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Aug. 28th, 2007 @ 11:48 am UPDATE!!!
Finally I get a chance to update!  Right now I'm sitting in registration at the Bible college, taking the day off from work.  I'm here, once again, taking pictures for the Bible college.  This will be my first senior year, first of two.  I'm praying about next summer, what I will do for my missions and Biblical studies practicum.  Should I do them both together?  Should I do my Biblical studies sometime during these two semesters?  Where should I do my missions practicum?  I'm really considering doing a couple blitzes to Denver, CO sometime this summer with Pastor Moses Baldwin from Largo, FL.  But I'm open to whereever God may lead me to for next summer.  

But anyway enough about that.  I'm posting pictures today about Dan Ireton and Tammy Graf's wedding!  Dan and I are good friends because he lived in our house for 5 years.  I was asked by the bride to be the photographer, but her wedding planner also hired a photographer.  I really enjoyed the experience, and now I can say I photographed a wedding.  I had a lot of fun doing it, and I had just bought a new lens for my camera just for this wedding.  It produced such great pictures, especially since it was outside while it was still light out.  I love natural light photos so much better then flash photos.  I couldn't imagine photographing an indoor wedding unless it was well lit.  Anyway, so here it is:



Here are the Groomsmen with the groom.  Yes he is wearing sandles.  The wedding took place in a ranch up in Northern Maryland.  



Here's the happy newly weds.  



Here's the gazebo where the wedding took place.  It was right next to a horse training track.  It was a nice touch to have a horse and rider trot by every once in a while.  



Pastor Johnson (background) was the main speaker.  Pastor Andrulonis was the MC. Pastor Jason Moore did the communion.  Pastor Schaller did the vows and presentation.  





Here's the father giving the bride away with the bridesmaids in the background. 

 

You can guess what moment this one is during the wedding ceremony. 



Then here's the tired, hungry photographer after a day of photographing only running on a BLT in the tank that I had for breakfast.  I took about 500+ pictures that day from 5:30pm to 10:30pm.  I really liked the ranch locale for the wedding.  The bride even rode in on a horse drawn carriage.  Well, I hope you all enjoyed the pictures.  I'll take the time, probably Thursday, to post some pictures of convention.  So God bless you all and I hope you have a great week!

In Christ,

Josh
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down these halls
Aug. 5th, 2007 @ 10:24 pm (no subject)

Wow it has been ages since I've posted on here, or posted any pictures.  In a nutshell, I've been working, and also driving (I have my drivers license now) so I don't have to get rides everywhere I go.  This weekend I'll be taking pictures at a wedding as an official wedding photographer.  It'll be the first time I'm doing it.  I've taken pictures at plenty of weddings, just not as 'the photographer'.  I've been checking out some online photos to get ideas for poses and arrangements.  It'll be the wedding of Daniel Ireton and Tammy Graf.  I even bought a new lens to help me take better quality pictures. 

Since I last updated about my personal life I've:
got a driver's license
been to NH for a wedding
Grown my hair out long and curly (almost fro-like), and cut it short again
attended our international convention (and had 4 amazing Hungarians over for food and a swim)
and worked full time

Lately I've been building my own desktop computer part by part.  To keep my time during the summer, I've been reading, going on outreach on Saturdays, and men's discipleship at Bertucci's on Monday.  The rest of my time is filled with hanging out with friends, doing different hobbies and projects, and also helping my mom do her annual summer house renovation project.  This year we changed our living and dining room floors from rug to wood due to our huge black german shepherd we have who is less than a year old and likes to tear rugs apart and poop on them.  

All in all it's been a pretty quiet summer.  No love interests, no crazy adventures, I even missed my summer vacation to Maine.  I mean, not that I'll be disclosing much information about future love interests anyway.  I learned my lesson the first time.  

I hope to be posting more thoughts in the very near future, and catching up on some pictures that I should have posted months ago.  God bless you all!

In Christ,

Josh


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Jul. 1st, 2007 @ 01:42 pm Blessed be His name
Here's another thought for you.  Job 1:21 Job says, "Naked I entered the womb, and naked I shall return.  The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away..."  Many times we find ourselves getting something in our lives that makes us very happy.  We thank God for it every time we pray. It could be a car.  It could be a friend, or a loved one.  I could be some material possession, or job position.  It could be a girl friend, or for women, a boy friend.  It could be a great many things.  We thank God for them, and they make us very happy.  Then God takes away that source of happiness.  Your girlfriend breaks up with you.  God takes that loved one home.  You lose your job.  Your car breaks down.  Happiness turns to depression.  Love turns into bitterness.  Thanks turns into emptiness.  We don't know how to function without that thing.  We got so used to thanking him for that thing, now that it's gone, we think of it, and it brings pain.  

But Job had a secret.  Job knew how to thank God.  He didn't live in circumstantial happiness, only thanking God for his circumstances, though there's nothing wrong with thanking God for what you have.  But Job blessed God's name.  He thanked God for His name, which means His character, and His nature.  Job was dwelling on the character of God, and the nature of God, and that blessed him.  That's what he thanked God for, and it's the source of our joy.  Joy doesn't depend on what's happening around us, but joy is found inside of us.  The Lord gave my children, and the Lord took them all away.  The Lord gave my cattle, and the Lord took them all away.  The name of the Lord is worthy of our praise Ps 7:17.  The name of the Lord is what we trust in Ps 20:7. The name of the Lord is our help Ps 124:8.  The name of the Lord is a strong tower Prov 18:10. The name of the Lord brings salvation Acts 2:21.  We thank Him and praise Him for His name, and that gives us strength in joy through our problems.  

