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You Can’t Count To One Million Without Starting With ONE
As Christians, we are called to change the world.
We hear this preached to us on a regular basis but, due to the stressful aspects of life, the belief that we can change the world seems foolish when we’re struggling to pay the bills.
Over the years, child sponsorship has made guest appearances in my life. I remember my parents coming home from a retreat with a packet, a picture, and a story of how we’re making a difference. As I got older, the youth group I attended pulled together to sponsor a child. We took turns writing to him and shared in reading about how our funds were paving the way for his brighter future.
Life sucks. I think we can agree that some things just aren’t fair and, due to how the society we live in works, we constantly find ourselves struggling for time, struggling for money, and just struggling to say we did more than merely exist during this life.
I looked at my life and ministry and partnered with the organization One Child Matters, doing my part in changing the world. In addition, I, myself, sponsor a child.
This is Anurag Kumar.
He lives in India with his parents and 4 siblings. He enjoys math and is always found with a smile on his face.
Unfortunately his father struggles to provide for the family on his meager laborer income and, due to the heavy Hindu influences in the country, there’s a slim chance that Anurag will hear the life-changing gospel of Jesus.
That was… until I came around.
Due to my sponsorship funds, his basic needs for reliable food, water & shelter, as well as his tuition to the James Harvey Memorial School where he receives an accredited education while being exposed to the gospel on a daily basis.
The problem with how we think is that we see the end product and when we can’t skip to the last step, we become discouraged into believing that direction isn’t worth walking in. But you can’t count to a million without starting with one.
You can join with me in changing the world we live in by sponsoring a child through One Child Matters too! For more information on this and the One Child Matters organization, visit www.onechildmatter.org.
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Do you have a story about child sponsorship? Comment below and tell me about it! Let’s encourage each other as we change the world together!
…and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
Hello everyone! 🙂
I thought I would write this particular post just to let you all know how I’m doing and that I’m still alive!
As of recent, I moved to the city of Pittsburgh (well, technically it’s Baldwin, but it’s a Pittsburgh address, but about 20 minutes out of downtown). Growing up in an area of rural suburbia, this has been quite a culture shock. I’ve had the opportunity to meet a bunch of new people, try new things, and live life in the shoes of other people–shoes that I’m now putting on MY feet.
All that being said, I think that this change of scenery is going to provide much needed inspiration for what’s to come in the future. I’ve been praying a lot about what direction to take next as an artist and I feel God’s hand leading me down a path that particularly excites me! I can’t wait to share more when everything starts officially happening, but until then I have to keep my lips sealed.
BUT! There is good news! I’m currently in the studio working on a Christmas song for you all! Before I felt the need to move, I had a full Christmas EP in the pre-production phase. However, with everything that has transpired, I’ve had to cut it down to a single (I’m making a frowny face as I type that). However, I’m really excited on how it’s sounding and I can’t wait to give it out for FREE on the 17th! So you best keep your eyes pealed (I never really understood that phrase… sounds painful) or mark it on your calendar so you can make sure to pick it up before Christmas (cause the only thing worse that Christmas music before Christmas is Christmas music after Christmas!).
In any case, I’m really excited about where 2013 is going to lead and I can’t wait to share some memories with all of you! I’ll be praying for all of you, so if you could send a couple up for me too, that would be much appreciated!
Hope you all have a blessed Christmas,
Bryan Snyder
Eating Chicken Like Jesus Would
I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole Chick-Fil-A fiasco that’s been going on, and I have to be honest, I’m not quite sure where I stand in the whole thing.
1.) I think it’s important to say that Chick-Fil-A did not make any anti-gay statements, but, rather, exercised their First Amendment right to say that they, as a corporation, supported the Biblical view of marriage.
2.) Here’s where I start to disagree with some things (so just know that the rest of this blog post is my #2)…
I don’t think it’s wrong to stand up for what you believe in. In fact, I think that those who don’t stand up for what they believe in should really evaluate their life and come up with an answer to the question,”why not?” That being said, I think that, in some cases (such as the one involving Chick-Fil-A), standing up for what you believe in can create two different sides in a group that all belongs together.
First and foremost, as Christians, we have a responsibility to share the Gospel: Jesus came and paid for a debt He didn’t owe because we had a debt we couldn’t pay. That being said, everyone on earth has fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Our responsibility then, is to point people to Jesus. While we cannot ourselves save another person, we can be a stepping stone on the journey to someone who can.
Do you think this person is being shown the love of Christ by you eating at Chick-Fil-A today?
I think it’s also important to differentiate between following Jesus and voting Republican. It’s becoming more and more obvious that many Christians are voting against gay rights and abortion more than they’re going to church on Sunday mornings. I’m not necessarily disagreeing and saying you shouldn’t vote for policies you believe in, but I don’t think that your duty to your country should come before your responsibility to your Savior.
In closing, while I believe it is important to stand up for what you believe in, I don’t think that you should put it before sharing the love of Christ. And while many may say it’s important to stick behind your platform, can I ask just how much eating at Chick-Fil-A today changed the status of marriage rights in America?
And moreover, do you think Jesus would have eaten at Chick-Fil-A today? Or would He have been out sharing God’s love with the homosexual community, pointing people to the Father?
