hours from beginning(which is nothing new for me!) A few books have really caught my eye lately and one is a book called, Spiritual Rhythm by Mark Buchanan. In goes in depth to explaining the “seasons” of the soul. Just like there are four seasons to a year on the calendar; we spiritually encounter four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. I’ve experienced all four seasons at different times in my life, but now I’m stuck in a cold, dark, dull, long winter. No, I’m not talking about the weather outside(although it mirrors my life right now), but instead what I’m experienced throughout my daily life over the past few years….

2010 was a year met with many high expectations going in and high, awe-inspiring dreams that I wanted to accomplish. What I got was a year filled with emotional pain, heartbreak, frustrations, failures, difficult changes, and a strong dose of rejection. It was the “year of the extreme”. Everything seemed to be over the top—either really good or really bad. I experienced things I’ve never gone through before and faced incredibly difficult situations. There were some days were I lost my sense of reason. Is this real? I would ask. Could this all be just a nightmare and I can just wake up from it? It was real and this is the new reality I’m faced with. It’s been one long winter….

It’s not just been 2010 that’s been difficult. The past several years since 2005 have tested me in every way. I’ve come a long ways since then and I’m still in some ways paying for the mistakes I made back then. Just like C. S. Lewis’ Narnia was caught in a 100 year winter without Christmas; I can’t quite seem to get to spring again. The joy and wonder of life lasts for but a brief moment then flickers away. It’s like searching for needle in a haystack–the search for it has left me bruised, beaten, and broken….

Not everything in 2010 was necessarily bad though. I did do a lot of establishing and foundation building this year. I also pursued some very lofty goals such as seeing Hillsong United live, going to Walt Disney World, finding my calling in life, and I took a few bold risks that I’ve never taken before. Spiritual growth is something I always look for at the end of the year, and I believe I made significant progress this year. Still I can’t help but wonder when the pieces of the puzzle will finally start to fit…

Along with Spiritual Rhythm, a book titled Visioneering by Andy Stanley really has blown me away. The title was catchy so I gave it a try and read it. It was the exact message I needed to hear and has really inspired me going into the new year of 2011. I’ve never been shy of setting goals and expectations for myself, but attaining them has always been difficult. Why? Because they’re vague, unfocused, and lacking a clear purpose. What I need is vision. Not just in the large areas of my life such as my walk with God, my website, or job–but every single area needs a crystal clear vision. Andy goes through the entire book of Nehemiah in the Bible detailing on how a vision is fulfilled from beginning to end. Now I realize how vital it is to do the same. Along with vision, I’m focusing in on two more principles for the year…

I’m hesitant to make this public, but I feel like I must. Recently I recommitted my life to Christ after a long struggle with keeping certain areas of my life from Him. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant experience to say the least. Was it necessary? No doubt about it. I began to see how dependant I must be for Christ when I took a trip by myself to Philadelphia to see Hillsong United. It was very nerve wrecking! (You can read about it in my article: The Starting Point of my Surrender on April 21, 2010). Then I went through all kinds of trials and tribulations throughout the summer capping off with my Grandma passing away in August. It was then that I set off to evaluate my life and give up the things that I’ve clung to. Going into the new year I am determined to continue to “remember surrender” as Sara Groves put it; living each day denying myself and living completely on fire for Christ…

Finally, I believe along with vision and being broken I need a strong sense of conviction for everything I do. Because without conviction there is no purpose and meaning behind what I’m doing. There must be an underlining reason to take the course I’m taking and that’s why conviction is of the upmost of importance. With conviction there will no longer be any regrets to be found; I know I’m doing what’s right…

“Broken with Vision and Conviction in 2011″ is my slogan for next year, but I don’t want it to sound like I’ve got it all figured out. On the contrary I’m still searching for many answers in my life. I continue to experience many setbacks and struggles along the way. There’s a lot of unknowns heading into next year and my natural reaction is fear. What if it’s worse than this year? Can I go through another year like this one? Why God must I wait and wait for your promises? Why does life seem so easy to some people? These questions penetrate me to the core, but I realize that more than ever before God wants me to trust Him and that’s become a major key point in my life right now…

I’m going into 2011 with a cautious optimism. There are a lot of things out of my control on whether it’s going to be another bad year or a good one. That being said I do have a say on how I’ll react to it. I have the choice of complaining and wallowing in self pity because my life is so unfair, or I can draw closer to God thanking Him for the simple things in life that I’ve often overlooked. By writing one entry per day, titled “My Appreciation Proclamation” this year on Facebook I have begun to see how incredibly blessed I am. It was a challenge but I am so glad that I committed to it and finished what I set out to do a year ago…

Spring still seems a long ways off, but the hope of a brighter, more colorful world keeps me moving forward. The wait has been long–very long–but as Solomon tells us there is a season for everything. A time for pain and healing and a time of laugher and joy. A time to build and a time to tear down…And so on. God has put me through this difficult time for a very specific reason and I’m so grateful there is a plan and grand purpose behind it. Would I like everything to make sense and come together? Of course. But that wouldn’t be faith–just sight. Patience is more than just a virtue—it’s a way of life that is vital to grow in our faith. So I choose to wait despite how hard it may be. I’ll be ready for whatever God brings my way and until then, I’m waiting for my world to fall.

Thanks for reading. Have a Happy New Year!!

~Kyle