Living the Good Life...

Disclaimer: This is kind of a cheesy and pretty much recounting-of-personal-experience post; if you're looking for expositional preaching in blog form, don't read this post-- go to Micah's or Gunner's or Miriam's blog.... ok, you've been warned, here goes:

How refreshing the body of Christ is!!! What a blessing is the Church!!! God could have set up Christianity such that once we are saved, we have no need for community or gathering, but to His praise, He chose to create us with a need for fellowship.

I was incredibly depressed after work today. Feeling cut off from God, cut off from people, cut off from pretty much everything, I began to feel the weight and guilt of the mistakes I've made and sins I've committed over the past years. I was so discouraged that I almost didn't go to superstudy down at church tonight... but I knew that I needed to hear the word. I'm so glad I did.

Pastor Jim Pile preached an incredible sermon about submitting completely to Christ's lordship... I was incredibly convicted as areas of sin in my life I hadn't really considered problems were exposed to me. The worship was also great (including my favorite praise song "Amazing Love (I'm Forgiven Because You Were Forsaken)"), but the real encouragement came afterwards, when about 17 of us from Generations went to Claim Jumper for desert. We stayed there almost till midnight, just fellowshipping and enjoying each others' company. It was great. I actually wound up having an extended talk with my shepherd Bob and his wife Teri. I left so encouraged; and all I can say is that God is good all the time.

I was reminded of an Audio Adrenaline song that really describes how my life's going right now. I know it's kinda hokey to quote songs in a blog that's supposed to be biblically exhortational, but this song has really got me thinking (or rather, re-thinking).... maybe it'll stimulate some re-thinking in you. It's called "Good Life".

I've watched my dreams all fade away
And blister in the sun
Everything I've ever had is unraveled and undone
I've set upon a worthless stack
Of my ambitious plans
And the people that I've loved the most
Have turned their backs and ran

This is the good life
I've lost everything
I could ever want
And ever dream of
This is the good life
I found everything
I could ever need
Here in Your arms

Loneliness has left me searching
For someone to love
Poverty has changed my view
Of what true riches are
Sorrow's opened up my eyes
To see what real joy is
Pain has been the catalyst
To my heart's happiness

This is the good life
I've lost everything
I could ever want
And ever dream of
This is the good life
I found everything
I could ever need
Here in Your arms

What good would it be
If you had everything,
But you wouldn't have
The only thing you need?

This is the good life
I've lost everything
I could ever want
And ever dream of
This is the good life
I found everything
I could ever need
Here in Your arms



There's an episode of the incredibly funny satirical TV show "The Office", in which the main character Jim has an incredibly awful day; everything goes horribly wrong (his boss is a jerk and his co-worker Dwight steals a huge sale from him)-- but at the end of the day, in a conference meeting, the receptionist who Jim has a crush on briefly falls asleep with her head accidentally on Jim's shoulder. Jim comments to the camera that it was "overall, not a bad day."

That's kinda what things look like right now. All the little (and some not-so-little) things just seem to be going bad... but at the end of the day, I have Christ. That's really all I need. I'd rather take Him and have everything go wrong than not have Him and have everything go right.


Yep, this is the good life.