In Christ,

Josh
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Jul. 1st, 2007 @ 12:22 pm Forgiveness and sacrifice
Forgiveness takes sacrifice. Let's say I'm wronged by someone, and in the flesh I say I forgive them.  Then later on, I remember that person, or I see that person again.  Then the first thing that comes to my mind is what they did to me.  I look at them imputing their sin to them.  I tell myself, "What a jerk that person was.  Man, they were such a jerk.  Wait, I forgave them of this offence.  Why do I still impute it to them?"  Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins Heb 9:22.  Forgiveness, true forgiveness, can only be found in the cross.  The cross of Jesus Christ is the lone originator and source of true forgiveness.  We can't find true forgiveness outside of the cross.  We can excuse people of their sin, but then we put them under probation, and we don't really let the blood cleanse our memory through the power of the Holy Spirit and fearing the Lord.  

First we need to apply the cross to ourselves.  We see trust in the forgiveness of God, and beleive in Christ's death on the cross and what that cross did.  God has forgiven me of every single sin I have ever committed, am committing, and ever will commit.  I am perfect in His sight, once and for all because the resurrected Lord is in me, and I was in Him on the cross.  So now I am willing to forgive that person as Christ has forgiven me, because I've brought my self-life to the cross.  I have given up my right to be wounded, and I have given up my right to impute sin to people because I have gone to the cross.  The cross was the place where Christ gave up that right and eternally decreed love instead.  He eternally decreed that mercy would rejoice against judgment, and that decree cannot change.  So if I want to truly forgive someone, I have to go to the cross.  

Second, we apply the cross to them.  We see them through the cross.  We see Christ in them.  If they are unsaved, then we see Christ crucified towards them 1 Cor 2:2.  We don't judge them.  We don't remember their sins.  We don't talk about them behind their backs.  Christ was crucified for every sin, past, present, and future.  Do you grasp that sentence I just said?  Repeat it, think about it.  Say it to yourself and think about the gravity of every word in that sentence.  Think it in application to yourself.  Think it in application to others.  We forgive others even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us Eph 4:32.  With God, and even so with us, the basis of forgiveness is the cross, and the cross paid for it all.  

In Christ,

Josh
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Jun. 13th, 2007 @ 09:33 pm Right now
Today, right now, all things are possible.  Today, this very minute, God's abundant grace is available to me.  Right now is reality.  The past cannot be changed, it can only be forgotten.  The future doesn't exist yet, except in the mind of God. So for me to live in anxiety or guilt is a complete waste of time.  Right now grace is real.  Reality is God and I this very moment.  This very moment, God is imputing and imparting His righteousness to me.  This very moment, His love is unconditional and continuously poured out towards me.  My experience doesnt matter, what has happened in the past doesn't matter, my natural dispositions in the flesh doesn't matter, how I feel doesn't matter.  All that matters is me being the object of God's amazing grace right now.  This very moment your past is gone, washed away by the blood.  The cross was 2000 years ago, but it was an eternal moment in time that even now has cleansed me of my sin, and forever more.  And if I confess it to God, He will even cleanse my conscience of it.  

Living in yesterday, living in wounds, living in bitterness, living as one who imputes sin to others, it is all a waste for the past cannot be changed, and it doesn't matter any more thanks to the blood of Christ.  If there is any kind of problem in a relationship, chances are it's because you are imputing sin to other people.  Right now they are forgiven, right now you are forgiven, why bother live in anything less then God's promises towards you right now in faith?  

Right now He has all power, dominion, and glory.  Right now we are sons of God.  Right now we are His people.  Right now we have obtained His mercy.  Right now He is risen.  Right now all spiritual gifts and blessings are available to us, and God is not a man that He can lie.  Right now His Spirit is available to fill us and guide us even if we have grieved it, thanks to His mercy and rebound.  How can two walk together lest they be agreed?  Well right now God is here, and I'm going to agree with every word in this Book, without hesitation or self-preservation.  Right now there is a new nature and a new heart and a new mind.  Right now may it be as He has said.  

Do you feel forsaken?  Do you feel beyond God's forgiveness or grace?  Do you feel anxious or depressed?  Do you feel aimless and confused?  Right now all it takes is a simple decision of the will to agree with the mind of God, which exists in eternity, right now.  Eternity won't reach for us in the future, it won't reach for us in the past.  It reaches for us in the instant of right now, because reality only exists this very minute.  And reality is the objective Word of God, which has made up its mind to never change one dot or tiddle, manifested in His promises, revealing His nature towards me as the source for me to give love through me, and to live in engraved faith responses in our hearts and not in natural reactions of the flesh.  

In Christ,

Josh
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Jun. 12th, 2007 @ 09:57 pm (no subject)

Well, it's been a while since I've posted.  A lot has happened, and I won't go too much into it. Sorry that I haven't posted much lately, or posted any pictures for that matter.  I've been working and going to church, outreach, and Bible studies.  I had a great time with graduation weekend, and I have plenty of pictures from the Grace Hour Banquet, and graduation from the end of May, but I think I still have yet to post those Shane and Shane concert photos from the end of April.  

