As a bookworm and lover of used book stores, I found this essay very interesting and thought provoking. It makes me want to head over to "Twice Sold Tales" in Farmington and spend an afternoon browsing. Enjoy!

My wife is an avid fan of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress", which follows brides to be and their families as they search for the perfect wedding dress for their special day. It takes place in a huge bridal salon called Kleinfeld Bridal, where a $2,000 dress is considered bargain basement. Since she graciously puts up with my rather random taste in movies and T.V., I sometimes watch an episode or two with my wife. And even if it costs me a few man points,  I'm not ashamed to admit that sometimes I even find myself getting into it a little. It can be quite entertaining watching how some of the families on the show interact as they try and get the bride to choose the dress they think she should wear. But probably the number one detail I find fascinating about it is the price range of the dresses. We are constantly shocked by how much some of the families are willing to spend on a dress. In a recent episode, one father was willing to pay $24,000 for a dress. That's right, $24,000! I didn't misplace the comma on that one. That's crazy!

While it's pretty easy for me to sit back and judge people on a T.V. show, it's not so easy to judge my own heart. The other day in my personal Bible reading, I read these words of Jesus in the book of Matthew: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." (Matt. 16:24-25) As I read this familiar passage, I felt a little bit of uneasy conviction setting in. I felt like God was asking me, "Nate, how much are you hanging on to your life? How much value are you placing on worldly things that have nothing to do with me?" If I am to answer those questions honestly, I have a problem. My heart is not totally devoted to the Lord. In fact, there are many other things I ascribe greater value to on a daily basis.

No, I may not have put down $24,000 to buy Charlene a wedding dress, but what other "dresses" am I saying yes to? Am I really "losing my life" for God or am I keeping big chunks of it for myself? We tithe every Sunday, but how much more do I spend on myself in any given week? You are all aware of my coffee addiction. If I compared my weekly coffee spending with our tithe check, which sum would be greater? My wife and I work out together every day, but how often do we spend time doing devotions together? As the husband, it is my responsibility to lead our family spiritually, but how many times have I rushed praying with Charlene before bed so that I could have more time to read, watch T.V., or do a crossword puzzle? These may seem like small pieces of my life, but when they are added up they represent a sizable portion of my resources and energy. None of the things I mentioned are inherently bad activities, but if I'm not careful, I can start to live a pretty Godless existence by omission. I simply omit God because I'm doing other things. I'm "saving my life" for myself.

I'm reminded of something else Jesus said: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". That's the big issue for me. Where is my treasure? Is it in God or in the stuff that I like? Where do I spend most of my time, money, and energy? I can't say that God is the most important thing to me if I don't spend the majority of my time pursing Him. I need to stop saying "Yes to the Dress" and start saying yes to my God!

"Writing and reading allow one's consciousness to find and take shelter in another. When the mind of the reader and writer perfectly and inimitably connect, objects, events, and emotions become doubly vivid—realer, somehow, than real things. I have spent most of my life seeking out these connections and attempting to create my own. Today, however, the pleasures of literary connection seem leftover and familiar. Today, the most consistently pleasurable pursuit in my life is playing video games."

The above quote comes from the book "Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter" by Tom Bissell. You can read an excerpt from it here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127597416&sc=fb&cc=fp As a lifelong video game fan, I found this very interesting.

I won't repeat the entire excerpt here, but basically this guy is explaining why video games have become such an attractive pursuit to him. He feels as though a well made game connects him to a story or a world that is outside of himself. It gives him a sense of connection with something bigger, something different than the mundane, humdrum experiences of everyday life. I can totally relate to him because I am a big fan of good stories, no matter what medium they are told in. I love reading novels, playing video games, and watching movies or T.V. shows that portray well thought out and captivating story lines. Video games tend to be the most addicting for me because they are interactive, allowing me to take an active part in the story. Of course, now that I have become much busier, I rarely have time to invest in video games (which I am not complaining about, there are many much more fulfilling things that I do with my time). But I still enjoy "escaping" into a good story now and then.

In reading this book excerpt, I was reminded of how all humans have the desire to connect with something outside of themselves. Everybody wants to be a part of something bigger than they are. We want to know that we are making a difference, that our lives will count for something. We are not just satisfied with getting up, going to work, eating, and going to bed.

Many people have to turn to fantasy to fulfill that need, because their "real" life isn't doing it for them. That's why fantasy games like "World of Warcraft" are so popular. They provide an escape from an otherwise boring existence and connection with others in a story that is bigger than themselves.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a little bit of fantasy every now and then, but as Christians we don't have to use fiction as an escape from life. As believers, we are part of a story that God has been writing for all of eternity! Our lives have real meaning and are being used to accomplish things much bigger than us! Even the most mundane details of our lives hold new meaning when we consider how God is using us to accomplish His will! God allows us to be active participants in His huge story of redemption! We need to be inviting others who are searching for connection with something bigger than themselves to join us in the biggest and most exciting story of all!

