Faust is Following Me!

So recently I was reading a fictional book about this guy who died and all evidence seemed indicate that he had been killed by the devil, basically because the guy had “sold his soul” to him and the devil came to collect. The lead detective in the story reference the literary classic “Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marlowe, which has a similar premise. As the book continued, the detective alluded to more of Marlowe's classic and it intrigued me so much, I actually picked up up a copy at Barnes and Noble one night. [It still sits on my shelf, but I will read it!] A few weeks after that, I get an email from the performing arts center here in town about some shows coming to town, and some discount tickets. One of those shows was a French opera, FAUST. Intrigued, I bought 2 tickets for $17. I attended the show last weekend, and was enamored by this story again of this male lead, giving up his soul for the pleasures of youth. But it wasn't until I was driving a few nights again when I started to get weirded out. I was listening to a playlist of my favorite band, Switchfoot and their song “Faust, Midas and Myself” comes on. I started to get the sneaky suspicion that Faust is following me.

I stopped to think about my own life and began to see some parallels to Faust. No, a creepy old guy didn't follow me home one night and force me to sign papers containing my soul. But, I do find myself playing into the hands of Satan more often than I like to admit. One lyric of the Switchfoot song really jumped out at me “What direction? Death or action! Life begins at the intersection.” I feel that is so true at this stage of life I'm in right now. As God is burdening me with ministry opportunities, I find myself stuck at an intersection. Am I choosing life? Am I selling my soul for fleeting pleasure? What do I chose? I just pray that I don't take the same road as our friend Faust, and reap the serious consequences of that fatal choice. “You've one life, You've one life, One life left to lead...”

Happy Resurrection Day!

Today is Easter Sunday, the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm pretty sure it's my favorite holiday. It's often understated, I think. Instead of the weeks before filled with shopping & sales like Christmas, the weeks leading up to Easter are filled with reflection & fasting. The day is spent in church, and then with family, in community. And it takes place during the season of spring, the season of life and growth. This Easter has been particularly meaningful as I have had the opportunity to study the death & resurrection of Jesus in a fresh way. Also, parts of my family are coming back together. I've included a portion of Scripture, where Matthew tells the story of the resurrection. Also, watch the video my church, Watermark, showed this Sunday. It's powerful song & moving images captures the emotion of today. Happy Resurrection Sunday to you all!

Matthew 28:1 - 6: After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move. The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

Barefeet

I am quite a fan of TOMS Shoes, and recently bought my first pair. They are an organization that provides shoes for children around the world who do not have them. For every pair of shoes sold, a pair is donated. I love being an active part of change in our world. This month, TOMS is calling for a day of barefeet, to help raise awareness about the serious health risks of living shoeless. So April 16th, I will be barefoot. I am anticipating alot of raised eyebrows, odd looks, and random questions. But that's what awareness is about, right? Join me!