It feels like I'm in a state of spiritual limbo.  Just waiting on God, going through the mundane motions of every day, seeing what my next step will be.  I've been feeling more and more a realization of the complete depravity of my heart.  And along with it, God has been revealing Himself more and more, and removing piece by piece anything or anyone that I can run to but Him.  I need to cleave to Him.  I have friends and they are great and selfless, and love me very much through God's love, but I haven't had the presence of a really close friend (outside of relatives) for a little while now.  I have friends that are there for me, but I'd like one that I can fellowship every day, and that position is really one only God can fill.  And God has been drawing me that He'd fill that empty place in my heart.  Sometimes my faith feels empty, and my hearing becomes dull, my love for others is dry, but then God just takes the axe to it with positional truth, His nature, and the cross of Calvary.  Then He stirs up my heart in faith, and I become energized in that truth.  

Sometimes the greatest remedy to cycles of moods, or faithlessness especially in the morning is to simply thank God.  To change your mind and have an expectation on God that He is faithful and that salvation belongs to Him.  I know God will give me an amazing day because I'm His child, and a priest, and I am made to receive from Him.  We are objects of His love, and should we let that love become internalized, then we behold the love, and dwell in it, and it dwells in us, then it flows from us to others without having to find something lovely or desirable about them.  After all what did we have within ourselves that was desirable to God when He first loved us? Nothing.  It's quite the illumination that there is nothing in us that is desirable, and if we are honest with ourselves we can quite easily understand why.  It's so easy to live in Romans 7, where we do what we shouldn't and don't do what we should.  It's so easy to realize that there is nothing our evil hearts aren't capable of, and the only cure for it, for the entire human race, with all of our equally depraved hearts, is Jesus Christ.  Our hearts are just as depraved as the next man.  I may not have turned into some sociopath, or drug addict, or fornicator, but my heart is just as depraved as those who commit those sins.  The only difference between me and them is grace.  They embrace their depravity, while I see that I need to embrace grace thanks to the renewed mind God gave me at salvation. 

There is beauty for ashes.  There is joy in the morning.  Christ didn't stay in the grave.  There is a Romans 8 after Romans 7.  There is a Second Adam to replace the first.  There is forgiveness for guilt.  There is a freedom that replaces the bondage.  There is an everlasting mercy.  There is a melody of victory as our marching song in battle.

In Christ,

Josh

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May. 23rd, 2007 @ 06:40 pm Hope in the Lord!
I really liked [info]reflected_light 's journal entry.  I've been thinking on hoping in the Lord.  Often we lose our hope in Him and He wishes to bless us, but we don't trust Him or His promises.  So He's still free to bless us in circumstances, but in personal delivery, our experience doesn't match up with our position because we don't believe, and our hope is not in the Lord.  Here's some verses for you to ponder on.  

Ps 31:24

"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." 

Ps 33:18
 

"Behold, the eye of the
LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;"

Ps 38:15

"For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God."

Ps 71:5

"For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth."

Ps 130:5

"I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."

Ps 130:7 "Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption."

Ps 146:5

"Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:"

Jer 17:7

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is."

Lam 3:26

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."

1 Thes 2:19

"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?"

1 Peter 1:3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"


I've been hoping to really sit down and do a study on it, but as it is I have to make up a bunch of homework, even though it's the week after school is over.  But today, I beleive, they printed out all 150 yearbooks, so they should be done and no longer a concern for me, except for binding them on Friday.  Well I hope all of you enjoyed these verses, and I hope they helped you.  God bless!

In Christ,

Josh

 

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May. 20th, 2007 @ 11:10 pm It's amazing...
It's amazing how easy it is to lose sight of the real issues of life.  It's amazing how far down in the pit of despair we allow ourselves to go before we open our hardened hearing to the relentless voice of God's love.  It's amazing how long we can try to please God without faith, or follow God without His life.  It's amazing how much we can let bitterness infect our souls before we remember how love redeemed us.  How far can bitterness really go when standing at the foot of the cross?  It tries to say, "I've been wro..." just to have it's eyes lift and behold Perfect Love hanging before it.  It tries to say, "I don't want to forgi..." just to be interrupted by Christ saying, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do."  Then it tries to say, "But I it's my right to be ma..." right when it notices that its own sins have been washed away, and so has the person's sins who's the object of the bitterness.  Has their wrong towards you really been so bad?  Have you not committed worse sins then thier offense towards you at some point or another?  I think everyone can say, who am I to judge?  Every one of my sins, not dependent upon size, scope, or consequence, has been met by God with mercy.  Why should I meet someone else's sin with judgment?  Some people say that kind of thinking is just a cop-out for holding people responsible.  Well what about you who think like this?  If God should mark iniquities, could you stand? If God held you responsible for even one of your sins, what would happen?  If His blood didn't cover it all, how could you get rid of the guilt or the death sentence that hangs upon just one sin?  

