Last week a well known band in the Christian music world came to Conway – Kutless. They are a great group that’s on tour right now with two lesser knowns – Chris Taylor and Esterlyn. All three groups were great and it was a very spirit filled night. Kutless is one of the many participating bands in World Vision. They showed a couple of videos showing how devastating life in certain countries is. I really wish I could pledge and I hope to someday be able to. It costs thirty dollars a month to sponsor a child that truly needs it. I pray that some of those who read this will at least pray for the ministry as I am and so many others are. Have a good one.

There’s something I’ve noticed that seems to get on my nerves a bit. Some Christians like to give the order to start a revolution and change the world. O, how we have fallen. I’m fairly certain that if I’m not mistaken, Jesus started a revolution a while back called “grace”. It was his goal to demolish the forces of evil that haunted God’s people for years. Since then, the we’ve preferred to start our own revolution called “Christian”. The goal of this movement was to show the world that there is a truly superior race that doesn’t seem to care and acts perfect while the world slowly loses sight of what’s important – grace. It’s true that we as lovers of Christ should stand out to a lost world, but not take it upon ourselves to be the center of attention. So we shouldn’t start a revolution. Maybe we should just fall in line with grace. Have a good one.

PLEASE READ THIS!!!

I’m finding out that I have two giant pet-peaves. One is that as a movie buyer, sometimes I’m so eager to buy a certain movie that I’ll grab the first copy I see on the shelf. Then I return in a couple of weeks… or days to check some other movies and I’ll find that there was a two disc special edition of one of my movies that I bought not too long ago. What can I do? If I buy this one then I’ve wasted fifteen dollars on the other one. But if I don’t buy this special edition, every time I try to watch it I will only be haunted by my fatal mistake of not having the better one. This all started when, out of utter eagerness, I accidentally did not buy the two disc special edition of my all-time favorite movie, Batman Begins. That movie came to dvd in October of 2005. This error has occurred several times since then and I have yet to find a cure. I’m sure doctors are working on it aside from cancer and AIDS. My other huge annoyance is traffic. Now I know what you’re all thinking, but this is a little different. As much as I hate to be surrounded by ignorant or incoherent or incompetent or generally dumb drivers, what bothers me more than all of those people is when that person is me. So many times I have cursed another driver in the name of the Lord and then I’ll do the same thing to someone else. I constantly look over my shoulder to make sure a curse in the name of the Lord has been called on me. Does that bother anyone else? Do tell.

Aaron Shust. This Contemporary Christian artist seems relatively unknown for someone who has accomplished much in less than three years in the business. In late 2005, Shust released his first ever album, Anything Worth Saying. This album is truly great and is one of the first to get into listening to Christian music. Thank you, Aaron. He produced three top-ten hits from this album including Matchless, Give It All Away, and the ever monumental, My Savior My God. This song spent thirty, yes thirty weeks in the top 5 on Christian Music charts. Since then, Aaron has recorded and released his second album, Whispered And Shouted. Yet another wonderful CD to have. His first radio single, Give Me Words To Speak, has spent more than the last TEN MONTHS in the top twenty of certain charts. I believe that’s some kind of record. His most recent radio single that has yet to be truly noticed is Watch Over Me. It’s a very good song so listen for it. I’d give his first album a 9.3548 out of ten and his second a 9.1564 out of ten. Aaron Shust is currently touring with the new artist Brandon Heath. Please look into him if you have not already. His music is a blessing to those who listen. Have a nice day.

Hello everyone. I hope you’re having a better day than I am. Because if you are, you must be doing very well. Not too much going on here in Conway, just things and stuff like that, hence “things and stuff like that”. I believe that I’ve made my decision on what to do with my summer. As much as it pains me, I most likely won’t be returning to Camp Wyldewood this summer as a counselor. As good as camp was, I feel like I’ll have a lot of potential to grow this summer by keeping my job and staying in Conway. Hopefully, with Seth being at camp all summer, the campus ministry becoming relatively inactive due to summer, and no clear cut direction to go in, it will only leave me searching for more than I already have from God. A few college students have done small studies with Dusty in past summers. I would like to take part in those. I believe some of my favorite Christian music artists are coming close enough to drive, so that will be in order. I will most likely take some summer classes at UCA in an attempt not to graduate in eight years. I’m only exaggerating a little. Jeff, Neil, and myself have found an apartment to live in. I pray that all these things and stuff like that will not be simply the summer of 2008, but an oppurtunity for the glory of it all, as David Crowder calls it. While at first this prayer was to help me decide whether to go to camp or not, I still pray: Lord, may Your will be done in my life this summer.