I can't take credit for the idea behind this blog post. I actually heard it on the radio, but it struck me as something cool that I wanted to share.

I've been following an old Bible school friend on Facebook with great interest. Since our Bible school days, he's changed his belief system quite a bit and now calls himself an "agnostic". I put that in quotes because an agnostic is someone who says that they don't really know what they believe, whereas this friend of mine is starting to turn into more of an atheist. It seems like every day He has a new quote on His wall about why believing in God is misguided and foolish.

The other day, I responded to one of his posts with a couple of reasons why I believe in God. I was hoping to be able to open a dialogue, but instead I received what I think was intended as an intellectual beat down. Some other folks who agree with my "agnostic" friend jumped on me my response like moths to a flame. They were bringing up a host of objections to my belief, including quotes by Carl Sagan and references to Quantum Physics. It seemed like they were trying to drown me in a sea of knowledge and show me that my flimsy belief would not float. Basically they were saying, "we are smarter than you and we don't believe in God, so neither should you."

Now, I do not argue with the fact that these guys have a lot of brains. I myself don't do much armchair reading on Quantum Theory. But simply being smart doesn't mean that you can write off the idea of an almighty God, because part of being truly smart means having the wisdom to admit that there are things you don't know.

I'm going to be really generous and say that the guys who tried to out think me on Facebook are so sharp that they posses 1% of all the knowledge available in the universe. I mean everything, all details of history, the number of stars that exist, every scientific discovery ever made...all of it. And these guys know 1% of that (in theory). That would be pretty amazing! I would not want to go toe to toe with someone like that in any kind of debate. Think of the knowledge that would flow from a person like that! But guess what, there is still another 99% to learn!

In all reality, probably the smartest person on the planet only knows .000000000000000001% of all the available knowledge in the universe. There is simply too much for one person or even a whole group of people to know! If that is the case, how can anyone say for sure that God does not exist! Isn't it possible that in the 99.99999% of knowledge that we don't know, there is room for a God who has a plan and purpose that we might not understand completely? How arrogant would you have to be to say that you have obtained all the knowledge in the universe and are 100% sure that there is no room for a creator?

I'm not saying that I can prove God's existence, because I don't think that is possible either. After all, the tiny fraction of knowledge I possess is not enough to even begin that undertaking. But I can at least admit that there are many things we don't understand as limited human beings. And if God does exist and is truly almighty, He is under no obligation to explain Himself to us. He is so far above our understanding that our finite human minds cannot even comprehend Him. So is it really "smart" and "intellectual" to deny the existence of God? Judge for yourself.

Last Sunday in church I shared about my natural tendency to be shy and introverted. It was almost comical to see the looks on faces when I shared that. After all, it's kind of ironic to declare how shy you are in the middle of a public talk to a large group! Many folks told me afterward that they don't see that characteristic in me at all. My favorite reaction probably came from Craig Boone who shook my hand and said "You! Shy! Yeah Right!". I had to smile because his comment shows just how much God has worked on me and transformed me in the last few years.

It still totally blows my mind that the Lord has placed me where I am today! He has me preaching and teaching in front of public groups, counseling teens and adults, and doing things that were way outside my comfort zone only a few years ago! What an amazing testimony to what God can do with someone who wants to be totally submitted to Him!

Now I'm certainly not saying that I am a perfect example because i am sooooooooooooo far from perfect (as any of my close friends or family can certainly attest!). And I'm also not saying I have arrived at my spiritual destination because I quite frequently stop and/or take steps backwards! But the point is that God has made progress in me, and it is all His doing, not my own!

God has brought me to the place where I have a real love for people rather than a desire to run from them. He has given me a burden for the lost so that I seek out witnessing opportunities instead of dodging them. He has made me want to reach outside my comfort zone and be challenged. These are not things that were originally written into my emotional or psychological DNA. But as I have tried to surrender myself to the Lord, He has been working on me.

I love the verse in 2 Corinthians 4:7 that says: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us". That's what we all are, jars of clay. Chipped pottery. Cracked pots if you will. We don't have much to offer on our own, but when God gets His hands on us, He fills us with some pretty amazing stuff! When we submit to Him, we get to watch as He pours out His glory through us. That's how a shy guy like me can actually be used by God in the lives of others! It's not me that does anything special, but God through me!

I hope you desire this for your own life. It doesn't matter what your weaknesses or failures are, if you submit to God and let Him use you, you will be amazed at what happens! One day you will wake up and think "How in the world did I get here!" and the answer will be, "God brought me!".

Here is a link to a great song that explores this topic. It's a pretty powerful concept that God wants to use us to share His glory with the world! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxaR2sR9dD0