Bitterness is born from bearing an offense without receiving God's loving nature.  And many times it's an offense created by our own subjective view point, instead of seeing the real issues of God's heart.  When we truly start to discover the reality of God's love, we find ourselves being patient and kind in return for the hypocrisy of others.  We find ourselves not envying or thinking ourselves better then others when they don't do what you think is right.  God is jealous over us.  What is the difference between jealousy and envy?  I think envy is that I want something that belongs to someoneelse that is not mine.  Jealousy is when something else is taking away from me someone or something I have my affections upon.  He has put His compassion upon us, along with forgiveness, and redemption, and when other things take me away from Him, He becomes jealous. But His jealousy is not guided by the rage of the moment, but it's guided by His never changing character.  If a woman takes me away from God, He would become jealous of me. He would rather that I not be taken away from Him, but to rather spread to that woman the love that comes from the overflow of love I receive from Him.  It is the better way, for my love fails, but God's love never fails.  My love leaves room for bitterness, but God's love is the cross and is found in what came from that cross. 

In Christ,

Josh
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May. 14th, 2007 @ 08:04 pm Accomplishment!

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  I've been working night and day on the yearbook.  I practically sat in the computer room all Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (alone most of the time) to get the yearbook done.  Well I was able to finish it around 3:30 this morning, and got it to Sue May in the print shop at 9.  So I'm running right now on 3 1/2 hours of sleep yet it feels like I slept 8 hours.  It's so weird how awake I am, even without any caffeine.  So the yearbook is done for the most part.  I still have to iron out all the kinks with the printshop so that they can print it out correctly.  Then I have to scan the proofs to make sure there were no spelling mistakes.  Then I have to bill the advertisers (which I'll probably delegate to someone else). And then when the covers come (which will be the day before graduation, when we need them by), I'll have a little assembly party.  The reason I'm getting it done so late is because this is the first year that we're printing it in house.  It's also the first year that it's in color, and believe me it's ALL color.  But it's done now.  No more taking pictures every 3 seconds.  No more hunting down people for articles.  No more staring at a computer screen for hours figuring out what picture goes where, and what colors match.  No more meetings.  It's complete.  THANK GOD!!!  It's always a joyful experience, and it's so much fun to see how God is faithful to come through for you, but at the same time, it can get a little tiring to stare at a computer for hours on end, and run around all day hunting down people.  

But it really takes God to get all those people to cooperate, and it takes God to have all these things I need to do occur to me right when I need them to, and it takes God to have all these details swirling around in my head and not get overwhelmed, and it takes God to get me a great new camera to improve the picture quality, and it takes God to stay up till 3 am and be wide awake the next morning without chemical aid.  It really takes God, there's no question about it. 

But since I've spent the past 3 weeks intensely working on the yearbook, I need God to help me in the realm of my studies.  So if you feel so led to mention me in your prayers, I haven't been able to study for a single thing, and I'm 2 weeks back logged in my homework, and this week is finals.  Pastor Hadley said he can help me by requesting of the teachers additional time to take my exams.

I'll eventually post those pictures of the Shane and Shane concert so please be patient with me.  Well, God bless you all, and I hope you have a great week drawing near to God. 

In Christ,

Josh

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May. 4th, 2007 @ 05:16 pm >:-/
Current Mood: annoyed

Oh my Lord, it just did it again.  I typed out this whole thing on the Shane and Shane concert, pictures and everything, and my computer decided to delete it all.   Well anyway, I'm not going to type all that again any time tonight. Please pray for me as I'm trying to get the yearbook done by the end of next week. Pray that God would give me peace and wisdom, and help to get everything in on time so we can plug it all in and have an amazing yearbook this year.  God bless you all!

In Christ,

Josh

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Apr. 22nd, 2007 @ 01:18 pm Shane and Shane
http://isite1981.intellisite.com/files/concert/Concert1.html

Apr 30 20077:00P
Maryland Bible CollegeBaltimore, Maryland
 THAT'S RIGHT!  Shane and Shane are coming to MBC&S!!!  :-D

In Christ,

Josh
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Apr. 13th, 2007 @ 05:29 pm Spring

Well it's definitely spring time.  There are about 5 couples that have announced they are getting married in the Bible college in the past month.  Two couples are good friends of mine: Dan Ireton and Tammy Graf, and Billy Flemming and Jenny Colindres.  And everyone and their uncle are finding themselves boyfriends and girlfriends, and starting to date.  It's like a stampede.  Well I'm just going to keep following God and keep praying for the Bible College and all those in it, like we all should.  I'll especially pray for those seeking relationships, that they have the right motives and the leading of God.  People can get so caught up in it and forget how God has called them to something eternal.  There are things according to my convictions that make someone qualified to have a relationship, and sometimes one of the greatest things people lack is maturity.  They aren't patient with God to let Him break them and transform them and they jump into something and their eyes are completely off of God.  It's a big trap in relationships, and people should wait until they are mature enough so that the relationship isn't a distraction to them, but they're following after God and obeying God's will. 