“Love is patient. Love is kind.” -I Corinthians 13:4
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I’d LOVE to hear your take on this situation, so comment below, and let’s chat about it! [Any comments including vulgar language will be deleted immediately by the administrator]
Light Up the Sky EP Announced
Currently in the studio, Bryan Snyder is finishing up work on his new EP entitled, “Light Up the Sky.” This album will feature 5 brand new songs from the up-and-coming worship artist. You can pre-order this EP online exclusively here. Each pre-ordered copy will come with a personalized letter from Bryan and perhaps other special prizes.
Baby, You’re a Firework…
A few days ago, I found myself traveling into town to visit with my pregnant friend and her family as she was home from a land far away. On this particular occasion, the soundtrack for my drive was from “Hello Love” by Chris Tomlin. As I passed by many people wandering through Oil Fest (the yearly festival held in the town of Titusville) and along the streets, I began worshiping to the track “God of this City.”
This is a particularly inspiring songs, especially when driving through the city you live in. While singing, almost screaming, the words at the top of my lungs (Greater things have yet to come/and greater things are still to be done in this city), I began to contemplate what the town of Titusville would look like if Christ were the center. Think about that for a second:
What would it look like if Christ were the center of your home town.
Moving on, I arrived at my destination and shared a wonderful evening with my friend and her family which included one of the most popular Oil Festival activities: fireworks.
I’ve been in the process of reading “Praise Habit” by David Crowder (which I’ve neglected for the past couple of days, so thanks for reminding me) and in it he talks about praise in what may seem like an unconventional way, speaking about blowing bubbles in your milk glass and other odd things. This book has been a challenge for me to praise at every moment of the day–to find something at all times that is good and is God. On this particular evening, I reveled in the beauty of God in the form of fireworks.
Think about this: fireworks are a bunch of pieces of God’s creation working in a way that creates something beautiful. At the heart, God is there. So how could I not find God to be so amazing in that moment as I let the smell of gunpowder rest in my nostrils and the flashing light of explosion reflect off of the lens of my eye?
And then I looked around me.
It is no surprise that knowing the beauty of what would occur, people would gather in a place to see. Lots of people. But this probably wasn’t the way it always was. People didn’t always know about the beauty of fireworks. I’m going to assume that a lot of destruction happened as people tried to figure out how to get these molecules and what not to work in a way that really glorified the person who it together. That made something beautiful.
Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city…
Church seems to be a place where we regularly hear about how we need to tell people about Jesus and evangelize and blah, blah, blah… And I’m not saying that that’s not true, because that’s really important. But I think more importantly, we need to start blowing things up, start being fireworks.
Did you know that there’s a Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas that has a website called GodHatesFags.com? Think about that for a second. Does that sound like God’s creation working together to create something beautiful?
I think one of the reasons that people hate church isn’t because they hate Jesus, but because they hate his people.
I’ve been to a lot of churches and I have to say that “Christians” are some of the most back-biting, self-absorbed, non-firework-like people. And I’m one of them. Maybe the problem here is that we care more about ourselves and our comfort than we do about others and doing God’s will. And I have to be honest with you, I fall into that category.
So my call is to put God first, other second, and myself third. This is something I’m working on, but something I also challenge you to work on. Why? Because I’m sick of God’s people not working together and creating an environment that doesn’t glorify the Creator.
We are all God’s creation and it’s my desire to bring God glory. I pray it would be your desire as well. But when the molecules and everything packed inside the firework tube don’t react with eachother correctly, dangerous things can happen and people tend to not treat the person who made that particular firework very well.
I think as a group called the church, we’ve done enough damage already. It’s time to change and explode with flying colors.
Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before all men that they may see your good deeds and praise the Father in heaven.”
Answering for Questions Asked
On February 26, 2011 at approximately 11:44AM Central Time, Justin Taylor, a blog writer for The Gospel Coalition, posted a blog with allegations against Rob Bell, a fairly unconventional pastor and author of the new book Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Has Ever Lived, calling him a universalist.
The problem? The statements made about Bell being a preacher of “universalism” are based on conclusions drawn from questions that Bell asked in a video trailer for the book, released by HarperOne last week.
If you watch the video, you may think to yourself, “Well.. some of these statements are very controversial, and do, indeed, point to Rob Bell pushing the idea of universalism.” But, if that is your thought, watch again. You’ll notice that every single semi-controversial statement isn’t actually a statement at all, but a question. Bell asks many questions that nonbelievers have about the Christian faith. Many questions that nonbelievers have about the Christian faith.
Do you see any word in there that may point to why the answer implied in the questions is controversial?
And wouldn’t you dare to say that, being this is a video trailer for a book, that those questions might be answered within the pages, yet to be released?
Another pool Taylor drew water from was the HarperOne description of the book (not written by Bell himself). Here is the excerpted sentence Taylor referred to:
“Now, in Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith—the afterlife—arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering.”
This does sounds a bit universalistic, I will grant you that. But I would like to say that I don’t believe that God just sentences human souls to eternal suffering either. I believe that it’s not God’s decision, it’s ours. Do we claim Jesus as our Savior or don’t we?
If you’re dying and a store has medicine that you need, but you don’t take it, is your death the store’s doing or your own?
I’m not saying that the answer within the book is that Bell is not a universal thinker. But in the same way that one cannot be certain that he’s not, one can’t be certain he is until it releases.
And, please don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I’m a universalist. I believe it’s a waste of time, much like Calvinism. (Arminian all the way, brother?)
And isn’t the whole point of a trailer to catch the viewers attention and give them a desire to read the book? I think that he’s done that. So let’s read the book shall we, and stop making a man answer for questions he’s already answered?
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