Where to look

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while...it was a crazy week this week. I have two finals this week and a project to turn in, but then I'm done :) Read through Philippians yesterday and Colossians today. Paul is pretty legit. Here's something to chew on today:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

-Colossians 3:1-4

This is an interesting command; to set our minds on God and not on earth. I think that this is a call to make everyday decisions with Jesus in mind; from the most mundane to the most important. This includes, but is not limited to: relationships, politics, speech, love, forgiveness, conduct, etc. I think one of the things that we, as Christians, need to make sure we are doing is to "hide our lives with Christ", because we are supposed to be dead to our old ways. If we don't allow that to happen, we won't get an opportunity to really live. This world is passing away, maybe quicker than our eyes can see. One thing is sure, however, that there is something better coming, and we can have a preview of that here if we allow ourselves to die to the old life.

What is to come

Just thought I'd give an update on what's going to happen in the month of December, what I plan on reading and reviewing, and where all this might go:

-Next Tuesday, December 8th, Chelsea and I are driving down to Ocean City, Maryland to preach at the DEEP, the youth ministry of Ocean City Worship Center.

-Next Friday, December 11th will be the last day of class in my undergraduate education. I don't really know how I feel about that one.

-Thursday December 17th will be my last final of my undergraduate education.

-Saturday December 19th I will leave Valley Forge for the last time to go back to Pittsburgh.

I am currently still looking for a position to take as a youth and associate pastor. it's still my dream and I believe my calling in life. My passion is to learn as much as I can and to take what I learn and reciprocate it back to people who need to hear in an effective way. I am currently candidating at two churches, so we will see where that goes. As far as education, my plan is to take next semester off from school, and then no matter where I am, serving in the church or in a secular place, I want to begin graduate level work in the Fall of 2010 online. I've been looking at a couple of places, but am nowhere close to deciding on where I would want be.

I still am in the middle of like 50 books, so next semester hopefully will see the fulfillment of me completing them. I have enjoyed this semester blogging about Tozer based on my daily devotions and will continue to that on the next book that I read. Here are some of the things I'm reading or going to be reading and how the blogs are going to look in the future:

-Core Values by George O. Wood (reading for myself, probably wont blog about it)

-Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (read the first chapter; have heard positive/negative things about it)

-The Theologia Germanica of Martin Luther (will probably be my next blog review)

-The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch

-Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll

-Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw

Those will probably be on my reading list through Christmas and New Years, as the end of the semester takes up most of my time with school work. This is it, and we'll see where it goes. Thanks to everybody who's been a part of this journey so far and who has helped to make it successful. Thanks to everybody who believes in me and supports me, it does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.