I'm not a relationship policeman.  I'm not going to point my finger at a couple and say, "they're not in God's will!"  I have no idea.  I don't disapprove of relationships, or think negatively about them.  They are from God and are apart of God's perfect will for most people's lives. It's just that there's man's way of having a relationship and there's God's way.   I'm just going to live in Godly wisdom for myself, and if someone reads this and the shoe fits, then wear it.  I know that a relationship would probably distract me during my time in Bible college.  I don't know if I'm ready yet.  God has been transforming me and teaching me amazing truths, and I long to grow in my personal relationship with Him.  I have enough things trying to distract me between the world, the flesh, and the devil that I don't need a woman to be thrown in the mix.  I want to just follow after God, and I'm sure He'll give me a wife in His timing.  But I'm not going to seek one.  I'm going to seek God.  I want God to develop in me a single focused eye for Him, regardless if I'm married or not.  I'd rather wait for God to make me an overcomer first so that my marriage is not a battle field, or a marriage caught up in a temporal value system, but a marriage on fire with the Holy Spirit as tool of the Lord!  That's my heart's desire on the subject!  Give me a marriage that is infused with an eternal value system!  But while I'm single, I also want a singlehood that's infused with an eternal value system. You get a couple that has an eternal value system, and the devil can't touch them.  You get just one person in a marriage with an eternal value system and they're such overcomers, their names are curse-words to the kingdom of hell.  Why?  Because the kingdom of God works mightily through those who set their affections on things above and seek first the kingdom of God. They don't get offended by their partner.  They are forgiving and have a thankful heart.  They do things God's way, and go through the cross, and live in resurrection life, where it is not them but Christ who lives within them.   

See in a temporal value system, I find a girl and start initiating to her because I'm trying to fulfill a need.  I think I have a need, so I'm driven to fulfill it.  Perhaps I need to feel significant, so I find a woman who will appreciate me because she has a need in that she wants to be loved.  So I pretend to love her as long as she fulfills my need in my ego, but when she doesn't I have a big problem.  Or I could be driven by my libidos and I want to have a wife so I can have sex, and then if she isn't compatible with me, I go and commit adultery because she isn't fulfilling my needs.  I need material things, so I'm driven for that. I need people to give me recognition, so I strive to get that.  I need to have power, so I go on a power trip and treat everyone who loves me like trash.  In a temporal value system, it is just, I, I, I, and no Christ. I need to sublimate, so I go to the world.  In an eternal value system, I don't need to feel significant, and she isn't driven by some need for love because we both find our significance and our love in the God Head and we are led by the purpose of God, and not driven by a need.  When the Lord is my Shepherd, my rock, my fortress, my shield, my strength, my provider, and my God, I'm not motivated by some lust to want something, call it a need, and then seek after it in the power of the flesh!  In the temporal value system, if a person's "need" isn't met then their whole world falls apart.  But a person who has an eternal value system can have someone fail them or offend them and keep on going with God, filled with the joy of the Lord, not living in the past, but being secure in Christ.  

In Christ,

Josh

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Apr. 11th, 2007 @ 10:22 pm (no subject)
This has to be one of my favorite verses, and I think I've posted about it before, but God always makes it fresh for me and brings it to remembrance in seasons when I need it.  

Ps. 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the Heathen, I will be exalted in the Earth."

Just read that once again.  Then read it slowly out loud.  But don't just read it, but confess it to yourself and to the air.  

Be still.  Quiet yourself and let the grace and faithfulness of God arrest you.  Remember how He is the faithful one and all things work together for your good.  Let His peace flood your heart, and don't accept any other thought in your head, but actively dwell upon Him.  Listen for His still small voice. Cast your cares upon Him for He has always been faithful.  Know that He is God.  Remember that He is your loving Father.  He is sovereign, the highest, to Whom nothing can contend.  Think about who God is. Think about what God has done.  Think about who He has made you to be, and what He bestows upon you.  You know what I think about that fits all those thoughts?  Righteous or righteousness.  He is God who is righteous, has dealt with us righteously, and has made us His righteousness through dying on the cross.  He bestows upon us perfect righteousness, and the ability to live righteously through the cross.  

Be still in your trials and tribulations.  Know that He is God.  Be fully persuaded, believing that God is in control, and that He has your provision that He will give you in His perfect timing, or sometimes whenever we're finally willing to accept it.  Also know that He is God in the sense that there are no others beside Him.  He alone is worthy of our worship (what we concentrate on and value the most in our hearts and minds).  

So whether in troubling times, whether in a time of prayer or worship, or whether we are backsliding and falling away; be still and know that He is God.  If you are backsliding, please repent.  The Bible says he who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God.  Forget I ever said it, it's right there in the Bible James 4:4.  God is not out to punish you or police you, but He does control the consequences of sin, not you.   He does discipline and then chastize His children if they don't repent.  He does it in love that His children would come back to Him.  Don't go out with worldly friends, don't try to live as a friend of the world and a friend of God.  It doesn't work.  You will eventually forsake God and your calling like Demas who loved the world and forsook Paul.  Don't love the world.  Its whole system is controled by Satan who is the god of it.  It is not your friend.  It destroys people by counterfeiting the things of God with things that will feed your flesh.  So people start drinking, smoking, getting into drugs, falling into sexual sins, getting bloated in their ego, needing materialism, needing sublimation, and following after whatever lust floats across the stage of their mind.  Gal 6:8 says that if you sow to the flesh you will reap corruption.  If you want to live righteously and actually grow and have victory, it will never come while you are still befriending the world because the mind that is in the world is counterfiet to God's mind and will cause you to stumble, and not to go forward in grace momentum (Continually making right decisions according to the word of God through the Holy Spirit's leading that helps develop Christ's nature in you).  The world system is satan's tool to stumble grace momentum in your life.  The devil uses the world to feed your flesh, and that is the reality of this world.  Don't be a friend of the world, thinking nice things of the world, but be still and know that He is God.  He will be exalted among the heathen. He will be exalted among the Earth.  Not 6 hours of TV, video games, and movies every day.  The fellowship and intimacy we have in God is experienced by grace in prayer, study, and ministering, not in the counterfeit intimacy of the world with its sentimental, self-serving, self-gratifying love.  HE will be exalted among the earth!  Love God, not the world!  We love Him for He first loved us. The world doesn't love you!  It only loves those who can give it something, and as soon as that service is gone, that person is worthless to it.  

