Howdy Partner

Hi. I'm currently typing this on my iPhone because apparently I think I type faster on my phone than on my computer which is either really impressive or incredibly sad. Anyway, I played golf today with three really good friends. Their names are Adam, Max and Brody in case you care enough to know, which you probably don't but I'm telling you anyway.  Now I'm watching golf, eating peanut butter by spoonful, on my second can of vanilla coke, and a zebra cake is certainly coming soon. You could say my eating habits are... Perfect. Not sure what I really want to talk about in this post. OH! I know. Well I have this performance thing  I'm doing tomorrow evening at a coffee shop in Douglasville. I'm super excited about it. Hopefully I can glorify God with my lyrical miracle. If by chance you're interested in going, check out my Facebook page for more information! I will be rapping and reading some spoken word for some people, chairs, and coffee cups. Hopefully the coffee cups don't throw themselves at me. Luckily I won't be doing stand up comedy. My mother wouldn't even laugh at my jokes. My thumbs are kind of starting to hurt. Going to take a slight break here now. 

I think in going to eat pizza tonight. I reallllly want pizza and ice cream. 

Anyway, let me just say that I love Jesus so much. He is really just the best. What He did for us. Just wow. Every single day of my life. His grace is just so good. Love you Jesus. I think I am really writing this post because I am supposed to share that I am sure there is one reader that will come across this particular post with a heavy heart. I know there are things in your life, all our lives, including mine, that can seem just absolutely derailing. However, there I encourage you to hold fast. "Cast Your anxieties on Him" as it says in 1 Peter 5:7. Psalm 55:22 also states, "cast your cares on Him." Care and anxieties. What I gather from this is to place everything on The Lord. It is only "in Christ" that we are able to do anything. I know this is a very simple concept but it is just a friendly reminder. Never rely on yourself. Rely on the almighty king of heaven and earth. 

Well I'm going to go get that pizza now. And cinnasticks hopefully. 

Love you all.  

#Sovereignty

Hi there! It has been a little while since I have posted. I had the idea that for this post I would take an entry out of my journal and type onto this thing called the internet. So enjoy. Or if you don't, feel free to contact my agent. Her name is Molly. She is my dog.

Hello journal,

I am currently at LIFT conference here at my home church Passion City. It is a worship leader collective. In other words, worship leaders and pastors from other churches around the world come to our house at Passion City for a couple of days to learn from our team. Was just chatting it up earlier with a guy who flew all the way here from Brazil! BRAZIL. #CantEven. Just changed pen colors because YOLO right? Can we just take a minute to recognize God's grace? I know that this may sound silly and trivial but often do we honestly just praise Him for His unfailing love and grace. Now the grace we can fathom here on Earth is nothing compared to what God's grace is. (Changed pens again) I know you may have heard it a million times, "His grace is enough because of His sovereignty and the cross. It is finished." However, there CANNOT ever be a moment in which you think about that fact and simply shrug your shoulders and say, "meh." The cross, in harmony with God's sovereignty, is what ultimately makes God righteous and what makes His grace perfect. Why aren't we running up onto mountains and screaming the gospel for all to hear? The gospel is perfect. There is no reason that we should be hiding the faith. Now obviously, since God is ultimately sovereign, our works and actions alone do not and absolutely cannot in anyway save anyone and change the will of God. However, we should live as Paul did and remain eager to share the word of God. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek. For (and this is HUGE) in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith." In Romans 1:16, Paul says that "...who believes..." The meaning of believe is to trust, rely on, or have faith in. When used in speaking of salvation, this word is used in the present tense, which heavily emphasizes the fact that faith is NOT a one time event, but instead an ongoing condition. Truly saving faith is truly supernatural and a GRACIOUS gift from God that He produces in the heart. Just as Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. This is speaking to the fact that although men are required to believe for salvation, even that faith is a gift from God which saves and CANNOT be exercised by one's own power. It is imperative that we see that God's grace is preeminent. What does saving faith look like exactly? Well saving faith has three main elements.
1. Mental: The mind understands the gospel and the truth about Jesus Christ.
2. Emotional: One truly embraces the truthfulness of these facts with the sorrow over sin and joy over God's mercy and grace.
3. Volitional: The sinner submits his will to Christ and trusts in Him alone as the only hope for salvation.
Genuine faith will ALWAYS produce authentic obedience.

Then we have Romans 1:17 which is just plain beautiful. "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith." The righteousness of God and righteous man. You can better translate that into "righteousness FROM God."Righteousness can 100% only come from God. From birth, we are inherently sinful. We are immediately caught in total depravity. "But the righteous man shall live by faith." It has always been God's way to justify sinners by grace on the basis of faith alone. Now, true faith will demonstrate itself in action. As it is written in James, "faith without works is dead." Again, the scriptures highly emphasize that true, authentic faith is not a single event, but a way of life because TRUE FAITH ENDURES. "If you deny Me, I will deny you. But if you endure you will reign with Me in the kingdom of heaven." 2 Timothy 2:12. Enduring is at its most beautiful example in the book of Job. I highly recommend reading through the whole book of Job if already haven't or haven't done so in some time. The central theme of Job is that no matter what Satan does, saving faith cannot be destroyed.

"I will kneel in the dust, at the foot of the cross where mercy paid for me."

- "Mercy" written by Matt Redman.


I would like to thank John MacArthur for his study bible and some assistance in my studies with his fabulous commentary on the holy scriptures.