future.

It is a new decade! Hello to the next ten years of our lives!

Does anyone have a new year's resolution?

For the year 2010 I would like to read more books, and the main part of that would be to finish them! I got this idea from a dear friend and it is a great idea! I'm thinking of beginning with the Twilight series. Why not; it is a huge part of culture!

Passion 2010 begins tomorrow and I am now extremely excited for it. If you read previous posts I mentioned I was nervous about it; my mother and I had a great conversation a few nights ago and she help clear my mind and I was able to clean my slate with Jesus and allow him to meet me where I am at.

Yesterday I was reading "My Utmost For His Highest" and got a huge amount of peace. I would like to share with you what I got out of it. The message was about how we all have pasts and have done things that we can say are not the best things in the world. God has chosen to forgive us for these things. Not only has he forgiven us, but he is also choosing to go before us in our futures to ensure that we have something to lean on when we are tempted in the same areas again.

I got so excited while I was on my ten minute break at work. My thought was, "Wait, God you are going before me in my future?? You want to make sure that I get through it better next time? That is awesome!" I believe that as I see temptations like thinking negatively about things along with other temptations in my life I will be able to see them differently now; knowing that God has already been there AND prepared a way for me to get through it! I loved this.

Thank you for letting me share these things with you! Please pray for all of us attending Passion this week. 20,000+ people gathering together for His renown!!

Now it's time to go enjoy friendship, tea and great music. Happy New Year!

-brett

christ alone.

This is not something that I wrote. This is from a devotion I receive through email. I loved it and wanted to share it with you!

"Friday, January 01, 2010

A Resolution Worth Keeping by Jon Walker

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 (NIV) Today's Guest Devotional is from Jon Walker, author of 'Growing with Purpose.' If you're thinking about making some New Year's Resolutions, consider this one from The Apostle: "This year I resolve to know nothing but Christ and him crucified." Paul's message is radically simple: Salvation is in Christ alone. What does this mean? It's not Christ plus your good behavior. It's not Christ plus the years you taught a Bible study. It's not Christ plus your tithe. It's not Christ plus the church you attend. It's not Christ plus the number of verses you memorize. It's not Christ plus your title in the church. It's not Christ plus wisdom from the latest Christian seminar. It's not Christ plus a desert fast (or even a dessert fast!). It's not Christ plus a good driving record. It's not Christ plus well-behaved children. It's not Christ plus the right job. It's not Christ plus the right spouse. It's not Christ plus the latest technology. It's simply Christ. Christ plus nothing. That's a message that is as right throughout the coming year as it will be in 2999. May your new resolution for the year be nothing but Christ and him crucified." Happy New Year everyone! -brett

the new life.

"But that is not how you learned Christ!- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give NO opportunity to the devil."

~ Ephesians 4:20-27 [ESV]

"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

~ Ephesians 4:28-29 [ESV]

"Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart, His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted. Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk."

~ Ephesians 4:30-31 [The Message]

I love this last verse...

"Be kind to one another, TENDERhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

~ Ephesians 4:32 [ESV]

thoughts.

thoughts are overwhelming me this week.

Passion starts on Saturday and I am anything but prepared. Physically, I am prepared. It's easy to go. I just drive down to Atlanta and bam, there I am! Spiritually, I feel unprepared. That should be easy as well. I've heard many times in my life, "come as you are." Why I am so scared to come as I am at this point in my life? I think I am nervous about what God wants to stir up in my life.

Someone has grabbed my attention in my life. She is great, sweet and all around wonderful. I can't deny to put this on my blog, because right now she is a part of my life. She is currently on a cruise with her family enjoying warm weather I imagine. I'm jealous of this because warm weather and beaches sound EXCELLENT to me right now. It has been quite chilly this week!!

I have made myself a goal to have an extremely lazy week, other than working of course! I'm sure this won't help to the numerous thoughts in my head!

Another point: I got to see my friends Kati and Hanna from Estonia on Sunday night! I am looking forward to spending more time with them at Passion along with Daniel and Timo from Estonia. To add to the group of friends that will be in town, my main man Kerry will be staying at the house, he is currently living in Texas. Another guy whom I met this summer in Estonia will be staying at my house, his name is Jake and he lives in North Carolina! This will be great to see all of these people!

Please keep all of us in your prayers as we will be traveling back and forth from the venue on Saturday through Tuesday for Passion. More information on Passion can be found at www.268generation.com

Please pray for me, as I am having a hard time praying for myself!

-brett

a closer look.

I personally would like to memorize the verses that Piper put in the article that I posted in my last entry. Honestly, I have never been big on memorizing scripture. Although, anyone who I have talked to whom is wiser than I am has told me how important AND life changing it can be. Therefore, it must make sense that we memorize these verses in our lives to fight lust and temptation.

With that said I am going to dive into these verses and place them on here. I do encourage you to look at these verses in your own studies as well as read them in context with where they are in the Bible. If you do not own a Bible; www.youversion.com is a great place to look at scripture.

AVOID

"Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." 2 Timothy 2:22 ESV

"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." Romans 13:14 ESV

SAY NO

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 ESV

TURN

"That is not the way you learned Christ!-- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV

HOLD

"My dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He's the centerpiece of everything we believe," Hebrews 3:1 The Message

ENJOY

"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14 ESV

MOVE

Read Romans 12:9-21 (These tasks will keep you busy for a while.)

After reading these verses go back and read Piper's post on my last blog entry, see it in a new way. This morning I have seen it in a new way and I have somewhat begun to grasp this challenge.

Please continue to pray for me.

-brett