Not a Camouflaged Soul

Author: Jon Wellman

  • Hero Worship and Autographs

    I once attended a meeting where a spiritual hero of mine was scheduled to preach. And he did. Preached the roof off the place.

    As I approached him after the sermon to meet him, I saw him speak to a teenager in front of me. The kid asked him if he would sign his Bible. He refused, saying that he didn’t write the Bible and was not comfortable signing a book he didn’t write, but would sign his book A) if they ever met again, and B) if he ever wrote a book.

    He was called away to another engagement and could not stay any longer. But the fact remains that I ALSO was going to ask him to sign my Bible. I still call this man a spiritual hero. But while I understand his point, I disagree with his reasoning.

    I have other signatures in my Bible. Men who have greatly influenced me and my walk with Christ. Men who have lived a life that exemplifies how a Christ-follower should live. Men who have done it right.

    I didn’t ask them to sign my Bible due to hero worship or their fame. And I ABSOLUTELY did not ask them to sign it because I placed them on or above the level of my Lord and Savior.

    When I think about these men or look at their names, I am reminded of what serving God is all about. Staying the course. Keeping the faith. Facing obstacles in the name of Jesus. And overcoming odds.

    My pastor said something in his sermon yesterday that stuck with me. He said that he has grown accustomed to people acting differently when he enters a room, not out of respect for the office he holds, but because he has chosen to live his life a certain way.

    Our lives are to shine a light into the darkness of this world. The men that have signed my Bible are men whose lights shine brightly for all to see. That is the kind of witness I want to have. That is the kind of witness my Lord and Savior wants me to have.

    God wrote an incredible book. The names written in the front don’t steal His author credit.

  • In the Moment

    I have a friend that is new to Facebook. I’ve enjoyed reading his posts.

    The other day, he wrote this about bringing his son home from camp…

    “I was impressed he didn’t play his (Nintendo) DS on the ride back–I think being ‘off the net’ for a week was healthy for him–he re-learned how to ‘be present in the moment.’”

    How many of us need to try that? I sure do.

    A while back, John Saddington (aka Human3rror) posted a picture on ChurchCrunch that said the following:

    “SHUT DOWN COMPUTER, GO OUTSIDE, MEET SOMEONE.”

    Good advice.

    Much of what I do is computer related, as is the case with most professions these days. We all out of necessity spend a lot of time in front of glowing rectangles.

    I have observed many folks in my Twitter circle taking technology breaks lately. Not ONE of them ever comes out of a tech fast wishing they had spent MORE time online.

    It is refreshing, every once in a while, to put the phone out of reach and just DWELL. In the moment. I need to do that more often.

    Time to shut this glowing rectangle off.  🙂

  • Midweek Worship recap 7/7/2010

    Last night during our Midweek Worship at FBC-FH, we heard from our youth and youth leaders regarding their trip to Dekalb, IL. They went to work with the church in Dekalb, a church plant in the area.

    It was wonderful to hear, not just about the work that our team did, but the way they grew closer to God and each other during their time up there. I see a lot of potential in our youth, and can’t wait to see what the Lord does in and through their lives.

    Pastor Jaime from TcD recorded a thank you message for our team, which we showed last night during our worship service.

    (Side note: the boy he mentions in the video is 8 years old.)

    Please pray for the church in Dekalb, as they have just moved into a new building and are seeing God do some great things. Also pray for our youth, that they will stay the course God has planned for them.