So be still and know that He is God.  Be arrested by His grace and faithfulness.  God bless you all!

In Christ,

Josh
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Apr. 9th, 2007 @ 06:03 pm Capacity
Wow.  God is really stretching my capacity this week.  And it's only Monday.  Putting down Noah (my littlest dog) was so difficult.  But he couldn't live the way he was living.  I cried so hard.  See I'm the dog caretaker in the house.  So for the past 6 years that we've had this dog, I've fed this dog, walked this dog, cleaned up after this dog, disciplined this dog, and for the past 2 weeks helped this dog as he was dying.  He was the littlest of the bunch, and always pushed around by the other dogs, but I always took care to give attention to him even when the other dogs pushed him away.  He was also the most playful and energetic of the bunch.  I'll miss him.  I'll probably accidentally still call his name when I'm letting the dogs outside.  So brought him to the vet and they said there was nothing they could do for him, so I stayed there with him as they put him to sleep.  Thankfully my brother and sister in law were there with me, and they brought plenty of tissues. Ok, I gotta stop talking about it or I'll lose my composure again.  

But God also has been helping my health, which has been bad the past week.  And He helped me resolve a problem with a friend of mine.  I didn't know how to react to them when they exploded at me for nothing, so I went to God and God helped me just be very apologetic and just to take the blame on myself.   It was a much better response then the ones I intended to give, such as exploding at them or wallowing in frustration and self-pity for all the stuff that's been happening in my life.  So I'm really thankful about that.  

I've just felt really comforted by God in all this.  I know God loves me and I just want to really draw near to Him, and that He'd draw near to me.  He called me to be in this pressure on every side, though the pressures may not be catastrophic, but He has a perfect plan for it all.  He is the faithful One.  Amen.  

In Christ,

Josh
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Apr. 9th, 2007 @ 07:34 am (no subject)
Hope you all had a happy Easter! Please pray for me. This morning I have to put one of my dogs down. I'm going to bring him in sometime this morning. It's kind of difficult cause he's the smallest of the dogs who all my nephews and nieces love to play with the most, and he's been in the family for 6-7 years. Something tells me he wouldn't last the day anyway. He's all bloated because his organs are failing because of his pinched nerve, and he's in so much pain. It's his time. Sorry, I don't want to depress you all, but just to say please pray for me cause I need grace to get through the day without being all depressed.  Thanks!

In Christ,

Josh 
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Apr. 7th, 2007 @ 03:00 pm Prayer Requests abound
By the way, my dog's health has gone down hill again.  He's not responding to the medication.  It looks like we may have to put him down on Monday, but I'm still praying that God will heal him among other things.  

Also this is the last day of the Easter play here in Baltimore, so please pray for it.  For souls.  

This will be a very busy month for the college, so please pray for every little detail.  Especially with the graduation and the yearbook.  Pray for the students.  Pray for the presence of the Spirit dwelling heavily upon the college.  

God bless you all and have a great Easter!

In Christ,

Josh
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Apr. 6th, 2007 @ 11:16 pm (no subject)
I don't blame God for my problems, I seek God in my problems.  

How can I think that I can move mountains if I don't believe God can?  

God isn't just a being, but He's a person who I can personally fellowship with. 

The best thing I can do with the details of my life is to give them to God.  

Those were just some one liners God gave me.  But here's a thought for you though here on good Friday...

So often in our Christian lives we can learn much doctrine, and learn about how we should live, the life and power that we have in Christ, how we can overcome the devil and sinful tendencies/natural dispositions in our lives.  It's what we're called to and we learn doctrine in season and out of season, but I can spend so much time in the epistles and with the life of Jesus, and never really dwell upon that day.  The day Jesus died on the literal cross.   What did it mean?  There were many reasons why He did it, and I’ll go into those, but it’s good to remember that He really did go.  That Jesus in a human body suffered incredible pain, and death, and that He did it by His own choice.  He chose to submit to the will of the Father and let this happen to Him.  
The crucifixion was two fold, His punishment before the cross, and then finally His death on the cross.  The Father wanted both.  God showed His hatred and judgment on sin through both.  It wasn’t just the cross, but He was bruised for our iniquities.  Bruising didn’t happen on the cross, it happened before. 