Something exiting is happening. UCC is splitting up into two services because of space problems. I’ve grown up in this church literally my whole life. I’ve been there longer that Seth, Jason, Dusty or anyone else minus about five to ten people. I’ve seen UCC through some rough times and then rougher times so it feels really nice to know that my family’s persaverence has not been in vain but the exact opposite. There are, however, one or two things that worry me. One: the praise team will do both services and listening to (maybe I should say hearing) Dusty twice in one morning is going to take some prayer on my part. But having grown up in this church and seeing the love that every brother and sister have for one another, it’s going to feel weird not seeing everyone together. I also don’t want one service to be for old people and another for the younger ones who want to be “progressive”. It’s sort of a “make sure your right hand knows what your left hand is doing” situation. I don’t want UCC to be two churches. And I also realize that Dusty and the elders will do everything in their power to keep that from happening. This is all in all a wonderful problem to have. God has blessed our church so richly with the people in it. And this is above all a reason and oppurtunity to grow. I pray that through this movement God will bless his UCC and from there bless Conway.

Right now I’m facing what is proving to be one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made in a while. As some know, I worked at Camp Wyldewood in Searcy last summer. I remember when I got back that all I could think about was working there again the next summer. Well, that time is almost here. I’m wondering whether I should go back or not. There are so many pros and cons that I’m having a tough time with it. When I went to camp last summer, I missed out on a great one back at home. My friends that I worship with in the campus ministry had a great summer that I might like to be a part of this year, though I don’t regret camp in the least bit. I’ve been praying “Lord, let your will be done in my life this summer.” That’s all I want. His will. I realize that whatever choice I make will be a good one and will glorify God. I’m not worried about regret. Please pray for his will to be done in me this summer.

Hello friends. I’m coming to you with a request that I’m sure at least some of you have heard about from me or someone else. Clint Peterson is one of my best friends and was once a force to be reckoned in favor of the Kingdom. In the last six or seven months Clint has fallen away from this faster than anyone ever expected and has worried his brothers and sisters in the UCC Student Ministries. He has a desire for God in his heart but not a big one. What he desires right now is for the world to say “wow, look at Clint Peterson.” He has closed himself off to what the Spirit has to offer. What I pray for is widom on our part as his brothers and sisters. Clint seems to be sensitive at this time and any wrong move on our part could mean bad things for him. Pray that we can show our’s and the Savior’s love in a way that Clint will eventually respond to. And also pray that we won’t give up. That’s proving to be difficult so far. Please pray.

For those that may have not heard, there is a band that’s been around for several years called Sanctus Real. They’ve become one of my favorite bands to listen to because of their great music and greater message. They have one song though that caused a great shockwave about a year or two ago and hasn’t stopped yet. It’s called The Face of Love. Here’s the lyrics.

I’ve seen your face on stained glass, in colored lights, in pictures of You looking to the sky. You’ve been portrayed a thousand different ways but my heart can see you better than my eyes. ’Cause it’s love that paints the portrait of your life.

The face of love, the face of love, you look more like love everyday

I’ve read your words in the pages of you life and I’ve imagined what you were like. I may not know the shape of your face but I can feel your heart changing mine. And Your love still proves You’re alive.

You are the face that changed the whole world. No one too lost for you to love. No one too low for you to serve. So give us the grace to change the world. No one too lost for me to love. No one to low for me to serve. O let us see… let us see your face.

If you try to think of all the ways Jesus has been physically portrayed, you’ll certainly lose count. Plus, it’s almost always some white actor from the U.S. It’s unfortunate that Jesus in our minds is a white guy, or maybe black. If anyone wants to get technical, he’s a dark skinned Middle Eastern dweller. But it doesn’t matter. Whatever you think of when you think of love, that’s what he looks like.

www.sanctusreal.com