Last night, I shared with the students a passage of Scripture and a song that are a part of Church culture as much as much as sunday morning services. I think when all of us think of the above passage, we immediately go the lyrics of the familiar song (if you are looking for some background music, I've posted a video with the rendition we went with last night).



The reality for most of us is that we fail to fully understand what it is like to be blind but then be able to see. I wonder if when we think of Christ and salvation if the first things that come to mind are the same thoughts that fill the mind of a blind man or woman who sees for the first time. I wonder if we view our world, situations, friends, enemies and everything else that our eyes can as if we have never seen them before or if we simply look at them differently. Does that make sense at all? I think historically, men and women have been willing to throw their lives away (in the best way possible) to pursue after the Christ they encountered. I was asking myself this same thing last night before I addressed the students. When I view the whole of my life, have I thrown my life to Christ like others before me. Do I fall in the company of the Sauls / Pauls, Martin Luthers, Augustines and Disciples of years gone by? Or...am I more like everyone else and simply have taken on some extra baggage?

For some reason, I've been reflecting a lot on my first day with Christianity. I think back to my youth pastor, Mike Bellanti , youth leaders like Kevin Davis, friends like Mike and Candice McGarvey and a "brother" like Justin Mederich. I think of the Christ that I gave my life up for. I think of the cross that caused me to give up EVERY one of my dreams before Him. I think of all the ways that I was willing to express my devotion and the "fluff" that I let die because I wanted to be with Him. I look now and ask if I have added to my abandoned life. The things I gave up, have they crept back in? The willingness to count all things as loss, has that turned into a "it's not sinful, so who cares" attitude? I want to lump myself in the company of the men and women who looked at this world and saw all the "fluff" and found that all things were worthless in comparsion. For me and for a lot of the company listed above, there was a point where were blind and our eyes were opened to the hope of Jesus. My prayer is that His hope would continue to guide and direct. For now we see...
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Now playing: The Almost - Amazing Because It Is