First, Christ went through severe punishment.  So much so that He wasn’t recognizable as a man.  They scourged Him with a whip that had three strands, tipped with bone and metal.  The whip tore through His skin, and muscle (John 19:1).  The Jews only allow 39 times, but these were Romans whipping Him.  They continually beat Him in the head with a reed (Mark 15:19).  They placed on His head a crown of thorns (Matt 27:29).  They tore the hair off His face (Is 50:6).  The pain was unimaginable.  His face was disfigured.  But the Father wasn’t done with sin yet.  Sin had to die. 

So Christ carried His cross up Golgotha and they drove nails into His feet and hands, fixing Him upon the cross.  The pain of the cross came from the nails. If a man didn’t keep himself pulled up, then he couldn’t breath.  So after exhaustion sets in, it becomes too painful to breath, and if they haven’t bled to death, then they suffocate.  But His life was in His hands.  And after He had fulfilled scripture, and committed His spirit to the Father, He let Himself die.  He allowed this to happen to Him.  He chose to do it.  In conclusion, we will consider the question, “Why?”  Heb 12:2 – for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross.  The joy was 3 fold. 

First, He received the joy of being seated at the right hand of the Father.  He received the full joy of dwelling in Heaven.  It’s the joy that we also look forward to, and press on for.  One day we will be in Heaven, and that motivates us here on Earth. 

Second, He received the joy the identity and authority He received by dying on the cross.  He is eternally a man and eternally a God.  He is eternally an intercessor for us. He is the King of kings, and Lord of Lords, to whom all knees shall bow and all tongues will confess. 

Third, He received us.  We also were apart of that joy.  His justifying, redeeming, reconciling, sanctifying, and glorifying of us made it possible for Him to dwell in us and intimately fellowship with Him.  He made it possible for us to be His bride, as a gift from the Father.  

God bless you all and have a great Easter!  

In Christ,

Josh

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Mar. 29th, 2007 @ 07:33 pm Eurocon 07

This is the big update!  So Eurocon was beyond words.  It was so life transforming.  God just abundantly graced the whole week.  He gave me peace to get on a plane and cross the Atlantic, He quickened me beyond my lack of sleep, He opened my capacity when I usually would get doctrined out, He even gave me a personal time of fellowship with Him even when I was surrounded by people all week long, and He gave me new friends and a revelation of the Body of Christ through the incredible faith field that was around that conference.  I felt so hid in the Body everywhere I went because of the Holy Spirit among us.  

It was the first time I could call myself a foreigner.  I want to go again.  I want to go back.  I'm already saving up for next year.  I want to go on the mission field but not before God's grace sends me.  I know sometime soon, I'm going to have to spend some time in another country for my missions major during summer time, but I don't know where or when.  Not this summer, I don't think.  But I'd like to go somewhere established, and Budapest is definitely an option.  But anyway, it was my first time on a plane, first time in Europe, first time eating something without preservatives ;), first time on a metro (subway system), and the first time I stepped foot in a Catholic church (will explain).  I greatly enjoyed it.  It felt like I was there for a month.  I just soaked every moment in.  Not to mention I took hundreds of pictures so that I could show you all what happened.  



Here is dad and I fresh out of the airplane walking down a familiar sidewalk to anyone who has ever been to the church in Budapest.  To us it's about 4 am.  We didn't get to bed until about 5 pm our time.  That was another first.  The first time I stayed up for two days straight.  I had to do it to get acclimated to jet lag.  The church building itself is huge, and beautiful.  We arrived Tuesday, and we spent the day at the church.  We hung out with friends, and just rested.  We also sat in on ABD which was Pastor Schaller's message from the prior Sunday morning service. 





This is the chapel hall of the church where services are held.  



Pastor Matti at a lunch rap.  This picture was actually taken on Wednesday for the lunch rap.  After the lunch rap, I went with Eevi Aaltonen (Below, right.  It's not the most flattering picture of her, she's really a very joyful person.), Laety Allier (Below, left), and Susan Joseph (Below, middle) to the hill where the church's old school used to be.  It was over on the Buda side of the city.  



What in the world happened to this picture?  It's pink... Anyhow, we rode 10 minutes up hill by bus, and then we walked 20 minutes to this chair lift that we were going to ride down the mountain.  But the chair lift closed 5 minutes before we arrived.  So we had to do plan B, which was walking down the mountain.  Now, mind you, Eevi was the only person who knew her way around because she lived there for a while, and she is also a Finnish.  So she doesn't just walk, but she walks a speed between speed walking, and jogging.  Now we went 20 minutes up hill, and then 15 minutes back, and another 30 or so minutes down the hill.  Not on streets, but on mountain trails.  



Yeah... I was dead.  I did more walking that day than I planned on doing this month.  Man I'm such an American.  

So we walked down the mountain and just barely caught the bus.  We were like a football field away from the nearest bus stop and we saw someone running for the bus stop, so we realized that the bus was stopped there.  If we were going to make it back on time, we had to catch that bus.  So after an hour of speed walking, we sprinted to the bus, and was able to make it before the bus pulled away.  



I SURVIVED!  See, all Americans aren't lazy bums.  







Here's Pastor Scibelli getting fired up, and firing us up.  If I remember rignt, this is the next morning.  That day after the rap, I went with the teens to Margaret Island.  Along with the teens were some people from Baltimore: Eevi, Kyle Benoit, Phillip Dubay, and Kyle Schaller.  Also Steve Scibelli who's a missionary to Baku was there. 









Here's the group of the teens here.  Actually it's more then just the Budapest teens.  There are fins, Americans, and Brits in there as far as I can remember.  It was a beautiful day, and the park itself is a wonderful place. 



Breakfast in the Gloria was great.  The food there was always fresh and great.  I loved the whole set up of meats, cheeses, and bread, with a variety of fruit and vegetables, and fruit juices. I felt like I was eating so healthy.  Though I never really did get a good night's sleep there. 



I just liked this picture.  This is the day after the trip to Margaret Island.  Now this day, I took a tour of the city, and took hundreds of pictures of all the classical buildings there, but we stopped at four landmarks: Hero Square



St. Stephen's Basilica. We went inside and saw all the wonderful Roman Catholic idolatry (sorry if that offends you, just calling it what it is), and even saw the hand of the dead guy (St. Stephen, who is actually not the Stephen of the Bible, but the first king of Hungary).  You can't use flash when taking a picture of the hand, and you can't laugh in the presence of the hand of the dead guy.  I couldn't believe the altars, and the statues.  They were beautiful, but the first thing that popped into my mind was, "look at all this idolatry." 



Then I went to the Statue of Liberty in Hungary.  Here I am on the hill where the statue is. 



Then we went to the Castle District.  



Here's a friend of mine, Rike Steffani, who is from our Austrian church.  She sang "Heroes of faith" and it was so beautiful, God was really upon her when she sang. 



The next day we went to Szentendre, which is a cool little town outside of Budapest.  It's a great tourist destination and place to buy souveniers.  



But speaking of Heroes of faith, here are a bunch up on stage.  



And here's Pastor Schaller on the last night of the Conference.  It's probably my best picture of him. 





Here's a beautiful family in Budapest.  I know a few of them personally, and everyone that I know are amazing people.  They are the Szabo's.  This is roughly half their family.  They have two more daughters and three more sons, one of them being Andras here in Baltimore.  



This was the last night Pastor Schaller was in Budapest, and this is "The" Turkish Restaurant.  For some reason, Turkish food and I just didn't mix well.  My mouth found it acceptable, but my stomach didn't.  Luckily my friends there in the church helped me by getting me some medicine.  



This was Sunday, my final day there.  It was the great period at the end of the week. It was so beautiful.  After the Sunday morning service we went on this river cruise on the Danube river.  It was so beautiful.  It was so beautlful.  We went on the Pest-Buda.  After we ate on the lower level, we sat on the front of the boat there where those chairs are. 



It was so worth the $40 I spent to go.  I had food I've never had before, and it was all so delicious.  They had a deli platter, a seafood platter, a poultry platter, a fruit platter, a desert platter, and the main course was this chicken dish and also meat wrapped in cabbage leaves with sauerkraut.  



It was cool and breezy, but not cold.  We were on the eastern side of the Danube, and we rode around Margaret Island, and then down to the southern side of the city to the last bridge, and then we went back up the river.   The sun came out when we reached southern Budapest and it really got beautiful.  Here's dad and I while we were riding by the Parliament.  



Here's a great picture of Pastor Stan Collins, missionary to Lima, Peru. 



Well that's it for my trip to Eurocon.  It was so much more than what I showed you. God really put Budapest in my heart, especially the church there.  It was so much fun, and it was so blessed.  I knew God wanted me to be at that conference.  The whole tiem was covered by His grace.  The only downside of the whole trip was when we came back to America and we tried to leave Dulles.  That airport is about as efficient as a dull knife.  Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Just a little side note.  Please pray for Pastor Steve Muerrillo, he's a pastor who when he came back from Africa developed congestive heart failure, which I think is only curable with a heart transplant.  He's in the hospital, and we're all praying for him.  

Also my dog is fine.  He had an x-ray and the calcuim deposit that was pinching his nerve was on the outside of the spine which means no need for surgery, and thousands of dollars.  So they're injecting him with some medicine that will desolve the calcium deposit and hopefully we'll be picking him up tomorrow from the vets.  Thanks for your prayers!  Also my dad is feeling better, but he's still going to work even though he's still sick.  Oi... God bless you all!

In Christ,

Josh

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Mar. 27th, 2007 @ 06:10 pm Another Prayer Request again

I know that this probably doesn't mean much to some people, but my dog is in xray at the vets and may have to be put down for a spinal problem he has developed over the past 3 weeks.  He can't even go outside to the bathroom his back is so bad.  So we have to carry him outside.  The doctors say it's a pinched nerve.  He's the littlest and funnest of the dogs we have and he's been in the family for many years.  He's about middle aged for a dog, but he's had many good years.  But pray that we don't have to put him down and that he'd get better.  The prayer of the Body can open up Heaven to do many things.  Even heal a little dog I love, if it's God's will. 

In Christ,

Josh 

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Mar. 26th, 2007 @ 06:31 pm Prayer Request
Hello everyone!  I'm still planning on doing the Budapest post.  With all the pictures I took, I'll have no problem giving you a fresh account of it.  But this post is about something else.  Just wanted to inform you that my dad has pneumonia, and to please pray for him.  He's on antibiotics, and he's been sleeping all day.  So that's it for now.  God bless!

In Christ,

Josh
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